Top 10 Attractions in Kangding

No.1 : Tagong Grassland

Type: Sights & Landmarks, Nature & Grassland

Altitude: Around 3900m

Distance from Kangding Downtown: 140km

Recommended Length of Visit: 1 day

Opening Hour: All day long

Ticket Price: CNY 15/person

Tagong is a township belongs to Kangding city, with a vast expanse of meadow covering an area of 712.37 square kilometers and located at 3900m in elevation. Tagong Grassland (塔公草原) is home to Tibetan nomads grazing their herds of yaks and living in traditional black yak wool tents. Under the blue sky, yaks flock in the vast prairie wide. Riding on a horseback and look across the snow-topped Mount Yala, with the magnificent Tagong Temple lies in the center of the captivating grassland, presenting a spectacular view to you.

Even the altitude in Tagong could be a little bit higher for people who lives in lower mainland most of time, but the flat grassland terrain still makes the grassland a perfect place for hiking. The landscape is absolutely stunning, with 360 degrees views as far as dozens of kilometers.

Horse Race Festival is held in the grasslands every year at the beginning of the eight month of the lunar calendar. Visit Tagong during Horse Rice Festival will be a good chance to feel spirits of the authentic Kham Tibetan culture.

>> 4 Days Classic Kangding, Xinduqiao & Tagong Grassland Tour

No.2: Xinduqiao

Type: Sight & Landmarks, Points of Interest & Landmarks

Altitude: over 3000m

Distance from Kangding Downtown: 77km

Recommended Length of Visit: 0.5 day

Reputed as “A Paradise for Photographers”, Xinduqiao (新都桥) is a picturesque small town located in the west of Kangding City, a must-go place for shutterbugs. Over 3000 meters altitude, the quiet stream runs gently over the grassland. Temples and pagodas in the backdrop of winding ranges of snow-capped mountains. Cottages and featured Jiarong Tibetan houses stand by the fields of corps. And herd of Tibetan buffaloes enjoy the abundant grasses around. The image is like from a fairy tale.

Xinduqiao is an important transportation hub in west Sichuan area and a good town to overnight after Kangding. Stay overnight in >> Xinduqiao, get up early in the morning, hike out of town to enjoy the natural spectacular and overlook the strapping stature of “King of Sichuan Mountain” - Mount Gongga.

>> 4 Days Classic Kangding, Xinduqiao & Tagong Grassland Tour

No.3: Hailuogou Glacier Park

Type: Sights & Landamrks, Nature & Parks

Altitude: 1600m-3600m

Distance from Kangding Downtown: 75km

Recommended Length of Visit: 1-2 day

Opening Hour: 07:00-12:30 in Summer and Autumn; 8:30-12:30 in Spring and Winter

Ticket Price: CNY 90/person

Hailuogou Glacier Park (海螺沟) is the only Glacier forest park in China, preserving the precious modern marine time glacier at low altitude, being the largest scaled and most beautiful among those at the same latitude, covering 350 hectares at the east slope of Mount Gongga, is one of the best place to admire the highest peak’s holy appearance and also regarded as the “Gate to Shambhala”. 

Hailuogou Glacier Park as the national rare glacier and forest park not only keeps the ancient Hailuogou glacier sites and primitive forest for your seeking of primitive times, but also boasts a rich series of beautiful sceneries for your exploration, including magnificent Golden Snow Mountain (日照金山) on sunny morning, amazing red rocks at the Red Rock Shoal (红石滩) at No. 4 Camp, wonderful splendor sea of clouds, enjoyable hot springs break time at No.2 Camp, and so on!

>> 3 Days Classic Hailuogou Tour from Chengdu

No.4: Mugecuo Scenic Area

Type: Sights & Landamrks, Nature & Parks

Altitude: 2900m-3800m

Distance from Kangding Downtown: 26km

Recommended Length of Visit: 0.5 day

Opening Hour: 07:30-16:30

Ticket Price: CNY 120/person

Mugecuo Scenic Area (木格措风景区) is regarded as the Little Jiuzhai Valley for its thick forest, grassland and snow mountains. It is located in the northeast of Kangding County, covering an area of 500 square kilometers. Mugecuo Scenic Area is made up of Mugecuo, Seven-color Sea, Pool with Curative Effect, Honghai Grassland, Cuckoo Valley and Saimaping.

