Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Day Trip: Group Tour or Self-Guided, Which Is Better? A Guide

Encountering heavy snow, swaying on a cableway thousands of meters high!

Anyone traveling to Lijiang, Yunnan, probably won't miss Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. As one of the first 5A-level scenic spots in the country, it’s a dream destination for many. So how exactly can you witness its charm? What’s the process like?

When in Lijiang, you'll also clearly understand what this snow mountain means to the Naxi people—it's their "sacred mountain," which only elevates its allure. On my second day in Lijiang, I started driving from Lijiang Old Town to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, and it took just over half an hour to arrive.

[Bus] I often see online suggestions for tourists to take bus No. 7, but in fact, the official No. 7 bus has changed its route. The No. 7 minivans at Red Sun Square next to the north gate of the old town are privately chartered routes, with a fare of 40 yuan per person one way, which rises in peak season. They usually only leave when full, and the latest return time in the evening is around 17:30. Since waiting times can be long, if you choose the bus, make sure to plan your time well and head out early.

[Chartered Car] Chartering a car from Lijiang Old Town to the Ganhaizi Visitor Center takes about 40 minutes. Generally, a minivan costs around 200–300 yuan per day, but the vehicles are often in poor condition and the experience isn’t great. Slightly nicer sedans or SUVs cost more accordingly. If you’re in a group, you can share a ride; it’s convenient and fast, and splitting the cost per person works out about the same as the bus, but it’s hard to get cable car tickets on your own.

So we booked our Jade Dragon Snow Mountain trip half a month in advance with Lijiang’s internet-famous travel planner Wang Sibao, ensuring we could get on the big cable car. Wang Sibao’s business car small group tour was 420 yuan per person, including transport, entrance fees, cable car fees, lunch, and so on, plus complimentary oxygen and cold-weather clothing. A tour vehicle picks you up and drops you off, making it convenient and hassle-free, with great value. We had a fantastic time; if you need it, you can contact on WeChat.

When we entered the scenic area gate, through the car window I could already see fine snow drifting in the air. The drive from the gate to the parking lot was still quite a distance, and the snow grew heavier. The weather here was completely different from Lijiang city—it felt as if I’d stumbled into a northern winter. I even sighed, having traveled around China, I encountered few snowy days in the north, yet here in Yunnan I ran into one.

After the parking lot, you need to walk to the ticket area. Outside the ticket area, heavy snow was falling and the temperature was very low, but everything went smoothly. However, just as I was queuing, the staff told me that because the snow was too heavy, for visitors' safety, the cable car would stop running early that day!

The cable car was about to stop running? I suddenly panicked. Was I going to have to turn back just like that? That would not only mean my 100-yuan entrance fee might be wasted but also disrupt my itinerary. What if the next few days were just as snowy? Just as I was a bit lost and disappointed, the staff suddenly told me there was one last cable car run—quickly catch up with the group ahead, and I could still board the final shuttle!

That’s how I got a small stroke of luck; together with a few other tourists, I became one of the last to take the cable car that day, while those behind me had to silently turn back. Getting on the shuttle, we climbed up the mountain road, with beautiful scenery all the way; the forest was already blanketed in snow, looking very much like a winter season in Northern Europe.

The shuttle to the cable car resembles a standard bus, and the driver was highly skilled, weaving us around countless bends in the mountains. The feeling of venturing deep into the mountains was wonderful. The weather was cold, temperatures low—I had brought bread to snack on, and I’d also specially prepared chocolate before the trip, but I ended up not eating it.

At an altitude of 3356 meters, we got off to queue for the cable car. Many held oxygen canisters and looked a bit nervous. But I didn’t feel anything special, no discomfort at all, so I never opened mine.

You have to be nimble getting onto the cable car, because it doesn’t stop while running—you step on as it comes, and a staff member helps close the door. A few seconds later, we were suspended in the air. This photo was taken from inside the cable car compartment; thousands of meters up looked really frightening, with white all around and strong winds blowing outside. Every time the compartment passed a "joint" on the cable, it made a clunking sound, followed by a shudder. Though generally safe, I was so scared at that height, swaying, that I clung tightly to the handrail.

After all, unlike on clear days, I was riding the last cable car before service halted in a heavy snowstorm—it’s no lie to say I was nervous. But once we reached over 4,000 meters and started climbing on foot, the tension completely melted away, because a world beyond imagination suddenly appeared before my eyes—a sight that even those who have been to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain may not have seen!

