Ancient Tea Horse Road

The ancient tea-trade routes into Tibet via Pu'er, Dali, Lijiang and Shangri-La, and into the Kham region from Ya'an.

The Ancient Tea Horse Road was a historic trade route on which tea was exchanged for horses, divided mainly into the Yunnan–Tibet route and the Sichuan–Tibet route. The Yunnan–Tibet route starts at the tea mountains of Pu'er and Xishuangbanna and runs north through Dali (Xizhou, and Shaxi's Sideng Street), Lijiang (Shuhe, Lashi Lake), Shangri-La and Benzilan in Deqen, then crosses the Jinsha River into Markam and Zogang in Tibet. The Sichuan–Tibet route begins at Ya'an, crosses Erlang Mountain and passes through Kangding, Litang and Batang on its way into Tibet. Today's travelers mostly seek out the remains along the Yunnan section: the Nakeli post station in Pu'er, Shaxi Old Town, Nuodeng salt-well village, Shuhe in Lijiang, Dukezong Old Town in Shangri-La, and the salt wells of Markam. You can choose an in-depth 10–14 day route of Pu'er–Dali–Lijiang–Shangri-La–Deqen, or visit just old towns such as Shaxi and Nuodeng. Transport varies greatly from section to section: central Yunnan has high-speed rail and airports, while reaching deeper villages and towns requires a chartered car or self-drive. Some sections are at high altitude, so watch for sun exposure and altitude sickness. Along the way you will also find caravan stations, flagstone paths, old bridges and the opera stage on Sideng Street, where many ethnic cultures meet and blend. If you are interested in history, the museums in Dali, Lijiang and Shangri-La explain the full story of the caravan trade.

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