Multi-Day, Carrying Camp · 23 routes · 2 regions
Tent, stove and food on your back, with no resupply for days.
23 of them here, grouped by region. Each entry carries distance, climb and top height, and the last column says what a foreign passport gets you. 7 of these are banned or closed and are marked at the top of the entry. See all six kinds, or the background on hiking.
17 routes
Southwest China (西南)
| Route | Where | What it takes |
|---|---|---|
| Closed: do not attemptGenyen Route C (Litang, Sichuan) (格聂C线)Closed. The C line ran 60 to 80 km over five to seven days with full packs, across several passes above 4,700 m including Hagala. | Garze (Litang), Sichuan | Crossing prohibited C, serious |
| Closed: do not attemptQizanggou Valley Trek (Songpan, Sichuan) (七藏沟)Closed. The route ran 30 to 50 km over three or four days with full packs, past Kakagou, Changhaizi and Hongxing lake at 4,250 m. | Aba (Songpan), Sichuan | Crossing prohibited C, serious |
| Closed: do not attemptEverest East Face / Kama Valley (Gama Valley) Trek (珠峰东坡·嘎玛沟徒步)Closed since March 2026. It is kept here because it was the one walk that brought Everest, Lhotse and Makalu into view together at close range: 70 to 80 km over seven to ten days, topping out at 5,350 m.70-80 km · tops out at 5350 m | Shigatse (Tingri), Tibet | Closed D, expedition |
| Changping Valley to Bipenggou Traverse (Chang-Chuan-Bi / “Kiss of Siguniang”) (长穿毕（四姑娘山长坪沟—叉子沟垭口—毕棚沟穿越）)Thirty-six kilometres over three days with two nights camped above 3,600 m, crossing the Chazigou pass at 4,641 m on snow and scree after a climb of over 1,000. The route is tracked and the daily distances are manageable.35.7 km · 2000 m up · tops out at 4641 m | Aba, Sichuan | Passport is enough C, serious |
| Gongga Great Circuit Trek (Mount Minyak Konka Outer Circuit) (贡嘎大环线（老榆林—格西草原—日乌且垭口—莫溪沟—子梅村/上木居）)Eighty kilometres over five or six days entirely between 3,400 and 4,900 m, with several nights camped above 4,000. The Riwuqie pass turns weather quickly and its scree and snow slope slides. Full packs, or pack animals.80 km · 4000 m up · tops out at 4928 m | Garze, Sichuan | Permit or a registered club needed C, serious |
| Gongga Southwest Slope (Caoke / Bawanghai – Gongga Monastery) (贡嘎西南坡（草科/巴王海—贡嘎寺）)Fifty to sixty kilometres over four or five days with full packs, by the Zimei pass at 4,550 m to Gongga monastery at 3,850 m and on to Bawanghai. It can be walked in either direction. | Sichuan | Passport is enough C, serious |
| Leduomanyin Extension (Gongga Great Circuit) (勒多曼因（贡嘎大环附加段）)An extension to the Gongga circuit: 30 to 40 km to the Leduomanyin ice lake by way of the Riwuqie camp, topping out near 4,600 m. Walked with the main circuit, six to eight days in all. | Garze (Kangding), Sichuan | Permit or a registered club needed C, serious Partly open |
| Mount Yala Traverse (Hengduan Section) (雅拉雪山穿越（大横断分段）)Sixty to eighty kilometres over five or six days with full packs, by the Yala pass at about 4,800 m past Youcuo and the Sister Lakes. A six-kilometre section inside the scenic area can be walked light. | Sichuan | Passport is enough C, serious Must be registered in advance |
| The Rock Route (Muli–Yading, Joseph Franklin Rock Trek) (洛克线（木里水洛—稻城亚丁）)The trail the Austrian-American botanist Joseph Rock walked in the 1920s, the real-life seed of Hilton’s “Shangri-La”, crossing five 4,500 m+ passes to Yading’s three sacred peaks.51-70 km · 3000-3200 m up · tops out at 4770 m | Sichuan | Permit or a registered club needed C, serious Must be registered in advance |
| Yangmolong to Xiangqiuqieke Traverse (Batang, Sichuan) (央莫龙穿相丘切克)Sixty kilometres over five or six days with full packs, crossing passes between 4,800 and 4,900 m by Yamocuogen. A recent route, with little written about it. | Garze (Batang), Sichuan | Permit or a registered club needed C, serious |
