Ancient Tea Horse Trail

The Ancient Tea Horse Trail (茶马古道) was a network of mule caravan paths winding through the mountains of Yunnan Province in Southwest China. It is also referred to as the Southern Silk Road and Tea and Horse Road. From around a thousand years ago, the Ancient Tea Horse Trail was a trade link from Yunnan, one of the first tea-producing regions: to India via Myanmar; to Tibet; and to central China via Sichuan Province.

Ancient Tea Horse Trail

The tea trade in these areas gave birth to this trail of danger and mystery. Winding through mountains and forests of the Sichuan-Tibet-Yunnan triangle on the Roof of the World, a series of trails grew and connected the ancient civilizations and cultures at the highest altitude. On this odyssey through northwest Yunnan and northeast Tibet, you can encounter breathtaking natural scenery and places of cultural importance. High altitude travel is not everyone’s cup of tea, but those who venture will be richly rewarded.

Ancient Tea Horse Trail

The Ancient Tea Horse Trail begins with Sui and Tang dynasties (AD 581 – 907), and flourished from Ming and Qing dynasties (AD 1368 – 1911). It is one of the most important ways for Tibet, Yunnan and Sichuan to exchange politics, economics and cultures. The fabled Ancient Tea and Horse Trail, which, though no longer in use, still retains many of its historical remnants, towns, villages and local ethnic minority communities.