Kham Itinerary 2007

July 21, Saturday Meet Beijing Sino-Swiss Hotel July 22, Sunday Flight Beijing-Kunming Transfer to Camilla hotel in Kunming (1890m / 6200ft), capital of Yunnan Province. Visit vegetable and mushroom market. Visit botanical garden and book store. July 23, Monday Flight Kunming - Deqing Airport Transfer to Gyalthang (Zhongdian, Shangrila/Sangila, 3275m / 10750 ft). Meet Tibetan guide Thupten and Tibetan Mitsubishi Pajero drivers Losang & Losang. Drive to Ringha monastery (Gelukpa tradition) on forested hill. Visit Hambi Gompa, a small monastery of the Tolung Kagyu tradition - Picnic lunch. Mushroom & flower walk with orchids and Morina delavayi in secondary pine forest (Pinus densata). Hotel July 24, Tuesday Hike around Gyalthang Five hour fungal and floral hike from Gyalthang to Ringha Village (3290-3500m / 10,800-11,500ft). Picnic lunch in village. Visit home in Tsalang village. Visit of Rangjung Dosam / Tiansheng Qiao Hot Springs with steam cave next to river tunneling through limestone ridge. Visit mushroom market in town. Guest house. July 25, Wednesday Gyalthang - Excursion to Nyezhi Drive from Gyalthang via Napa Lake (Lilium duchateri along road) to Nyezhi / Nixi District, . Mushroom (Tricholoma matsutake) hunt in Talading village (2500-2950m / 8300-9500ft) below Nepung Ri Mountain. Visit sites in old town & shopping. Guest house. July 26, Thursday Gyalthang - Dechen Drive down to Yangtse River (Dri Chu, Chinese Jinsha Jiang). Confluence of Gonjo Chu and Yangtze (2000m / 6600ft). Long March bridge. Lunch in Pondzirak / Benzilan. Visit Yangtse bend view point. Drive by Dondrupling monastery with view of Mt. Bala. Botanical walk on Mt. Pema Karpo / Baima Shan pass (4292m). Visit nomad camp on pass. Spend night in Dechen / Deqin town (3280m). Hotel July 27, Friday Dechen to Derong Sunrise visit to Namka Tashi Lhakhang / Feilaisi viewpoint (3480m 11,500 ft) above Mekong River (Tibetan: Gyalmo Ngul Chu / Chinese: Lancang Jiang) overlooking Kawa Karpo / Meili Xueshan Range (6740m / 22,200ft). Return via Pema Karpo pass. Forest walk with collectors of Tibetan gypsy (Rozites emodensis) in subalpine fir forest (3900m / 12,900ft). Group split: Peak hike on pass or fungal & botanical walk in old-growth fir-spruce-juniper forests (3850m / 12,700 ft). Drive down to Dri Chu / Yangtse River and cross at 2000m / 6600 ft. Drive up Dri Chu and Ding Chu River, Eremurus chinensis & Hoya sp. stop (2250m). Visit matsutake market in dark. Hotel in Derong town (2400m / 7900 ft). July 28, Saturday Derong to Chatreng (Xiangcheng). Visit at 108 wooden topped stone stupas and farm house of Dondrup in Yala village, Zhu District (3050m, 9450 ft). Cross low pass 3300m / 11,000ft. Stop by nomad lady summer Drolma who had gathered boletes. Drive along Rawu Chu (2700m / 8900ft). Matsutake picking women Drolma with two sons at pass (3550m / 8400ft). Visit of Chobuling Gonpa (Gelukpa), founded by 3rd Dalai Lama (late 16th Century). Mushroom hunters met before Gonpa: Phuntsok and Kelsang Drolma. Group split: fungal walk in pine-spruce forest (3250m / 10,750ft) with Boletus edulis or early drive to Chatreng (2700m / 9000ft). Tibetan restaurant - Hotel. July 29, Sunday Chatreng to Litang Stop at Mani Stones (2900m). Stop at pass (4560m / 15,000ft) for Meconopsis integrifolia, M.horridula and M.sp, Soroseris cf. hookeriana, Lamiophlomis rotata and other high alpine flowers. People lining road in Sumdo (4200m / 14,000ft, Dabpa / Daocheng County) and nearby Pombu or Dekyi Gompa (Kagyupa, founded in 1169 by First Karmapa Dusum Chenpa) expecting visiting Lama. Crossing glacial boulder and lake landscape of Sangtob La / Haizi Shan Nature Reserve. Stop to view bearded vulture nest in Trakaniri. Guest house in Litang (4017m / 13,250ft). July 30, Monday Litang Town - Tsangla - Trekking Drive from Litang Town via Kana La pass 4800m / 16,000 ft (highest point driven on trip) to Tsangla village in Dala District, Litang. Encounter with group of local ladies collecting hawkwings (Sarcodon imbricatus). Visit of a wood heated mushroom dryer in Maiganduot. Picnic lunch. Waiting for pack horses. Trek along Le Chu and camp on river in 3600m / 11,900ft. July 31, Tuesday Hike Hike to Lekando village. Flower and mushroom walk or hike (30km) to Nyegong Gompa (4200m) with Blue sheep (Pseudois nayaur) and White-eared pheasant (Crossoptilon crossoptilon) sighting at the foot of glaciated Mt. Genyen (6204m) and Mt. Shatra (5860m). Camping August 1, Wednesday Hike - return to Litang Break camp, hike back to Tsangla and return by car to Litang Town. Lunch picnic stop and walk in spruce-fir old growth (Picea likiangensis-Abies squamata) in 4000m / 13,200ft. Visit Tsaka Hot Springs near Litang and bath in private hot tubs. Drive to festival grounds and sleep in traditional Tibetan picnic tent. August 2 - Thursday Litang Full day at our disposal at Litang Horse Festival. Lunch on "fairgrounds". Potala Inn Hotel. August 3, Friday Litang to Nyachuka Visit Litang Chode Monastery (Gelukpa), founded 1580 by the 3rd Dalai Lama. Drive from Litang to Nyachuka across high alpine grasslands (Leccinum sp., Amanita cf. vaginata). Lunch near Taziba. Highest road point claimed on sign to be 4718m (doubtful!). Stop at pass (4200m) above Nyachuka with full view of Minyak Gonkar / Gongga Shan (7556m / 24,785 ft, world's highest mountain outside of the Himalaya-Karakorum range). Group splits: summit peak near pass or mushroom walk in subalpine secondary spruce forest with Amanita hemibapha. Visit matsutake open air cleaning facility before Nyachuka town. Yajiang Hotel. August 4, Saturday Nyachuka (Yajiang) Day in and around Nyachuka / Yajiang town (2600m / 8500 ft). Group split: Explore by foot local town and villages or Mushroom hunting with local forester Adzan above Nyachuka / Yajiang in evergreen oak forest on south-facing slope (incl. Cantharellus cf. minor, Boletus edulis) and in spruce-fir forest on north-facing slope (incl. Clitocybe odora, Boletus spp.). Visit matsutake market. King bolete & Caesar's dinner. Guesthouse. August 5, Sunday Nyachuka to Dartsedo (Kangding) Visit traditional black yak wool nomad tent on Kabzhi La / Si Shan Pass (4412m / 14,550ft). Stop for Notholirion bulbuliferum (Liliaceae) and Chinese Jatamansi: Nardostachys chinensis (Valerianaceae) in 4100m / 13,300 ft. Drive through Dzongzhab (Xinduqiao) valley (3500m). Lunch at Gye La / Zheduo pass (4290m / 14,150ft). Afternoon in Dartsendo / Kangding town (2590m / 8500ft). Hotel in Kangding. August 6, Monday Dartsedo / Kangding Visit Kangding's fresh mushroom market. Excursion to Dentok Ri / Paoma Shan with cable car. Visit Tibetan Buddhist, Daoist and Confucian temple. Outstanding plants: Lilium henryi, Lilium taliense & Arisaema consanguineum. Picnic lunch and visit to Dordrak Gonpa (Nyingma), first established in 1272, moved to current location in mid 17th century. Afternoon shopping and Tibetan dinner at Ari Restaurant. Hotel in Kangding August 7, Tuesday Dartsendo to Chengdu Lunch stop and short hike in subtropical forest in Yaan Prefecture. Last group dinner at a Thai Restaurant. Hotel near "Tibetan Street" in Chengdu August 8, Wednesday Chengdu-Beijing-USA Visit mushroom market in the morning. Airport transfer in Chengdu. Fly to connecting flights in Beijing.	Mushroom market in Kunming Tsering (Tashi Tsering in back) showing of their Tibetan gypsy (Rozites emodensis) Matsutake (Tricholoma matsutake) in evergreen oak leaves, Losang holding a Tibetan Caesar (Amanita hemibapha)