North Yunnan: Traces of Missionaries, Echoes of Three Rivers

The road unwinds from the walls of Dali toward a realm where China brushes the roof of the world. We drive up the Nu River Valley. We meet the Drung and Lisu people in their remote villages, where missionaries centuries ago left their message with books and stone churches. Now the people plant coffee, invite us for a hiking trip and collect truffles in the forests of the valley for our dinner. 

Northward the mountains open into the Three Parallel Rivers theatre. Three of Asia’s great arteries – the Yangtze, the Mekong, the Salween – race side by side, each in its own canyon, separated only by a ridge yet separated by continents in spirit. Alpine meadows burst with azalea and the golden snub-nosed monkey flits through primeval spruce. Few travellers reach this hidden intersection of geology and myth and even fewer arrive by private convoy.

We climb again until Meili Snow Mountain clears the skyline. At dawn the summit of Kawagebo glows rose-gold above the sea of clouds. Local pilgrims circle the monastery in rhythmic silence while our lodge serves fresh-ground Yunnan coffee beside floor-to-ceiling windows. Altitude meets indulgence without compromise.

The route arcs south to Lijiang. Cobbled lanes echo with the splash of ancient canals and the soft tones of the Naxi dongba script. Evening brings music in timber courtyards, a tasting menu that reimagines heirloom mushrooms, and a night in a boutique courtyard hotel where starlight falls through carved latticework.

Finally we return to Dali, carrying the scent of highland pines and the quiet certainty that West China still holds frontiers worthy of slow discovery.

Sounds exciting? Come around, we are very keen to share this fascinating experience with you.