Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon is the most desirable attraction for a tour to Nyingchi. The scenery is so beautiful that countless tourists has been attracted here every year.
Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon is the longest as well as the deepest canyon in the world. It is located between Mt. Kailash and the northern branches of the Himalayas. Along the canyon you can see the most stunning scenery on this plateau, such as the Grand Corner at Zhibai Village, Namcha Barwa Peak - the most beautiful snow-capped mountain in China, the Nyang River Scenic Belt, the Daduka Ancient Castle, and the Gyala Peri Peak, etc.
With an average depth of 2,800 meters and the deepest depth of 6,009 meters, Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon starts from Daduka Village in Mainling County in the north and runs for about 504.9 km to the Baxika Village in Medog County in the south. Most of the places along the canyon haven’t been explored because of the harsh environment: the glaciers, cliffs, steep slopes, mudslides and huge waves. Therefore, Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon is called "the last secret region on earth."
Nyingchi is one of the seven administrative regions of Tibet. The capital of Nyingchi is Bayi Town, which is located by the 318 National Road and is about 400 km from Lhasa. Ever since the operation of the Lhasa-Nyingchi Highway, it only takes five hours to get to Nyingchi from Lhasa. You will pass through Nyingchi Mainling Airport if you go to Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon from Bayi Town via the asphalt road, and the whole journey will take you about 2-3 hours.
At present, direct flights to Nyingchi Mainling Airport are only available in Lhasa, Chengdu and Chongqing. Nyingchi Mainling Airport is located on the south bank of the Yarlung Zangbo River. And the distance between Mainling Airport and the canyon is only half of the distance between Bayi Town and the canyon, about an hour’s drive.
Namcha Barwa Peak was voted as “The Most Beautiful Peak in China” by Chinese National Geography. You can get a stunning and far view of the peak from the Sejila Mountain Pass, which is located by the 318 National Road. Yarlung Zangbo Great Canyon is the best place to enjoy the scenery of the Namcha Barwa Peak. However, as the peak will always be blocked by drifting clouds, people can only see its true face in one-third of the time of a year. Don’t forget to take telephoto lenses when you go to see the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon. If you are lucky enough to see the true face of the peak, it should be very proud to take pictures of it and share them with your friends.
Gyala Peri is a 7,294-meter peak just beyond the eastern end of the Himalayas and at the entrance to the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon. Like the Namcha Barwa Peak, Gyala Peri Peak is also a snow-capped mountain and the distance between them is only 20 km. Fortunately, it is a little lower than the Namcha Barwa Peak, so chances that people can see the true face of Gyala Peri Peak are much larger.
The magical beauty of the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon is second to none. Along the canyon, Zhibai is the last village which has man-made roads. The Grand Corner is a U-shaped as well as the first bend of the Yarlung Zongbo River. There is a viewing platform facing the Grand Corner, allowing tourists to see not only the U-shaped corner, but also the Namcha Barwa Peak.
Just as what is said above, people can only see its true face in one-third of the time of a year, and most of the time, the peak just hides behind the clouds and guards the villages at its foot.
We suggest that you go to visit the Namcha Barwa Peak in sunny days, when there is little rainfall and the air is dry. The weather in Tibet is rainy in summer, and there will be plenty of rainfall in Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon in rainy season. Therefore, tourists who have the plan to the Namcha Barwa Peak should not go there in summer.
According to our experience, it would be much easier to see the real face of the Namcha Barwa Peak in summer, as the weather during this period is sunny and dry. The best month to visit the peak is between November and the next April. In April, this region will be much more romantic because peach blossoms will be in full bloom at that time.
Ticket Fees: 290 RMB (including the fees of entrance ticket (150 RMB), ticket of sightseeing car (90 RMB), and dinning fees (50 RMB)). The actual price will change in accordance to the tourism season and other factors.
There are six scenic spots within the Grand Canyon. When you take a bus to get into the canyon, you need to transfer local sightseeing bus at the entrance of each scenic spot. It only takes 3-10 minutes get to one spot to another, and you will have 10-20 minutes for sightseeing and taking photos at each spot. And it's a one-way road, so it is possible that you might wait for a sightseeing bus for a long time.
The first scenic spot within the canyon is the Daduka Ancient Castle, and the last is the viewing platform at Zhibai Village. The six scenic spots are as the followings:
Daduka Ancient Castle: Daduka Village is a must-passed place along the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon trekking route. It is the starting point of the sightseeing bus. You can take the sightseeing bus after visiting the ancient castle in the village. On the Bank of Duka River lie the remains of an ancient castle. It is said that it was the manor castle of a king of Nyingchi. The castle was destroyed in a war and now is only a piece of ruins.
Millennium Mulberry: This 1450-year-old mulberry is 8 meters tall and 11 meters in diameter circumference. The old tree has luxuriant branches and leaves. It blooms every year, but bears no fruit. It is said that the tree was planted by Songtsen Gampo (the 33rd Tibetan king and founder of the Tibetan Empire) and Princess Wencheng, and local people regard it as a mascot.
Lovers’ Peach: This is a peach tree grew up in between the crevices of a huge stone. Legend has it that there was once a man whose name was Anida looking for a magic peach to cure his mother’s illness. He was told that the peach could only be gotten from the King of Peach, Luduo. Then he decided to go to find Luduo and asked him for a peach. Six years later, he finally reached the territory which was under the control of Luduo. He met the two daughters of Luduo and told them his story. The younger daughter was touched by Anida and fall in love with him. Then she went to tell his father the story. After listening to the story, Luduo gave her a peach and asked her to give it to Anida. However, the elder daughter, who was also into Anida, got the news and she didn’t want her younger sister to be together with Anida, so she used the magic and suddenly, countless stones came down from the sky and one of the huge stone pressed the younger sister. Years after years, the young sister had already fallen away to dust, but the peach had broken through the stone and grown to a tree, representing the younger sister’s love for Anida.
Viewing Platform in Gala Village: From this viewing platform tourists can have a far view of Namcha Barwa Peak. As it is not that easy to see the real face of the peak, you can stay for a few days in the canyon till the peak reveals its real face.
Platform to see the Yarlung Zangbo River : You can have a close view of the waving water of the Yarlung Zangbo River here.
Viewing Platform at Zhibai Village: This is the best viewing platform within the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon. You can see both the U-shaped Grand Corner as well as the Namcha Barwa Peak from this platform. The peach blossoms in Zhibai Village are also beautiful, attracting numerous of tourists every year.
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