{"id":12533,"date":"2026-01-17T11:24:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-17T16:24:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/?p=12533"},"modified":"2026-03-29T16:04:33","modified_gmt":"2026-03-29T20:04:33","slug":"expedition-sichuan-basin-to-the-tibetan-plateau","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/?p=12533","title":{"rendered":"Expedition: Sichuan Basin to the Tibetan Plateau"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"12533\" class=\"elementor elementor-12533\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-4ff5312d elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"4ff5312d\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-background-overlay\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-317ae8e5\" data-id=\"317ae8e5\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;slideshow&quot;,&quot;background_slideshow_gallery&quot;:[],&quot;background_slideshow_loop&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;background_slideshow_slide_duration&quot;:5000,&quot;background_slideshow_slide_transition&quot;:&quot;fade&quot;,&quot;background_slideshow_transition_duration&quot;:500}\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7df58f62 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"7df58f62\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6673c1df elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"6673c1df\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-xxl\">EXPEDITION: SICHUAN BASIN TO TIBETAN PLATEAU<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6d2e5863 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"6d2e5863\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-c803af5 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default elementor-invisible\" data-id=\"c803af5\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;,&quot;animation&quot;:&quot;slideInUp&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-0d202dc\" data-id=\"0d202dc\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7dca65f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"7dca65f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1>An Overland Journey in Search of the Snow Leopard<\/h1><h5>Project Introduction<\/h5><p>This April we are venturing into China&#8217;s backcountry to track the elusive snow leopard and analyze how traditional nomadic herders are pioneering a new approach to environmental and wildlife management. Getting to our field site requires a dramatic ascent, taking us from the urban lowlands of Chengdu (elevation 1,480 ft.) straight up to the rugged Tibetan Plateau (elevation 12,300 ft). Along the way we will be taking a deep dive into the unique history and culture of this area which will help us understand the context of the wildlife-human interaction on &#8220;the rooftop of the world.&#8221;<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-990f1b0 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"990f1b0\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-9ebf4ce\" data-id=\"9ebf4ce\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-82406b5 elementor-widget elementor-widget-hotspot\" data-id=\"82406b5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;hotspot&quot;:[{&quot;hotspot_custom_size&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;hotspot_tooltip_content&quot;:&quot;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;span style=\\&quot;font-family: Anton;\\&quot;&gt;Detailed Route&lt;\\\/span&gt;&lt;a href=\\&quot;#route\\&quot;&gt;&lt;img class=\\&quot;aligncenter size-medium wp-image-12612\\&quot; src=\\&quot;http:\\\/\\\/usnomadstudio.com\\\/usnomads\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/RouteMapOverview-withrouteline-1024x563.jpg\\&quot; \\\/&gt;&lt;\\\/a&gt;&lt;span style=\\&quot;font-size: 0.9em;\\&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=\\&quot;#route\\&quot;&gt;Click&lt;\\\/a&gt; to view full route&lt;\\\/span&gt;&lt;\\\/h5&gt;&quot;,&quot;hotspot_offset_x&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;%&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:49,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;hotspot_offset_y&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;%&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:66,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;hotspot_label&quot;:&quot;Expedition Zone&quot;,&quot;_id&quot;:&quot;3e5be64&quot;,&quot;hotspot_link&quot;:{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;is_external&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;nofollow&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;custom_attributes&quot;:&quot;&quot;},&quot;hotspot_icon&quot;:{&quot;value&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;library&quot;:&quot;&quot;},&quot;hotspot_horizontal&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;hotspot_vertical&quot;:&quot;top&quot;,&quot;hotspot_tooltip_position&quot;:&quot;no&quot;,&quot;hotspot_position&quot;:null}],&quot;tooltip_position&quot;:&quot;bottom&quot;,&quot;tooltip_trigger&quot;:&quot;mouseenter&quot;,&quot;hotspot_sequenced_animation&quot;:&quot;no&quot;,&quot;tooltip_animation&quot;:&quot;e-hotspot--fade-in-out&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"hotspot.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1080\" height=\"913\" src=\"https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/China-reliefBW.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-12540\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/China-reliefBW.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/China-reliefBW-300x254.jpg 300w, https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/China-reliefBW-1024x866.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/China-reliefBW-768x649.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1080px) 100vw, 1080px\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-hotspot elementor-repeater-item-3e5be64  e-hotspot--position-left e-hotspot--position-top  \">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-hotspot__button e-hotspot--expand\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-hotspot__label\">Expedition Zone<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-hotspot__tooltip  e-hotspot--tooltip-position e-hotspot--fade-in-out \" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h5><span style=\"font-family: Anton;\">Detailed Route<\/span><a href=\"#route\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-12612\" src=\"http:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/RouteMapOverview-withrouteline-1024x563.jpg\" \/><\/a><span style=\"font-size: 0.9em;\"><a href=\"#route\">Click<\/a> to view full route<\/span><\/h5>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-0469e41 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"0469e41\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-508819a\" data-id=\"508819a\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9bb3048 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"9bb3048\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Expedition Field Notes<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-e9cae24 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"e9cae24\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-0b73a87\" data-id=\"0b73a87\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c3d79c3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"c3d79c3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Follow along with the journey in real time as we post regular updates about the preparations for the expedition, and then live dispatches from the field.