Mugecuo (木格措) , also called Wild Man Sea, is the largest mountain lake in the area of 2000 meters above sea level. It is about 5km long, 1.5 km wide, covering an area of 3.2 square kilometers. The mountains around the lake are covered with thick poplars and redwoods. Looking as far as the eyes can see, you can see the Tibetan antelope, wild buffalo, deer, bear and wolf playing in the forest and in the pond.

Seven-colored Sea (七色海) is a lake formed by the lake water and hot spring. The scenery is changeable in one day. The lake is like a mirror in the morning, with the inverted image of the azure sky and candy-like cloud. In the afternoon, the rolling wave sounds like the thunder. As the moon rises over the lake, ripples are stained with silver. You can also appreciate different sites formed by cloud, fog and water in different season.

>> 6 Days Western Sichuan Autumn Sightseeing Tour

No.5: Gongga Mountain

Type: Nature & Parks, Nature & Widelife Areas, Mountains

Distance from Kangding Downtown: 104km

Recommended Length of Visit: 1-2 day

Highest Peak: 7556km

Mount Gongga (贡嘎山), also known as “The King of Sichuan Mountain”, is the highest mountain in Sichuan with the easternmost 7556 meters peak. Mount Gongga is situated in the Daxue Shan Mountain rang, between Dadu River and Yalong River in the Kham region south of Kangding and Xinduqiao.

Under the long-term action of the glacier, the main peak developed into a cone-shaped, high-angle peak. With surrounding cliffs at 60 degree to 70 degree and coupled with the bad weather in the region, makes the summit of Mount Gongga even harder to conquer than Everest. According to incomplete statistics, as of September 2017, a total of 32 people had successfully reached the summit and 21 people were killed during attempts to climb the peak.

Even conquer the Mount Gongga might be a mission impossible for most people, however you can still enjoy the astonishing natural masterpiece - Gongga mountain in a distance. Lenggacuo Lake (冷嘎错) , Ziya Pass (子梅垭口) , No.4 Camp in Hailuogou Glacier Park (海螺沟四号营地) , Xinduqiao (新都桥) , Gongga Monastery (贡嘎寺) are all recommended photography sites to commemorate Mount Gongga in pictures.

>> 7 Days Western Sichuan Small Loop Tour

No.6: Paoma Mountain

Type: Sight & Landmarks, Points of Interest & Landmarks

Altitude: 2700m-4100m

Distance from Kangding Downtown: 6.8km

Recommended Length of Visit: 0.5 - 1 day

Opening Hour: 8:00 - 18:00

Ticket Price: CNY 50/person

Paoma Mountain (跑马山) is famous for the “Horses run on the Mountain” of Kangding Love Song. Arriving at the top of the mountain, you can catch the panoramic view of the whole Kangding City. 

You can catch the cable car up Paoma Mountain. The cable car was slow, from there you can enjoy a great views of Kangding. Or if you don’t like the heights and prefer hiking more, you can avoid the cable car and walk the whole way up. Climbing up the mountain from the left foot of the mountain, walking along the path in the azalea and rose bushes, you can see the Five-Color Sea (五色海) as clear as a mirror and 4100 meters above the sea level. Once up the top you can walk around various temples, step to the top of Yongxue Pavilion (咏雪楼) , lean on the baluster take a bird’s view to appreciate the winter wonderland. Pay a visit to the resplendent and magnificent Jixiang Temple (吉祥禅寺) and Lingyun Pagoda (凌云白塔) , which is located on the west side of Paoma Mountain, surrounded by thick vegetations and flowers. Walking up the steps slowly to avoid high altitude sickness caused by insufficient oxygen. There are plenty of Tibetan prayer flags which highlight and color the scenery. Paoma Mountain is famous for horse racing. In eighth day of fourth month in Chinese lunar calender, people will hold a competition of horse racing on Paoma Grassland (跑马坪). Besides, there are the Dongguan Pavilion (东关亭) and Guanyin Pavilion (观音阁) , which are Buddhist sites in Paoma Mountain.

