Road Rebuilt from Haba to Shangri-La

Baishuitai terraces

After years of reconstruction ending in 2023, the road from Haba Village to Shangri-La City is finally complete! The trip takes 2½ hours by car, a significant improvement over the previous time of 4 hours. Some embankments will require time to stabilize. In many places, fallen stones line the pavement, while in a couple of spots, landslips may partially block the travel lane.

Along the way several places are worth a visit, listed here from south to north.

Baishuitai (白水台) is a set of white limestone terraces with hot springs and blue-tinged pools. Walking paths afford close-up views of the natural phenomenon. Horses are available for those who would rather ride than walk.


Beyond Baishuitai, views looking back south reveal the massive form of Haba Snow Mountain. Looking north, the No Name Mountains (无名山) become visible. These peaks reach 4,700 meters in elevation and remain little visited by trekkers and mountaineers.


Past the half-way point, the road reaches the village of Jiu Long (九龙, Nine Dragons). Views to the west incude the rugged peaks of the Tianbao Mountains.


Just beyond Jiu Long, a side road leads to the remote Tibetan settlement of
Niru Village. It has become famous for the beautiful Colorful Waterfall, a series of low yet unusually attractive moss-covered falls that extend over a horizontal span of 200 meters. A boardwalk along the Niru River provides access to the falls as a half-day walk. Trekkers can make the longer full-day hike to Shudu Lake in Pudacuo National Park.


Back on the main road near Jiu Long, the highway continues north and reaches its high point at a pass with an elevation of 3,700 meters. Here there is a view of the No Name Mountains.


Descending from the pass, the road eventually reaches the entrance of Pudacuo National Park. The park is visited by large numbers of tourists who take buses into the interior to visit picturesque Shudu Lake. The Leziping-Niru trek is a one- or two-day trek that leads to Niru Village.


Beyond the national park, a short drive leads to Shangri-la with its sizeable Tibetan population. A wonderful place to explore Tibetan culture without entering Tibet itself!




Written by
Ken Krov
2024-07-10