Daocheng Yading is called the Shambala of Tibet. Shanbala means heaven on earth with the most natural beauty. It is also believed to the the Shangri-La on earth. Its natural views of the three holy mountains Mt. Chenrezig, Mt. Jampayang and Mt. Chenadorje are the three holy mountains with religious significance and stunning beauty along with the many holy lakes Milk Lake, Wuse Lake and Pearl Lake are the essence of Yading.
Yading is beautiful. Yading is also very far. There are no trains to Yading at present, the only two ways are either to use the flight from Chengdu or Xi’an or to drive for 2 days from Chengdu, the nearest big transit city. Below is the detailed information of the two different ways of traveling to Yading. Please read and decide whether you want to use car to travel to Yading or to fly to Yading.
You will only need 3-4 days to visit Yading by flying, there are direct flights from Chengdu and Xi’an everyday to Yading in the early morning. The flight takes about 1.5 hours to get to Yading Airport, a 1.5 hours drive away from the town of Daocheng and another 1.5 hours drive from Daocheng to the base of Yading at Xianggelila Zhen. By flying you will save a lot of time and it costs less than driving to Yading from Chengdu. But since you will land in Yading at very high altitude in a short time, so risk of altitude sickness is high although you will be staying in Xianggelila Zhen which is at only 2800 meters above sea level. Normally if you are fit you should acclimatize quickly. Flying to Yading you are recommended to make the bookings ahead of time especially on the flights. During travel season (July - Oct) the flights are usually booked out. In terms of making bookings though us on guides and transfers, it is also easier and cheaper to make plans months ahead of time instead of book when you arrive.
Read more on Yading Flights.
Read more on Yading Airport.
Read more on Yading Join-in Tour by Flying.
Drive to Yading you will need a minimum of 6 days. If to include the other places of interests, it may require up to 10 days in total. Driving gives you more time to acclimatize yourself to the high altitude and you will also get to see what’s along the way including Kangding, Xinduqiao, Zheduo Road Pass and many other road passes along the way. The more days you have, the more thorough you will get to visit along the way. But it is also costly as there will be longer times of using services and eating and staying at hotels. If you are traveling in groups of over 8 people and also wish to see more, the cost will be not so expensive. For bigger groups it is more cost-effective to use driving while for small groups it is more cost-effective by flying. We have a join-in bus tour to Daocheng Yading available. More people with cost on each much less! Read more on Yading Join-in Tour by driving.
| Ways of Travel | Time Required | Cost | AMS Risk | Time of Booking | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flying | 3 days | Expensive | Very High | Months prior | Save time/money | High risk of AMS/plan long in advance |
| Driving | 6 days | More Expensive | Still High | Weeks prior | asy Acclimatize/also see things along the way | Expensive/long |
Route: Chengdu - Siguniang - Tagong - Yading - Xinduqiao
Route: Daocheng - Yading - Daocheng
Route: Daocheng - Yading - Daocheng
