[2025 Deqin Attraction] Travel Guide for Mingyong Glacier (Updated Jan)

#outdooradventure My visit to Mingyong Glacier was a breathtaking experience that left me in awe of nature's beauty. Nestled in the Yunnan province, the glacier is easily accessible from Shangri-La, with scenic hikes leading visitors through stunning landscapes. As I approached the glacier, the vibrant blue ice contrasted beautifully with the surrounding greenery, creating a mesmerizing view. The tranquility of the area, punctuated by the sounds of cracking ice and rushing water, made for a serene atmosphere that was perfect for reflection and photography. The activities available around the glacier enhanced my experience even further. I enjoyed hiking along the well-marked trails, which offered varying levels of difficulty and stunning views at every turn. Interacting with the local Tibetan communities added a rich cultural dimension to my visit, giving me insights into their traditions and way of life. Overall, Mingyong Glacier is a must-visit destination for anyone seeking adventure and natural beauty, making it an unforgettable highlight of my travels.

📍Mingyong Glacier and some scattered photos|||After reading the book about Meili Snow Mountain written by Lin Shangli and Guo Jing, I was eager to see the place where the bodies of 17 members of the China-Japan joint mountaineering team were buried. Unfortunately, the body of a Japanese team doctor (Shimizu Nagano) has not been found yet. I hope it will be found soon to give Mingyong Village a clean slate. The existence of Mingyong Glacier is a miracle in itself. As the main glacier of Kawagebo, it is the southernmost, lowest, and fastest modern glacier in China. However, with global warming, the glacier is melting at a rate of nearly 60 meters per year. Along the boardwalk of the scenic area, you can hear the sound of the glacier collapsing. In good weather, you can also see the main peak of Meili, Kawagebo. The scenic area is very mature, with boardwalks throughout. The phone can only capture one ten-thousandth of its beauty. The Tibetan compatriots burning incense and praying, the Prince Temple, the sound of bells from the Lotus Temple, and the scene of smoke curling up all make people deeply feel the mystery and uniqueness of this land. Sometimes I really think it is good to leave some places untouched by humans.

⛰【Travel Guide】 📍Detailed address: Deqin County, Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan 🚗Transportation guide: 🕙Opening hours: All year round 💰Ticket price: Free 🌟Highlights: Mingyong Glacier (also known as Meili Snow Mountain Glacier), located in Deqin County, Diqing Prefecture, Yunnan Province, is the longest glacier under the peak of Mount Kawagebo. It is a low-latitude tropical monsoon marine modern glacier, called 'Mingyong Qia' in Tibetan, where 'Mingyong' refers to a village below the glacier, and 'Qia' means the water from the melted glacier. 'Mingyong' means a brazier, named for the village's mild climate surrounded by undulating mountains. 📌Little Tips: Mingyong Glacier is the largest, longest, and has the lowest terminal altitude among the valley glaciers in Yunnan Province. It is one of the long glaciers under the peak of Mount Kawagebo in the Meili Snow Mountain range in Deqin County, Diqing (Shangri-La), Yunnan. This is a low-latitude tropical monsoon marine modern glacier, with snow and ice on the mountain top that never melts.

After leaving Feilai Temple, you will definitely pass through the Mingyong Glacier route of Meili Snow Mountain on the way to Yubeng. This is when you must stop and climb a bit~ 🚘 Travel method: Charter a car from the guesthouse at Feilai Temple 🚗 to the entrance of Yubeng Village 💰 Price: 300 (business car) ⛰️ Meili Snow Mountain Park's Mingyong Glacier, entrance ticket 55rmb, but this road is really worth it, the whole journey takes about 5h-6h to complete, and most of the path is walked through plank roads... Fast people might return in about 4h... 🪙 After entering, you can buy an electric cart ticket, round trip 75... It is recommended to buy this ticket, because climbing really takes a long time... At the end of climbing this route, there is an immense joy in your heart... Mingyong Glacier

