4 Days Best Daocheng Yading Hiking Tour
Tour Overview
A mysterious resort located in Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Daocheng Yading is widely considered the “soul of Shangri-La” and “the last pure land on Earth”. A hiking vacation here will find you immersing yourself in the stunning alpine views of holy ice-capped mountains, fabulous cold lakes, historical temples, chanting rivers, striking forests, and vast grasslands…
Do you want a nature trip of a lifetime? Are you hoping to hike, sightsee, and experience Tibetan-style scenes and life all on the same trip? You can do all this in an energy-saving way if you sign onto our 4-day Daocheng Yading hiking tour.
Highlights of this tour:
*Enjoy leisure and happiness along the classic hiking routes in Yading Nature Reserve and observe various original natural landscapes.*Visit the hundreds of years old monasteries treasured with precious architectures, relics, and legendary landscapes, and feel the devout religious faith in the holy Daocheng Yading.
*Immerse into the stunning lakes and chanting rivers with their crystal-clear waters surrounded by vast grasslands, emerald forests, snow-capped peaks, and quintessential plateau scenery.
*Visit some charming sites providing great angles to admire the holy snowy mountains.
Day-by-day Itinerary
- Day 1: Daocheng Yading Arrival - Benbo MonasteryBenbo Monastery
Upon arrival at Daocheng Yading Airport, your driver will transfer you to the hotel in Shangri-La Town (in Sichuan Province, not the Shangri-La in Yunnan).
On the way to your hotel, make a visit to Benpo Monastery. The most time-honored temple in the Yading area, Benbo Monastery is a branch of Tibetan Buddhism which has stood for over 900 years.
Follow your guide to uncover the stories of its founder and establishment.
The rest of the day is free for you to relax or explore on your own.
Tips: Most of the Daocheng Yading area is over 3000 meters above sea level, strenuous exercises are not recommended to avoid altitude sickness.
Benbo Temple - Day 2: Luorong Pasture - Milk Lake - Five Color LakeLuorong Cattle Ranch, Milk Lake & Five Color Lake
After breakfast, start your hiking and exploration in Yading Nature Reserve.
Boasting well-preserved natural scenes, it is the place you can see verdant valleys, clear rivers, crystal lakes, stunning plateau scenery, vast grasslands, and colorful forests in their natural, uncultivated state.
A 1-1.5 hours sightseeing bus ride will take you to the Zhaguanbeng, then hike 2-2.5 hours to Luorong Cattle Ranch (aka Luorong Pasture) where you will see grazing cattle and sheep, humble Tibetan-style houses, and an amazing view of three holy mountains (Xiannairi, Yangmaiyong, and Xianuoduoji).
Continue hiking 5 km (about 3-3.5 hours) to holy Milk Lake to marvel at its crystal-clear water. If you like, you can pay on your own to experience the horse ride around the lake.
Hike more 0.3 km to the Five Color Lake - one of the four Tibetan holy lakes that sit 4600 meters above sea level. The pure lake water, snow-capped mountains, blue sky, and plateau forest will surely catch your eyes.
After the sightseeing, take the bus and then a car back to your hotel.
Milk Lake in Daocheng Yading - Day 3: Chonggu Monastery - Chonggu Meadow - Pearl Lake - Poplar ForestChonggu Monastery, Chonggu Meadow, Pearl Lake & ten thousand acres of poplar forest
Continue your hiking and exploration in Yading Nature Reserve today.
Reach the 800 years old Chonggu Monastery, though an old incomplete temple, it offers precious religious relics and an ideal position to take some excellent photos of the three holy mountains.
A short walk will take you to the Chonggu Meadow - a fairyland composed of grassland, forest, and stream where you can have a great angle to admire the Xianuoduoji snow mountain.
Then, trek 30 minutes to Pearl Lake, surrounded by holy mountains, prayer flags, and lush forest, it is the best spot to admire the holy Xiannairi Snow Mountain.
Before heading back to your hotel, you will be transferred to the Bang River to admire the striking ten thousand acres of poplar forest. It is the best area for leaf-peeping, the poplar trees change color seasonally from green to crimson, amber, and gold.
At the end of the day, the guide and driver will escort you to the hotel in Daocheng County.
Chonggu Temple - Day 4: Daocheng Yading Departure
After breakfast, your driver will send you to Daocheng Yading Airport. This is the end of the 4-day best Daocheng Yading hiking tour.
