The Far West of China, on Foot or by Bike
Lost Horizon was founded in Kunming, in Yunnan province, by a French team who has now lived and guided across West China for over a decade. From Yunnan to Qinghai, by way of Sichuan, Gansu and Inner Mongolia, we operate across the whole of West China and the Tibetan plateau — on foot, through mountains and deserts populated by nomads, beliefs and legends still very much alive.
We work with two kinds of travellers, and structure ourselves accordingly:
Groups & Travel Agencies
For tour operators and larger groups, we contract through our travel agency registered in France — Atout France licensed, with the same financial and insurance guarantees you'd expect from any European operator. See our registrations →
Small Groups, Tailor-Made
All our treks run as small, tailor-made private tours, from 2 travellers upward — your own dates, your own pace, with the same guides throughout.
Why Not Make It 2–3 Weeks?
Most of our treks run about a week — and most travellers come a long way to reach West China, so we actively encourage combining them into a longer journey. It's very possible, and we build these combinations often:
Pick one trek
Any of our one-week treks in Yunnan, Sichuan, Gansu or Inner Mongolia, or our longer Everest East Slope expedition in Tibet.
Add a second trek
Two treks back to back — for example Meili Beipo and Mekong-Salween, both reached from Lijiang or Shangri-La — make a full two-week mountain journey.
Bookend with Beijing & Xi'an
Add our Cultural Extension before or after your trek(s) — the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, the Terracotta Army — for a complete 2–3 week China journey mixing mountains and history.
Our Treks
Ten signature treks across West China and Tibet, plus a Beijing & Xi'an extension to combine with any of them. Real photos where we have them already — more on the way for the others.
Meili Beipo
Stone Village
Yading
Tour and Summit of Mt Haba
Mekong-Salween
Minya Konka
Badain Jaran
Everest East Slope
Xishuangbanna Rainforest
Lhasa to Kathmandu by Bike
Beijing & Xi'an Cultural Extension
A French-Chinese Team, Based in Kunming
Founded in Kunming in 2015, Lost Horizon is run by a French team who has lived and guided in China for over a decade, working hand in hand with Chinese partners and local communities across the routes we design.
We travel and camp alongside our guests — guides carry a full medical kit, one of our team holds an IFREMMONT mountain-medicine accreditation, and every route is walked and re-walked by the team before it's offered to travellers.
Mathieu · Founder & Guide
Based in France- 12+ years in China, mountaineering since age 15
- Climbed across the Sahara, the Gobi, the Alps, Yosemite, Nepal and the Andes (Aconcagua, 6,962m)
- Cartography engineer by training
- IFREMMONT-trained mountain medicine correspondent
Yannick · Route Design & Local Coordination
Based in Kunming, Yunnan- 15+ years in China, 10 of them based in Yunnan
- Engineer by training, hikes with his two sons
- Edits Chinese-language hiking maps
- Active in promoting trekking across China
Get in Touch
We don't take bookings online — this site is here to show you the treks. Reach out and let's talk through dates, group size and what you're looking for.
