Fifth step: Meri Snow Mountain
A series of magnificent and beautiful snow peaks are arranged from south to north in the western suburban area of Deqin County. It is home to the famous Meili Snow Mountain. Kawakarpo Peak, main peak of Meili Snow Mountain, at 6,470 metres, is the highest peak in Yunnan province.
Kawakarpo Peak is the shrine venue for Tibetan Buddhists. In the period of later autumn and earlier winter, groups of pilgrims from Sichuan, Qinghai and Gansu visit here on foot with sheep and crutch for a long journey to worship this monument.
Thirteen Taizi peaks surround Kawakarpo and Mianchumu (goddess sea peak), featuring beautiful outlines, is said to be the wife of Kawakarpo in tales.
The glaciers and cirques under Kawakarpo are continuous and “Mingyongqia Glacier” and “Sinongqia,” extend from an altitude of 5,500 metres to the belt of forest within 2,700 metres and are modern monsoon marine glaciers with rare low latitude and elevation.
Meili Snow Mountain shows the most beautiful scenery during the period from January to May. It is very difficult to see get a general view of the snow peak in summer and autumn.
Four regular buses depart from Shangri-La County to Deqin in the morning daily. The departure time starts from 7:20 AM (minibus), 8:20 AM (bus), 9:20 AM (minibus) and 12:00 PM (bus), with the ticket price of 33 Yuan. There is a regular bus from Deqin Bus Station to Yongming Village at 4:30 PM daily, the journey is over an hour, and costs 13 Yuan per person. The regular return service from Yongming Village to Deqin at 8:00 AM is available daily, and the ticket price is 13 Yuan per person.
Yongming Glacier of Meili Snow Mountain may be reached by starting from the county seat of Deqin County to Yongming Village. This section of the road is accompanied by the plateau and a steep path, which can be challenging for walkers.
Sixth stop: Tiger Leaping Gorge
Tiger Leaping Gorge, as the name suggests, is said to be famed because of a tiger leaping from a huge stone in the middle of the stream.
It sits between Yulong Mountain and Haba Mountain on both sides. There are 18 rapids along the whole gorge.
Seventh stop: Shudugang Lake
Shudugang Lake, located in the northeast of Shangri-La County, Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, is 35 kilometres away from the county seat.
The lake is at an altitude of 3,705 metres and is surrounded by mountains. Its annual average temperature hits 35 ℃, with the rainy season extending from June to October.
Shudugang Lake, as one of the largest lakes in Shangri-La County, boasts clear waters. Ample Shudu-style schizothorax fish, with golden bodies are present in the lake. The fresh fish is delicate and delicious.
The lake is also the home to a large number of water hyacinth, wild ducks, tadorne casarca and other birds.
Eighth stop: Haba Snow Mountain
Haba Snow Mountain Nature Reserve, located in the southeast of Zhongdian County, is 120 kilometres away from Zhongdian County, covering a total area of 21,908 hectares.
The elevation of its primary peak reaches 5,396 metres and the minimum elevation of Haba Snow Mountain is Jiangbian Administrative Village. Its elevation is 1,550 metres.
The area of the whole natural reserve involves the peak with a steep cliff and a rubble-based beam with jagged stones and glacier.
The terrain with the altitude lower than 4,000 metres is moderate. The landform shows ladder shape distribution, and the climate zones including the temperate zone, cold temperate zone and frigid zone are successively distributed.
Haba Snow Mountain Nature Reserve is cold-temperate zone coniferous forest-typed nature reserve set up for the purpose of protecting the natural landscape with vertically distributed alpine forest. It is home to Yunnan-native golden monkeys and wild asses.
The three-dimensional distribution of a freezing vegetation zone, alpine meadow and alpine shrub, fir, spruce, montane evergreen broad-leaved forest zone and dry hot valley shrub grass belt feature in the reserve, with a wide variety of plants growing. The protected area includes cordyceps, fritillaria, rhizoma panacis majoris, gastrodia elata, saussurea involucrata and other valuable herbs; and orchids and wild peony flowers are seen everywhere.
Snow leopards, Siberian musk deer and alpine musk deer inhabit the dense primeval forest.
Natural views of the protected area mainly consist of the main peak of Haba Snow Mountain, the alpine moraine lake, rhododendron and mountain waterfalls.
The height of the main peak of Haba Snow Mountain is 5,396 metres and it’s frozen with snow all the year around.
The highest peak is tall, straight and aloof, with four small peaks around it, like a crown.
There are various moraine lakes in the reserve, and most of them feature at the elevation of 3,500 metres and above. The scenery of Heihai Moraine Lake, Yuanhai Moraine Lake, Huanghai Moraine Lake and Shuanghai Moraine Lake are the best.
