Yubeng Travel Guide: Plan Your Ultimate Trip to Yubeng Village
Hailed as “the last paradise on earth”, Yubeng, China, is a secluded Tibetan Village hidden deep in the magnificent Meili Snow Mountain, with two roads connecting the village with the outside world. It possesses some of the epic hiking routes in the world, leading adventurers to Kawabage – the highest peak of Meili Mountain – and showcasing the unspoiled plateau landscapes.
If you want to extend your Shangri-La tour to Yubeng, read this travel guide and you will learn about many useful tips, including top attractions, popular hiking routes, weather conditions, best visiting time, transportation and accommodation information, which could definitely help you plan an unforgettable Yubeng Village tour.
Chinese: 雨崩 yǔ bēng
Location: Northwest Yunnan
Population (urban area): 3,000+
Yubeng Facts
- Chinese: 雨(yǔ)崩(bēng)
- Location: Deqin County, Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Diqing, Yunnan Province
- Altitude: About 3,050-4,700 meters above sea level
- Population: 50 households or so
- Ticket Price: CNY 55 per person
- Opening Hours: All day
Why Visit Yubeng?
- Discover Untouched Natural Beauty: Yubeng Village is like an isolated retreat surrounded by towering snow-capped mountains. The village boasts some of the most astonishing highland landscapes on earth. Here, visitors are able to set foot on the majestic Meili Snow Mountain, traverse dense forests and great canyons, admire gem-like alpine lakes, cascading waterfalls and roaring rivers…
- Trekking Paradise: Yubeng Village in Yunnanis one of the most popular hiking destinations in China, featuring a few world-class trekking routes taking tourists to climb from an altitude of 3,000 meters to 4,700 meters. Although challenging, the unparalleled scenery along the way will make it worthwhile.
- Explore the Cultural Heritage: Yubeng is a secluded Tibetan village with old traditions and customs well-keptuntil today. Visitors can have an in-depth exploration into Tibetan people’s life by interacting with locals, admiring traditional Tibetan residences, visiting local monasteries, tasting Tibetan cuisines…
Top Attractions in Yubeng
Sacred Waterfall
The cascading waterfall, hanging on the sharp cliff, is converged by melted snow from Meili Mountain. It is a holy place in Tibetan Buddhism. Locals make a great many Mani Stones and prayer flags there to invoke good fortune.
Ninong Grand Canyon
It is located at the lower reach of Yubeng Valley. There is only a narrow passage cut on the edge of the steep cliff, offering a rather thrilling hiking experience.
Yubeng Hiking Tour- The Best Thing to Do in Yubeng
Yubeng Village in China is well-known as the “paradise for hikers”. The challenging trekking routes and majestic scenery along the way make Yubeng a holy destination among a lot of global hikers that they must visit once in their life.
There are two roads leading to Yubeng, one from Xidang Village and the other from Ninong. Visitors are highly recommended to enter Yubeng from Xidang, from which you can either hike or take a SUV to reach the Upper Yubeng Village or the Lower Yubeng Village to start your memorable trek!
5 Recommended Yubeng Hiking Routes
Here we list popular trekking routes to different parts of Yubeng, each offering unique hiking experience and distinctive scenery along the way.
Option 1: Sacred Waterfall Line
- Route: Lower Yubeng Village – Sacred Waterfall – Lower Yubeng Village
- Difficulty: ★★
- Scenery: ★★★
- Distance: 13.6 kilometers
- Hiking Time: 4-5 hours
- Altitude: 3,054-3,657 meters above sea level
- Features: Suitable for novice hikers, mainly with concrete paths and steps, offering a noble sight of the waterfall especially during the rainy seasonfrom June to August.
Option 2: Ice Lake Line
- Route: Upper Yubeng Village – Xiaonong Camp Base –Ice Lake – Xiaonong Camp Base – Upper Yubeng Village
- Difficulty: ★★★
- Scenery: ★★★★
- Distance: 14 kilometers
- Time Needed: 6-9 hours
- Altitude: 3,228-3,864 meters above sea level
- Features: A popular trekking route among hikers, traversing primitive forests, pastures, streams, rivers, and jumbles of stones, taking in the magnificent view of the snow mountain from the camp base, enjoying the beautiful purity of the Ice Lake.
Option 3: Sacred Lake Line
- Route: LowerYubeng Village – Sacred Lake – Lower Yubeng Village
- Difficulty: ★★★★
- Scenery: ★★★★
- Distance: 13 kilometers
- Time Needed: 10-12 hours
- Altitude: 3,054-4,700 meters above sea level
- Features: The most difficult and most challenging route, steep uphill slopes all the way with a stretch of almost vertical slope, hiking on the snow mountain, admiring breathtaking view from the top of the snowy peak.