Have you been to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain at over 4,000 meters?

Arriving at Jade Dragon Snow Mountain in Lijiang, I was met with heavy snow. Fortuitously, I caught the last cable car of the day. Suppressing my anxiety, I finally stepped out of the cable car compartment onto solid ground, and then came the walk up the wooden plank walkway. The moment I stepped out, it was like entering a magical world!

Above 4,000 meters altitude, in a snowstorm, everyone was bundled up thick, but that didn’t dampen anyone’s enthusiasm at all. Wearing snow boots on this broad platform, I was simply overjoyed. As a southern girl, every time I traveled up north and saw snow, I could barely contain my excitement, but heavy snow was still rare. I never expected to be embraced by it on the snow mountain back in warm Yunnan.

Everywhere I looked was pure white! Jade Dragon Snow Mountain is a snow mountain massif, the closest range to the equator in the Northern Hemisphere with year-round snow. No matter what season you visit, you can see snow on the mountain. So many people think the scenery is much the same in every season. But that’s not really true.

In winter, the snow-covered Jade Dragon Snow Mountain is a vast expanse of white, with snow thicker than you can imagine and covering a far wider area. Because it kept snowing that day, I was not only lucky enough to enjoy the snow mountain but also heard, for the first time in my life, the sound of heavy snowfall howling at over 4,000 meters.

Scenes like this aren’t common—if you come in other seasons or on a clear day, you won’t have such an intense sensory experience. Even though my hat was covered in snow, some of it already turning to ice, my heart just wanted to throw itself into the snow. Lying directly on the snowy ground felt absolutely amazing.

After playing for a while on the platform at 4,506 meters above sea level, I couldn’t wait to set off up the plank walkway. The snow was falling hard and fast, so the steps were already piled with thick snow and ice, forming an arched shape that was very slippery and hard to step on—you had to be very careful. The altitude was high, oxygen low; some people showed signs of altitude sickness and were breathing oxygen as they walked.

Climbing was fairly easy for me; I had no adverse reactions at all the whole way, walking while admiring the view and playing. Sometimes I got a bit tired, and with the biting cold and snow hitting my face, I almost gave up, but young people need to know persistence and challenge themselves! So I started a journey of climbing while making snowballs.

I found that the snow on the mountain wasn’t easy to pack into snowballs—why is that? Was it just my imagination? At first, it took a lot of effort to make it stick together. Honestly, I could have stayed on Jade Dragon Snow Mountain all day just making snowballs—does that sound weird?

The walkway was very long; looking back from higher up, I could see people below. Maybe because of the weather, the scene looked so special, as if I had traveled to a frigid polar place, like a passage from a book or a scene from a movie, both strange and familiar.

Meeting such beautiful scenery, everyone wanted to capture it. Wearing gloves made it hard to operate my phone, but baring my hands meant they'd stiffen immediately. Plus, the moment I took out my phone, it would get soaked by snow—not easy at all. Yet many people persisted bare-handed all the way, probably all wanting to share this special experience.

The height difference from 4,506 meters to 4,576 meters is only 70 meters, but walking up here takes a good long while, so I posed with the "4576" marker for a standard tourist photo!

On Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, I really wanted to see the scenery in the distance, but visibility was very low, the field of vision limited by the heavy snow. The people on the walkway seemed so busy; if I hadn’t been there myself, I probably wouldn’t have imagined this was a scenic spot high above the clouds.

Step by step, I reached the highest point open to visitors, my heart swelling with accomplishment. For safety reasons, the very top section of the walkway was closed, but I felt no regret at all—after all, the view was everything! Up there was a small shop selling simple snacks to fill your stomach.

Oh, and on the highest platform, I saw a young man suddenly kneel down and propose! Everyone around cheered. A vow made atop a snowy mountain, amid swirling snowflakes, was incredibly romantic, and it drew a crowd. The groom-to-be was so thoughtful; let's send them our heartfelt blessings!

I played for about 4 hours on the majestic Jade Dragon Snow Mountain; by the end, even my hair was soaked. Not many people were there that day. Before taking the cable car down, still not satisfied, I let loose completely—lying, sitting, rolling on the ground, and even trying to build a snowman. But my ability was limited! So I shaped a heart instead. Oh, I’m so clever!

