Luke-Haba Route

View from Empty Glad Platform

Overview

Overview


The Luke-Haba Route (栌克-哈巴路线) is a two-day trek connecting Tiger Leaping Gorge (虎跳峡) with Haba Village (哈巴村) on the north slope of Haba Snow Mountain (哈巴雪山). The most popular version of the trek takes just one day and ends at Ennu Village (恩努村).

Portions of the route coincide with or cross over the Haba-Benxi Route (哈巴-本习路线) and the Haba-Bendiwan Route (哈巴-本地湾路线).


Trekking Options

Trekking Options

The Luke-Haba route will appeal to hikers as an extension of the classic trek through Tiger Leaping Gorge. It can be hiked on its own or combined with the classic trek turning into a multi-day journey.

One-Day Trek: Luke’s Hostel to Ennu Village

Leaving Luke’s Hostel (古道栌克青年旅舍), ascend to the high point at 3,200 meters. The extensive birds-eye view up and down the gorge and across the Jinsha River (金沙江) to Daju Village (大具乡), makes the effort worthwhile. Descend to Ennu Village (恩努村) north of the gorge. Hiking time 6½ hours. Keep reading below for more trekking details.

Two-Day Trek: Luke’s Hostel to Haba Village

After overnighting in or near Ennu Village, continue on to Haba Village. The second day is a short one, only 2½ hours not including breaks. More details below.

Multi-Day Trek: Qiaotou to Ennu or Haba

For the combined journey, begin walking in Qiaotou Town (桥头镇), the starting point of the classic trek through Tiger Leaping Gorge. Spend the first night in the gorge at a guest house. Day two, continue on to Luke’s Hostel. For trekking details read Dan Siekman’s excellent guide. You should also check out the approaches to Luke’s Hostel. Continue the trek on the Luke-Haba Route reaching the villages of Ennu on day 3 and, optionally, Haba on day 4.

Route difficulty

The trail from Luke’s Hostel to Ennu and Haba requires better physical fitness than the trek through the gorge, as well as good navigational skills. There is substantial elevation gain and the path is sometimes obscure. Hiring a guide is recommended. For details, please read the final section below about guides. For general information, see the Guides page.

Lodging in Ennu

Rudimentary homestay lodging might be available in Ennu and will have to be organized in advance. You can make the connection through Luke’s Hostel. Alternatives include carrying a tent, in which case a guide can suggest suitable camping spots, or ending the trek in Ennu. For taxi service in Ennu see the Transport In and Out page


Route Description

Route Description


From Luke’s Hostel, head north on a path that ascends in half an hour to Thousand Year Walnut Forest (千年核桃林). A large boulder bears the name painted in green and white. The walnut trees bloom in spring and the nuts ripen in autumn.


After a few more minutes, the trail forks. A green arrow painted on a rock indicates you should bear right. The trail continues with little elevation gain, crosses a dry drainage, and begins a steady ascent heading east.


Empty Glad Platform

1 hour and 20 minutes after starting out, the trail tops out at an open spot called Empty Glad Platform (空欢喜观景台), elevation 2,680 meters. A short path leads to one of the finest viewpoints overlooking the gorge. The strange name is perhaps about that feeling of empty space beneath your feet. Beyond this point, the path is rarely marked and sometimes hard to follow. You may encounter goats, wandering about in search of grazing.


The trail turns north and ascends steadily across steep slopes through stunted forest, followed by a stretch without much elevation gain. 40 minutes above Empty Glad Platform, pass through a tiny notch and traverse a wall on a ledge of built-up stones.


Soon after that, the trail forks. The Luke-Haba Route continues left. The right fork descends, leading to a massive landslide that obliterated the trail. Shortly beyond the fork, the path reaches a steep gully filled with rocks and loose sand, which makes for hard going. Ascend the gully for 100 meters or so and exit on the right.


High Point

The path continues, ascending across sections of sand and rocks, then switchbacks more steeply up sandy ground. Use care as the footbed may be obscure. Finally, traverse right to the highest point of the Luke-Haba Route at 3,200 meters. Total hiking time to this point is 3 hours. Here you will find limited views up to the East Peak of Haba Snow Mountain. Looking downward, the expansive view takes in the Jinsha River and plains around Daju Village to the east, as well as Ennu Village to the north.

From the high point head northeast, descending very steeply over sandy ground through open forest without a well-defined path. If you end up on a ridge, follow it for a short while before turning left off the ridge. Continue the steep descent in a northeasterly direction. You may encounter a path coming in from the right, which was the old trail. It is now abandoned, due to the landslide mentioned earlier.


Watership Tank Meadow

Further down, the trail turns into a well-beaten track with switchbacks, a welcome respite from the unremittingly steep slope above. The trail descends to a meadow with the odd name of Watership Tank (水览槽观景台). Here yaks graze among stone walls.


Tucked away at the upper edge of the meadow sits a yak herders hut. The roof leaks in various places and the bunks are covered in rodent droppings. It may not be an inviting place to spend the night but there is a convenient fire pit, complete with potholder. The name Watership Tank is derived from the water trough outside the hut. A pipe from a spring higher up brings down a trickle of water.


Descending to the bottom edge of the meadow, the Luke-Haba Route enters the forest. The trail soon forks, with the right branch leading to Benxi Village (本习村). You should take the left fork, which descends to and crosses the bottom of a drainage, followed by a short ascent to a gate. Be sure to leave the gate open or closed as you found it.