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-2f48eaa elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"2f48eaa\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-0b0f818\" data-id=\"0b0f818\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-edc877f elementor-grid-3 elementor-grid-tablet-2 elementor-grid-mobile-1 elementor-posts--thumbnail-top elementor-posts--show-avatar elementor-card-shadow-yes elementor-posts__hover-gradient elementor-widget elementor-widget-posts\" data-id=\"edc877f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;cards_columns&quot;:&quot;3&quot;,&quot;cards_columns_tablet&quot;:&quot;2&quot;,&quot;cards_columns_mobile&quot;:&quot;1&quot;,&quot;cards_row_gap&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:35,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;cards_row_gap_tablet&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;cards_row_gap_mobile&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]}}\" data-widget_type=\"posts.cards\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-posts-container elementor-posts elementor-posts--skin-cards elementor-grid\" role=\"list\">\n\t\t\t\t<article class=\"elementor-post elementor-grid-item post-13028 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-location tag-china tag-spotlight tag-wildlife-and-stewardship\" role=\"listitem\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post__card\">\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-post__thumbnail__link\" href=\"https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/?p=13028\" tabindex=\"-1\" ><div class=\"elementor-post__thumbnail\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"182\" src=\"https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/SL-posts-snowleopardonrocks_DSC_0460_1200w-e1776237679547-300x182.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium wp-image-13607\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/SL-posts-snowleopardonrocks_DSC_0460_1200w-e1776237679547-300x182.jpg 300w, https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/SL-posts-snowleopardonrocks_DSC_0460_1200w-e1776237679547-1024x620.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/SL-posts-snowleopardonrocks_DSC_0460_1200w-e1776237679547-768x465.jpg 768w, https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/SL-posts-snowleopardonrocks_DSC_0460_1200w-e1776237679547.jpg 1150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/div><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post__avatar\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post__text\">\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-post__title\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/?p=13028\" >\n\t\t\t\tThe Silent Shadow: Behavior and Adaptations of the Snow Leopard\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post__excerpt\">\n\t\t\t<p>To understand the snow leopard is to understand the physics of the vertical world. Often called the &#8220;Ghost of the Mountains,&#8221; the snow leopard&#8230;<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<a class=\"elementor-post__read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/?p=13028\" aria-label=\"Read more about The Silent Shadow: Behavior and Adaptations of the Snow Leopard\" tabindex=\"-1\" >\n\t\t\tRead More \u00bb\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post__meta-data\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-post-date\">\n\t\t\tApril 15, 2026\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<article class=\"elementor-post elementor-grid-item post-13027 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-location tag-china tag-people-and-culture tag-spotlight tag-wildlife-and-stewardship\" role=\"listitem\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post__card\">\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-post__thumbnail__link\" href=\"https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/?p=13027\" tabindex=\"-1\" ><div class=\"elementor-post__thumbnail\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"208\" src=\"https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/SL-posts-herderCUinsnow_DSC_0125_1200w-e1776236442255-300x208.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium wp-image-13602\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/SL-posts-herderCUinsnow_DSC_0125_1200w-e1776236442255-300x208.jpg 300w, https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/SL-posts-herderCUinsnow_DSC_0125_1200w-e1776236442255-1024x711.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/SL-posts-herderCUinsnow_DSC_0125_1200w-e1776236442255-768x533.jpg 768w, https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/SL-posts-herderCUinsnow_DSC_0125_1200w-e1776236442255.jpg 1152w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/div><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post__avatar\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post__text\">\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-post__title\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/?p=13027\" >\n\t\t\t\tThe Thin Line of the Kraal: Managing Human-Wildlife Conflict on the Plateau\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post__excerpt\">\n\t\t\t<p>Deep within the rugged, vertical landscapes of Sichuan\u2019s Ngawa and Garz\u00ea Prefectures lies the homeland of the Gyarong Tibetans&#8230;<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<a class=\"elementor-post__read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/?p=13027\" aria-label=\"Read more about The Thin Line of the Kraal: Managing Human-Wildlife Conflict on the Plateau\" tabindex=\"-1\" >\n\t\t\tRead More \u00bb\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post__meta-data\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-post-date\">\n\t\t\tApril 14, 2026\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<article class=\"elementor-post elementor-grid-item post-13014 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-location tag-china tag-people-and-culture tag-spotlight tag-wildlife-and-stewardship\" role=\"listitem\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post__card\">\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-post__thumbnail__link\" href=\"https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/?p=13014\" tabindex=\"-1\" ><div class=\"elementor-post__thumbnail\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"208\" src=\"https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/CHINA_APR2026-0410-SnowLeopardEx-Day6_Geku_herderwithyaksandslingshotMS_DSC_0226_1200w-e1776150878557-300x208.