THE THREE SISTERS

Exploring the remote western border of Yunnan and Tibet

They are called the three sisters. The Jinsha, the Nujiang and the Lancang, better known as the Salween, the Mekong and the Yangtze. Three rivers who originate in the Tibetan mountain ranges, running north to south, carving their way through an incredible landscape of sheer cliffs, snow caped mountains and green valleys . When I travelled on my last research trip the roads we took crossed the rivers several times and I was mesmerised by them, from dark jade to chocolate brown, all three running parallel to each other, split by mountain ranges ranging as high as 5400m.

I was here for 3 weeks of research re-doing a suggested itinerary by a tour company that clearly had designed it from Google Earth instead of actually being on the road. What I like about researching and being on the terrain is obviously the new areas I explore and photograph but also imagining how our travelers will see their holiday unfold. Does it make sense, will they see what I see, how can I make this trip a real ‘experience”. What struck me during the research trip is how one minute you would be driving along the Yangtze river and then 2 hours later, after crossing a mountain pass or driving through a long tunnel, you would be along the Salween or the Mekong. At times, we would be able to walk along the shoreline and then 45 minutes later, we would be looking 1500 meters down at the same river. The changes were drastic and impressive.This 300 sq.km area is so sensitive and rich in bio-diversity that UNESCO has declared the Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan a World Heritage Status.

LITTLE KNOWN FACT:

UNESCO declared the Three Parallel Rivers area the “…most biologically diverse temperate region on earth”.

BEST MONTH TO VISIT:

May and late September

Longitude 80 now operates private hiking/biking and photography tours in May/June and September/October each year in the upper Yunnan region.