It started with Tinder. I know, I know, that sounds bad. But if it wasn’t for Tinder, I might never have heard of that place in an alpine valley mere kilometers from the Tibetan border. I might never have seen the photos of misting waterfalls, glacial lakes, and fluttering prayer flags which inspired me to alter my trip plans. I might never have gone hiking in Yubeng.
… all good things beyond sleep come precisely because we defy gravity while we live.
Dan Simmons
Yubeng is an isolated town in northern Yunnan nestled in a valley at the base of Meili Xue Shan, less than 10 km from the border with Tibet. Comprised of two villages separated by a river, it is accessible only on the backs of mules or on one’s own two feet.
Getting there
- Starting point: Shangri-la Bus Station
- Destination: Feilaisi
- Cost: 59 RMB
- Duration: ~4.5 – 5 hours
From Shangri-la, the easiest way to get to Yubeng is to take a bus. Most info online says to get the bus to Deqin and transfer to Feilaisi, but there are direct buses from Shangri-la to Feilaisi for 1 additional RMB — saving you the transfer. Go early if you can, as the bus takes between 4 and 5 hours.
Spend the night in Feilaisi. The town itself is nothing spectacular, but the day spent there will let your body acclimatize to the elevation and give you a chance to stock up on supplies for the hike. You’ll also need to book transportation to the village of Xidang, the most common starting point for the Yubeng trek.
- Starting point: Feilaisi
- Destination: Xidang
- Cost: 150 RMB for a van with 7 seats
- Duration: ~1.5 hours
Most guesthouses can organize an early morning van to take you to Xidang and the start of the trek. The charge is a flat rate for the vehicle, so use those social skills and try to fill every seat! If possible, schedule the start time for just after sunrise — it’s really worth seeing!
Day One: Hiking to Yubeng
The trail started out steep and muddy. Mules and their masters were waiting at the bottom for any not feeling fit enough to make the ascent, but they didn’t seem over-keen to hassle hikers uninterested in their services. Paranoid of the altitude, my hiking buddy and I went slowly. The kilometers seemed to stretch, but the hike was mostly shaded and cool. Summer had passed, and the foliage was beginning to show the colors of autumn.
After several hours of climbing uphill, we came to an area swaddled in prayer flags. We’d seen others along the ascent, but the sheer number of them was impressive.
Cresting the summit gave us our first view of the Meili Xue Range since leaving Feilaisi, and having the payoff view ahead of us for the remainder of the hike made the downhill slog entirely bearable.
All told, our hike time from Xidang to Yubeng was about 5.5 hours including all of our snack breaks. There were two separate areas with food and drinks available: one partway up the ascent and the other at the summit. We stayed at the YHA in Upper Yubeng for the first two nights and were very happy with the accommodation there.
Day Two: Hiking to Ice Lake
Hiking in Yubeng is relatively straightforward, and the paths are well-signed. Look for a board like this at the start of each trek to get an idea of the trail.
Dawn came around 7:20 am, after which we had a simple breakfast before setting off up the trail to Ice (Glacial) Lake.
The hike started easily enough — a level stroll through a forested valley and along the river draining from the glaciers in the mountains above.
The relaxing pace wasn’t to continue, however, and the trail brought us to the base of a huge hill before zig-zagging up it. The switchbacks made things a bit easier, but it was still a punishing ascent. After it felt like we’d climbed an entire mountain, we found ourselves in a grove of trees — giants rustling in the wind. An information placard informed us that this grove was where the deity Kawagebo chose to dance; we were quite literally in the dance hall of the gods.
There was very little undergrowth in the grove; the forest floor was carpeted with moss, twigs, and fallen leaves. The only sound was that of the wind, and we stood there in the stillness listening for the footsteps of the gods.
We left the grove and endured another ascent before rejoining the river. Its water was glacial blue and freezing.
When the views came, it was a stop and pick your jaw up off the ground type of moment. We found ourselves in a massive basin with alpine vistas spread out in 180 degrees of splendor. A number of buildings have been built in the center of the valley, where the local villagers have their summer grazing grounds. At that time, however, there were only a few mules tethered to posts while their handlers ate ramen and drank tea in the shelter of the huts.
