Herding the High Plateau, Kiln Retreat in the Wild

A Day on the Highland Pasture Trekking Baima Snow Mountain Heritage Nixi Black Pottery Western Yunnan's Foremost Gelugpa Monastery INEOS Grenadier 4x4 All-Inclusive Private Small-Group Wilderness Luxury

At 3,300 metres in the Tibetan reaches of Yunnan, JiangLu makes its home in two wilderness-luxury lodges, drawing you deep into the high country of Shangri-La and the Meili Snow Mountain. Board a boat into a private pasture open just five months a year and join a Tibetan ama to milk the herd, ferment fresh yogurt and knead tsampa by hand; shape a piece of Nixi black pottery under the hands of artisans who have passed the craft down through generations; walk the forest trails of Baima Snow Mountain through hillsides ablaze with rhododendron; and step into Dongzhulin, western Yunnan's foremost Gelugpa monastery, to feel the weight of living faith. A rugged INEOS Grenadier accompanies you throughout, with a driver who doubles as your guide. All-inclusive, privately small-group and independently scheduled — this is a hidden-luxury journey of slowness, wildness, and the true rhythm of life on the plateau.

Where You Stay

Yunnan · Shangri-la

Jianglu Saiduo Nomadic

Plateau lodge in a nomadic narrative

Yunnan · Meili Snow Mountain

Jianglu Wunongding

Facing the thirteen peaks of Meili

Day-by-Day

Day 1

Arrival in Shangri-La

Arrive at Shangri-La airport or high-speed rail station, where a private INEOS Grenadier transfers you to the lodge (about 10 km, 20 minutes). Check in at JiangLu Saiduo Nomad and settle in over dinner amid the wildflower meadows and cool breezes of the grassland.

Day 2

Nixi Black Pottery Workshop

Work alongside artisans of a generations-old lineage to wedge the clay, shape, carve and finish your piece — from a plain lump of earth to a vessel that is entirely your own, a one-of-a-kind heritage black pottery to take home.

A Day on the Highland Pasture

Board a boat into a private local pasture open just five months a year (about 120 km, 3 hours). Wander the alpine meadows and join a Tibetan ama to milk the herd, ferment yogurt, knead tsampa and sip a freshly churned bowl of butter tea — the truest taste of a herder's day. Overnight at Saiduo Nomad.

Day 3

Dongzhulin Monastery

Visit western Yunnan's foremost Gelugpa monastery, where the daily life of practice endures in its purest form: brilliant murals and gleaming thangkas, three three-dimensional mandalas inlaid with dzi beads and agate, the incorrupt body of a venerated lama, and a vast appliqué thangka — all bearing the depth and legend of Tibetan faith.

Onward to Meili Snow Mountain

Continue to the Meili Snow Mountain (about 160 km, 4 hours) and check in at JiangLu Wunongding, where every room looks out level upon the snow peaks — open the window and the great mountains stand before you.

Day 4

Trekking Baima Snow Mountain

Set out along forest trails (about 40 km, 1 hour), watching ridge after ridge unfold and listening to the wind sweep through the woods. From May to July the mountain is at its loveliest, with alpine rhododendrons blooming in waves — fierce reds, tender pinks, serene whites — vivid against the drifting clouds of the snow peaks. Overnight at Wunongding.

Day 5

Return to Shangri-La, Departure

After breakfast, return to Shangri-La (about 160 km, 4 hours) with a private transfer to the airport or rail station, closing this journey across the high plateau.

MAKE THIS JOURNEY YOURS

Keep the spirit. Change every detail.

Dates, pace, lodges and experiences are shaped around your party.

Journey in mind Herding the High Plateau, Kiln Retreat in the Wild

Your name * Email * WhatsApp (optional) Travel dates Trip length Travellers Budget range Preferred language Tell us about your dream journey *

Complimentary planning · No fee until you book