National 5A Scenic AreaSouthwest China
Yading Nature Reserve (Daocheng)
稻城亚丁 · Sichuan, Garze
Three sacred snow peaks above turquoise alpine lakes in wild Tibetan plateau country.
Yading is a remote Tibetan reserve famed for the three sacred snow peaks of Chenresig (6,032 m), Jambeyang and Chanadorje, around which lie turquoise alpine lakes — Pearl Lake, Milk Lake and Five-Color Lake — reached by high-altitude hikes through pine forest and pasture. The village of Daocheng and the autumn golden larch meadows add to the scenery revered as 'the last Shangri-La'.
Held sacred for centuries by local Tibetans as a land of the three protecting bodhisattvas, Yading was protected as a nature reserve in 1996 and opened to limited tourism, preserving high-elevation ecosystems. It is a national 5A-level scenic area and increasingly famous for demanding but rewarding treks into the glacial lakes.
Day-by-day routes you won't find online — now starting with an 8-day, 1,500 km loop through western Sichuan. New regions are added regularly; tell us where you want to drive next.