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium wp-image-13586\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/CHINA_APR2026-0410-SnowLeopardEx-Day6_Geku_herderwithyaksandslingshotMS_DSC_0226_1200w-e1776150878557-300x208.jpg 300w, https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/CHINA_APR2026-0410-SnowLeopardEx-Day6_Geku_herderwithyaksandslingshotMS_DSC_0226_1200w-e1776150878557-1024x711.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/CHINA_APR2026-0410-SnowLeopardEx-Day6_Geku_herderwithyaksandslingshotMS_DSC_0226_1200w-e1776150878557-768x533.jpg 768w, https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/CHINA_APR2026-0410-SnowLeopardEx-Day6_Geku_herderwithyaksandslingshotMS_DSC_0226_1200w-e1776150878557.jpg 1152w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/div><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post__avatar\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post__text\">\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-post__title\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/?p=13014\" >\n\t\t\t\tThe Herders&#8217; Watch: A Community Model for Coexistence\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post__excerpt\">\n\t\t\t<p>In the jagged gray world of the Haxiu karst towers, the snow leopard is more than just a predator; it is a &#8220;keystone species&#8221; that unites modern science with ancient tradition&#8230;<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<a class=\"elementor-post__read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/?p=13014\" aria-label=\"Read more about The Herders&#8217; Watch: A Community Model for Coexistence\" tabindex=\"-1\" >\n\t\t\tRead More \u00bb\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post__meta-data\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-post-date\">\n\t\t\tApril 13, 2026\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-44dddc6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"44dddc6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><a href=\"https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/?page_id=11003\"><strong>SEE MORE FIELD NOTES<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5549b0b elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"5549b0b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-badd7d6 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"badd7d6\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-5cb4c40\" data-id=\"5cb4c40\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-641b0e8 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"641b0e8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The Detailed Route Plan<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-3b99dc0 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"3b99dc0\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-a3165ba\" data-id=\"a3165ba\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f9b8109 elementor-widget elementor-widget-menu-anchor\" data-id=\"f9b8109\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"menu-anchor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-menu-anchor\" id=\"route\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-108dab8 elementor-widget elementor-widget-hotspot\" data-id=\"108dab8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;hotspot&quot;:[{&quot;_id&quot;:&quot;e9a698d&quot;,&quot;hotspot_custom_size&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;hotspot_tooltip_content&quot;:&quot;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;span style=\\&quot;font-family: Anton;\\&quot;&gt;Arrival Chengdu&lt;br \\\/&gt;&lt;\\\/span&gt;&lt;\\\/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img class=\\&quot;wp-image-11691 size-large aligncenter\\&quot; src=\\&quot;http:\\\/\\\/usnomadstudio.com\\\/usnomads\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/chengdu-anshun-bridge-copy-300x200.jpg\\&quot; \\\/&gt;&lt;\\\/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=\\&quot;font-size: 0.9em;\\&quot;&gt;We start the Overland &lt;br \\\/&gt;Journey from Chengdu &lt;br \\\/&gt;at the edge of the &lt;br \\\/&gt;Sichuan Basin.\\u00a0&lt;br \\\/&gt;ELEVATION: 1,640 ft.&lt;\\\/span&gt;&lt;\\\/p&gt;&quot;,&quot;hotspot_offset_x&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;%&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:93,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;hotspot_offset_y&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;%&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:81,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;hotspot_label&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;hotspot_link&quot;:{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;is_external&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;nofollow&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;custom_attributes&quot;:&quot;&quot;},&quot;hotspot_icon&quot;:{&quot;value&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;library&quot;:&quot;&quot;},&quot;hotspot_horizontal&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;hotspot_vertical&quot;:&quot;top&quot;,&quot;hotspot_tooltip_position&quot;:&quot;no&quot;,&quot;hotspot_position&quot;:null},{&quot;hotspot_custom_size&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;hotspot_tooltip_content&quot;:&quot;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;span style=\\&quot;font-family: Anton;\\&quot;&gt;Chengdu \\\/ Zhonglu\\u00a0&lt;\\\/span&gt;&lt;\\\/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img class=\\&quot;aligncenter size-medium wp-image-12591\\&quot; src=\\&quot;http:\\\/\\\/usnomadstudio.com\\\/usnomads\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/zhonglu-133-300x200.jpg\\&quot; alt=\\&quot;\\&quot; width=\\&quot;300\\&quot; height=\\&quot;200\\&quot; \\\/&gt;&lt;\\\/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=\\&quot;font-size: 0.9em;\\&quot;&gt;We leave the city and start &lt;br \\\/&gt;the dramatic climb up to &lt;br \\\/&gt;the plateau to the first &lt;br \\\/&gt;Tibetan villages.&lt;\\\/span&gt;&lt;span style=\\&quot;font-size: 0.9em;\\&quot;&gt;&lt;br \\\/&gt;ELEVATION: 6,890 ft.