Jade Dragon Snow Mountain - snow capped mountain range on outskirts of Lijiang
Last Update: 19th October 2020
Located some 15 kilometers north of the City of Lijiang, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain consists of 13 snow-capped mountains. It is a sacred mountain to Naxi people in Lijiang. The 13 mountains lie from south to north. The tallest mountain is Shanzidou with an altitude of 5,596 meters. It is covered with snow around the year. From the foot of the mountain to the top of the mountain, you will find the landscapes of sub-tropical zone, temperate zone, and frigid zone. It is home to hundreds of rare species of plants and animals.
Interested in visiting Jade Dragon Snow Mountain on a Yunnan Tour?
Wendy Wei Tours offers a variety of different packaged tours as well as custom tours including Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, among other attractions and destinations. To find out more, please visit our Tours page or Contact Us directly to find out more.
What to expect at Jade Dragon Snow Mountain
Covering an area of 26,000 hectares, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain is home to tens of national endangered wild animals, such as macaque, serow, red panda, bharal, beech marten, small Indian civet, zibet, Siberian musk deer, dwarf musk deer, tufted deer, alpine musk deer, Tibetan eared pheasant, silver pheasant, Temminck’s tragopan, Asian golden cat, oriental turtle dove, etc.
On the mountain, there are 172 species of medicinal plants, 126 types of flowers, 21 types of aromatic plants, 19 types of oil plants, 19 types of tannin plants, 10 types of fiber plants, 10 types of starch and colloidal starch plants, and 10 types of wild fruit plants. The rare medicinal plants include cordyceps, tricholoma matsutake, aconitum brachypodum, Yunnan coptis chinensis, wild buckwheat rhizome, Himalayan yew, rhodiola rosea, paeonia lutea, gentian, meconopsis, etc.
The Jade Dragon Snow Mountain is also home to 7 nationalities, including Naxi, Han, Tibetan, Yi, Bai, Pumi and Lisu. The mountain offers several developed spots to explore, including Glacier Park, Ganhaizi, Blue Moon Valley, Cloud Fir Meadow, and Yak Meadow. Ganhaizi is a plateau meadow at the east hillside. It was originally an alpine icy lake. With the rising of the snow line, it finally dried up. Blue Moon Valley lies at the east foot of the mountain. Water melted from the snow and ice on the mountain flows through a valley at the eat foot of the mountain and the shadow of the moon is reflected in the blue lake, which the name of the Blue Moon Valley comes from. With an altitude of 3,240 meters, Cloud Fir Meadow at the east of the mountain covers an area of 0.5 square kilometers. It is surrounded by old towering trees. It offers a great location to admire the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain from a distance.
There are 3 cableways on the mountain. They offer different views of the mountain from different angles. The Great Cableway is the most popular among tourists. The cableway will take you up to the Glacier Park at an altitude of 4,506 meters from the Lower Station at Ganhaizi. After arriving at the park, you could hike along the wooden plank road to the highest spot with an altitude of 4,680 meters to enjoy the breathtaking views of the snow mountain and the glaciers. You could take the cable car at the Lower Station of the cableway of Cloud Fir Meadow at the bank of White Water River up to the meadow. You could take the cable car of the Yak Meadow to the meadow to appreciate the views of the mountain from different angles. Impression Lijiang Show is performed at the Blue Moon Valley Square at the Ganhaizi area at 11:10 and 13:30 except the bad weather.
On the mountain, there are 172 species of medicinal plants, 126 types of flowers, 21 types of aromatic plants, 19 types of oil plants, 19 types of tannin plants, 10 types of fiber plants, 10 types of starch and colloidal starch plants, and 10 types of wild fruit plants. The rare medicinal plants include cordyceps, tricholoma matsutake, aconitum brachypodum, Yunnan coptis chinensis, wild buckwheat rhizome, Himalayan yew, rhodiola rosea, paeonia lutea, gentian, meconopsis, etc.
