Today is another early early start. Today’s destination was Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, and we needed to reach the base by 8 am sharp. That meant morning call at 6am, breakfast at 6.15 am and leaving the hotel by 7 am. Excited for the day ahead, especially excited to finally see snow (or so we thought).
Fun fact: Jade Dragon Snow Mountain limits the number of visitors each month to avoid overcrowding – and the cable car tickets up to Glacier Park are balloted with random time slots assigned. Our guide said we were lucky to get an early 8 am slot – can’t imagine getting tickets for 5:30 am… my gosh… !
Oxygen Before the Ascent
Enroute to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, we made a quick stop at a government-certified oxygen shop before heading up. These portable oxygen bottles are meant to help visitors cope with the high altitude, especially once you’re above 4,000 metres.
According to our tour guide, it’s strongly not recommended to buy oxygen from unofficial roadside stalls, even though they sell them cheaply for around RMB 10–25 per bottle. You never know what’s actually being pumped into those canisters, and some may even be reused, which is extremely unhygienic.
The certified shops are regulated, and while they cost more – roughly RMB 50–75 per bottle (I can’t remember the exact price) – it’s worth it for peace of mind. The recommendation is at least one portable oxygen tank per person, especially if it’s your first time at this altitude.
Cable Car Ride Up
By the time we arrived at the mountain, it had started raining, and everything was wrapped in mist. At over 4,000 metres above sea level, the air felt cold and thin. Even though we were feeling fine, we followed the guide’s advice and took oxygen regularly – five puffs each interval, up to thirty puffs total. Well, better safe than sorry.
We hopped on the Glacier Forest Snow Mountain Cableway, the longest cableway on Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. Stretching over 2,900 metres with a vertical climb of about 1,150 metres, the fully enclosed six-seater cable car felt safe and surprisingly comfortable. In just thirty minutes, we were lifted up to around 4,500 metres above sea level, disappearing into the clouds as the mountain slowly unfolded beneath us.
Jade Dragon Snow Mountain
Upon arrival at the top of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain – as per the unspoken rules of tourist attractions worldwide, we were stopped and asked to take photos against a staged green-screen backdrop, complete with an “imposed” snowy mountain view.
Reality, however, was a little different.
Okay… maybe we came in the wrong month. According to our guide, snow on Jade Dragon Snow Mountain is usually visible from December to June – by October, not so much. So yes, sorry folks, no dramatic snow-covered peaks for us this time. At best, it was more of a rugged stone mountain. But even without the snow, the scenery from up there was still beautiful and freezing.
I think there’s a bit of snow higher up (I couldn’t really tell from where we were), but you have to climb quite a number of stairs all the way up to 4,680 meters to get a clearer views. Given that we only have about 45 minutes at the summit, and we were still getting used to the altitude, we decided not to rush it. After all, we were already panting for breath after just three to five flights of stairs – definitely not the moment to push our limits.
So instead, we stayed at the cable car station, admiring the beautiful scenery and enjoying the freezing cold before hopping back into the cable car down to meet with the rest of the group.
Blue Moon Valley
Our next stop was Blue Moon Valley, and wow – the water here was unbelievably blue. Crystal clear, cool, and glowing, it looked almost unreal in photos and in person. I will let the pictures do the talking
Because it was so beautiful, everyone in our group got completely engrossed in taking photos. By the time we reached lunch, we had only about 30 minutes to eat – barely enough to enjoy our individual hotpot with free-flow vegetables. But really, it is such a good weather to have hotpot and moreover free flow vegetables – I think I can sit there for hours…
Impression Lijiang
After a rushed lunch, we quickly walked 10–15 minutes to our next stop – the outdoor performance Impression Lijiang, directed by the famous Zhang Yimou. Set against the backdrop of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, the show blends music, dance, and local culture in a jaw-dropping spectacle.
The passion of the performers and the powerful background music made it incredibly moving. I’d highly recommend not missing this. Once again, I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.
Towards the end, it started raining, and many people began leaving their seats – which was unfortunate, as the performers were giving their final speeches and farewells. But rain or shine, the show went on. Kudos to the cast and crew.
We then left Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and made our way to Lijiang Dayan Ancient Town. Even the drive there was scenic.
Lijiang Dayan Ancient Town
This ancient town is famous and heavily featured on social media, but seeing it in person really does live up to the hype. Flowers everywhere, flowing canals, small stone bridges, cobbled walkways, ancient shophouses, and that unmistakable old-town charm. Yes, it’s commercialised – but the atmosphere and beauty still shine through.
Once again… I’ll let the pictures do the talking.
Dinner: Korean BBQ in China
That wraps up our day in Lijiang. Dinner tonight was Korean BBQ – which felt a little strange, to be honest, considering how many Chinese restaurants there were around. But food is food, and we were hungry.
After dinner, it was back to the hotel to rest and pack up. Tomorrow, we journey onward to Shangri-La – you can find our full Yunnan itinerary here if you’d like to follow along.