&lt;br \\\/&gt;&lt;\\\/span&gt;&lt;\\\/p&gt;&quot;,&quot;hotspot_offset_x&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;%&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:67,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;hotspot_offset_y&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;%&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:28,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;_id&quot;:&quot;bd9dfef&quot;,&quot;hotspot_vertical&quot;:&quot;bottom&quot;,&quot;hotspot_tooltip_position&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;hotspot_position&quot;:&quot;bottom&quot;,&quot;hotspot_label&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;hotspot_link&quot;:{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;is_external&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;nofollow&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;custom_attributes&quot;:&quot;&quot;},&quot;hotspot_icon&quot;:{&quot;value&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;library&quot;:&quot;&quot;},&quot;hotspot_horizontal&quot;:&quot;left&quot;},{&quot;hotspot_custom_size&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;hotspot_tooltip_content&quot;:&quot;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;span style=\\&quot;font-family: Anton;\\&quot;&gt;Zhonglu to Tagong&lt;\\\/span&gt;&lt;\\\/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img class=\\&quot;aligncenter size-medium wp-image-12587\\&quot; src=\\&quot;http:\\\/\\\/usnomadstudio.com\\\/usnomads\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/tagong-rituals-02-300x180.webp\\&quot; alt=\\&quot;\\&quot; width=\\&quot;300\\&quot; height=\\&quot;180\\&quot; \\\/&gt;&lt;\\\/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=\\&quot;font-size: 0.9em;\\&quot;&gt;We begin the deep dive into&lt;br \\\/&gt;the unique culture and\\u00a0&lt;br \\\/&gt;religious practices.&lt;br \\\/&gt;ELEVATION: 12,220 ft.&lt;br \\\/&gt;&lt;\\\/span&gt;&lt;span style=\\&quot;font-size: 0.9em;\\&quot;&gt;&lt;br \\\/&gt;&lt;\\\/span&gt;&lt;\\\/p&gt;&quot;,&quot;hotspot_offset_x&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;%&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:64,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;hotspot_offset_y&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;%&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:87,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;_id&quot;:&quot;59d1d79&quot;,&quot;hotspot_tooltip_position&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;hotspot_position&quot;:&quot;bottom&quot;,&quot;hotspot_label&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;hotspot_link&quot;:{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;is_external&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;nofollow&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;custom_attributes&quot;:&quot;&quot;},&quot;hotspot_icon&quot;:{&quot;value&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;library&quot;:&quot;&quot;},&quot;hotspot_horizontal&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;hotspot_vertical&quot;:&quot;top&quot;},{&quot;hotspot_custom_size&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;hotspot_tooltip_content&quot;:&quot;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;span style=\\&quot;font-family: Anton;\\&quot;&gt;Tagong \\\/ Ganzi&lt;\\\/span&gt;&lt;\\\/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=\\&quot;font-size: 0.9em;\\&quot;&gt;&lt;img class=\\&quot;aligncenter size-medium wp-image-12592\\&quot; src=\\&quot;http:\\\/\\\/usnomadstudio.com\\\/usnomads\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/Luhuo-Shouling-Monastery-2-300x187.webp\\&quot; alt=\\&quot;\\&quot; width=\\&quot;300\\&quot; height=\\&quot;187\\&quot; \\\/&gt;Ancient Monasteries and &lt;br \\\/&gt;wide open spaces&lt;\\\/span&gt;&lt;span style=\\&quot;font-size: 0.9em;\\&quot;&gt;.&lt;br \\\/&gt;&lt;\\\/span&gt;ELEVATION: 11,154 ft.&lt;\\\/p&gt;&quot;,&quot;hotspot_offset_x&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;%&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:45,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;hotspot_offset_y&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;%&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:54,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;_id&quot;:&quot;39d2888&quot;,&quot;hotspot_tooltip_position&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;hotspot_position&quot;:&quot;bottom&quot;,&quot;hotspot_label&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;hotspot_link&quot;:{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;is_external&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;nofollow&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;custom_attributes&quot;:&quot;&quot;},&quot;hotspot_icon&quot;:{&quot;value&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;library&quot;:&quot;&quot;},&quot;hotspot_horizontal&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;hotspot_vertical&quot;:&quot;top&quot;},{&quot;hotspot_custom_size&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;hotspot_tooltip_content&quot;:&quot;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;span style=\\&quot;font-family: Anton;\\&quot;&gt;Ganzi \\\/ Derge&lt;\\\/span&gt;&lt;\\\/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img class=\\&quot;aligncenter size-medium wp-image-12593\\&quot; src=\\&quot;http:\\\/\\\/usnomadstudio.com\\\/usnomads\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/printing-4-300x192.webp\\&quot; alt=\\&quot;\\&quot; width=\\&quot;300\\&quot; height=\\&quot;192\\&quot; \\\/&gt;&lt;\\\/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=\\&quot;font-size: 0.9em;\\&quot;&gt;Ancient printing &lt;br \\\/&gt;techniques and the &lt;br \\\/&gt;Khampas&lt;br \\\/&gt;ELEVATION: 10,700 ft.&lt;br \\\/&gt;&lt;\\\/span&gt;&lt;span style=\\&quot;font-size: 0.9em;\\&quot;&gt;&lt;br \\\/&gt;&lt;\\\/span&gt;&lt;\\\/p&gt;&quot;,&quot;hotspot_offset_x&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;%&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:28,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;hotspot_offset_y&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;%&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:48,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;_id&quot;:&quot;79dc2fd&quot;,&quot;hotspot_tooltip_position&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;hotspot_position&quot;:&quot;bottom&quot;,&quot;hotspot_label&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;hotspot_link&quot;:{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;is_external&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;nofollow&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;custom_attributes&quot;:&quot;&quot;},&quot;hotspot_icon&quot;:{&quot;value&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;library&quot;:&quot;&quot;},&quot;hotspot_horizontal&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;hotspot_vertical&quot;:&quot;top&quot;},{&quot;hotspot_custom_size&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;hotspot_tooltip_content&quot;:&quot;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;span style=\\&quot;font-family: Anton;\\&quot;&gt;Derge \\\/ Yushu&lt;\\\/span&gt;&lt;\\\/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img class=\\&quot;aligncenter size-medium wp-image-12597\\&quot; src=\\&quot;http:\\\/\\\/usnomadstudio.com\\\/usnomads\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/Jiegu-Monastery-3-300x225.webp\\&quot; alt=\\&quot;\\&quot; width=\\&quot;300\\&quot; height=\\&quot;225\\&quot; \\\/&gt;&lt;\\\/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=\\&quot;font-size: 0.9em;\\&quot;&gt;Reaching the edge of the &lt;br \\\/&gt;Sanjiangyuan and the start\\u00a0&lt;br \\\/&gt;of the main mission.