Daocheng Travel Guide

Here's a travel guide for Daocheng: Pre-trip Preparations • Documents: Bring your ID card and any other relevant documents for free admission. • Clothing: Pack down jackets, windbreakers, fleece jackets, thermal underwear, hiking boots or sneakers, sunglasses, gloves, and hats to cope with the large temperature difference between day and night on the plateau. • Medicine: Start taking Rhodiola or other altitude sickness medication a week in advance. Also, prepare cold medicine, antipyretics, gastrointestinal medicine, motion sickness medicine, painkillers, and oxygen tanks. • Other items: Sunscreen with SPF 50 or higher, moisturizing skincare products, lip balm, backpack or suitcase, a small backpack around 15 liters, and a thermos. Transportation Guide • Airplane: You can fly directly to Daocheng Yading Airport, but you may experience altitude sickness after landing. From the airport, you can take the airport bus or hire a car to the scenic area. • Long-distance bus: There are direct long-distance buses from Chengdu to Daocheng Yading, taking about 20 hours. You can also go to Kangding or Litang first, and then transfer to Daocheng. • Self-driving: Starting from Chengdu, follow National Highway 318, passing through Kangding, Xinduqiao, Litang, and other places to reach Daocheng Yading. The whole journey is about 800 kilometers, the road conditions are good, and the scenery along the way is beautiful. Attractions • Three Sacred Mountains: Chenrezig (Xiannairi, 6032m), Manjushri (Yangmaiyong, 5958m), and Vajrapani (Xiahuaduoji, 5958m). These three snow-capped mountains form a triangular shape and are a place for pilgrimage. • Three Holy Lakes: Milk Lake (4800m, also known as Luorongcuo, an ancient glacial lake shaped like a water droplet, surrounded by snow mountains), Five-Color Lake (4600m, produces five colors under the refraction of light, a famous holy lake in Tibetan areas), and Pearl Lake (also known as Zhuoma La Lake, formed by the melting snow of Xiannairi, inlaid in the forest like an emerald). • Luorong Cattle Farm: Backed by the three sacred mountains, it is an excellent location for viewing the snow mountains. Herdsmen graze their cattle on the vast green grassland. The movie "I Belonged to You" was filmed here. • Haizi Mountain National Nature Reserve: A famous ancient glacial relic on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, covered with stones and alpine lakes of various sizes, offering unique scenery. • Red Grassland: Located in Sangdui Town, the grassland turns red from late September to early October every year, contrasting with the surrounding poplars and other trees, creating a spectacular view. Tour Routes • Short route: Tourist Center → Bus → Zhaguanbeng → Chonggu Temple → Pearl Lake. The whole journey is about 1.5 kilometers, about a 1-hour walk, where you can enjoy the reflection of Xiannairi. • Long route: Ticket office → 70-minute sightseeing bus ride → Zhaguanbeng → Chonggu Temple → Electric car → Luorong Cattle Farm → Horse riding to Sheshen Cliff (waitlist tickets before 9 am) → Milk Lake → Five-Color Lake. The whole journey is about 5 kilometers, about a 3-hour walk. Accommodation Recommendations • Shangri-La Town: Relatively low altitude, with a wide range of accommodation options, such as Daocheng Times Yading Hotel, offering a comfortable resting environment. • Yading Village: Located inside the scenic area, convenient for entering and exiting. You can choose hotels like Yading Risong Gongbu Crowne Plaza Hotel, where you can enjoy beautiful scenery from your window. • Daocheng County: Offers hotels like Daocheng Sang Deng Zhuba Starry Sky View Hotel, with complete facilities to meet the needs of different tourists. Food Recommendations • Staple food: Qingke cake, made from highland barley flour, crispy and with a rich barley aroma. • Meat: Yak jerky, firm and delicious; Tibetan fragrant pig, tender and nutritious. • Soup: Matsutake stewed chicken, tender chicken, fragrant matsutake, and rich, delicious soup. • Drinks: Butter tea, a traditional Tibetan drink with a rich taste that can help alleviate altitude sickness; Highland barley wine, fermented from highland barley, sweet and sour.