Stunning Jinsha River Terraces Walk

Today, let's dive into the "Emerald Wilderness" of Northwest Yunnan — Weixi Tacheng! 📍Located in the southwest of Weixi County, Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, nestled in the heartland between the Lancang River and Jinsha River, at an altitude of 1800–3200 meters, it is an ecological gem gently wrapped in mist deep within the Hengduan Mountains. Here, there are no tourist crowds, only an original and abundant vertical secret realm: to the north lies the snow line of Biluo Snow Mountain, to the south connects to Laojun Mountain National Geopark; the Benzilan River, a tributary of the Lancang River, flows through the town with water as clear as glass; on both banks are continuous fir forests, alpine rhododendron shrubs, and vast wild yew forests — the core distribution area of China’s remaining natural yew population is right here. Even more breathtaking is its "triple symbiosis" wonder: Tibetan villages built along the mountains, prayer flags fluttering in the pine breeze; Lisu terraced fields winding like silver belts around the mountainsides, with young rice shoots green in May and golden waves of rice in October; and every May to June, the entire valley quietly blooms into a sea of purple-pink flowers — not lavender, but a secret spring color woven from the endangered Yunnan Torreya new leaves and wild irises, called by botanists "the last green palette of the Hengduan Mountains." Itinerary: 1 day of fresh air by the Lancang River | Visit ancient villages + seek yew trees + pick wild tea + taste Tacheng butter tea feast Total budget: under 400 RMB (about 395 RMB per person) Transportation | ¥180 - Private car from Weixi County town to Tacheng (about 62 km, 1.5 hours mountain road) ¥180 (recommended to share with 3 people, about ¥60 per person) Tickets | ¥0 ✅ Tacheng is an open ecological and cultural rural area | You can observe the Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys from a distance in the Diqing Golden Monkey National Park Tacheng area (free | guide reservation required) | Ancient villages, yew forests, and tea mountains have no entrance fees Highlights | Experience slow life in the Hengduan Mountains! ✅ Morning visit to Qibie Tibetan village: walk the thousand-year-old stone slab road, circle the white stupa, listen to elders tell the "creation song of monkeys turning into humans" under a century-old walnut tree 🐵 ✅ Deep into Tongle village yew forest (with guide): identify thousand-year-old mother trees, collect fallen Torreya fruits, learn Tibetan medicine to recognize medicinal ferns 🌿 ✅ Afternoon experience of Tacheng traditional wild tea: at the Lisu Ama tea garden, pick a handful of pre-Qingming "Lancang River mist tea," watch tea leaves pan-fired in iron pots and dried on bamboo trays 🍵 ✅ Evening stroll along the Benzilan River, wait for the sunset to melt into gold, watch egrets skim the water, buy a bouquet of rhododendron dried flowers handwoven by villagers. Dining | ¥215 Lunch: Qibie Tibetan family hearth — butter tea + highland barley cake + pipa pork + wild vegetable soup ¥68 Afternoon tea: Tongle village tea house · freshly brewed wild tea + walnut mochi ¥32 Dinner: Tacheng town "Lancang Bistro" — yak hotpot + matsutake steamed egg + buckwheat wine (non-alcoholic) + butter tea jelly ¥115 ✅ Total cost breakdown: Transportation ¥180 + Dining ¥215 = ¥395 (remaining ¥5 can be exchanged for a pack of wild honey tea bags) Best season: May–June (Torreya new leaves turn purple, rhododendrons bloom), September–October (vivid autumn colors, active monkey groups) | Caution during rainy season Essentials: non-slip hiking shoes, light down jacket (large temperature difference day and night), headlamp (forest trails), cash (many villages do not support mobile payments) Off-the-beaten-path tip: Bring a copy of the "Dian-Tibet-Sichuan 'Great Triangle' Flora" excerpt, identify and record the latitude and longitude of a wild iris under the yew forest. When the aroma of butter tea rises mixed with the scent of pine needles, I suddenly hear — The Hengduan Mountains quietly write poetry in every leaf vein of Tacheng.