Mt. Yala is a 5820-m holy mountain that is located in between Kangding, Tagong and Daofu. It is the most prominent mountain visible from its north side (Daofu/Danba), west seide(Tagong). Mt. Yala is also a very beautiful mountain in western Sichuan.
Mt. Yala is also named Zhara Lhaste in Tibetan meaning the mountain of white yak in the east making itself one of the important holy mountains in Tibet. It is generally believed to be one of the eight holy mountains in the wholeTibet along with the well-known Kailash and Kawa Karpo. Its hight being around 5820 makes it higher than the mountains around. Glaciers on its ridge melt into the Yala river. Alpine views of mountains, lakes and plants are available around this holy mountain.
It is a holy mountain in Kham just as many other sacred mountains in Tibet are worshiped as holy gods. Many places around the mountain have long been ritual sites for local Tibetan Buddhists. Mountain-climbing on Mt. Yala: in August 1999, a Japanese expeditions failed to get to the top. Another 2 British tried in 2002 and a group of South Korean team in 2003 also failed to top this mountain.
Mt. Yala from Tagong Grassland
Yala Mountain Park
Administritively, Mt. Yala is between three counties of Kangding, Daofu(Dawu) and Danba some 400kms east to Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province. The mountain area of Yala is a big area. This place can be accessed from its southeast valley from Kangding, or from its west over high mountain passes from Tagong, or most frequently accessed from its north valley via the Tourist Park of Yala Mountain. By driving it is about 1 hour from Tagong Grassland, and around 2 hours from Danba.
The best season to travel to Mt. Yala is from May to November. Rainy season is from June to August. Within a day, it is sometimes sunny and sometimes rainy if you are traveling in summer time. You will see the most people in July, August and October but overall Mt. Yala Tourist Park is not a busy place. You will see blooming flowers in June and July. In winter, temprature sometimes falls below -10, wind speed reaches as fast as 25 meters per second. The best hiking season is from September to November.
Mt. Yala is a big area. The usual Yala Mountain Park is by its north side. Mt. Yala can also be seen from its west from Tagong Grassland. A classic multi-day trek goes around Yala from Kangding will end in Tagong. Please read below details of travel guide in Mt. Yala.
Yala Mountain Tourist Park, or Mt. Yala Park, is a newly-established tourist park by the north side of Mt. Yala. It has built a good road to its north base of the mountain that visitors buy a tourist bus ticket to get to the foot of the mountain to visit the park. From the foot of the mountain by the car park, one can walk up to Yala Yumtso Lake or hire a horse to go to the lake. Walking to the lake it is around 2 hours to cover a distance of around 3km from altitude of 3750m to the lake by 4100m. The views are amazing by the foot of Mt.Yala both by the car park and by the lake of Yala Yumto.
Yala Yumtso Lake is a holy lake in local culture. An open field beside the Lake Yumtso is the site for ceremonial gatherings during festivals and rituals sometime in summer. We can find many five-colored prayer's flags around the lake at the foot of Mt Yala. Locals have long recognized its beauty and deity taking this mountain as part of their religious believe. They say Mt. Yala looks like a crown from Bamei (northwest), a lotus from Xinduqiao(southwest), and other different symbolized icons from other places.
Yala Yumtso Lake
Above Yala Yumtso Lake for another 3km there are two more lakes at the altitude of around 4200m. From there the views are also amazing in a clear day. But to get to these two lakes (usually referred as twin sister lakes) one needs to walk or use horse to go higher and further for another 3km. After the visits around the lake/lakes, one goes back the same way out therefore the visit/hiking in the park is actually flexible because you can turn around at any time and at any point.
Mt. Yala above Yumtso Lake
Yala Mountain Park entrance ticket costs 150 yuan per person. It includes entrance ticket as well as the compulsory tourist bus ride. The tourist bus runs between the entrance and the foot of the mountain and single way it takes around 30 minutes. One doesn’t need to book tickets beforehand. It is easy for passport holders to purchase ticket on site.
Recommended time to spend for Yala Mountain Park is between 4-6 hours.
Interestingly one can see the full mountain view without going into the park but rather just make a stop by the road at the car park of Yala Mountain. For people who wish to save money then you can choose to not go into the park of Yala to save 150 yuan entrance fee but will still get to see the mountain.
Hot Spring
There is a hidden natural hot spring place located in the Yala mountains. It requires hiking for around 7km single way to get to. The hot springs there are completely natural and left unattended and only used by local nomads. There is a high chance to see herds of Himalayan Blue Sheep by the hot spring valley. Please contact us if you wish to know more about this place. Sichuan Travel Guide offers guided services to this place.
Trek to Tagong over the 4800-m Pass
This Mt. Yala to Tagong Grassland multi-day trek is one of the classic treks in China and has now become quiet since the setup of the park of Mt. Yala. It is a very beautiful yet less known trek in Sichuan that brings you chance to see big mountains, glaciers, wild valleys, natural open hot springs and different highland landscape including Tagong Grassland. Please read more details about the Mt. Yala to Tagong Grassland Trek.
A visit to Mt. Yala Park involves hiking or riding horses to see more than what you can see from the road outside of the park by the road. If one doesn’t wish to do any walking and don’t feel like riding horse then you are strongly recommended to not go into the park but rather just stay by the service zone by the road, where you will have full views of Mt. Yala.
Going into the park of Mt. Yala it provides you chance to see Yala Yumtso Lake and potentially the sister lakes if you are a fit hiker. To see the lakes you will need to walk for around 3km up for around 300m from around 3700m by elevation. The walking up is in general steep but no long. You can take your time and plan longer hours in this park if you want to reach the lakes. Views from the Yala Yumtso Lake is similar to that of the base or from outside of the entrance of the park but the views will be much closer and you will also have a lake view over the green-colored Yumtso Lake.
All the hiking part can be replaced by using horse. So if you don’t feel like hiking then using horse is a good idea.
A multi-day trek in Mt. Yala usually connects to Tagong or lower to near Kangding. There are two recommended multi-day trek in Mt. Yala. One is the Kangding/Mt. Yala to Tagong Grassland Trek in 5 Days., the other is Tagong Grassland to Mt. Yala Camping Trek in 3 Days. Please follow the links to read more details. Sichuan Travel Guide can make arrangement of these treks, please send your inquiry in advance.
While visiting Mt. Yala, one must be aware of the high altitude especially for visitors who come in from the Yala Tourist Park by its north where bottom of the valley goes to all the way to Danba at lower than 2000m. The highest point in Yala Mountain Park is at around 4200m by the twin lakes, the base of the mountain by the car park (tourist bus upper terminal) is at 3750m. Please pack sufficient warm-keeping clothing and rainproof/waterproof for your visit to Yala Mountain Park especially when you plan to stay long above 4000m where weather can change quickly and temperature can drop quickly.
There is limited food shop by the foot of the mountain by the car park in Yala Mountain Tourist Park. The rest of the park don’t have places that sell food or offer accommodations. When planning a visit to Yala Mountain Park, please make sure you have sufficient time to avoid check into the park later than 2pm on the day. Camping is allowed in the park but there is only designated area where you can camp and it can be noisy and if you want to enjoy quiet camping then it’s not recommended to use their designated camping area but rather to find wild places over the sister lake or in the hot spring valley.
Route: Tagong / Anigongma / Dola Gamo / Tagong
Route: Tagong -Mt. Yala - Tagong
Route: Tagong - Mt. Yala - Tagong