Option 4: Nise Pasture Line
- Route: UpperYubeng Village – Nise Pasture – Upper Yubeng Village
- Difficulty: ★★
- Scenery: ★★★
- Distance: 13 kilometers
- Time Needed: 4-6 hours
- Altitude: 3,228-3,630 meters above sea level
- Features: Undeveloped trekking route with few visitors, walking in the primeval forests and traversing verdant meadows while taking in the untouched natural beauty.
Option 5: Ninong Canyon Line
- Route: LowerYubeng Village – Ninong Canyon
- Difficulty: ★★
- Scenery: ★★
- Distance: 18 kilometers
- Time Needed: 4-6 hours
- Altitude: 3,054 down to 2,150 meters above sea level
- Features: Hiking all the way downhillalong the edge of the cliff to leave Yubeng Village, enjoying the views of the canyon clothes in lush trees and shrubs.
Best Yunnan tour packages with Yubeng hike:
Yubeng Weather
Yubeng Village lies in high altitude area and experiences diverse weather patterns throughout the year, with great temperature differences between day and night. Visitors can enjoy diverse scenery in the four seasons.
- Spring (April – May): Temperature starts to rise, ranging from 6-20 degrees during the day and at night.
- Summer (June – September): Summer in Yubeng is warm, not hot,with an average temperature of around 20 degrees. The rainy season of Yubeng runs from June until August and frequent rainfall makes it rather difficult to hike up the mountain.
- Autumn (October – November): Yubeng enjoys stable climate during the fall with little rain and moderate temperature of around 16 degrees.
- Winter (December – March): Yubeng sees a blanketing of snow and chills in winter, with the temperature below freezing. Certain trekkingroutes may be inaccessible due to heavy snowfall.
Best Time to Visit Yubeng
The ideal time to set out a trek through Yubeng Village is during spring and autumn, when the weather in Yubeng is stable and moderate. More importantly, Yubeng will showcase the most captivating landscapes at this time.
In spring, you can enjoy a vibrant scenery consisting of blooming wildflowers, green meadows and pastures, as well as lush forests, while the golden autumn foliage will endow the whole region with poetic scenery and visitors can take in the most beautiful view of Meili Snow Mountain in the fall.
Yubeng Transportation
How to Get to Yubeng Village
Step 1: Get to Feilai Temple (飞来寺) in Deqin County
From Kunming: Take a flight to Diqing Shangri-La Airport first. Hail a taxi to Shangri-La Passenger Transport Station, where you can board a long-distance bus to Feilai Temple (Fei Lai Si) in Deqin County. You will reach the destination in around 4.5 hours and the bus ticket costs CNY 65 per person.
From Lijiang: There is one direct bus from Lijiang Passenger Transport Station to Deqin County every day, leaving at 09:00. Inform the driver that you want to get off at Fei Lai Si in the midway. The bus ride takes 6-7 hours and costs CNY 159 per person.
*It is highly suggested visitors stay overnight at a hostel around Feilai Temple to get a considerable rest for the coming Yubeng trekking. Besides, Fei Lai Si is recognized as the best place to take in the distant view of the Meili Snow Mountain. You could not miss the chance to witness the stunning sunrise over the snow-capped summit.
Step 2: Feilai Temple to Xidang
Every morning, there is a bus leaving Feilai Temple for Xidang Hot Spring (西当温泉), the starting point of the hiking tours to Yubeng. The bus leaves at 8:30 and costs CNY 20 per person. Or, you can carpool with other hikers to get to Xidang and the fare would be CNY 150 or so per car.
Step 3: Xidang to Yubeng Village
Either hike for about 6 hours or take a 40-minute SUV drive from Xidang to the Upper Yubeng Village or the Lower Yubeng Village according to your trekking routes. The car ride costs CNY 200 per person to the Upper Village, or CNY 260 per person to the Lower Village.
How to Get around Yubeng
Yubeng is a small village, and the best way to explore its beauty is by foot. The village is pedestrian-friendly, and most attractions and trails can be reached by walking. If you want to venture along undeveloped routes, hiring a local guide is recommended for safety consideration.
Where to Accommodate in Yubeng Village
There are three places to get accommodated in Yubeng: Fei Lai Si, the Upper Yubeng Village and the Lower Yubeng Village, where a bunch of accommodation choices, from modern hotels to homestays with strong local characteristic, are available to suit different budgets and interests.
Recommended Hotels at Feilai Temple
- Yingxue Mountain Villa (映雪山舍)
- Snow Dragon Meili Manzhu (雪龙·梅里漫筑)
Recommended Hotels at the Upper Yubeng Village
- YOLO Guesthouse (悠乐YOLO雪山观景民宿)
- Cat Guest House (猫在雨崩雪山观景民宿)
Recommended Hotels at the Lower Yubeng Village
- Healing Shelter (雨崩止语心舍)
- YEYU Hotel (野语YEYU鹿谷酒店)
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