As always, New Guinea to the Rescue!

Turns out there are some isolated tribes on that island who have been isolated for a long, long time, 10-20 thousand years, in fact! Here's a reference: http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/09/islanders-new-guinea-are-some-most-diverse-people-world-here-s-why (Note the link between isolation and diversity; makes sense, right?)

Update: I'm emphasizing this genetic diversity point because the different highland types have been isolated from each other as well as the lowland guys on the same island, to hint that such a highland region could work out even if attached to a continent.

Their climate looks kind of like what you want, as the elevation mitigates the tropical nature of it. Check it out...

More details here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Guinea_Highlands#Central_Range_sub-alpine_grasslands but the money quote is:

Above 3,000 metres elevation, the high mountain forest yields to remote sub-alpine habitats including alpine meadows, conifer forest, tree-fern (Cyathea) grasslands, bogs, and shrubby heaths of Rhododendron, Vaccinium, Coprosma, Rapanea, and Saurauia all quite different from the tropical rain forest that covers most of New Guinea.

 

The alpine habitat above 4,000 metres consists of compact rosette and cushion herbs, such as Ranunculus, Potentilla, Gentiana, and Epilobium, grasses (Poa and Deschampsia), bryophytes, and lichens.[ 2 ]

It even has the word "alpine" in it! ;D I can't promise you edelweiss, but work with me here.

Okay I know PNG is an island, but it's a really big island. Does that count?

As always, New Guinea to the Rescue!

Turns out there are some isolated tribes on that island who have been isolated for a long, long time, 10-20 thousand years, in fact! Here's a reference: http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/09/islanders-new-guinea-are-some-most-diverse-people-world-here-s-why (Note the link between isolation and diversity; makes sense, right?)

Update: I'm emphasizing this genetic diversity point because the different highland types have been isolated from each other as well as the lowland guys on the same island, to hint that such a highland region could work out even if attached to a continent.

Their climate looks kind of like what you want, as the elevation mitigates the tropical nature of it. Check it out...

More details here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Guinea_Highlands#Central_Range_sub-alpine_grasslands but the money quote is:

Above 3,000 metres elevation, the high mountain forest yields to remote sub-alpine habitats including alpine meadows, conifer forest, tree-fern (Cyathea) grasslands, bogs, and shrubby heaths of Rhododendron, Vaccinium, Coprosma, Rapanea, and Saurauia all quite different from the tropical rain forest that covers most of New Guinea.

The alpine habitat above 4,000 metres consists of compact rosette and cushion herbs, such as Ranunculus, Potentilla, Gentiana, and Epilobium, grasses (Poa and Deschampsia), bryophytes, and lichens.[ 2 ]

It even has the word "alpine" in it! ;D I can't promise you edelweiss, but work with me here.

Okay I know PNG is an island, but it's a really big island. Does that count?

As always, New Guinea to the Rescue!

Turns out there are some isolated tribes on that island who have been isolated for a long, long time, 10-20 thousand years, in fact! Here's a reference: http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/09/islanders-new-guinea-are-some-most-diverse-people-world-here-s-why (Note the link between isolation and diversity; makes sense, right?)

Their climate looks kind of like what you want, as the elevation mitigates the tropical nature of it. Check it out...

More details here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Guinea_Highlands#Central_Range_sub-alpine_grasslands but the money quote is:

Above 3,000 metres elevation, the high mountain forest yields to remote sub-alpine habitats including alpine meadows, conifer forest, tree-fern (Cyathea) grasslands, bogs, and shrubby heaths of Rhododendron, Vaccinium, Coprosma, Rapanea, and Saurauia all quite different from the tropical rain forest that covers most of New Guinea.

The alpine habitat above 4,000 metres consists of compact rosette and cushion herbs, such as Ranunculus, Potentilla, Gentiana, and Epilobium, grasses (Poa and Deschampsia), bryophytes, and lichens.[ 2 ]

It even has the word "alpine" in it! ;D

Okay I know PNG is an island, but it's a really big island. Does that count?

As always, New Guinea to the Rescue!

Turns out there are some isolated tribes on that island who have been isolated for a long, long time, 10-20 thousand years, in fact! Here's a reference: http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/09/islanders-new-guinea-are-some-most-diverse-people-world-here-s-why (Note the link between isolation and diversity; makes sense, right?)

Update: I'm emphasizing this genetic diversity point because the different highland types have been isolated from each other as well as the lowland guys on the same island, to hint that such a highland region could work out even if attached to a continent.

Their climate looks kind of like what you want, as the elevation mitigates the tropical nature of it. Check it out...

More details here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Guinea_Highlands#Central_Range_sub-alpine_grasslands but the money quote is:

Above 3,000 metres elevation, the high mountain forest yields to remote sub-alpine habitats including alpine meadows, conifer forest, tree-fern (Cyathea) grasslands, bogs, and shrubby heaths of Rhododendron, Vaccinium, Coprosma, Rapanea, and Saurauia all quite different from the tropical rain forest that covers most of New Guinea.

The alpine habitat above 4,000 metres consists of compact rosette and cushion herbs, such as Ranunculus, Potentilla, Gentiana, and Epilobium, grasses (Poa and Deschampsia), bryophytes, and lichens.[ 2 ]

It even has the word "alpine" in it! ;D I can't promise you edelweiss, but work with me here.

Okay I know PNG is an island, but it's a really big island. Does that count?