One valley, one tent

Renan Valley lies on the road to Pudacuo National Park, and people call it the hidden paradise of Shangri-La. The car rounds a bend and the whole valley opens at once: pasture below, snow peaks beyond, the Qudzhen river winding between, Dabao Temple on the slope, quieter than the village.

In 2016 we put up our first tent here — the kind Tibetan nomads have lived in for centuries — and filled it with what a good room needs: square timber frames, yak-felt walls, old carved-wood beds, hand-painted rugs, hand-carved mirrors, tooled-leather chests; and heated water beds, underfloor heating, medical oxygen and proper bathrooms.

In 2020 a winner of the IDA International Design Award designed our terrace tent, and many guests have since found us through a short video of it. Television crews from Go Fighting!, Star Chaser and others have filmed here too.

Most days, though, are very quiet. Yak and free-range chicken hotpot simmers in the kitchen, the dog suns itself on the grass, guests wait on the terraces for sunrise. We hope people who come sleep well, wake early, and stand for a while at dawn with something hot to drink. The valley will tell you the rest.