A Comprehensive Hiking Guide to Haba Snow Mountain and Yubeng Village, Shangri-La, Yunnan

Make adequate preparations before departure to ensure a perfect hiking trip 🧐 I. Pre-trip Preparations 📄 Documents Bring your ID card and any other necessary documents (such as a student ID or military ID, etc., to get the corresponding discounts). 👕 Clothing 1. Warm layer: fleece jacket, thermal underwear. 2. Protective layer: waterproof and windproof jacket, hiking pants. 3. Footwear: high-top waterproof and non-slip hiking boots. 4. Accessories: sun hat, warm hat, sunglasses, gloves. 🎒 Equipment 1. Auxiliary tools: trekking poles to effectively reduce knee pressure. 2. Protective equipment: outdoor raincoat, headlamp or flashlight and spare batteries. 3. Skin care and sun protection: sunscreen, lip balm. 4. Water storage equipment: water bottle or hydration pack. 🍔 Food Prepare some food that can quickly replenish energy, such as energy bars, nuts, dried fruit, and chocolate. You can also bring easy-to-eat self-heating food. 🍵 Medicine 1. Anti-altitude sickness: Rhodiola (start taking it about a week in advance), Salvia miltiorrhiza, etc. 2. Common medicines: cold medicine, antipyretic medicine, gastrointestinal medicine, motion sickness medicine, trauma medicine, etc. II. Transportation Guide 🚗 To Haba Village You can first go to Lijiang or Shangri-La, and then transfer to a vehicle to Haba Village. 1. From Lijiang: You can choose to charter a car or share a car, the journey is about 3–4 hours. 2. From Shangri-La: The journey is about 2–3 hours. 🚗 To Yubeng Village 1. Long-distance route: Depart from Kunming, take a bus from the Western Bus Station to Shangri-La (about 10 hours), then transfer to a bus to Deqin County (about 4 hours), and finally charter a car or share a car to Xidang Village, the entrance to Yubeng Village. 2. Short-distance route: Depart from Lijiang or Shangri-La, there are direct buses to Deqin. After arriving, charter a car to Xidang Village. III. Haba Black Sea Hiking Route 🚶‍♂️ ⏳ Route Itinerary Starting from Haba Village 🏕️, walk along the mountain road. The first thing you see is the alpine meadow, where you can enjoy the flowers and plants all over the mountains and plains, and the snow-capped mountains in the distance 🏔️. Then enter the rhododendron forest 🌳. In early April, you can see the rhododendrons blooming sporadically in the low-altitude areas. Continue climbing up to finally reach the Black Sea 🌊 at an altitude of 3,800m. ⏱️ Hiking Time The whole journey is about 12 km and takes 6–8 hours. ⚠️ Difficulty Intermediate. 🍹 Supply Points There are some simple stalls along the way where you can replenish water and simple food. 🏡 Accommodation Options 1. Haba Village: You can choose local inns and B&Bs. 2. Near the Black Sea: You can choose to camp at the campsite, but you need to bring professional camping equipment. IV. Yubeng Village Loop Hiking Route 🚶‍♀️ 🚶 How to Enter the Village 1. Hiking: Hike from Xidang Village to the village, the whole journey is about 13 km, climbing 1,100m and descending 570m. The route combines dirt roads and hiking trails, and some sections overlap with off-road vehicle routes. 2. By car: You can take an off-road vehicle of local villagers to Upper Yubeng for CNY 200/person, and to Lower Yubeng for CNY 260/person. ⏳ Ice Lake Route Starting from Upper Yubeng 🏕️, passing through the Xiaonong Base Camp, the whole journey is about 14.5 km. The first half of the road is muddy, and the middle section climbs while watching the snow-capped mountains. The slope of the section near the Ice Lake is relatively steep. ⏳ Holy Waterfall Route Starting from Lower Yubeng 🏕️, the whole journey is about 12 km. Most of it is paved cement and stone roads, which is relatively easy. It is a pilgrimage route for many Tibetans. ⏱️ Hiking Time 1. Ice Lake Route: 7–8 hours for a round trip. 2. Holy Waterfall Route: 4–5 hours for a round trip. ⚠️ Difficulty Intermediate. 🍹 Supply Points There are supply stations along both routes where you can buy drinks, food, etc. 🏡 Accommodation Options Yubeng Village has a variety of accommodation options, including inns, B&Bs, and hostels, which you can choose according to your budget and needs. V. Precautions ⚠️ 1. Sun protection: The ultraviolet rays are strong in high-altitude areas, so be sure to bring sunglasses and high-SPF sunscreen to prevent sunburn. 2. Anti-slip measures: Some sections of the road have not melted snow, so wear non-slip hiking boots to avoid slipping and falling. 3. Coping with altitude sickness: Pay attention to maintaining an appropriate pace during the hike and avoid strenuous exercise to prevent altitude sickness. If you feel unwell, you should stop moving forward and seek help in time. 4. Respect customs: Respect local religious and customs and do not destroy the local ecological environment. 5. Pay attention to the weather: Pay attention to the weather forecast in advance and choose a suitable time to travel. In case of bad weather, you should adjust your itinerary in time.