All Things To Do in Gonggashan

Detailed Introduction of Gonggashan of its attractions and activities. Included are hiking and trekking, climbing, Hailuogou Glacier Park, Yanzigou Valley, etc. Find useful travel guide and information about travel to Gonggashan in details.

Mount Gonnga

Mount Gongga is a 7556-meter mountain and the eastern most 7-thousander on earth. It is sometimes called Gonggashan, the same as the name of the range itself. Minya is the name of how the local Tibetan people call themselves: Minya Tibetans. Konka means big white mountain. Mount Gongga is also a holy mountain in local Buddhist culture. Mount Gongga can be seen from Hailuogou Glacier Park at Camp 4 from its east, Zimei Pass and Yaha Pass from its west, Kangding Airport from its north.

Hiking and Trekking

Gonggashan is one of the most popular hiking places in China due to its beautiful landscape and easy access. A hiking trip to Mount Gongga usually takes about a week long time. It is usually considered a hard trek involves camping. A Mount Gongga Hiking usually starts in Kanging or Chengdu.

Climbing in Gonggashan

There are over a dozen of 6000+ meters mountain in Gonggashan Massif including the 7556-metter Mount Gongga itself. A few of them are still unsummited. Most of the mountains are technical climbs. Among these mountains there are Mount Jiazi, Mount Edgar, Mount Leddomain, Mount Doddmain, Mount Grosvenor, Mount Gongga and many other mountains.

Photography

The sunrise and sunset glows on Gonggashan mountains are one of the must-shoot photos for photographers. The popular shooting sites include Mount Niubei, Tsemed Pass, Yaha Pass, Gongga Gompa and many other locations including those of by the lakes.

Hailuogou Glacier Park

Hailuogou is a glacier national park located southeast of Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan Province. It is by the east face of Mount Gongga(Miya Konka) at the east boundary of Eastern Tibetan Plateau. Inside this park there are hanging glaciers, hundreds of ice caves, giant icefalls and quiet forest.

Yanzigou Valley

Yanzigou Valley is one of the big valleys east of Gonggashan. It is now a national park of glaciers, forests, snow-capped mountains and red rock slides. It is located 10km north to Hailuogou Glacier Park. It is a gallery of alpine landscape.

Gonggashan Glaciers

Glaciers in the Minya Konka range are impressive boasting for their low altitude(3000 meters at the lowest) among other glaciers at the same latitude. Number of glaciers are at least 159 and the glaciers strech a 390-sqr kilometer's wide.

Tesmed Pass (Zimei Pass)

Tesmei Pass is a 4550 meters' mountain pass that has an excellent panoramic views of Minya Konka from the west. It is a good location with easy accessibility favoured by many photographers.

Gongga Gompa

Also named Gongga Monastery, it is one of the three major Kargyupa monasteries(the other two are Palpung Monatery in Dege and Tsupu Monastery near Lhasa) first funded by zabibo who was a student of the first Kargyupa Rinpoche in the middle of 13th century.

Lengatso (Lenggacuo)

Lengatso is a lake west to Minya Konka Range and a perfect place to shoot mirror photos of Konka mountains. It is located 5km from the base by the road and can only be accessed by foot or horse. Lengatso has become a very popular place to shoot good photos in China.

Bawang Lake

Bawang Lake is a small natural reservoir on the river of Tianwan river south to Minya Konka. It is hidden between high mountains with an altitude of 3200 meters (one of the lowest "highland lakes" in eastern Tibet), a rather wider part of a river than an actual lake.

Riuqie Valley

Riuqie Valley is the big valley that starts by Laoyulin from new part of Kangding and all the way to Riuqie Pass. Laoyulin is also where a classic Gonggashan Hiking Trip starts. In Riquqie Valley there are plenty of beautiful places including Lower Riuqie Pasture, Upper Riuqie Pasture, Little Konka, Mt. Jiazi, Mt. Grosvenor, Reddomain Glacier Lake and Riuqie Pass., etc.