Cycling Yunnan, China: Kunming to Shangri La

After traveling with just a backpack for a few weeks, I felt like getting back on the bike to be able to cover larger distances, so I flew to Shanghai. Here I bought a locally manufactured steel bike from 2Wheels, picked up some bike bags from Rekki Works, and set off with a plan to cycle across Yunnan & Sichuan.

I shipped my bike to Kunming, the capital of Yunnan, with China Railway Express, and traveled there by rail. Leaving Kunming by bike was comfortable, like with all major cities in China, thanks to dedicated (motor-) bike lanes. Before I knew it, I found myself cycling on remote roads through the mountains.

Yunnan is one of the most mountainous regions in all of China. But this didn’t stop people from populating this area, there are countless of picturesque villages in the valleys or even perched on the mountaintops. Though, I didn’t meet many people, oftentimes it wouldn’t meet a car on the road for hours. It seems like the locals are living fairly self-sufficient. I came across the occasional Confucian temple or historical building, but for the most part just enjoyed the solitude, as I slowly started gaining more elevation and eventually reached the massive Yangtze river, the longest river in Asia, and third longest in the world.

I would be following the Jinsha River for a while, which is the Chinese name for the upper division of the Yangtze River. Some of the world’s largest dams were constructed on the river to generate electricity. The resulting reservoirs make it feel like cycling along a lake rather than a river, and the valley seems to be a prime location for tangerine plantations, so much that I was constantly gifted fruits by the locals.

Eventually I left the Jinsha/Yangtze River behind, and started a steep 1200m climb towards Lijiang, the last major city I’ll come across for a while. It’s quite popular amongst tourists, thanks to its picturesque Old Town, and the fact that the temperature is comfortable year round. I rested in a hostel for a few days, before continuing my ride, which would once again follow the Yangtze River.

Eventually I reached the Tiger Leaping Gorge, one of the steepest gorges in the world, and a major tourist attraction. To my surprise it was much less busy than expected, as most Chinese tourists only seem to visit one single viewpoint at the beginning of the gorge. The road running through the gorge was stunning, and must have been difficult to construct, given the fact that the steep mountain faces rise from 1800m to 5500m and there is a major rockfall and landslide risk. Fortunately the weather was good, so it was a joy to cycle through here.

After leaving the gorge behind, I slowly starting gaining elevation, as I rode towards the city of Shangri La. Once again I decided to avoid the main road due to its heavy truck traffic, and opted for a calmer & more scenic route, although it would take me three times as long due to the constant up and down. The scenery was great, with snow capped peaks by the side of the road, and picturesque villages dotting the landscapes.

I also visited the ‘White Water terraces’, some stunning skyblue water pools, caused by high calcium deposits in the area. It reminded me of the same natural phenomenon in Pamukkale in Turkey, which I had visited a couple years prior.

After more climbing I eventually reached Shangri La and with that the Tibetan Areas in China, however felt like the city didn’t live up to its name. It felt propped up and highly catered to tourists, of which there were many. The city boasted the name ‘Zhongdian’ until it was changed in 2001 in order to boost tourism, and they certainly succeeded at that. I hung out at a hostel for a couple days and prepared myself and my bike for the ride into the Sichuan Province and up to the remote Tibetan Plateau.