As outdoor enthusiasts, we enjoy the relaxing moments of hiking in the suburbs, but we also yearn for the thrilling challenges of high mountains and deep valleys. The following are some of China’s “ultimate” outdoor destinations, each with its own unique beauty. Xiaoye has just been to 3 of them... How about you?
A Journey Between Heaven and Hell: Daocheng Yading – Lugu Lake
Here you’ll find everything you can imagine, and even more beyond your imagination. It’s as if a gravitational pull from the depths of your soul guides you here. Beyond laughter and exclamations, there are simply no words to describe it — it’s an indescribable kind of beauty!
The Queen of Sichuan: Mount Siguniang
Only when you get close to her will you realize that both gentleness and pride are forms of beauty. This beauty takes the form of majestic peaks, stunning gullies, graceful clouds, and flowing streams. Mount Siguniang stands between heaven and earth like a graceful maiden and a heroic warrior. In spring, the silver mountains shimmer with golden light; in summer, the forest waves roll in the green wind; in autumn, the emerald waters splash with raindrops; in winter, all is silent, landscapes frozen, all eyes fixed on the solemnity of the pines and the purity of the snow-capped peaks. This is the Queen of Sichuan, the Alps of the East!
Strolling on Glaciers: Hailuogou
This is a magical land that exudes its unique spirituality. No matter whether you use a camera or a pen, you can’t capture its soul or describe its character. This is the paradise at the foot of Gongga Snow Mountain — Hailuogou.
Crossing the Tianshan Mountains: the Cheshi Ancient Road
An ancient road that crosses the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains. Walking along it, you might seem to hear whispers in your ears, as if an old man full of vicissitudes is recounting the rise and fall of the Cheshi Kingdom... Time is originally ruthless. Time will surely pass, and life will eventually perish. The long line of footprints left behind by trekkers is not only imprinted on the ancient road, but also deeply etched in the heart, and carried away with the passing memories!
A Place Guarded by Wolves: the Hutubi Grand Canyon
This is a paradise for wildlife and a haven for adventurers. Hiking through the heart of the Hutubi Grand Canyon, you’ll hear the roar of the Hutubi River, and see one mountain pass after another. The grand canyon tests not only your strength but also your will. Walking in a place guarded by wolves requires extraordinary courage — courage that will lead you to the extreme realms of the spiritual world.
Following in the Footsteps of Predecessors: the Niya Ruins
It has waited quietly for over a century. No one knows how to describe it. You’ll feel that it is alive, that it is beautiful. Yes, truly beautiful. Nothing can restrain humanity’s pursuit of beauty, so the trek to Niya is destined to be a lonely and painful journey. But the moment you stop here, you’ll realize how distant the real world actually is. When the vanity of the present fades away, at that moment, everyone is genuine — like children, with innocent eyes enjoying those tiny bits of happiness and joy. Perhaps only this lifeless place, Niya, can truly make you feel the meaning of existence.
A Predestined Encounter: the Xiate Valley
A long, ancient road, scattered with many bones — not only remnants of nature’s survival of the fittest, but also the fallen bodies of heroes like Kuafu. Desolation can sometimes be a kind of beauty; silence may be another way life speaks. Wandering through the vast land, your heart will tell you: the ancient road chose you, and you chose the ancient road — this is a predestined encounter.
Touching the Sea of Snow: Bogda Peak
Bogda Peak consists of three peaks standing closely together, covered in snow all year round, known as the “Sea of Snow.” When you overcome countless difficulties and stand at the foot of Bogda Peak, you’ll be comforted to find that in the rarely visited snow ridges of Bogda, humans seem so small, while the towering mountains and nature are so vast. In this serene land of Bogda, there is no attention from the world, no lure of money—only you facing the lofty snow-capped mountains, feeling their pulse and listening to their breath with your heart...
The Switzerland of the East: Jiadengyu – Hemu – Kanas Lake
Those who have been to Kanas can never praise it enough. Nestled among lush, continuous mountains, Kanas Lake, shrouded in mist, becomes even more mysterious and breathtakingly beautiful. In spring, flowers and plants thrive everywhere; in autumn, forests are painted in layers of color, and villages remain peaceful and quiet — everything feels like a fairyland from a dream. And when you truly walk into Kanas with your own feet, this feeling becomes even stronger...
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The Tenderness of the Canyon: Motuo
Motuo is like an isolated island, yet its misty forests and bamboo groves resemble a paradise on earth — unknown, remote, and tranquil. Peaks like Namcha Barwa and Galaxi Peak... the Yarlung Tsangpo River takes a casual turn, enchanting the whole world. Venturing deep into the endless jungles, experiencing the most primal desires, and rediscovering your own life. Trekking through Motuo once lets you understand the distance between life and death; seeing the great canyon reveals just how deeply nature can touch the heart!
Measuring the Land with Your Body: Mount Kailash
Mount Kailash is a divine mountain of unwavering faith. For a hundred years or more, countless pilgrims have yearned to receive the grace of the gods here. Circumambulating the mountain requires no words — it’s devotion paid with every step.