&lt;\\\/span&gt;&lt;span style=\\&quot;font-size: 0.9em;\\&quot;&gt;&lt;br \\\/&gt;ELEVATION: 12,103 ft.&lt;br \\\/&gt;&lt;\\\/span&gt;&lt;\\\/p&gt;&quot;,&quot;hotspot_offset_x&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;%&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:10,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;hotspot_offset_y&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;%&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:19,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;hotspot_tooltip_position&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;hotspot_position&quot;:&quot;top&quot;,&quot;_id&quot;:&quot;16e9c8d&quot;,&quot;hotspot_label&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;hotspot_link&quot;:{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;is_external&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;nofollow&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;custom_attributes&quot;:&quot;&quot;},&quot;hotspot_icon&quot;:{&quot;value&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;library&quot;:&quot;&quot;},&quot;hotspot_horizontal&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;hotspot_vertical&quot;:&quot;top&quot;},{&quot;hotspot_custom_size&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;hotspot_tooltip_content&quot;:&quot;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;span style=\\&quot;font-family: Anton;\\&quot;&gt;Geku\\u00a0&lt;\\\/span&gt;&lt;\\\/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=\\&quot;font-size: 0.9em;\\&quot;&gt;&lt;img class=\\&quot;aligncenter size-medium wp-image-12606\\&quot; src=\\&quot;http:\\\/\\\/usnomadstudio.com\\\/usnomads\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/Snow_Leopard_paw_prints-300x255.webp\\&quot; alt=\\&quot;\\&quot; width=\\&quot;300\\&quot; height=\\&quot;255\\&quot; \\\/&gt;Wildlife monitoring zone&lt;br \\\/&gt;and meetings with herders&lt;\\\/span&gt;&lt;span style=\\&quot;font-size: 0.9em;\\&quot;&gt;&lt;br \\\/&gt;ELEVATION: 12,467 ft.&lt;br \\\/&gt;&lt;\\\/span&gt;&lt;\\\/p&gt;&quot;,&quot;hotspot_offset_x&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;%&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:7,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;hotspot_offset_y&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;%&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:16,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;hotspot_tooltip_position&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;hotspot_position&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;_id&quot;:&quot;318bd85&quot;,&quot;hotspot_label&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;hotspot_link&quot;:{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;is_external&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;nofollow&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;custom_attributes&quot;:&quot;&quot;},&quot;hotspot_icon&quot;:{&quot;value&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;library&quot;:&quot;&quot;},&quot;hotspot_horizontal&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;hotspot_vertical&quot;:&quot;top&quot;},{&quot;hotspot_custom_size&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;hotspot_tooltip_content&quot;:&quot;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;span style=\\&quot;font-family: Anton;\\&quot;&gt;Xialaxiu &lt;\\\/span&gt;&lt;\\\/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img class=\\&quot;aligncenter size-medium wp-image-12610\\&quot; src=\\&quot;http:\\\/\\\/usnomadstudio.com\\\/usnomads\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/wolf-300x169.webp\\&quot; alt=\\&quot;\\&quot; width=\\&quot;300\\&quot; height=\\&quot;169\\&quot; \\\/&gt;&lt;\\\/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=\\&quot;font-size: 0.9em;\\&quot;&gt;Wildlife monitoring zone&lt;br \\\/&gt;and meetings with herders&lt;br \\\/&gt;ELEVATION: 14,763 ft.&lt;br \\\/&gt;&lt;\\\/span&gt;&lt;\\\/p&gt;&quot;,&quot;hotspot_offset_x&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;%&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:4,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;hotspot_offset_y&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;%&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:26,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;hotspot_tooltip_position&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;hotspot_position&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;_id&quot;:&quot;ef9283d&quot;,&quot;hotspot_label&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;hotspot_link&quot;:{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;is_external&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;nofollow&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;custom_attributes&quot;:&quot;&quot;},&quot;hotspot_icon&quot;:{&quot;value&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;library&quot;:&quot;&quot;},&quot;hotspot_horizontal&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;hotspot_vertical&quot;:&quot;top&quot;},{&quot;hotspot_custom_size&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;hotspot_tooltip_content&quot;:&quot;&lt;h5&gt;&lt;span style=\\&quot;font-family: Anton;\\&quot;&gt;Haxiu\\u00a0&lt;\\\/span&gt;&lt;\\\/h5&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img class=\\&quot;aligncenter size-medium wp-image-12612\\&quot; src=\\&quot;http:\\\/\\\/usnomadstudio.com\\\/usnomads\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/India-2021-snow-leopard.IMG_0050-CC-Credit-NCF-India_HPFD_SLT-300x169.webp\\&quot; alt=\\&quot;\\&quot; width=\\&quot;300\\&quot; height=\\&quot;169\\&quot; \\\/&gt;&lt;\\\/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=\\&quot;font-size: 0.9em;\\&quot;&gt;Wildlife monitoring zone&lt;br \\\/&gt;and meetings with herders&lt;\\\/span&gt;&lt;span style=\\&quot;font-size: 0.9em;\\&quot;&gt;&lt;br \\\/&gt;ELEVATION: 14,074 ft.&lt;\\\/span&gt;&lt;\\\/p&gt;&quot;,&quot;hotspot_offset_x&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;%&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:1,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;hotspot_offset_y&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;%&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:7,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;hotspot_tooltip_position&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;hotspot_position&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;_id&quot;:&quot;abe4574&quot;,&quot;hotspot_label&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;hotspot_link&quot;:{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;is_external&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;nofollow&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;custom_attributes&quot;:&quot;&quot;},&quot;hotspot_icon&quot;:{&quot;value&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;library&quot;:&quot;&quot;},&quot;hotspot_horizontal&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;hotspot_vertical&quot;:&quot;top&quot;}],&quot;tooltip_position&quot;:&quot;right&quot;,&quot;tooltip_trigger&quot;:&quot;mouseenter&quot;,&quot;hotspot_sequenced_animation&quot;:&quot;no&quot;,&quot;tooltip_animation&quot;:&quot;e-hotspot--fade-in-out&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"hotspot.