Zhagana, Diebu, Gansu · 7 days / 6 nights · Challenging (4/5) · $154/day · $1,080 total per person
Duration7 days / 6 nights
DifficultyChallenging (4/5)
Max altitude~4,140 m (Kalake Pass)
Best seasonLate spring through early autumn (May–September), when the high passes are clear of snow and the alpine meadows are green.
Group sizeSmall group (up to 15)
LanguageEnglish-speaking guide on request · or local guide + Inglite app for English support
Walk Joseph Rock's lost route through the Stone Box.
Highlights
Joseph Rock's Tao-Die caravan road — Retrace the route of the legendary explorer across fifteen high passes, cresting the 4,140 m Kalake Pass and gazing out at the snow-draped Die Mountains he so admired.
Zhagana, the Stone Box — Walk into a natural fortress of vertical limestone cliffs, hanging walls and hidden valleys at an average 3,600 m, named by Rock among the world's fifty finest trekking destinations.
Danxia red badlands — Drop off the Kalake Pass onto a striking landscape of crimson, weathered sandstone, a vivid contrast to the grey stone forest and snow peaks behind you.
The Zhagana stone forest & Guanggai peaks — Thread a broad herders' track between sheer rock walls and across a forest of stone spires beneath the serrated summits, including views toward Cuomei Peak (4,820 m).
Anziku pastures — Reach a Shangri-La of scattered herders' homes set amid soaring ridges, broad grasslands and the twin Naizi peaks, a portrait of pastoral Tibetan life.
Tibetan village hospitality — Spend a night in a traditional Tibetan guesthouse in Dongwa village, immersed in the daily rhythms and customs of Gannan.
Wild high camps — Sleep under the stars at remote camps like Dongcai (3,640 m) and Qikena Ridge, deep in valleys most travellers never reach.
Where in China
📍 Gansu Province · Diebu (Zhagana), northwest China
What you'll do
Hidden in the folded highlands of Gansu's Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Zhagana — "Stone Box" in Tibetan — is a natural citadel of vertical limestone, hanging cliffs and secret valleys ringed by jagged peaks. At an average elevation of 3,600 metres, it is one of those rare places where people and wilderness still live in balance, the rhythms of herding, farming and hunting woven into the land. The American explorer Joseph Rock, who passed through nearly a century ago, called it the birthplace of Adam and Eve and named it one of the world's fifty finest trekking destinations. This seven-day journey sets out from Lanzhou and traces his old Tao-Die caravan road across Zhagana to the Dayu Gorge of Zhuoni County — roughly 55 to 60 kilometres on foot, over fifteen passes, five of them above 4,000 metres.\n\nThe walking begins in earnest in the village of Dongwa, climbing north up the Rongnao River valley into a deep gorge where a broad herders' track threads between sheer rock walls. You cross the Zhagana stone forest and a string of high cols — Guanggai, Jiaobu Ke and others — before dropping to your first wild camp at Dongcai (3,640 m). The following day delivers the trip's high point, the 4,140-metre Kalake Pass, reached up steep scree and rewarded with the otherworldly red sandstone of the Danxia badlands. From here the route eases downhill through meadows and forest, past the boulder locals call "Stool Stone" and the twin Naizi peaks, to the pastures of Anziku — a scattering of herders' homes amid soaring ridges and open grassland that conjures Shangri-La. A final climb over Guanyin Stone Pass (3,620 m) leads down through dense forest and streams to the road's end at Sanjiao Stone, where vehicles carry you on to Minxian and, the next day, back to Lanzhou.\n\nThroughout, the trek pairs genuine challenge with deep comfort and culture: nights split between tents under the stars and the warm guesthouses of Dongwa village, yaks carrying the heavy gear, and a professionally certified outdoor leader setting the pace. It is a route for those who want the wild heart of Tibetan Gansu — snow peaks, alpine meadow, stone forest and crimson Danxia cliffs — strung together in a single unforgettable line.
Day by day
Day 1
Arrival — Gather in Lanzhou
Travellers arrive from around the world and assemble in Lanzhou, capital of Gansu, with a complimentary night in a business hotel before the journey south.
Day 2
Lanzhou to Zhagana
A scenic drive of about 480 km heads south, the ravined loess country gradually giving way to the lush green grasslands of Gannan. Overnight in a traditional Tibetan guesthouse in Dongwa village, Zhagana.
