Deqin is a small town in the very north of Yunnan which borders Tibet to the west, Sichuan to the east and Myanmar to the southwest. It lies at an altitude of 3550m and 80% of its inhabitants are Tibetan. The town itself is a little dirty and it is not worth spending much time there. But it has some very impressing sites in its surroundings.

The most famous is Meili Snow Mountain, a UNESCO nature site which divides Yunnan from Tibet. It is a wonderful place to hike and explore the nature and Tibetan culture. A Legend says that this Mountain is a god guarding Tibetan Buddhism. Its highest peak has an altitude of 6740m,and has never been conquered yet.

On the way between Zhongdian and Deqin, at the bordering point of Sichuan and Yunnan, lies the small Tibetan village Benzilan, which used to be an important tradingpost on the ancient Tea & Horse Route for exporting tea from Yunnan to Tibet. It’s worth to stop and have lunch here.

Dongzhulin Monastery is situated on a large rocky piece at the backdrop of a massive mountain range. It was built in 1667 and is considered to be one of 13 great Lama temples in China.

Located in the mid section of the Hengdun Mountain range, the Baimang Snow Mountain is a well-preserved natural resort with typical views of vertical belts. All of the peaks are above 4000m meters with the highest at 5430m.