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1390\" height=\"764\" src=\"https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/RouteMapOverview-withrouteline.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-12544\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/RouteMapOverview-withrouteline.jpg 1390w, https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/RouteMapOverview-withrouteline-300x165.jpg 300w, https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/RouteMapOverview-withrouteline-1024x563.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/RouteMapOverview-withrouteline-768x422.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1390px) 100vw, 1390px\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-hotspot elementor-repeater-item-e9a698d  e-hotspot--position-left e-hotspot--position-top   e-hotspot--circle\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-hotspot__button e-hotspot--expand\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-hotspot__outer-circle\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-hotspot__inner-circle\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-hotspot__tooltip  e-hotspot--tooltip-position e-hotspot--fade-in-out \" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h5><span style=\"font-family: Anton;\">Arrival Chengdu<br \/><\/span><\/h5><p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11691 size-large aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/chengdu-anshun-bridge-copy-300x200.jpg\" \/><\/p><p><span style=\"font-size: 0.9em;\">We start the Overland <br \/>Journey from Chengdu <br \/>at the edge of the <br \/>Sichuan Basin.\u00a0<br \/>ELEVATION: 1,640 ft.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-hotspot elementor-repeater-item-bd9dfef  e-hotspot--position-left e-hotspot--position-bottom   e-hotspot--circle\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-hotspot__button e-hotspot--expand\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-hotspot__outer-circle\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-hotspot__inner-circle\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-hotspot__tooltip  e-hotspot--tooltip-position e-hotspot--fade-in-out \" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h5><span style=\"font-family: Anton;\">Chengdu \/ Zhonglu\u00a0<\/span><\/h5><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-12591\" src=\"http:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/zhonglu-133-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/zhonglu-133-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/zhonglu-133-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/zhonglu-133-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/zhonglu-133-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/zhonglu-133.jpg 1800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p><p><span style=\"font-size: 0.9em;\">We leave the city and start <br \/>the dramatic climb up to <br \/>the plateau to the first <br \/>Tibetan villages.<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 0.9em;\"><br \/>ELEVATION: 6,890 ft.<br \/><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-hotspot elementor-repeater-item-59d1d79  e-hotspot--position-left e-hotspot--position-top   e-hotspot--circle\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-hotspot__button e-hotspot--expand\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-hotspot__outer-circle\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-hotspot__inner-circle\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-hotspot__tooltip  e-hotspot--tooltip-position e-hotspot--fade-in-out \" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h5><span style=\"font-family: Anton;\">Zhonglu to Tagong<\/span><\/h5><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-12587\" src=\"http:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/tagong-rituals-02-300x180.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"180\" srcset=\"https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/tagong-rituals-02-300x180.webp 300w, https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/tagong-rituals-02-768x461.webp 768w, https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/tagong-rituals-02.webp 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p><p><span style=\"font-size: 0.9em;\">We begin the deep dive into<br \/>the unique culture and\u00a0<br \/>religious practices.<br \/>ELEVATION: 12,220 ft.<br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 0.9em;\"><br \/><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-hotspot elementor-repeater-item-39d2888  e-hotspot--position-left e-hotspot--position-top   e-hotspot--circle\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-hotspot__button e-hotspot--expand\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-hotspot__outer-circle\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-hotspot__inner-circle\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-hotspot__tooltip  e-hotspot--tooltip-position e-hotspot--fade-in-out \" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h5><span style=\"font-family: Anton;\">Tagong \/ Ganzi<\/span><\/h5><p><span style=\"font-size: 0.9em;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-12592\" src=\"http:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Luhuo-Shouling-Monastery-2-300x187.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"187\" srcset=\"https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Luhuo-Shouling-Monastery-2-300x187.webp 300w, https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Luhuo-Shouling-Monastery-2-1024x637.webp 1024w, https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Luhuo-Shouling-Monastery-2-768x478.webp 768w, https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Luhuo-Shouling-Monastery-2.webp 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>Ancient Monasteries and <br \/>wide open spaces<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 0.9em;\">.<br \/><\/span>ELEVATION: 11,154 ft.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-hotspot elementor-repeater-item-79dc2fd  e-hotspot--position-left e-hotspot--position-top   e-hotspot--circle\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-hotspot__button e-hotspot--expand\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-hotspot__outer-circle\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-hotspot__inner-circle\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-hotspot__tooltip  e-hotspot--tooltip-position e-hotspot--fade-in-out \" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h5><span style=\"font-family: Anton;\">Ganzi \/ Derge<\/span><\/h5><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-12593\" src=\"http:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/printing-4-300x192.