Yading Nature Reserve

Yading National Park: Sacred Mountain Sanctuary of the Three Protectors

Yading National Park, also known as Yading Nature Reserve, is located in Riwa (also called Shangri-la Town) of Daocheng County in Sichuan Province. It is a mountain sanctuary and major Tibetan pilgrimage site with the highest altitude reaching 4,700m above sea level.

Wooden walkway inside the Yading Park

Park Access and Transportation

The gate of this national park and the actual sightseeing area are far apart from each other. You need to take the park bus (whose fee is included in the entrance ticket) immediately after entering the entry gate. From the entry gate to Chonggu Temple takes about an hour by bus. First, you will ascend a high mountain, then descend into a deep valley through some local Tibetan villages.

One of these villages is called Yading Village (Nyingdang). The Yading Park is named after this village. The bus may stop at this village to pick up tourists. If you want to explore the village, you can get off here, but most tourists continue all the way to Chonggu Monastery, which is the starting point for park sightseeing. Even if you get off the bus in Yading Village, you can still catch another bus to continue your trip in the park.

Chonggu monastery in Yading National Park

Hiking Routes and Options

Once you reach the final destination, which is the starting point for park sightseeing, you have two route options. There is a small loop for a short park visit that takes 2-3 hours, particularly designed for people who can’t walk at high altitude or those with limited visiting time. The other option is the most popular route, which takes you to Risum Gonpo Mountain, glaciers, and beautiful lakes.

At Chonggu Temple, you first cross the Ochu River and walk to Chonggu Temple. It’s a temple with a courtyard; the first floor houses the monks’ assembly hall, and the second floor displays Buddha statues and thangkas.

the view from Chonggu Monastery to Mount Risum Gonpo in Yading Park

Two Main Hiking Options

Option 1: Eco-bus and Short Hike The most popular choice is to ride the park eco-bus to reach the horse riding camp (costs an extra 80 yuan per person for return trip). This is a 9km ride taking about half an hour. After getting off the eco-bus, you need to walk the last 5km, which takes about 3 hours. As you can imagine, 5km taking 3 hours indicates this is the most difficult part of the hike with very steep slopes. If you’re concerned about this 5km trek, you can stay at the horse riding camp where you can see snow-capped mountains, glaciers, and rivers with beautiful wooden walkways in the marshland. If you want to reach the lakes but are still concerned about the walk, you can hire a horse to take you partway and complete the rest on foot.

Wooden walkway from Chonggu Monastery to the Lakes in the Yading National Park

Option 2: Full Hiking Experience The second option is to walk from the starting point all the way to Five Color Lake and Milk Lake, which is about 16km and takes 4-5 hours. The return (up and down) walking distance is 34km. The walkway consists of wooden and metal bridges over the Ochu River and provides a nice, smooth path until you meet other tourists who took the eco-bus. From there, everyone walks together for the rest of the hike.

I recommend this hike starting from Chonggu Monastery, as you’re likely to be the only one taking this walkway. We didn’t see a single Chinese tourist taking this route, so we were completely alone both ways. The scenery on the walkway is beautiful, peaceful, and calm. You walk through forests, rocky mountains, and rivers, and if you’re lucky, you can sometimes see wildlife in the forest. I personally think this is one of the highlights of the park, though most people miss it by taking the eco-bus.

Yading National Park

Sacred Mountains and Spiritual Significance

These mountains are holy mountains for local Tibetans. The three main peaks are seen as emanations of Risum Gonpo, the Lords of the Three Families. These three deities are:

• Chenrezig (Sanskrit: Avalokiteshvara)
• Jampelyang (Sanskrit: Manjushri)
• Chakna Dorje (Sanskrit: Vajrapani)

These three deities symbolically represent the body, speech, and mind aspects of all Buddhas. Among these mountains, the snow-capped mountain of Chenrezig/Avalokiteshvara is the highest peak at 6,032 meters above sea level.

Yading Nature Reserve

Sacred Lakes

There are three alpine lakes at the bottom of these snow-capped mountains inside the park:

1. Dolma Lhatso Lake – located south of Chonggu Monastery. It’s a beautiful lake in the middle of forests.
2. Tendrig Tso Lake (Five Color Lake) – located halfway up the mountains.
3. Osom Tso Lake (Milk Lake) – at the bottom of Chenrezig mountain. The second and third lakes are close to each other, about 1km apart.

Trekking Opportunities

There are several 2-4 day treks inside the park. Though trekking is not the most popular activity in this park, if you choose to trek, the Mount Chenrezig Kora (circumambulation) is the best option.

Accommodation Options

Outside the Park: The most common, convenient, and popular option is to stay in Shangri-la Town, which sits at 2,900m above sea level. It’s a newly built town full of hotels and restaurants. All types of accommodation from budget hotels to 3-star hotels are available here. If you want to stay near Yading, this should be your first choice. Make sure to stay close to the entrance gate so you can even walk there in early morning without driving.

Inside the Park: There are also guesthouses inside Yading Park, both in Yading Village and near Chonggu Monastery. The only disadvantage of staying inside is that you can’t drive within the park – you need to take the scheduled bus, which is not convenient if you have large luggage. The bus only drops you off on the road, and you need to walk to the guesthouses on your own. Despite this disadvantage, if you don’t mind the hassle, it’s an interesting experience in this quiet village surrounded by virgin forests.

Yading National Park

Pricing Information

• Hotel prices: 100-600 CNY, depending on hotel level and travel season
• Yading National Park entrance ticket: 120 CNY per person
• Park bus fee: 120 CNY per person
• Eco-bus fee: 80 CNY per person

Yading National Park in Sichuan

A Sacred Journey Through Nature

Yading National Park offers one of the most spectacular combinations of natural beauty and spiritual significance in the Tibetan world. Whether you choose the easier eco-bus route or the challenging full hiking experience, the park provides unforgettable encounters with some of the most sacred mountains in Tibetan Buddhism, pristine alpine lakes, and untouched wilderness that has inspired pilgrims for centuries.

Yading National Park