Yubeng Village in Shangri-La, Yunnan – an Untouched Paradise for Hiking & Trekking

Yubeng Village is a magical and beautiful place, a real untouched paradise for people living in the city, especially the hikers seeking for adventure, and known as the epitome of Shangri-La. Located at the eastern foot of Meili Snow Mountain in Shangri-La, Yunnan, Yubeng Village is surrounded by mountains and snow peaks. Due to its unique geographical environment, there are only about 20 households in the village.

Yubeng was connected with the outside world with only a currier road from Xidang. And people need to hike or ride a mule through a 12km uphill and 6km downhill pass of 3,700m to get to the village. There are now two roads leading to Yubeng Village, one is from Xidang and the other from Ninong Canyon. It is more convenient and safer to reach Yubeng from Xidang.

You have to get to Shangri-La first to further explore Yubeng village. Shangri-La with all kinds of fantasy now not only represents the secret of a book, but also explores the nerve center of the whole Yunnan-Tibet region. People come to Shangri-La all hope to start from here and travel further to the Yubeng Village and other secret, untouched places that are full of unknown and adventures.

Yubeng Village Facts:

Chinese name: 雨崩村

Location: Deqin County, Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (Shangri-La), Yunnan Province

Population: 20 households with no more than 100 people

Altitude: 3000m

Opening hours: all day

Ticket price: RMB230 (included the ticket for Feilaisi platform priced at RMB150)

Time needed: 2-3 days

Way to Yubeng Village

Upper Yubeng Village and Lower Yubeng Village

Yubeng village is divided into upper and lower villages. The Upper Yubeng Village leads to the Xianong Base camp of the Sino-Japanese joint climbing of Kawagbo, while the lower Yubeng Village leads to the Yubeng Sacred Waterfall. Along the way, you can see the beautiful sites of ancient seal script and “five trees with the same root”.

Isolated from the outside world for a very long time, Yubeng Village still retains many simple Tibetan folk customs. For example, the brothers at a family have the same wife, and live together. And both the brothers are fathers of the children.

Best Time to Visit/Hike Yubeng Village

According to Yubeng village weather and climate, the best time to visit and trek Yubeng is from September to December. In September, buckwheat flowers and many other flowers bloom, making the village a sea of flowers. And the scenery is also very pleasant. October to November is the most beautiful season of Yubeng Village, when the mountains turn into a golden yellow. It is the best time to see Meili Snow Mountain and Kawagbo, with sunrise and sunset. April to May is also a good time to visit Yubeng.

From December to early March, there’s usually heavy snow on the road, and the mountains are likely to be closed by heavy snow around the Spring Festival, so it is not recommended to hike in Yubeng after December and before March.

June to August is the rainy season of Yubeng. During this period of time, it will rain continuously and the mountain roads will be difficult to walk。

In addition, rain avalanches in December usually have snow on the road, and the mountains are likely to be closed by heavy snow around the Spring Festival, so it is not recommended to hike in rain avalanches after December.

What to See and Explore in Yubeng

"Five trees with the same root"

Due to abundant rainfall and special geographical environment and climate conditions, the ecological growth of plants in Yubeng Village is dense and strange. Many other plants can be seen parasitic on the trunk of some old trees. This peculiar phenomenon is called "five trees with the same root".

Meili Snow Mountain & Kawagbo

Meili Snow Mountain, with a total length of 150 kilometers, is one of the four sacred mountains of Tibetan Buddhism, together with Kailash Pochi in Tibet, Anemachen Mountain in Qinghai and GaDuo Juewo Mountain in Qinghai. It is also a holy place for the Bon Religion.

The highest peak, Kawagebo, is 6,740 meters above sea level, and is the highest peak in Yunnan Province. There are other 13 peaks above 6,000 meters in Meili Snow Mountain, around Kawagebo, making it the highest mountain on the southeastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Kawagebo is recognized as one of the most beautiful snow mountains in the world, and known as the "god of snow mountains”. Kawagbo is still a virgin peak.

Xiaonong Base Camp

A base camp of Kagbo Peak on Meri Snow Mountain, it was built in 1991 by the Sino-Japanese joint mountaineering team, with an elevation of 3600 meters. It is now a must-visit site for tourists to Yubeng Village, and on the way right to Ice Lake.

Yubeng Village in summer

Yubeng Ice Lake

About an hour's journey from the Xiaonong Base Camp, Yubeng Ice Lake is about 3,800 meters above sea level. Formed by the erosion of the surface by glacial movement, it is composed of the melt water from the snow mountain, and known as a "holy lake" of Meili Snow Mountain. The water of Yubeng Ice Lake is extremely cold, with a color of emerald-like dark green.

Yubeng Sacred Waterfall

Located on the south side of Kawagebo, there is a waterfall with suspended rocks pouring down, local people call it Sacred Waterfall. Tibetans bathe under the Sacred Waterfall as a kind of spiritual cleansing exercis. It is said that Kawagebo reveres the holy water from heaven, which can divine the fate of people, eliminate disasters, avoid disasters, and grant blessings to all living beings.

Yubeng Sacred Lake

Located at the halfway of Goddess peak, Sacred Lake is 1,500 meters away from Yubeng Village, and 4,600 meters above sea level. There is only a narrow path leading to the lake, and the road is steep and rugged, so it is quite inaccessible. Every year, few people visit the lake, and many local people have never visited it.

Ninong Canyon

Ninong canyon or Ninong Valley is a way out of the Yubeng Village. For most Yubeng hiking tours, people will get in Yubeng from Xidang and get out from Ninong Canyon, There are ravines crisscrossing, steep cliffs and narrow winding paths. in May and June, deep in the canyon are full of alpine azalea.

Hiking and Trekking Yubeng Village

Hailed by hikers as "the last paradise on earth" and "a hiker's paradise", Yubeng Village and Meili Snow Mountain offers an epic trekking trail in China. When trekking in Yubeng, people always have the feeling that "the body is in hell, the eyes are in heaven". The route will make you exhausted, but the scenery will amaze those of us who have been living in the city and ensures a unique adventurous experience.

Suggested 4 days Yubeng trekking route:

Day 1, Feilaisi – Xidang – Nanzongla Yakou – Upper Yubeng Village – Lower Yubeng Village (6-7 hours)

Day 2, Lower Yubeng Village/Upper Yubeng - Xiaonong Base Camp - Ice Lake (6-8 hours)

Day 3, Yubeng Village to Sacred Waterfall (6 hours)

Day 4, Yubeng Village to Ninong Grand Canyon (5-6 hours)

  • Recommended 9 Days Meili Snow Mountain & Yubeng Village Trek Tour
  • How to get to Yubeng Village

    Get to Feilaisi, Deqin, Shangrila first. And then hike or ride a horse/mule from Xidang to Yubeng Village. Now you can also take a vehicle (only local vehicle, normally priced at RMB260) to get in, but be noted that the road is very narrow (only one car can pass) and dangerous.

    More Yubeng Travel Tips

    Accommodations:

    As the last village in Yunnan to have electricity since 2012, Yubeng Village’s accommodation is very basic. Most of the hostels are converted from the local Tibetan family houses, and equipped with some basic facilities, and private bathroom.

    Hiking tips:

    Please deposit your 60- or 70-litre backpack at your hotel at Feilaisi and pack it in a small bag with necessities for 2 or 3 days, as you will be walking 17 km of mountain road to Yubeng.

    You will hike at an elevation of 2650m to 3700m (an even higher if you go to Sacred Lake), so prepare yourself some drugs to cure altitude sickness if needed.

    Mountaineering shoes and alpenstock are must-haves. 

  • More information about hiking in Yubeng