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"192\" srcset=\"https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/printing-4-300x192.webp 300w, https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/printing-4-1024x655.webp 1024w, https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/printing-4-768x491.webp 768w, https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/printing-4-1536x983.webp 1536w, https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/printing-4.webp 1688w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p><p><span style=\"font-size: 0.9em;\">Ancient printing <br \/>techniques and the <br \/>Khampas<br \/>ELEVATION: 10,700 ft.<br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 0.9em;\"><br \/><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-hotspot elementor-repeater-item-16e9c8d  e-hotspot--position-left e-hotspot--position-top   e-hotspot--circle\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-hotspot__button e-hotspot--expand\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-hotspot__outer-circle\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-hotspot__inner-circle\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-hotspot__tooltip  e-hotspot--tooltip-position e-hotspot--fade-in-out \" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h5><span style=\"font-family: Anton;\">Derge \/ Yushu<\/span><\/h5><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-12597\" src=\"http:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Jiegu-Monastery-3-300x225.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Jiegu-Monastery-3-300x225.webp 300w, https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Jiegu-Monastery-3-1024x768.webp 1024w, https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Jiegu-Monastery-3-768x576.webp 768w, https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Jiegu-Monastery-3.webp 1440w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p><p><span style=\"font-size: 0.9em;\">Reaching the edge of the <br \/>Sanjiangyuan and the start\u00a0<br \/>of the main mission.<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 0.9em;\"><br \/>ELEVATION: 12,103 ft.<br \/><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-hotspot elementor-repeater-item-318bd85  e-hotspot--position-left e-hotspot--position-top   e-hotspot--circle\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-hotspot__button e-hotspot--expand\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-hotspot__outer-circle\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-hotspot__inner-circle\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-hotspot__tooltip  e-hotspot--tooltip-position e-hotspot--fade-in-out \" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h5><span style=\"font-family: Anton;\">Geku\u00a0<\/span><\/h5><p><span style=\"font-size: 0.9em;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-12606\" src=\"http:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Snow_Leopard_paw_prints-300x255.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"255\" srcset=\"https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Snow_Leopard_paw_prints-300x255.webp 300w, https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Snow_Leopard_paw_prints-1024x872.webp 1024w, https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Snow_Leopard_paw_prints-768x654.webp 768w, https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Snow_Leopard_paw_prints-1536x1308.webp 1536w, https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Snow_Leopard_paw_prints.webp 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>Wildlife monitoring zone<br \/>and meetings with herders<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 0.9em;\"><br \/>ELEVATION: 12,467 ft.<br \/><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-hotspot elementor-repeater-item-ef9283d  e-hotspot--position-left e-hotspot--position-top   e-hotspot--circle\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-hotspot__button e-hotspot--expand\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-hotspot__outer-circle\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-hotspot__inner-circle\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-hotspot__tooltip  e-hotspot--tooltip-position e-hotspot--fade-in-out \" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h5><span style=\"font-family: Anton;\">Xialaxiu <\/span><\/h5><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-12610\" src=\"http:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/wolf-300x169.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" srcset=\"https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/wolf-300x169.webp 300w, https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/wolf-1024x576.webp 1024w, https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/wolf-768x432.webp 768w, https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/wolf-1536x864.webp 1536w, https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/wolf.webp 1662w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p><p><span style=\"font-size: 0.9em;\">Wildlife monitoring zone<br \/>and meetings with herders<br \/>ELEVATION: 14,763 ft.<br \/><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-hotspot elementor-repeater-item-abe4574  e-hotspot--position-left e-hotspot--position-top   e-hotspot--circle\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-hotspot__button e-hotspot--expand\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-hotspot__outer-circle\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-hotspot__inner-circle\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-hotspot__tooltip  e-hotspot--tooltip-position e-hotspot--fade-in-out \" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h5><span style=\"font-family: Anton;\">Haxiu\u00a0<\/span><\/h5><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-12612\" src=\"http:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/India-2021-snow-leopard.IMG_0050-CC-Credit-NCF-India_HPFD_SLT-300x169.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" srcset=\"https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/India-2021-snow-leopard.IMG_0050-CC-Credit-NCF-India_HPFD_SLT-300x169.webp 300w, https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/India-2021-snow-leopard.IMG_0050-CC-Credit-NCF-India_HPFD_SLT-1024x575.webp 1024w, https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/India-2021-snow-leopard.IMG_0050-CC-Credit-NCF-India_HPFD_SLT-768x432.webp 768w, https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/India-2021-snow-leopard.IMG_0050-CC-Credit-NCF-India_HPFD_SLT-1536x863.webp 1536w, https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/India-2021-snow-leopard.IMG_0050-CC-Credit-NCF-India_HPFD_SLT.webp 2045w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p><p><span style=\"font-size: 0.9em;\">Wildlife monitoring zone<br \/>and meetings with herders<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 0.9em;\"><br \/>ELEVATION: 14,074 ft.