--- description: Find out why Norden Camp is on TIME’s list of the World’s Greatest Places 2026. title: Norden Camp: World's Greatest Places 2026 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3599ce76202da108/69aea172afd29a631b244568/NordenCamp_WGP_2026.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Mar 12, 2026 # Norden Camp Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, China by [Cynthia Rosenfeld](/author/cynthia-rosenfeld/) ## Cynthia Rosenfeld Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close  Jerome Galland—Norden Camp Founded in 2013 by nomad-turned-entrepreneur Yidam Kyap, [Norden Camp](https://www.nordencamp.com/ "undefined") began as a seasonal base for urban travelers to experience rural life in China’s remote Gansu Province. The original camp sat on a riverine oxbow outside Labrang, near one of Tibetan Buddhism’s most important monasteries and close to Kyap’s maternal roots on the Sangke grasslands. As the camp’s success inspired imitators, Kyap began rethinking how best to protect both his culture and community. Norden closed in late 2023 for a complete rebuild, reopening in May 2025 with a more considered approach. Drawing inspiration from herders’ winter resting spots, American architect Blake Civiello worked with local carpenters and stonemasons, sourcing regional materials for the new glass-and-timber structures. The nine cabins now feature integrated heating, and visitors gather in the communal spaces in handwoven yak-hair tents on the buttercup-dotted grounds. Days are spent chanting with monks, learning to milk yaks, attending horse festivals, or hiking to nomad family picnics with homemade momo dumplings and tsampa cookies. Evenings wind down at the riverside bathhouse, where six private saunas and indoor-outdoor showers offer a sleek counterpoint to life on the plateau. Norden Camp: World’s Greatest Places 2026 ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collection/worlds-greatest-places/2026/norden-camp/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collection/worlds-greatest-places/2026/norden-camp/"},"headline":"Norden Camp","datePublished":"2026-03-12T10:56:39.555Z","dateModified":"2026-03-12T10:56:39.630Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collection/worlds-greatest-places/2026/norden-camp/","keywords":["World's Greatest Places","China","list","franchise"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3599ce76202da108/69aea172afd29a631b244568/NordenCamp_WGP_2026.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Cynthia Rosenfeld","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/cynthia-rosenfeld/"}],"creator":"Cynthia Rosenfeld","articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3599ce76202da108/69aea172afd29a631b244568/NordenCamp_WGP_2026.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/worlds-greatest-places/","name":"World's Greatest Places"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collection/worlds-greatest-places/2026/norden-camp/","name":"Norden Camp"}}]}] ```