The third and final climb was the straw which nearly broke us. The toll from the high altitude was more noticeable at over 3700 meters, and we were already worn out from the previous day. Nonetheless, we pushed to the top and finally saw the Ice Lake below us.
It’s not huge, but the lake is really a secondary attraction. The massive cliff-face beyond it reaches towards the sky, where glaciers can be seen. Thick clouds had started to roll over the peaks, obscuring the view and causing the temperature to plummet. A sleety rain pelted us for a few minutes just to remind us how lucky we’d been with the weather, then subsided.
After a snack break and photo stop, we turned back towards Upper Yubeng. Nearly entirely downhill, the return hike took us a fraction of the time the ascent had, and we were soon stuffing our faces with tasty grub.
Day Three: Hiking to the Sacred Waterfall
Dawn came once more, the first rays of its light touching the peak of Bawu Bameng Shan. The golden light spread, illuminating the glistening flanks of the mountain, and we watched spellbound. Sometimes — just sometimes — it can be worth waking up for a sunrise.
Our next destination was the Sacred Waterfall, but before we could start hiking we needed to switch villages to Lower Yubeng. A 45-minute walk to the other side of the river, Lower Yubeng is a less popular place to stay than the upper village, so the range of accommodation there is a bit limited. We stayed in the hotel second from the end of the street — the name was only written in Chinese characters, so that’s the best you’ll get out of me!
The views at the start of the trek were immediately stunning — a ridge of craggy peaks standing snow-capped and brilliant against an azure sky. At the mouth of the valley and the end of the village, a Tibetan Buddhist temple basked in the glory of its surroundings.
The hike started out similarly enough to the previous day’s — level and relaxing. That pace continued for the majority of the hike, however, and we made excellent time up the valley towards the falls.
Eventually, we reached a glacial valley similar to one surrounding the Ice Lake. The peaks loomed over us, and the weather appeared to be holding.
The way to the falls was never in question, as huge strings of prayer flags were stretched from point to point along the valley floor and up its sides.
The density of flags only increased as the trail began to climb, to the point where the majestic views to either side were all but obscured by fluttering walls of silk.
When we reached the top, the waterfall took our breath away. It had looked modest throughout the ascent — we’d been lucky with the weather, but the absence of rain made for a meager flow. From beneath, however, we could see the wind catch the torrent from above and scatter it, casting spray along the cliff face as light refracted through the drops and rainbows were born.
Sometimes, it’s easy to understand why a place is considered sacred. Getting your first look at the Sacred Waterfall is one such time.
We completed 3 circuits of the falls (there are technically 3 waterfalls you can access along the wall) and spent some time gazing up from beneath them before turning around and heading back to our nameless hotel.
It had been another day and another adventure hiking in Yubeng.
Day Four: Hiking to Ninong
Our final day hiking in Yubeng would take us out of the mountains and to the village of Ninong. A big perk of that section of the hike: all of it was downhill. After 3 days of grueling ascents, some gravity assistance was a welcome change.
The views along the path started modestly, but further on the river had cut deep through the stone and created a sheer gorge. The trail had been hewn into the side of the cliff, and I made a point to walk as close to the wall of it as possible. Heights and I, we still aren’t friends.
At last, we reached the mouth of the gorge and stepped into another world. While Yubeng had been surrounded by alpine forests, Ninong was a barren and dusty place. Barely any greenery was present; even the rocks had changed. We’d barely hiked over 2 hours, which made the difference even more striking.
The last section of the trail was a steep descent down a path switchbacking along a loose scree, which made for treacherous footing. By the time we reached the parking area and the end of the trek, we were more than ready to be finished with it.
Getting back to Shangri-la
There are vans waiting at the end of the trail which will take you to either Feilaisi, Deqin, or all the way to Shangri-la. We also heard rumors of a 2:30 p.m. bus from Ninong to Shangri-la, but were unable to confirm that and not willing to wait around and risk having to stay a night in Deqin. The most time/ cost efficient combination seemed to be taking a van from Ninong to Deqin, then getting a bus to Shangri-la, so that’s what we did.
- Starting point: Ninong
- Destination: Deqin
- Cost: 150 RMB for a van
- Duration: ~1 – 1.5 hours
The van should drop you off directly at the bus station. Head upstairs (the stairwell is just to the right of the entrance) and buy your tickets, then kill however much time you have left eating at one of the many stalls along the main street.
