Yala Kamiyama Transportation Guide: How to Get to Yala Snow Mountain

Set at the conjunction of three counties – Kangding, Danba, and Daofu – is Yala Snow Mountain, a famous holy mountain in Garze Tibet Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan Province. Covered with snow all year round, this beautiful, virgin mountain is one of four holy mountains in the region. At a height of just 5,884 meters, it is not a big mountain by the standards of the Himalayas, but it has never been climbed to the summit.

Yala Snow Mountain - A Famous Holy Mountain

Known in tourism as the “Yala Snow Mountain Nature Ecotourism Area”, it gives visitors a unique and fascinating experience, and an abundance of natural features, such as pristine glaciers, crystal-clear lakes, ancient forests, hot springs, and wide-open pastures. The site of some of the best hiking in Sichuan Province, Mount Yala is an amazing experience with some spectacular scenery.

Getting to Yala Kamiyama requires some efficient planning, as there are no public buses that travel to the area. The closest you can get by public transport is Kangding, and from there you have to make other arrangements.

From Kangding to Yala Snow Mountain

Getting from Kangding to Yala can only be done by private vehicle, which you can arrange in Kangding. Self-drive cars are not readily available in such a remote location, even if you do have a Chinese-issued driving license, but you can find van rentals with local drivers who will happily take you where you want to go. The best option here is to ask at the local hotel or the bus and train stations, as they can normally point you in the right direction.

You can get Mount Yala from Kangding by private vehicle.

The closest place you can get to Mount Yala by car is Zhonggu Village, which is the start of the hiking trail around Mount Yala. Most of the places you can stay in Kangding will be able to help you arrange this, as well as arranging a car to pick you up after your trip. From Kangding to Zhonggu is around a 1-hour drive, and you can stay in Zhonggu Village before starting out on your exploration of Yala if you wish.

4 Days Sichuan Mount Yala Trekking and Camping Tour

From Chengdu to Yala Snow Mountain

Getting to Yala from Chengdu can be done in several ways, either by flying to Kangding and driving from there or by traveling by road. Buses run to Kangding every day, and it is normally a 7-8 hour trip. The cost is around 130CNY, which is quite reasonable considering the distance.

Chengdu to Kangding by flight, then Drive to Yala Snow Mountain

For those wishing to fly into Kangding, and then drive to Yala, there are several flights that leave Chengdu for Kangding daily, with the exception of Tuesday, which has only one flight, and Thursday, which has no flights at all. There are also several indirect flights from Chengdu to Kangding, which go through Chongqing, Daocheng County, and Changsha. Flights can only be run from March to November, however, as the snow and ice is too heavy in winter for landing at Kangding Airport. Travel time from the airport to Kangding City is around 1.5 hours, and it is also well located for tourists going to Minya Konka, Tagong, and other tourist spots. The cost of a flight averages around 1,500CNY, plus taxes, and depends on direct or indirect routes.

Kangding Airport

Once in Kangding, it is a good idea to spend at least a day there to acclimatize, as the next place you will visit, Yala Kamiyama, has a much higher altitude. There is an increased risk of Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS), or altitude sickness, if you travel to those altitudes immediately, without acclimatizing first. Once you are ready, you can charter a car to take you to Zhonggu Village, the closest point to Mount Yala by road.

Chengdu to Yala Snow Mountain by Road

Driving from Chengdu to Yala Kamiyama is a long trip, which can be done via either of two routes. Chengdu has a huge number of places where you can charter a car and driver to take you all the way, and arrangements can even be made to take you back to Chengdu after your trip to Mount Yala.

Chengdu-Ya’an-Luding-Kangding-Xinduqiao-Yala
The 488-kilometer drive to Kangding, and then on to Yala starts in Chengdu, and takes you out towards Ya’an as the first major place you come to. The route mostly follows the G318, the famous Sichuan-Tibet Highway, which has been the subject of much discussion and controversy over the years. While the section of the road on the Chengdu side of the Daxue Mountain range is relatively good, and has a good tarmac surface, the part that climbs up through the mountains to Lhasa can be dangerous and treacherous, especially when it has been raining or snowing.

Sichuan-Tibet Highway

The drive to Ya’an is fairly uninteresting, unless you like looking at farmland and small, rolling hills. However, the road is well paved, and the journey of 136 kilometers is fairly fast. In a little over 1.5 hours you will be passing through Ya’an.

Ya’an is the start of the G318, which runs all the way to Kangding, where you will turn off for Zhonggu, and Yala Kamiyama. 137 kilometers from Ya’an, following the G318, brings you to the small town of Luding, in the Dadu Valley. As the road goes further into the Daxue Mountain Range, the road starts to wind its way up and down the sides of the mountains, which makes this section a little slower than before. The only really good, straight stretch of road is the section that bores its way through the Erlang Mountain, through the recently built Erlang Tunnel.

After Erlangshan, the road turns north, and follows the Dadu River Valley north to the town of Luding. From Luding, you continue heading north alongside the Dadu River to the small fishing village of Yuanyangba, where it sweeps round to the west towards Kangding. After 48 kilometers of driving along the side of the Yala River, which joins the Dadu River at Yuanyangba Village, you come finally to Kangding.

As the road goes further into the Daxue Mountain Range.

