Genyen & Yading:
Two Wonders

We leave Chengdu in the morning and climb steadily west, off the Sichuan Basin and onto the eastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau, with a stop at the Tianquan service area along the way.

Beyond Kangding, the road turns onto the high Kangba route past Honghaizi Lake and the viewpoint of Gedilam — the "Sky City" — set on open highland around 4,200m, with sweeping plateau and snow-peak views in all directions.

Toward evening we descend to Xinduqiao, a Tibetan town famous for its golden light falling across rolling pastures, farmhouses, and poplar groves — one of the most photogenic places in Western Sichuan.

An early start for the longest driving day — a spectacular high-altitude crossing of the Kham plateau. We descend to Yajiang, then climb the Sky Road Eighteen Bends, a dramatic sequence of switchbacks with views from around 3,990m.

Rolling passes lead to Litang (4,014m), one of the highest towns on earth — a good pause to let the body adjust before continuing south. The G227 then crosses the Rabbit Mountain Pass (4,696m) and the vast glacial relic of Haizi Mountain — thousands of small lakes and glacial boulders spread across the plateau near 4,685m.

We descend into the deep valley of Shangri-La Town (~2,900m), the gateway to Yading, for two nights. The lower altitude here is welcome before tomorrow's big hiking day.

After breakfast, we transfer to the Yading Visitor Center and board the reserve's scenic bus into the heart of the reserve. Yading is built around three sacred peaks revered across the Tibetan world: Chenrezig (Xiannairi, 6,032m), Jampelyang (Yangmaiyong, 5,958m), and Chanadorje (Xiannuoduoji, 5,958m).

From Zhaguanbeng we walk or take an electric cart to Luorong Pasture (4,180m), a broad alpine meadow beneath the peaks. The classic hike continues past Shechen Cliff toward the sacred high lakes — Milk Lake and Five-Color Lake at 4,600–4,700m. How far you go depends on how you're feeling; your guide will help set a realistic pace. We return to Shangri-La Town in the evening.

A shorter, more relaxed driving day — we retrace north over Haizi Mountain and the high passes back to Litang, with time to enjoy the plateau scenery in the morning light.

In Litang we explore the Letong Ancient Town, the old Tibetan quarter of whitewashed houses and prayer flags, and visit the Changqingchun Ke'er Monastery (Ganden Thubchen Choekhorling) — Litang's great 16th-century Gelugpa monastery, one of the most important in Kham. We check in for two nights.

Today reaches into the wild, sacred landscape of the Genyen Southern Route, in the shadow of Mount Genyen (6,204m) — one of the holiest mountains in Tibetan Buddhism, sometimes called "the last Shangri-La."

We cross the Tiejiangshan Pass (4,770m — the highest point of the entire trip) into open grassland and pilgrim country. The centerpiece is the Eye of Genyen, a near-perfectly round spring set into the meadow like an eye gazing up at the sky. Nearby stands the solitary Lone Tree, an emblem of the region's stark, windswept beauty. We return to Litang in the evening.

After breakfast, we drive back east on the G318 toward Xinduqiao, recrossing the high passes in the changing afternoon light. The familiar road reveals new moods as you travel with days of high-altitude experience behind you.

In the late afternoon, we head to a Mount Gongga sunset viewpoint. At 7,556m, Gongga is the "King of Sichuan Mountains," and on a clear evening its summit catches the last light in a deep alpenglow. Your guide will choose the best accessible viewpoint for the day's weather.

After breakfast, we make a short detour to Gunong Village, set beneath the sacred Yala Snow Mountain — a quiet, final scene of Tibetan homes, pasture, and peaks before the long descent home.

From here, the route rejoins the expressway and drops steadily off the plateau back to Chengdu, arriving in the evening. The descent in altitude usually feels wonderful after so many days above 3,000m.