Meili Snow Mountain Overview

Known for the grandest view in Yunnan Province, Meili Snow Mountain boasts numerous snow-clad ridges and peaks, thirteen of which exceed 6,000 meters above the sea level. The most splendid view is of the Kawagebo Peak, the highest  peak in Yunnan Province at the altitude of 6,740 meters. It is still a 'virgin peak', for no one has ever reached the peak.  As one of the most sacred mountains of Tibetan Buddhism, "Kawagebo Peak" means the God of Snow Mountain in Tibetan, and is a holy land for worship. Thousands of devout pilgrims worship together and encircle the holy mountain, which add more mystery and loftiness to it. Hence Meili Snow Mountain Tour has became more and more popular in the world.

Where is Meili Snow Mountain

Meili Snow Mountain, also known as Prince Snow Mountain, is located 10 kilometers northeast of Deqin County of Yunnan Province. It sits on the border of Yunnan Province and Tibet, where there are three famous rivers, namely the Jinsha River, Mekong (Nujiang) River and Salwen (Lancang) River.

Basic Information of Meili Snow Mountain

 

• Chinese Name: 梅里雪山

• Opening Time: All Day Long

• Average Altitude: More than 6000 meters

 Highest Altitude: 6,740 meters

• Address: Deqin County, Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province

• Best Time to Visit: October to next May

Climate of Meili Snow Mountain

The topography conditions and temperature changes are complex in Meili Snow Mountain. Every Summer, the temperature of the mountain valley ranges 11℃ to 29℃ while the temperature of high peak drops to minus 10℃ to 20℃. The average annual rainfall is 600 millimeters and during the rainy season between July and August, the climate is extremely unstable so that  climbing activity is forbidden at this period.

What to visit in Meili Snow Mountain

▪ Snow Peak
With a high altitude of 6,740 meters, Kawagebo Peak is still a "virgin peak" that nobody have reached the top and is the only peak banned climbing because of cultural protection. In Tibetan language, Kawagebo Peak means "white snow mountain" and "the patron saint of snow mountain".

▪ Four Glaciers
There are four glaciers in Meili Snow Mountain, Mingyong Glacier, Sinong Glacier, Niuba Glacier and Nongsong Glacier, all belong to modern glacier of the world's rare low latitude, low temperature and low altitude(2,700 meters). Among them, the longest and largest glacier is Mingyong Glacier expanding 11.7 kilometers with a total area of 13 square kilometers.

▪ Diversified Plants
Due to its high altitude, the mountain boasts several climatic zones with a diversity of plants, vast expanse of grassland and rich fungi species that are vertically distributed. The types of vegetation here range from the Torrid Zone to Frigid Zone vertically. From the altitude of 2,000 meters (6562 ft) to 4,000 (13123 ft) meters, forests flourish with varieties of spruce. 

Best Places to View Meili Snow Mountain

▪ Baimang Snow Mountain
You can have a panoramic view of Meili Snow Mountain here. However, the road is so narrow that you can't stay for a long time.

▪ Wunongding Viewing Deck
It is 15 kilometers away from the downtown of Deqin County. Thirteen white towers are standing there. With an open terrain, the scenery is spectacular.

▪ Feilaisi Temple Incense Platform
It is 11 kilometers away from Deqin County, the incense platform of Feilaisi Temple is the best place to shoot sunrise and sunset of Meili Snow Mountain. You can have a panoramic view of the thirteen towering peaks here.

Transportation of Meili Snow Mountain

You can transfer at Kunming and Lijiang to arrive at Shangri-La if you travel by plane. There are regular buses from Shangri-La to Deqin County every day with the car fare of 67 RMB and driving time of 5 to 6 hours. Then you can change bus to Meili Snow Mountain. Passenger cars are available in Deqin County to go to and return from Meili Snow Mountain. In addition, you can take shuttle bus from Kunming or Dali to Deqin County.

Recommended Hotel

There are some hotels that enjoy high reputation, such as, Songtsam Meili (德钦松赞梅里酒店), Deqin Benzilan Lishi Hotel (德钦奔子栏丽世酒店), Feilaisi Temple Mingzhu Hotel (飞来寺明珠酒店), Gaoshan Biezhuang Deqin Boutique Hotel (高山别庄德钦精品酒店), all are equipped with the good facilities and high-quality service.

Best Time to Visit Meili Snow Mountain

The ideal season to visit Meili Snow Mountain is winter and spring period between October to Next May. After the end of October, the weather is great and the visibility is high. Visitors can view the Kawagebo Peak at this period. Usually the snow mountain can be seem when the sun just rises. However, the weather of Meili Snow Mountain changed at every moment so that visitors may be lucky enough to view Kawagebo Peak.