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-49a43e8 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"49a43e8\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-e673882\" data-id=\"e673882\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-267ed86 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"267ed86\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Our journey covers parts of two provinces of China: Sichuan and Qinghai. <\/strong>The vast plain on which Chengdu is located, known as the Sichuan Basin, has an elevation ranging from 1,480 to 2,360 feet. The city of Yushu (our base for the Snow Leopard scouting), on the Tibetan Plateau, has an elevation of around 12,100\u00a0ft with an alpine sub-arctic climate.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-d0d13d1 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"d0d13d1\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-8e4c1e6\" data-id=\"8e4c1e6\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0874e3d elementor-tabs-view-horizontal elementor-widget elementor-widget-tabs\" data-id=\"0874e3d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"tabs.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-tabs\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-tabs-wrapper\" role=\"tablist\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-title-8861\" class=\"elementor-tab-title elementor-tab-desktop-title\" aria-selected=\"true\" data-tab=\"1\" role=\"tab\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-controls=\"elementor-tab-content-8861\" aria-expanded=\"false\">The Sichuan Basin<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-title-8862\" class=\"elementor-tab-title elementor-tab-desktop-title\" aria-selected=\"false\" data-tab=\"2\" role=\"tab\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-controls=\"elementor-tab-content-8862\" aria-expanded=\"false\">The Tibetan Plateau<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-tabs-content-wrapper\" role=\"tablist\" aria-orientation=\"vertical\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-tab-title elementor-tab-mobile-title\" aria-selected=\"true\" data-tab=\"1\" role=\"tab\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-controls=\"elementor-tab-content-8861\" aria-expanded=\"false\">The Sichuan Basin<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-content-8861\" class=\"elementor-tab-content elementor-clearfix\" data-tab=\"1\" role=\"tabpanel\" aria-labelledby=\"elementor-tab-title-8861\" tabindex=\"0\" hidden=\"false\"><p>The Sichuan Basin, sometimes called the Red Basin, is a lowland region in southwestern China. It is surrounded by mountains on all sides and is drained by the upper Yangtze River and its tributaries. The basin is anchored by Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, in the west, and the direct-administered municipality of Chongqing in the east. Due to its relative flatness and fertile soils, it is able to support a population of more than 100 million. In addition to being a dominant geographical feature of the region, the Sichuan Basin also constitutes a cultural sphere that is distinguished by its own unique customs, cuisine and dialects. It is famous for its rice cultivation and is often considered the breadbasket of China. In the 21st century its industrial base is expanding with growth in the high-tech, aerospace, and petroleum industries.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-tab-title elementor-tab-mobile-title\" aria-selected=\"false\" data-tab=\"2\" role=\"tab\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-controls=\"elementor-tab-content-8862\" aria-expanded=\"false\">The Tibetan Plateau<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-content-8862\" class=\"elementor-tab-content elementor-clearfix\" data-tab=\"2\" role=\"tabpanel\" aria-labelledby=\"elementor-tab-title-8862\" tabindex=\"0\" hidden=\"hidden\"><p>The Tibetan Plateau, also known as the Qinghai\u2013Tibet Plateau or Qingzang Plateau, is a vast elevated plateau located at the intersection of Central, South, and East Asia. Geographically, it is located to the north of Himalayas and the Indian subcontinent, and to the south of Tarim Basin and Mongolian Plateau. Geopolitically, it covers most of the Tibet Autonomous Region, most of Qinghai, western half of Sichuan, Southern Gansu provinces, southern Xinjiang province in Western China, Bhutan, the Indian regions of Ladakh and Lahaul and Spiti (Himachal Pradesh) as well as Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan, northwestern Nepal, eastern Tajikistan and southern Kyrgyzstan. It stretches approximately 620 miles north to south and 1,600 miles east to west. It is the world&#8217;s highest and largest plateau above sea level, with an area of 970,000 square miles. With an average elevation exceeding 14,800 ft and being surrounded by imposing mountain ranges that harbor the world&#8217;s two highest summits, Mount Everest and K2, the Tibetan Plateau is often referred to as &#8220;the Roof of the World&#8221;. The Tibetan Plateau encompasses approximately 1\/4 of China&#8217;s territory and contains extensive rangelands, wetlands, deserts and high mountain ranges.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-b44c31f elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"b44c31f\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-01189ef\" data-id=\"01189ef\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-63a3189 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"63a3189\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>RETURN TO: <\/strong><a href=\"http:\/\/usnomads.org\/blog\/\">The Roadbook<\/a> | Expedition Main Page | <a href=\"https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/?page_id=11003\">Expedition Field Notes<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This April we are venturing into China&#8217;s backcountry to track the elusive snow leopard and analyze how traditional nomadic herders are pioneering a new approach to environmental and wildlife management&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12538,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[22,21],"class_list":["post-12533","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-location","tag-china","tag-roadtrip"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12533","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12533"}],"version-history":[{"count":130,"href":"https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12533\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13198,"href":"https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12533\/revisions\/13198"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12538"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12533"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12533"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12533"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}