What are the most popular trekking spots in Yunnan?

For many trekking enthusiasts, being able to measure a place with their feet is a source of pride. Yunnan is a paradise for many hikers. The scenery, the sky, the air here all deeply attract them. For them, everything here is beautiful. Today, I’m going to introduce you to some of the most popular destinations for hikers. You can try to experience it here if you have the opportunity.

【Feel the Power of Walking】

Awe the natural mountains and waters

Circumambulate mountains, water and pagodas

Don’t forget this life

Don’t wait for the next life

Tiger Leaping Gorge

It is famous for its magnificent and dangerous scenery. The river is flanked by the two snow-capped mountains of Jade Dragon and Haba, with an altitude difference of over 3900 meters. The depth of the canyon is the deepest in the world.

Shangri-La

Shangri-La: meaning “the sun and moon in the heart”, James Hilton in his novel “Lost Horizon”, first described a place of eternal peace and tranquility far in the mountains of the East “Shangri-La”.

Daocheng

There is a place called Daocheng, I want to go there with the person I love the most, to see the white snow mountains, to watch an autumn fairy tale, as long as you are the one at the end. – Chen Mo

Yading

Known as “the last piece of pure land on the blue planet”, here the snow mountains, lakes, forests, streams and meadows are organically combined, wild animals come out, it is a paradise for photography enthusiasts.

Meili Snow Mountain

There are 13 snow peaks above an average altitude of 6000 meters, known as “Thirteen Peaks of the Crown Prince”. The main peak, Kawagebo Peak, is 6740 meters high. The snow peaks point directly to the blue sky, the river cuts deep into the canyon, and there are lush primitive forests around. Local Tibetan people call it “the god of the snow mountains”, and it is a holy place for Tibetan Buddhism pilgrims.

Yubeng Village

A magical and beautiful place, walking around makes you feel like a paradise on earth. Located at the foot of Meili Snow Mountain, surrounded by mountains and primitive forests, so some people say this is the “Peach Blossom Spring” in Tao Yuanming’s writings; domestic and foreign experts believe that this is the epitome of Shangri-La.

Millennium Salt Field: Yanjing

Mangkang Yanjing ancient salt field has a history of 1300 years, located on both sides of the Lancang River in Yanjing Town, Mangkang County, Tibet. It is the only place in China that retains the most primitive manual salt drying method. It is over 120 kilometers away from Mangkang County.

World’s High City: Litang

Litang County is located in western Sichuan Province, southwestern Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, at the southeastern edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The county town is located in the flat Litang Grassland, a junction connecting National Highway 318 and Provincial Highway 217. The county town is 4014 meters above sea level and is known as the “World’s High City”.

Maoya Grassland

Maoya Grassland is located west of the county town of Litang County, Ganzi Prefecture, Sichuan Province, surrounded by mountains, and the boundless grassland is lush and green. In summer, under the azure sky, cattle and sheep are grazing, the green grass stretches as far as the eye can see, and the wild flowers in bloom are colorful, rolling on it will be a body of fragrance; in autumn, the sky is high and the clouds are white, the trees are golden yellow; in winter, it is covered in white snow, the original is wide and the wax is like. The changing seasons give the grassland boundless charm and style.

Sangdui: Red Grassland

Sangdui Red Grassland is located on the Sichuan-Tibet Highway, about 30 kilometers away from Daocheng County town. It only turns red for about ten days in autumn. In other seasons, it is an inconspicuous pond.
The Red Grassland is about the size of a football field, like a red carpet, embedded in the earth. Against the backdrop of the blue sky, white clouds and green trees, it is particularly eye-catching, forming a colorful landscape painting.

Gongga Langji Ling Temple

Gongga Langji Ling Temple is the largest Yellow Sect temple in Daocheng County, and a subordinate temple of Changqing Ke’er Temple in Litang. It is named after the holy mountain of Nyenchen Tanglha. Gongga Langji Ling Temple has grand architecture and exquisite murals. The temple houses a bronze statue of Maitreya donated by the Fifth Dalai Lama, a precious cultural relic.

Haizi Mountain

Sichuan Provincial Nature Reserve, located between Daocheng County and Litang, the scenic area is dotted with large and small granite boulders and various ice-eroded rock basins. The average altitude of Haizi Mountain is 4500 meters, with the highest peak, Guo Yin Rizhe, reaching 5020 meters. There are 1145 large and small Haizi. Their scale and density are unique in China, hence the name Haizi Mountain. The largest alpine lake in Haizi Mountain, Xingyi Co, is 4420 meters above sea level and is a sacred lake in the hearts of Tibetans. The vast sacred lake is a paradise for birds.

Xiangcheng

Xiangcheng, named after its terrain, is the transliteration of the Tibetan word “Kachen”, which means the Buddha beads in the hand. Because the Shuoqu River runs through the whole territory from north to south, it is like a thread connecting the white villages on both sides of the river, like strings of beads, hence the name.

【Route Features】

The big loop allows you to leave your footprints in Yunnan, Tibet and Sichuan provinces. Moonlight Ancient City → Shangri-La, the first of the eight great mountains in Tibet → Meili Thirteen Peaks, the secluded Tibetan village with no roads → Yubeng Village, the millennium salt field → Yanjing Nature Reserve, the last piece of pure land on the blue planet → Daocheng Yading, blue sky, white clouds, high mountains and meadows,
Herds of cattle, flying prayer flags, simple people, devout believers…, on this journey, you may be in purgatory, but your eyes are in paradise, your heart is being cleansed.

For many trekking enthusiasts, this is your determination and your will. But those who have been to these places have no regrets. Everyone has too many thoughts about this place. So no matter what kind of persistence it is, it is like a pilgrimage. After coming to these places, you will see a lot of different meanings, the meaning of life, the meaning of perseverance, the meaning of effort, everything will be very different.