The Zheduo River, which flows northeast into Kangding, joins the Yala River at the point where you can turn off the G318, to take the small, almost track-like road up to Zhonggu Village. The junction of the rivers is marked by a very unusual sight; a three-way bridge, set right on the meeting point of the two rivers. Following the G318 on through Kangding takes you out onto the road to Xinduqiao, 72 kilometers further west. Here you come off the G318, and head north again, through Tagong, at the edge of the Tagong Grasslands.

The S215, which takes you north to Bamei, passes the spectacular Bamei Metamorphic Stone Forest, and at Bamei you turn east onto the S303, which takes you along to the northern entrance to the Yala Jokul Scenic Area.

Chengdu-Yingxiu-Wolong-Mt. Siguniang-Danba-Yala
The other route you can take is quite a lot shorter, although the roads are a little less decent. It also saves you more than two hours of driving time, as it is less than eight hours by car. Instead of taking the G318 National Road, the route takes the G213 northwest across the Chengdu basin to Yingxiu. Sitting on the edge of the Longchi National Forest Park, Yingxiu is a small town that was the epicenter and worst hit area of the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake, which was felt in Chengdu, 92 kilometers away.

Longchi National Forest Park

From Yingxiu, you take the S303 road to Wolong, the site of a protected area known as the Wolong National Nature Reserve, the home to over 150 giant pandas. The road goes on from Wolong, winding back and forth along the river valleys as it passes to the south of Mt. Siguniang. From the road, the beautiful mountain is clearly visible, and is only a few kilometers away as you pass through the town of Rilong, the closest town to the mountain and the main staging point for hikes in the area.

Further along the road you pass through Danba, the main center of the Jiarong Tibetan culture in Sichuan Province, and home to the amazing stone towers that once protected the town from attacks. Turning slightly southwest from Danba, and wends its way through the mountains to the Yala Jokul Scenic Area entrance, the northernmost entrance to get to Yala Snow Mountain, a total of 404 kilometers from where you started in Chengdu.

Most Popular Trekking To Yala Snow Mountain

Day 1: Chengdu – Ya’an – Luding – Kangding – Zhonggu Village (Drive 327km)
The first day starts after breakfast, when you will be driven from Chengdu to start your trek in Zhonggu Village. The drive takes you through Ya’an, Luding, and Kangding on the Chengdu-Ya’an Highway, and the G318. After driving through the Erlang Mountain Tunnel, you will reach the largest canyon in Sichuan, the Dadu River grand Canyon.

After arriving in Kangding, you will have chance to explore the busy streets and shops, and buy the things you still need for the trek, before continuing on to Zhonggu Village, where you will stay overnight in a guest house. If you are already feeling stiff from the long drive, there is a natural hot spring nearby where you can relax tired muscles.

Day 2: Trek from Zhonggu Village to Xindianzi Grassland (Hike 18km, 5hrs)
The first day of the adventure begins early, as the morning sun rises above the mountains and the dew is still laying on the ground. The first day of trekking is relatively easy, and it only takes four to five hours on the wild, open track from Zhonggu village to Xindianzi Grassland. The route passes by Huacaopo, with an altitude of 3,500 meters, and each step takes you further into the isolated, yet serene area that is Mount Yala.

As you pass through the Yala River Valley, you can see the jagged peaks of the mountains set against the blue sky above, and feel the lush grass of the valley underfoot. The campsite for the night is at the Xindianzi Grassland, also known as the East Hillside Camp Base.

Day 3: Trek from Xindianzi to Yalayoucuo Lake Via Yala Pass (Hike 18km, 7hrs)
The main feat of the third day, or second day of trekking, is the ascent of the Yala Pass, which sits at an altitude of 4,216 meters. After a healthy breakfast, you will start the trek to Yalayoucuo Lake, walking through some of the most beautiful lush forests on the mountain’s foothills. The trek from Xindianzi to the foot of Yala Mountain takes around two hours, and from there it is another hour to reach the top of Yala Pass. From the top of the pass you will get a spectacular view of the peak of the mountain, as well as being able to look down onto the valleys below, and soak up the intense alpine atmosphere.

The trek through the pass takes around two to three hours, after which you will arrive at the Sisters Lakes, 4,200 meters above sea level. After another short walk, you will finally reach the campsite for the night, at the shores of the beautiful, jade-green Yalayoucuo Lake. At 3,980 meters above sea level, the lake is a beautiful sight this high up the side of the mountain, and a perfect place to get some great scenic photographs.

Day 4: Trek from Yalayoucuo Lake to Taizhangou Valley (Hike 8km, 3hrs), then Drive Back to Chengdu (Drive 327km)
After a restful night on the shores of the spectacular Yalayoucuo Lake, the hike starts down towards the Taizhangou Valley. The route goes past the mountain peaks, and you will be able to experience the snow-capped peaks as you pass the summit of Yala Holy Mountain, and the Donggu Hot Spring.

The walk down to Taizhangou Goukou is easy going, and a relaxing change from the hard climb to Yala Pass. After a short break at Taizhangou Goukou, at 3,400 meters, you will continue on down to Zhonggu Village, where the car awaits to take you back to Chengdu, and the end of an incredible, four-day adventure.