Overview
For confident hikers comfortable with longer walks.
Yubeng Village, perched at 3,000 metres on the eastern slopes of Yunnan’s sacred Meili Snow Mountain, is a secluded Tibetan hamlet long regarded as a pilgrimage sanctuary. Once reachable only by rugged trails and without electricity until 2012, it is divided into Upper Yubeng (3,228 m) and Lower Yubeng (3,054 m), a 40-minute walk apart. Encircled by soaring peaks and steeped in Tibetan Buddhist lore, the village is said to be where Padmasambhava, founder of the Nyingma sect, hid scriptures. Pilgrims revere the Sacred Waterfall, which plunges from Kawagebo Peak, its torrents shifting from roaring summer cascades to delicate winter veils of ice. Nearby lies the Ice Lake (3,800 m), carved by glaciers and once a base camp for the 1990s China-Japan expedition. Yubeng blends spiritual heritage with alpine beauty—where sacred sites and natural wonders converge in a hidden valley.
Highlights
- Capture the Golden Sunrise over the Thirteen Peaks of Meili Snow Mountain from Feilai Temple, with glowing peaks by day and dazzling starry skies at night.
- Trek into the secluded Yubeng Village, a hidden Tibetan hamlet once only accessible on foot, surrounded by sacred legends and alpine scenery.
- Undertake a pilgrimage to the Sacred Waterfall, where Tibetan tradition holds that receiving the spray completes the ritual of spiritual purification.
- Conclude the journey via the dramatic Ninong Gorge and the tranquil wetlands of Napa Lake, home to black-necked cranes and Tibetan pastoral life.
- Hike through ancient forests and rhododendron valleys to Xiaonong Base Camp, the former expedition site for Mt. Kawagebo, and continue on to the glacial Ice Lake.
