Deqin

Deqin is to the very north of Yunnan on the borders of Tibet to the west, Sichuan to the east and Myanmar to the southwest. At an altitude of 3550m, Deqin is a small Tibetan town and the administrative center for this remote region, 80% of its inhabitants are Tibetan. Down in the town the three streets were dirty and shabby.

Deqin is a dead end as far as foreigners go. The border with Tibet is closed to foreigners and the only reason for coming to Deqin is to admire the grand Meili Snow Mt. (Kawakarpo) and to feel its Shangri-La mystique. If you can deal with the altitude it makes a great place to hike from. If you can't then just hanging out in town is also very rewarding.

The Conservancy's Bob Moseley has set up shop here, the only foreigner in town, and the locals are quite proud to have him. Bob, his local staff and his Yunnan government colleagues are developing innovative ways to cut the local dependence on firewood.

Getting there & away

Take daily buses running between Shangri-La(Zhongdian) and Deqin for Y38. The journey takes about 5 hours through spectacular mountain scenery. Most buses stop to allow photo opportunities. The route includes scaling a 4200m mountain pass and offers some great views of the edge of the Himalayas.

For leaving, a seat on a local bus to Lhasa costs Y500 for three days, as no sleeper buses are yet available. Non-Chinese visitors without permits for travel to Tibet may be able to buy a ticket and board a bus, but travelling to the region is illegal and you are likely to be fined and sent back to Yunnan (or even asked to leave the country) if caught entering Tibet without a permit.

Another road out of town runs down the Mekong river towards the small town of Weixi, the larger towns of Baoshan and Liuku on the upper Salween or Nujiang river.