Getting Close to the Northern Tibet Grasslands: Tsurphu Monastery – Yangbajing
Long, long ago, a saying circulated across the northern Tibet grasslands: Beyond the western Xiyar and Eyar, past the eastern Gar, Ma, and Zhanmula, there are places without names, and people without distinction of wealth or status. To this day, it remains shrouded in profound mystery. Entering this land, you’ll discover its true face — a vibrant and magical world full of life.
A Place Where Birds Dare Not Soar: Tiger Leaping Gorge
This was once a place humans could not approach, and birds dared not soar — Tiger Leaping Gorge. Between the Haba Snow Mountain and the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, the winding Jinsha River roars, showing you what a breathtaking spectacle truly is. On this moving and astonishing journey, you can’t help but admire the wonders created by nature.
The Mysterious Canyon: Dulong River
Close your eyes and quietly imagine the clouds drifting ethereally across the sky in the Dulong River Gorge. By the hearth, the flames warm your body, while the voices of Dulong children drift from afar. The unfamiliar language, the unfamiliar ethnic group—suddenly, they seem to capture the hearts of everyone who enters the Dulong River Valley. The river surges forward, as if singing loudly or weeping with a story to tell.
Hell beneath your feet, heaven before your eyes: Yubeng
This place is sparsely populated, and since ancient times, only a single mule path has connected it to the outside world. Some say Yubeng is the “Shangri-La” depicted by Tao Yuanming, and among hikers, it is also considered a microcosm of Shangri-La. The road into Yubeng is extraordinarily treacherous—even if you hire a mule, there are several dangerous sections where you must walk on foot. The path is so rough you might want to turn back, but the moment you enter Yubeng Village, you’ll understand that all the hardships along the way were worth it.
In that faraway place: Qinghai Lake
Words alone cannot describe Qinghai Lake. You have to go there—measure its vastness with your footsteps, witness its sanctity with your own eyes, and feel its holiness with your heart. Your feet may blister, your eyes may grow dizzy, and your heart may be moved. Only then, when you look back, can you say: “I’ll come again.” That’s when you’ll truly understand the charm of Qinghai Lake, because it is marked by the footprints of brave explorers.
A forbidden zone of life: Hoh Xil
The Hoh Xil no-man’s land is China’s largest, highest-altitude, and most mysterious “death zone.” It is desolate and uninhabited, yet it is precisely where the souls of travelers can find rest. The beauty of Hoh Xil cannot be appreciated with a cursory glance—you must approach it with the devotion of a pilgrim, converse with every blade of grass and tree, and kneel your desires at the feet of nature. Only then can you feel the sanctity and resilience of the plateau amid its powerful heartbeat.
Feel the beauty of landscapes with your feet: Li River
Walking along the Li River, you’ll see emerald-green mountains everywhere—some stretching for miles, others standing solitary amid vast fields of farmland. The picturesque scenery of the Li River naturally unfolds before you. Close your eyes and let the river breeze gently glide over your hands, your heart. The water flows softly, and the endless fields of beauty, the clustered peaks, the fragrant-leafed orchards, and the cool, refreshing white jelly from mountain-side farmsteads all spark the imagination.
Experience the feeling of being cast away: Shennongjia Laojun Mountain
This is a path for the brave—a true hiking and adventure journey. Entering the core no-man’s land of Shennongjia, navigating the primeval forest shrouded in darkness, you can rely only on topographic maps, compasses, altimeters, machetes, and above all, courage, perseverance, and wisdom. Once you exit the no-man’s land of Shennongjia, you’ll feel so happy, life will seem so wonderful. “You go out so you can come back better”—you’ll truly understand its meaning through this journey.
The foremost mountain of the northeast: Changbai Mountain
Over the long geological ages, following numerous volcanic eruptions, Changbai Mountain stands majestically in the east of the Asian continent. Carved by nature, it possesses a grand and magnificent presence, with layered peaks and deep valleys. On the tundra, alpine flowers bloom in vibrant carpets; on the mountainsides, cliffs rise like screens, welcoming visitors with fragrant snow. Colorful mists weave through the mountains and valleys, while the vast forests are lush and green. The Tianchi lake shimmers with crystal-clear waters, and the Baitou Waterfall cascades like a Milky Way pouring down thousands of acres of snow… Being in its embrace is like entering the heavenly Olympus ruled by Zeus.
A place of primal wildness: East Zhejiang Grand Canyon
This is an ecological valley that has slumbered for a thousand years—an untouched, primal wilderness. The cliffs on both sides are steep and rugged, the streams deep and rapid, strewn with bizarre rocks and crowned by plunging waterfalls, forming a fairy-tale-like wonderland. At night, when the moon hangs bright in the sky and its reflection shimmers in the water, you may find, in the depths of your potential, that your soul has found a place to dance.
Becoming a seasoned hiker isn’t achieved in a day. Bookmark these places and use your future holidays to explore them one by one.