The Jade Dragon Snow Mountain is also home to 7 nationalities, including Naxi, Han, Tibetan, Yi, Bai, Pumi and Lisu. The mountain offers several developed spots to explore, including Glacier Park, Ganhaizi, Blue Moon Valley, Cloud Fir Meadow, and Yak Meadow. Ganhaizi is a plateau meadow at the east hillside. It was originally an alpine icy lake. With the rising of the snow line, it finally dried up. Blue Moon Valley lies at the east foot of the mountain. Water melted from the snow and ice on the mountain flows through a valley at the eat foot of the mountain and the shadow of the moon is reflected in the blue lake, which the name of the Blue Moon Valley comes from. With an altitude of 3,240 meters, Cloud Fir Meadow at the east of the mountain covers an area of 0.5 square kilometers. It is surrounded by old towering trees. It offers a great location to admire the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain from a distance.
There are 3 cableways on the mountain. They offer different views of the mountain from different angles. The Great Cableway is the most popular among tourists. The cableway will take you up to the Glacier Park at an altitude of 4,506 meters from the Lower Station at Ganhaizi. After arriving at the park, you could hike along the wooden plank road to the highest spot with an altitude of 4,680 meters to enjoy the breathtaking views of the snow mountain and the glaciers. You could take the cable car at the Lower Station of the cableway of Cloud Fir Meadow at the bank of White Water River up to the meadow. You could take the cable car of the Yak Meadow to the meadow to appreciate the views of the mountain from different angles. Impression Lijiang Show is performed at the Blue Moon Valley Square at the Ganhaizi area at 11:10 and 13:30 except the bad weather.
Best time to visit Jade Dragon Snow Mountain
The best time to visit Jade Dragon Snow Mountain is in the morning.
The best months to visit are from April to October.
The best months to visit are from April to October.
How to get to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain
You could take a direct bus at Yuhe Carpark (玉河停车场), Nanmen Carpark (南门停车场), the gate of Lijun Hotel (丽君酒店) and the entrance of Shuhe Ancient Town (束河古镇). You could get the ticket at No. 2 – 3, Zone C, Yuhe Corridor (玉河走廊C区2-3号), Lijiang Bus Central Station (客运中心站), and Gaokuai Bus Station (高快客运站). Or rent a vehicle to the mountain directly.
Additional Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Travel Advice
- Opening hours: 07:00 – 18:00 (the ticket is not issued from 16:00)
- As at 19th October 2020, the pass ticket for the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (including the entrance to the mountain and the shuttle bus; entrance to the Great Cableway, entrance to Impression Lijiang, and entrance to the Old Town of Lijiang are not included) is 230 CNY per person; the pass ticket is valid for 48 hours; entrance ticket for the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (including the entrance to the mountain only; the Great Cableway, entrance to Impression Lijiang, entrance to the shuttle bus and entrance to the Old Town of Lijiang are not included) is 130 CNY per person; the entrance ticket is only valid for 24 hours.
- The entrance ticket for the Great Cableway to Glacier Park is 182 CNY per person; entrance ticket for the round-trip cable car to the Cloud Fir Meadow is 57 CNY per person; entrance ticket for the round-trip cable car to the Yak Meadow is 62 CNY per person; entrance ticket for the shuttle bus is 20 CNY per person.
- The entrance ticket for the Yushui Village is 50 CNY per person; the entrance ticket for the Dongba Kingdom is 35 CNY per person; the entrance ticket for the Baisha Murals is 30 CNY per person; the entrance ticket for the Yufeng Temple is 45 CNY per person; the entrance ticket for the Old Town of Lijiang is 50 CNY per person.
- Children under 1.2m tall (1.2m tall not included) are free of charge.
- The entrance ticket for the round-trip direct bus from Lijiang to the mountain is 40 CNY per person. It starts at 09:00 for the mountain and returns at 17:00 to Lijiang from the mountain.
- For the latest pricing information, please contact us via email (info@wendyweitours.com)
- Please consult your doctor before your tour to the mountain if your body conditions are good enough for climbing the mountain.
- Please wear enough warm clothes on the mountain.
- Please take enough drinking water with you.
- Please wear the sunscreen cream, sunglasses, hats and gloves.
- The Great Cableway to Glacier Park is the most popular among the tourists. Therefore, if you are planning to the park, it is suggested to get to the mountain earlier in case of the long queue for the cable car.
- If the weather on the mountain is extremely bad, the cable car could be closed.
Interested in visiting Jade Dragon Snow Mountain on a Tour?
Wendy Wei Tours offers a variety of different packaged tours as well as custom tours including Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, among other attractions and destinations. To find out more, please visit our Tours page or Contact Us directly to find out more.