I spent two nights in Deqin of Shangri-la County in Yunnan, mainly to visit the Meili Snow Mountain. Unfortunately the clouds around the mountain range never fully cleared up but anyhow I found another highlight which was the hike up to the Mingyong Glacier. The Mingyong Glacier is just below the main peak of the 6,740m high Kawagebo. From the hotel it took a bit more than an hour by car to get to Mingyong Village, where I paid about US$12 for a ticket to visit the glacier. From the ticket office, I had to drive another 10 minutes or so to get to the park entrance. The path up to the top observation deck was about eight kilometers and an ascendance of more than 1000 meters. To get to the top observation deck, one could take the elevated wooden pathway running parallel to the old unpaved dirt road which used to be the only way up until a few years ago. The dirt road is still in use by construction workers and their donkeys which hauled heavy building materials up the mountain. If you want to challenge your physical capability you can try the dirt road – there are ample opportunities for you to get back to the wooden pathway. However, you may want to save your energy for the last stretch of the climb. The wooden pathway was reasonably well built, but the hike took me about two hours, partly because I often stopped to take photos but also because walk up at high altitude area was quite an exhausting exercise. Finally, I came to a small plateau where there was a Taizi (crown prince) Temple. From this point onward, the climb became much more steep and it felt like never ending 🤣. I did get to the top observation deck and I really enjoyed the view of the scenery around me. The glacier shrinks quite significantly every summer (presumably because it is located in low latitude as well as in low altitude). Therefore parts of the lower Glacier is very dark due to rocks and dirt which is quite natural but a good reminder to humanity that we need to preserve our nature! At Taizi Temple, the old dirt road continues upward to the Lianhua (Lotus) Temple at an elevation of 3,470m (quite a bit higher than the top observation deck at a mere 3,150m). I'm luckily I brought my childhood snack, Snickers, with me so I sat down at the top and enjoyed the quietness of my surrounding and interestingly I even heard the nearby ice cracking. #themepark#nationalpark#lakes

Shangri-La Mingyong Glacier rain collapse before the stop, I came to the Mingyong Glacier from Feilai Temple. It is really the first time I saw the snow-capped mountains and glaciers at a close distance. It was a surprise. Mingyong Glacier is located in the Shangri-La area of Diqing, Yunnan Province. It is also the largest and lowest valley glaciers in Yunnan. Here you can see the holy mountain god Shenshen Lake and the very chronological temples. The path along the path is full of prayers, which may be the highest belief in the hearts of Tibetans. Tips

About two hours later, the Mingyong Glacier~ Mingyong Glacier is located in Shangri-La, Yunnan, and is one of the longest glaciers under the Kawagebo Peak. The ice and snow on the top of the mountain are not changing all the year round. Mingyong Glacier is the largest, longest and lowest altitude valley glacier in Yunnan Province. It is one of the most classic outdoor hiking routes in Lijiang. The route to Meili basically includes the Mingyong Glacier on foot! Mingyong Glacier Tibetan is called "Ming Yongcha", "Mingyong" is the name of the next village of the glacier, "Qia" is the meaning of the melting water of the glaciers. I can ride up the mountain, but its not boring to go riding on horseback, so my peers have chosen to go on foot, remember to spend four hours on the whole trip~ Its really tired, but the smiles are still acceptable. About two hours later, I arrived at the top of the mountain~ Don't watch the sun on the mountain. The temperature on the top of the mountain is very low. The snow on the glacier has not melted. There is a small store on the top of the mountain. It burns firewood and sells snacks. Visitors can also have a rest. Let's go~ everyone is tired, and I bought a noodles here for lunch! Tired of being hungry, eating fragrant fragrant, the most unloved instant noodles, actually delicious to burst! The cow on the top of the mountain is super cute and does not attack people. You can grab it and take a photo! Traffic Raiders Mingyong Glacier is located in Mingyong Village, Deqin County, about 50 kilometers from Deqin County and about 40 kilometers from Feilai Temple. 1 Deqin-Mingyong Glacier Auto: Deqin County Bus Station 7 per day

The Mingyong Glacier is the longest and largest glaciers in the four major glaciers of Meili Snow Mountain. It stretches from the Meili Snow Mountain at an altitude of 6,740 meters to the original forest area of 2,600 meters, stretching for 11.7 kilometers. --Because of global warming and too many tourists, the melting rate of glaciers has intensified and is receding at a rate of about five or six hundred meters per year. It takes about three hours to climb the glacier. It is recommended to prepare dry food. If you don't have the physical strength, you can find a horse to go up the mountain at the foot of the mountain! Mingyong Glacier Transportation: Mingyong Glacier is located in Mingyong Village, Deqin County, about 50 kilometers from Deqin County and about 40 kilometers from Feilai Temple. 1 Deqin-Mingyong Glacier about when it takes about 4 hours Mingyong Glacier Ticket 228 yuan package (including Jinshajiang Dawan 60 yuan, fog 60 yuan for the Jingding Observation Deck, 60 yuan for the Feilai Temple Observation Deck, and 78 yuan for the Mingyong Glacier)