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UNESCO World Heritage Site in Yunnan, China
Photo: ChinaGeography.png: en:User:Alanmak Alan Mak derivative work: Takeaway (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The Three parallel rivers region is in Yunnan, China, in part of the same complex of mountain ranges as the Himalayas, at the eastern end of the Himalaya proper. Descending from Tibet, three mighty rivers here run parallel to each other for over 200 km (125 miles), carving out vast canyons, before diverging halfway across Asia, nourishing billions and giving rise to splendid civilizations. Parts of the area are a ; the UNESCO page says "The site consists of 15 protected areas (in eight geographic clusters) ..."
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扎拉雀尼
Main peak of Bai Ma mountain (白马雪山) aka Bai Mang mountain (白茫雪山).
卡瓦格博
Main peak of Meili mountain (梅里雪山). Best viewed from Fei Lai Si (飞来寺) at sun rise.
雨崩
The premier hike in the Lancang (Mekong) valley.
Being on the northern edge of Yunnan bordering Tibet means all access has to come from the south. This usually starts in one of the three Tea Horse Road cities: Dali, Lijiang and Shangri-la.
Read in the guideHaving three enormous valleys going in parallel means all roads must follow the valleys. Going north or south is easy. Going east or west is hard.
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Putao · Regional · PBU
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