Banyan Tree Ringha

The Yunnan province

The southwestern Chinese province of Yunnan continues to delight and surprise visitors. This highly regarded tourist region possesses a wide variety of landscapes whose beauty inspired British writer James Hilton to create the myth of Shangri-La, the hidden valley in the heart of the Himalayas, inspired in turn by the Buddhist myth of the city of Shambhala. Shangri-La is a mythical and highly spiritual Garden of Eden transferred to the screen in 1939 by director, Frank Capra. The success of the novel and the film encouraged the Chinese authorities to officially give the name of Shangri-La to the Tibetan plateau region attached to Yunnan when the Republic of China annexed Tibet. “Yunnan is one of China’s most extraordinary regions. Twenty five of the country’s twenty six ethnic minorities live here, which is what makes the region so captivating,” according to French writer and diplomat, Sébastien Ortiz.

A gentle getaway

On the heights of the Tibetan Ringha Valley silence reigns except for the flapping of prayer rugs placed around the temple by pilgrims passing through. Furtive Tibetan chants can be heard coming from the 32 buildings of the Banyan Tree Ringha, 32 authentic traditional Tibetan farms purchased by the hotel chain and transformed into totally renovated, luxurious chalets. The suites retain their original structure and decoration including colorful friezes, carved beams and other local Tibetan cultural elements. The former stables on the ground floor have been converted into sumptuous bathrooms decorated with carved, painted wood.

The Banyan Tree group is well-known for the outstanding quality of its spas. The Banyan Tree spa takes its inspiration from traditional Himalayan customs and the Chinese five elements philosophy. Chinese therapeutic practices are based on the principle of the regulation of the body’s inner and outer energies. Little known in western countries, the Tui Na, or “pushing and seizing” massage, is carried out at the spa on the different parts and functions of the body, thus eliminating blockages and stimulating the self-healing capacity of the organism. Another treatment and a veritable regenerating cure is the Indonesian boreh, a mask with essences of cinnamon, sandalwood, ginger and rice which gives one the sensation of total release; a perfect way to end this moment of physical and spiritual well-being.

“The hotel was built there after one of the Banyan Tree group’s founders, looking for a peaceful retreat for he and his family, fell in love with the site. And there, at an altitude of 3,200 meters, between earth and sky, deeply rooted in Tibetan culture, he decided that he wanted to share these landscapes and especially the intense serenity that emanated from it. Three years later, in 2005, the Banyan Tree Ringha was born.” (Marie-Ange Ostré, publisher specialist in tourist photographer.)