Jade Dragon Snow Mountain

玉龙雪山; Yùlóngxuě Shān

A mountain massif (also identified as a small mountain range) visible from Lijiang and snow-capped all year round. Its highest peak is Shanzidou (扇子陡; Shānzidǒu) at 5,596 m. The view of the massif from the gardens at the Black Dragon Pool in Lijiang is one of China's finest views. The far side of the mountain forms one side of Tiger Leaping Gorge (虎跳峡; Hǔtiàoxiá). To reach the mountain area, you have to take a private mini van from the Hongtaiyang square in front of the Mao statue. The mini van costs ¥20 and will wait until it is full before it will leave. There is no official city bus, but the mini vans have adopted the #7 name so people can recognise where they are going. Some cable cars can be cancelled due to wind, but there is plenty to see without going up the mountain. The mountain area is part of a national park, which has a ticket gate where you will have to buy a ¥130 entry ticket, this ticket does not include any cable cars or other transportation, which is required to visit anything. The mini van will drop you off here at the ticket gates and visitor center. You can't walk anywhere from here (closest stop is 6 km), and must buy a ¥20 ticket for a shuttle bus, that makes a loop and stops at all the important viewpoints. The bus ticket gives you access to this route and you can get on and off as you please, and can also return back to ticket gate in the end. The ticket itself has a tiny map showing the stops the bus goes to, but is in Chinese. To find the shuttle bus in the visitor center, follow the signs to "Blue moon valley bus waiting area". The first stop is the Blue moon valley where you can see the White water river and artificially made waterfalls. It is worth getting off here. You might be asked to purchase tickets for the electrical bus, which they call the "Little green frog". It's not worth it. You would miss the 20-minute walk on a wood trail, which is very enjoyable. The walking trail goes parallel to the electric bus route, so if you can't f

• outdoors

Getting there

25 km from Lijiang. Mules can be rented from the nearby Baisha Village or you can take a cable car to the top. Prices vary for the mules depending on what elevation you want to go to. ¥180 to ride to 3800 m plus ¥5 for insurance. ¥300 to 4200 m. ¥350 to 4600 m. If you pay for the lowest elevation you might be able to bargain with the handlers when you reach the end and continue to the higher elevations for a lower price. Passengers over 100 kg might have to pay a surcharge. Tickets for the cable car cost ¥170 round-trip

Price

¥130