Shangri-La Hiking Tour through the Abujicuo Lake and Abuji Pasture

There are many hiking opportunities near Shangri-La, but this is one of the more spectacular yet easy ones. Rather unknown and not well connected with roads, hiking to Abujicuo (Abuji Lake, 阿布吉措) is a nice daytrip away from the crowds and tourist attractions of Shangri-La in Northern Yunnan, China.

Abujicuo has recently become a bit more well-known and now attracts locals as well as outdoor-loving tourists. But even though it has stunning views and is quite close to Shangri-La, not many people are visiting due to the rather underdeveloped infrastructure. Thus, the hike to Abujicuo is perfect for you if you’d like to be independent and do your own thing (just as we do).

The hike is easy and offers great views of the valley, mountains and lake. You’ll also see local farmers, herds of yaks, horses and pigs.

Naming
“Cuo” (措) is the Mandarin Chinese spelling for the Tibetan word “tso”, meaning lake. Many lakes in the Tibetan areas of Yunnan, Sichuan, Qinghai, and of course Tibet itself are named with “cuo” in the end.

Legend has it that Abujicuo was undiscovered for a long time. One day, a farmer lost a cow called “Abu” and set out to search for it. During the search, he kept shouting “Abu”, and finally found the animal near this lake. Henceforth, it was called “Abuji Lake” or Abujicuo.

If you happen to be traveling in Shangri-La, Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, these days, it is advisable to go hiking in the Abuji scenic area that features a pristine lake and vegetations in early autumn.

Surrounded by lush mountains in Xiaozhongdian Town, the holy Abuji looks like a fairyland with dreamy clouds. It takes around one-hour drive and 2-hour hiking to finish the one-way journey from the Shangri-La county seat to the lake area.

The lake lies at an elevation of 4358 meters above sea level, and it’s great pleasure to admire the rare alpine flowers and clear waters near the traces. The bumpy path to the area can be hard to identify at times, so a local tour guide can facilitate a lot in exploring the holy area.

Source from http://english.yunnan.cn/html/2019/travel_0821/17550.html