- Starting point: Deqin
- Destination: Shangri-la
- Cost: 58 RMB
- Duration: ~4 – 4.5 hours
That’s it! If you do decide to go hiking in Yubeng, I hope you have an awesome time! Take a few days to chill out in Shangri-la; it really is the perfect place to relax for a little while. Check out this list of things to do around town, and don’t forget to toast your epic off-the-beaten-track adventure with a Shangri-la brewski.
Don’t forget Lijiang, with its stunning Old Town and easy access to another peak — Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.
For more tips and info on the area, check out Lonely Planet’s China travel guide.
Any questions, recommendations, or updates on hiking in Yubeng? Let me know in the comments below!
Did you enjoy this post? Pin it!
- Hiking to Refugio Frey and Beyond - January 20, 2020
- Christmas Letter 2019 - December 18, 2019
- My Walk Out of the Woods - June 30, 2019
Five Things to Do in Shangri-la
Hi! Your blog is great and helped us a lot planning our trip to Yubeng. In fact, we just got back today! Unfortunately we could not do the side hikes to the glacier lake and waterfall due to heavy snowfall, avalanches and not having the proper snow gear to climb the hills. For anyone planning in winter season, make sure you have walkingsticks and snow-spiky-things for under your (waterproof-)shoes (sorry, not native English…) I heard you can rent both in FelaiSi btw. It gets very cold at night too but the hike in- and out of Yubeng is still very doable and beautiful!
Many guesthouses were open, but almost no tourists around. We were happy to have met a Chinese-American who helped us translate and called ahead for a pick up out of Ninong as we did not see any vans / taxis waiting around in this time of year.
Oh, that sounds great!! Thanks for the feedback, and I’m glad you had a good time 🙂 Enjoy the rest of your trip in China.
I love your blog on Yubeng. May I know whether you need to pre-booked the hostel at Upper or Lower Yubeng.
Hi Julie! We didn’t book our hostels in advance, both times we were able to walk up and get a room. I think I would book in advance during peak season, though. We were there in the shoulder season, and both places we stayed were pretty full.
Wonderful blog and inspired me to do the trekking next year. I want to know if it is necessary to hire a local guide in case I won’t find any other solo trekkers. Is it doable to trek alone and how’s the trail route, is it easy to navigate? Thanks.
It’s very doable alone! I was just with two other guys, and we never got lost. The trail is well signed, as are the trails leading up into the mountains around. The only one I didn’t do and can’t attest to is the Holy Lake Trail.
Thanks so much for this blog post – the timings and transportation information are super useful. I’m interested in going, but I’m traveling alone and would feel more comfortable with a hiking partner. Do you think Yubeng is popular enough to make this feasible?
Thanks!
You’re welcome, Lauren, thanks for reading! It’s definitely feasible, I was able to join up with a few other solo hikers to do the same. Shangri-la is a good place to do this, but you could also coordinate hiking buddies through your guesthouse in Feilaisi, which is what I did.
Hiya, thanks for all the information! Can I ask which month did you hike Yubeng?
Thanks so much, Mea! I did the hike in October, and the weather was fine. We didn’t have to deal with snow or ice, and the temperatures were very pleasant.
Hi Nathan!
This blog post was more helpful than anything I found in about two hours of trawling the internet to get a detailed idea of what the hikes entail and timings, so thanks so much! You say that vans can take you from the end of the trail to Feilaisi, Deqin, or even Shangri La- what time do they run until/ when did you catch them? We want to stay two nights in Yubeng to make the most of it, but that would mean hiking out and getting to Shangri La all in one day as we have an early morning flight to Kunming the next day. Do you think that’s possible?
Thanks so much!
Hey Emma! That’s awesome to hear! This hike was my favorite part of my trip to China, hopefully, you’re able to go as well!.
We set out from Lower Yubeng in the morning and hiked to Ninong (the trail’s end). It only took us a few hours and is a very easy hike. Unfortunately, the vans don’t run on a schedule, they’re kind of like taxis. They just wait around until someone comes, then you negotiate where you want them to go. I can’t remember exactly when we got to the van, but I think it was around noon. Getting the van straight to Shangri-la would’ve made things easier, but we really wanted to save a bit of money, so we took the van to Deqin and caught a bus instead.