Jade Dragon Snow Mountain sits at the junction of the Qinghai-Tibet and Yunnan-Guizhou plateaus; its unique landform gives it a special charm. The snowy weather made the sacred mountain even more mysterious and dreamlike. Stretching out majestically like a giant dragon, it let this tourist cup it in her hands and become a child, playing to her heart’s content, then let me climb onto its shoulders, feeling the glaciers and snowfields at high altitude, seeing a different world!

In the canyon where ancient ice and snowmelt flow, the water is pure blue!

When traveling in Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Lijiang, most people focus on Glacier Park at 4,506 meters. Indeed, the sensory experience there is absolutely stunning, and I’ve shared about it in the previous article. Today, I want to share a hidden wonderland—Blue Moon Valley!

After taking the cable car down from Glacier Park, the scenic shuttle takes you to this place called Blue Moon Valley. It was already very late when I came down from above 4,000 meters. After 4 hours of playing in the snow on the mountain, I had used up a lot of energy and didn’t have high expectations for what came next, but this understated place still left me speechless.

Seeing it with my own eyes, I realized the name "Blue Moon Valley" is entirely fitting, with no exaggeration at all. Walking slowly down the wooden steps, the view unfolded little by little. It was like a gentle woman, or an ancient sage who has lived for ten thousand years, silent but of an indescribable beauty.

Before, Blue Moon Valley wasn't called Blue Moon Valley—it was the "White Water River" scenic area, located in a valley north of Ganhaizi on the eastern foothills of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and south of Yunshanping. It has quite a history: formed from the ancient snow and ice of the mountain’s glaciers melting and flowing down cliffs, eventually forming a crystal-clear, icy-cold river in the upper reaches of a deep gorge. Especially in winter, the river water here is absolutely bone-chilling. The riverbed is made of white limestone, which gives the water a white luster and an extraordinarily pure appearance, hence the name "White Water River."

Later, it got the more dreamlike name "Blue Moon Valley" because the water here is blue, and the valley is crescent-shaped. From a distance, it looks like a blue moon set at the foot of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain—hence the name.

In the late afternoon, I stood by the river’s edge with no other tourists around, without the enthusiasm of the midday sun. The light was gradually dimming, but this was when Blue Moon Valley truly took on the silence of a gorge. I could appreciate its beauty without any worries, beauty with no bad angles.

No matter how far away I stood, I could clearly see the small stones on its bottom. It was as if what lay before me wasn’t a river but a sheet of transparent glass. It held no secrets, displaying everything it had to visitors, yet it was this very openness that enchanted people, making them wonder if it possessed some "magic." Why else would it be so extraordinary?

I thought the view I’d seen was already at its peak, but the real hidden wonderland lay above the "little white waterfall." I rubbed my eyes several times to check if I was seeing wrong! How could there be such blue natural river water? In my memory, only fairy tales have such scenes. It looked exactly like an enormous sapphire set in the mountains, radiating infinite charm.

Some say the water at Blue Moon Valley is only blue on sunny days, but that’s not true. Even on overcast, rainy, or snowy days, it’s still that clear, translucent blue. The longer I looked, the more it reminded me of a piece of candy, a sweet fruit candy. I wanted to hold it in my palm or put it in my mouth, but alas, only nature can enjoy such a treat!

Dense mountain forests, towering snow peaks stretching endlessly, the heart-capturing Blue Moon Valley… Mysterious Jade Dragon Snow Mountain hides so much beauty, along with many unknown masterpieces of nature. It is the Naxi people’s "sacred mountain" and a pure land on earth. As a tourist, I gained an extraordinarily special experience in this travel destination—a feeling tied to my state of mind, to the environment, and even more to the embrace of nature.

A great one-day tour experience. The driver and guide, Tian Jie, was truly wonderful and attentive. After picking everyone up, she patiently explained the day’s itinerary and things to note, her soft tone of voice so pleasant to listen to. She helped us buy tickets—we only needed to swipe our ID cards twice to board the bus and cable car—and had water, oxygen canisters, and down jackets prepared for us. The whole trip was relaxed and joyful. The hotpot lunch included was so-so in taste, but there was tons of meat!!!! Tian Jie added meat twice for us, and in the end, eight of us couldn’t finish it all. Overall a great experience! Thank you, Tian Jie~