Day 3
Zhagana – Niegan Dawa Sacred Mountain – Guanggai Pass – Jiaobu Ke Pass – Dongcai Camp (3,640 m)
About 17 km, roughly 9 hours. From Dongwa we hike north up the Rongnao valley into a gorge, climbing a broad herders' track to the foot of the Niegan Dawa sacred mountain, then crossing the Zhagana stone forest and four passes before descending to camp at Dongcai.
Day 4
Dongcai Camp – Kalake Pass (4,140 m) – Unnamed Camp (3,800 m)
About 13 km, +500 m / −340 m, roughly 8 hours. The day's crux: three passes between 3,800–4,000 m lead to the trip's highest point, the 4,140 m Kalake Pass, then a scree descent into the red sandstone Danxia badlands and a wild camp at Qikena Ridge.
About 15 km, roughly 7 hours. A mostly downhill day on good earth paths past the boulder known as 'Stool Stone' and the twin Naizi peaks to the herders' pastures of Anziku, then on through forest to camp at the mouth of the gorge.
Day 6
Gorge-Mouth Camp – Guanyin Stone Pass (3,620 m) – Sanjiao Stone – Minxian
Hiking about 10 km, +420 m, roughly 4 hours, then driving about 90 km (3 hours). A final climb over Guanyin (Goddess) Stone Pass, a steep ridge descent through forest and streams to the trailhead at Sanjiao Stone, then transfer by vehicle to a hotel in Minxian.
Day 7
Minxian to Lanzhou — Departure
A drive of about 270 km, roughly 5 hours, returns the group to Lanzhou.
Why this trek
Follow a legendary explorer
Trace Joseph Rock's century-old Tao-Die caravan road across fifteen passes — five above 4,000 m — through a landscape he ranked among the world's fifty greatest treks.
Four landscapes in one line
Stone forest, snow peaks, alpine meadow and the crimson Danxia badlands, strung together over a single 55 km route.
Wild camps meet Tibetan warmth
Nights split between starlit high camps and the cosy guesthouses of Dongwa village, with yaks carrying the heavy gear.
Included
All ground transport during the itinerary, including the Diebu–Zhagana and Dayugou shuttle transfers (coach for groups under 15)
Six nights' accommodation: a complimentary business-hotel night in Lanzhou on gathering day, a night in a Tibetan guesthouse in Zhagana, a standard room in Minxian, and tented camps en route
Meals per the itinerary: six dinners and six breakfasts, including camp dinners (four dishes and a soup) and breakfasts of porridge, pancakes, pickles and stir-fries
Entrance tickets for the Zhagana and Dayu Gorge scenic areas (plus sightseeing shuttle in season)
A professionally certified outdoor trip leader
Yak transport of group equipment during the trek
Shared camp gear: groundsheets and a sleeping mat per person, fuel, stoves, cookware, plus satellite phone and walkie-talkies
FAQ
How many days is the Zhagana Valley trek?
Zhagana Valley runs 7 days / 6 nights.
How hard is the Zhagana Valley trek?
It's rated Challenging (4/5), topping out around ~4,140 m (Kalake Pass). Reasonable hiking fitness and time to acclimatize to altitude are recommended.
What is the maximum altitude on the Zhagana Valley trek?
The high point is around ~4,140 m (Kalake Pass). Acclimatize gradually and take altitude-sickness precautions — consult your doctor before any high-altitude trek.
What is the best time to do the Zhagana Valley trek?
The best seasons are Late spring through early autumn (May–September), when the high passes are clear of snow and the alpine meadows are green..
Do I need a guide for the Zhagana Valley trek, and is there English support?
English-speaking guide on request · or local guide + Inglite app for English support It's run by an independent, licensed local mountain operator, with Inglite supporting you in English the whole way.
How much does the Zhagana Valley trek cost?
Approximately $1080 per person ($154/day · $1,080 total). You arrange payment directly with the licensed local operator — Inglite never collects payment.
Who runs this
This trek is operated by an experienced, fully licensed local mountain outfitter with a professionally certified outdoor leader on every departure. English-language support is provided throughout via the Inglite app and your guide, so non-Chinese-speaking trekkers are looked after from arrival in Lanzhou to the final descent.
Run by an independent, licensed local operator. You arrange payment with the operator directly — Inglite connects you and never collects payment. Outdoor travel carries inherent risks; we recommend travel/outdoor insurance. Terms