Getting back to Shangri-la that same day is very possible… we made it back in time for dinner 🙂
The scenery looks absolutely incredible- I love seeing all the Prayer flags around that area. It makes it look even more dramatic. I would love to visit Tibet but it would be really expensive with the visas. Visiting this region in China must be a much more cost effective alternative. Definitely one to add to the trip wishlist- thanks for sharing!
Yeah, if you’re keen on seeing Tibet, check out the very north of Yunnan and western Sichuan provinces. It’s an ethnically Tibetan area, but much easier to access and a little more off the beaten path (especially western Sichuan!).
Just wow! Especially the views and the MOVING PICTURE. I gotta ask, how did you do that? what app or software, its very impressive!
I love that app! It’s called Dermandar. You have to take the series of pictures manually, but you upload them all to the tool and it lets you embed an iframe on your site. SUPER cool, and it looks fantastic 😀
Wow, it looks stunning! Tibet is one of the only bus if mainland China that really intrigues me. It looks like you had a great time! Most of the trails seen doable as well.
Yeah, overall the hike was an intermediate level, I’d say. The elevation was tricky to deal with, but we just went slow and drank a few liters of water a day.
China actually wowed me quite a bit. It’s one of my top 5 favorite countries I’ve ever been to! Definitely better once you get away from the seaboard.
I am happy to know Tinder served a fantastic purpose in this specific case haha. That hike looks soooo intense. Living in Korea has taught me that while I do enjoy hiking, I don’t think I love it as much as I think I do. As in I am often more enamored with the idea of it that the reality. Reading your post fills me with inspiration and motivation but when some opportunities have presented to hike for extended periods, I find myself backing away from actually doing it. I may just need to come to terms with this reality.
It’s definitely a tough thing to love and usually comes with a lot of unpleasantness (especially the multi-day treks), but I can’t imagine traveling without it! New Zealand was a hiker’s paradise, and I still wonder if I should’ve left. Hope you still make it out on the trails every once in a while!
I really enjoyed several things about this blog! I like your humour (you mentioned that describing a hotel location was the best we’d get out of you due to the name only being posted in Chinese characters). I really likeed some of your photos, particularly the one that seemed to by looking down on you as you walked a mountain path, perhaps taken from a cable car? And I really loved the colourful photos of the prayer flags! Super nice blog^^
Thanks Natasha! It was pretty much a photographer’s dream up there. No cable cars (those are electrical wires, which connect the village to the power grid), but when we came around the corner and saw that stretch of the path with the mountains ahead of us, it was so awesome!
Awesome photos! It doesn’t look real!! The pain was definitely worth it for those views. Love your close up shot of the dog 🙂 I love hiking but don’t think I’ve ever hiked anywhere as picturesque as this – somewhere to add to the list!
Thanks Rosie! It really was like something out of a storybook. Especially those sunrises in the morning. Just ridiculously beautiful. Hope you can make it out there someday! It’s a mission to get to, but well worth it.
The views on the top looks satisfying. I bet all the body pain in hiking is all worth it. Thanks for this very detailed itinerary. Tinder is useful after all. LOL!
Right?! And yeah, it was totally worth it. One of my favorite places I’ve been to so far!
wow this sounds really intense and equally as amazing. The views and unspoilt landscape from the top is awesome. Did you have a guide hiking with you? Ive only ever done an overnight hike (up mount rinjani in indonesia) and that was quite something itself.
No, I was with two other hikers. Actually, once we GOT to the trailhead, it was fairly straightforward. Good signs (in English) the whole way, which was a surprise.
Hi!
Thank you for this blog.
I will be travelling here in the last week of October. How will the weather be? Any idea? Also I feel a little bit worried that when I get to Ninong, there will be no busses to take me to Shangri-La.
Hope you have some info.
Kind regards,
Vries
Hi Vries! Sorry for the delayed response, I was off the grid for a couple of weeks and am just now catching up on the blog. I did this in mid-October, and the weather was fantastic. Very comfortable temperatures, and relatively clear skies.
As far as a bus from Ninong to Shangri-la, when we arrived, there were several waiting for us. As long as you get a morning start from Lower Yubeng, you should be fine. If you’re still worried, try checking with your hostel to see if they can call ahead and arrange a ride to be waiting for you. It might be more expensive, but then you’d have peace of mind.