| Kula Kangri Traverse (Lhozhag, Tibet) (库拉岗日穿越)The full circuit is 80 km over seven days between 4,500 and 5,200 m, crossing several passes. A short walk to Baima Lincuo is five kilometres return. | Tibet | Permit or a registered club needed C, serious |
| Medog (Motuo) Trek (Pai – Medog) (墨脱徒步（派墨线）)Eighty kilometres over four or five days, crossing the Doxong La at 4,200 m and dropping into rainforest. The road that now exists is closed to private vehicles. | Tibet | Permit or a registered club needed C, serious Partly open |
| Sepu Kangri Loop Trek (Nagqu, Tibet) (萨普神山环线（西藏那曲）)Between 4,700 and 4,900 m, where altitude is the main risk. The inner lake is four to six kilometres return with about 300 m of climbing; the full circuit is 15 to 20 over two days with camping. | Tibet | Passport is enough C, serious |
| Taniantaweng Range Traverse (Yanjing – Dengba) (他念他翁（盐登线）)The Yandeng line runs 102 km over seven or eight days with full packs, across five passes topping out at 5,132 m. The shorter lake line is about 60 km in five or six. | Tibet | Permit or a registered club needed C, serious |
| Baima Snow Mountain Pass Traverse (Deqin, Yunnan) (白马雪山垭口穿越（云南德钦）)Starting at 4,000 m and crossing at 4,292 m, so altitude is felt from the first step. The pass line is six to ten kilometres return; the deeper crossing is 20 to 30 over two days. Crampons in winter. | Yunnan | Passport is enough C, serious |
| Meili Snow Mountain North Slope (Yagong – Pojun) (梅里北坡（亚贡—坡均）)Fifty kilometres over five days, crossing the Ciding pass at 4,720 m and the Yunnan-Tibet pass at 5,200 m. Light packs with camps, or seven days carrying everything. | Diqing (Deqin), Yunnan | Permit or a registered club needed C, serious |
| Nanjiluo Trek (Weixi, Yunnan) (南极洛)A ten to thirteen kilometre loop among glacial lakes between 3,900 and 4,480 m, five to seven hours, reached by shuttle bus and then on foot. | Yunnan | Permit or a registered club needed C, serious |
6 routes
Northwest China (西北)
| Route | Where | What it takes |
|---|---|---|
| Closed: do not attemptLangta (Wolf-Tower) Trail – C Section (Baiyanggou – Baluntai) (狼塔C线（呼图壁白杨沟—巴仑台）)Closed. The C line ran about 130 km over seven or eight days with full packs, across five passes above 3,500 m and frequent fords. It was called the most dangerous route in the northern Tianshan. | Xinjiang | Crossing prohibited C, serious |
| Closed: do not attemptSouthern Tianshan North Route (Dajier – Aheyazi) (南天山北线（达吉尔村—阿合牙孜）)Closed. The route ran about 140 km over seven or eight days with full packs, across several high passes, with glacier ground and repeated wading. | Ili (Zhaosu), Xinjiang | Closed C, serious |
| Closed: do not attemptWusun Ancient Road (Qiongkushitai – Heiyingshan) (乌孙古道（琼库什台—黑英山）)Closed. The route ran 120 to 130 km over six or seven days with full packs, crossing the Akbulak pass at about 3,660 m and Baozhadun, with repeated river fords. | Xinjiang | Closed C, serious |
| Closed: do not attemptXiata Ancient Road (Zhaosu – Wensu) (夏塔古道（昭苏夏塔—温宿破城子）)Closed. The route ran about 120 km over six or seven days, crossing the Muzart pass at some 3,600 m and the Muzart glacier, with frequent fords. | Xinjiang | Closed C, serious |
| Bogda Grand Loop (Fukang, Xinjiang) (博格达大环线)Eighty to a hundred kilometres over six to eight days with full packs, across passes between 3,800 and 4,125 m and over glacier. Accumulated climbing is about 5,500 m. | Changji (Fukang), Xinjiang | Permit or a registered club needed C, serious Partly open |
| Mengkete Ancient Road (Nilka – Wulasitai) (孟克特古道（尼勒克—乌拉斯台）)Seventy kilometres over three or four days with full packs, crossing a pass near 4,000 m. Since the area was developed, a five to eight kilometre section can be walked in a day. | Ili (Nilka), Xinjiang | Passport is enough C, serious |
Walking It Legally
Some of these need a Tibet permit, a border pass or a registered club behind you, and a few are closed outright with fines attached. Tell our local team which route and which week, and they will say what has to be arranged and what is currently shut.