No.7: Mount Zheduo

Type: Sight & Landmarks, Mountain

Altitude: 4298m

Distance from Kangding Downtown: 37km

Recommended Length of Visit: 1 hour

Opening Hour: All day long

Ticket Price: For Free

Zheduo Mountain, at an altitude of 4962 meters, is located between Kangding and Xinduqiao. Called the First Pass of Kangba Tibetan Area, travelers need to cross the high mountains of 4298 meters to get into the real Kangba Tibetan Area. The Panshan Highway is indeed a zigzag road, winding back and forth like duo word, turning a corner, but also a bend. There is a viewing platform at the top of the mountain, which can be parked to take pictures. You can look at the "King of the Mountain" - Mount Gongga in the distance, blue sky, and white clouds. Nearby, the white Pagoda rises and dances through the banners. After passing Zheduo Mountain, drive another 42 kilometers and you’ll arrive at Xinduqiao Town. This route has so much to see.

>> 8 Days Sichuan Spring Tour with Flowers Appreciation

No.8: Tagong Temple (Lhagang Monastery)

Type: Sights & Landmarks, Scared & Religious Sites

Altitude: Around 3900m

Distance from Kangding Downtown: 113km

Recommended Length of Visit: 1-3 hour

Opening Hour: 08:00-18:00

Ticket Price: CNY 20/person

Tagong Temple (塔公寺) , also known as Lhagang Monastery, is one of the sacred places of Tibetan pilgrimage in Kangba Area. Being praised as the “small Jokhang Temple”, Tagong Temple is built right at the heart of Tagong Township (塔公乡) during Qing Dynasty and consecrate the replica of the scared statue of Sakyamuni at Jokhang Temple in Lhasa along with scriptures of the Sakya Buddhist sect and other cultural relics more than 1000 years old. A major three-day Buddha event is held at the end of June every year at the Monastery, travelers can participate in temple activities, including meditation and daily circumambulation.

>> 4 Days Classic Kangding, Xinduqiao & Tagong Grassland Tour

No.9: Nanwu Temple

Type: Sights & Landmarks, Sacred & Religious Sites

Altitude: Around 3900m

Distance from Kangding Downtown: 5.8km

Recommended Length of Visit: 1-2 hour

Opening Hour: 09:00-20:00

Ticket Price: For free

Nanwu Temple (南无寺) , former name was “Nam Mu Temple”, means fairy temple. It is one of the most influential and active monasteries in the Tibet Kham region, together with the adjacent Jingang temple (金刚寺) , they win the praise of “Double Cloud Temples”.

Legend has it that the temple was completed since Song Dynasty. It was a white temple for the original Department of Tibetan Buddhism. However after being burned and destroyed by Mongols’ army in 1639, the temple was rebuilt on Rugang (dragon's back) opposite the original Namze in 1646, since then It is under the Gelugpa sect (yellow hat) of Tibetan Buddhism.

Nanwu Temple occupies 2,524 square meters while the architecture zone is about 3851 square meters. It is a quadrangle courtyard architecture style with wood and stone structure. The main palace has three stories and one base around 20 meters high. Inside of the palace is palatial, side halls are located on both side of the main hall. The temple is built in Xieshan double-roof style, the Roof pattern formed by two sloping roofs and surrounding overhanging corridors. Inside pavilions and halls are colorful murals in Tibetan Style. It is very magnificent. Besides, Nanwu Temple is also one of the main venues for Mountain Rotation on 8th of April. The monastery cultivated many famous monks, 3 Khenpos and 14 Geshes etc.

No.10: Gongga Temple

Type: Sights & Landmarks, Scared & Religious Sites

Altitude: Around 3598m

Distance from Kangding Downtown: 200km

Recommended Length of Visit: 1-2 hour

Opening Hour: All day long

Ticket Price: For free

Gongga Monastery (贡嘎寺) on the west side of Mount Gongga holds a sacred position in Tibetan Buddhism. It is also the largest and most important monastery in whole Mount Gongga Scenic Area. And for trekkers, Gongga Monastery is a great stopover site to take a break during their long trekking journey getting close the Minya Konka. Due to the harmonious coexists of monks and surroundings, wild birds and other animals often show up there. When dark falls or the first wisp sunlight appears, Minya Konka in a distance will wear a piece of golden robe. Such amazing scenery and environment will calm you down and leave all your troubles behind you.