The path traverses gradually downhill along the north side of the drainage. You will spot a quarry across the valley, with a road zigzagging down to Benxi. The trail turns left at around 2,500 meters elevation, where it turns the corner and enters the Ennu Village valley. A long traverse northwest follows, with little elevation gain or loss. Eventually the path turns northeast and reaches a meadow at an elevation of 2,500 meters (27º19’27“N, 100º10’59“E).


Alternate Route to Haba Village

Alternate Route to Haba Village

We note here an alternate route to Haba Village. For the continuation of the standard Luke-Haba Route, please see the next section below.

From the meadow, the alternate route follows a drainage northwest. The path is awkward and makes numerous crossings of the often-dry drainage. The ascent tops out at 2,750 meters near an inhabited hut, the most remote in the area. A rough road continues in a northwest direction, reaching a crossing of Haba Muru River in one hour from the meadow. Here, join the Haba-Benxi Route and continue on to Haba Village. Hiking time from the meadow to Haba is around 3 hours.


Water Trough Junction

From the meadow at 2,500 meters, the standard Luke-Haba Route enters the forest and heads east. After a few minutes, reach ruins of a hut and well (27º19’30“N, 100º11’10“E). From the ruins, the trail heads north and makes a short, steep descent to the bottom of the valley. This marks the low point of the Luke-Haba Route at 2,470 meters (27º19’37“N, 100º11’9“E). You will arrive here 1¾ hours after leaving Watership Tank Meadow. Ennu Village is still 1 hour away.


Several troughs provide refreshment for cattle, lending the spot its name, Water-Trough Junction (水槽路口). If you are an animal, you’ll enjoy taking a drink. Humans less so, once they glimpse the coating of green slime.

Two trekking routes radiate from this important junction: (1) this Luke-Haba Route, and (2) the Haba-Benxi Route, heading northwest to Haba Village and southeast to Benxi. The path to Haba Village via Haba-Benxi takes longer than the remainder of Luke-Haba. It has the advantage of traveling completely through forest and meadow, avoiding the three-kilometer walk along the road above Ennu.

From Water-Trough Junction, the Luke-Haba Route heads north on a path ascending gradually through open forest.


Haba Muru River

40 minutes beyond Water-Trough Junction, the path arrives at the principal drainage in the Ennu Valley, notable for its stark greyish-white rocks and sand. During certain seasons the drainage is dry. I call this the Haba Muru River, a name unknown to local residents. Haba Muru is the Naxi name for Haba Snow Mountain and translates as Golden Flower Snow Mountain. I use the name for convenience, since I have yet to discover a local name.

Just beyond the drainage, pass through a gate, followed soon by a second gate through a barb-wire fence. Please leave the gates open or closed as you found them. Follow the fence line a short distance northeast to cultivated fields and, finally, Ennu Village.


Ennu Village

Most folks will end the trek here and forego the final walk to Haba Village. For taxi service in Ennu, see the Transportation page.


The Desert

For those continuing the trek, know that the paved road between the villages of Ennu and Haba is 12 kilometers long. The following shortcut will shrink the road portion to 3 kilometers and the entire walk to 8 kilometers.

Head northwest out of Ennu on the road. After two kilometers pass through a sterile sandy area which I call “The Desert” (沙漠), caused by seasonal flooding of a stream coming down off Haba Snow Mountain. During the summer rainy season, the drainage may deposit sand on the road which hinders traffic.


Pusa Mountain and Haba Village

Just beyond The Desert, the road bends right (north and east) and makes a long switchback over Pusa Mountain (普萨山). To avoid the switchback, leave the road on the left, 300 meters past the beginning of the bend. Ascend northwest through open forest without a clear trail. If you come upon a transmission line you can follow it higher. Either way, you’ll end up on the Southwest Ridge of Pusa Mountain, which at its low point is 3,030 meters high.


From the ridge it is all downhill, first through meadows, then forest, to Haba Village. This final stretch coincides with the Haba-Benxi Route.

For accommodation and minivan service in Haba, see the Lodging page and the Transportation page.


Guides for Luke-Haba Route

Guides for Luke-Haba Route

I recommend hiring a guide for the Luke-Haba Route, based on my own experience and that of others. I hiked the route twice with a guide before I felt confident I could follow it on my own. Others have gone without a guide with differing results. Some made it to Ennu Village, using the very inadequate map available at Luke’s Hostel. Others tried, only to return to the hostel after finding the path too obscure to follow. Luke’s Hostel is the go-to place for hiring a guide. I suggest getting in touch several days in advance. Consult the Guides page for more information.

Some trekkers may decide to hike without a guide with help from details supplied here. That is a reasonable choice for hikers with substantial experience in backcountry navigation. Please consult these notes on necessary backcountry hiking skills and equipment.


Summary: Luke’s Hostel to Ennu Village

Summary: Luke’s Hostel to Ennu Village

Region: Tiger Leaping Gorge, East Peak Group
Itinerary: Luke's Hostel—Empty Glad Platform—High Point—Watership Tank Meadow—Water Trough Junction—Ennu Village
Duration: 6½ hours one-way
Distance: 13 km one-way
Altitude in Meters: Start 2,360. Max 3,200. End 2,600
Elevation Gain: 1,000 meters
Rating: Advanced
Water Sources: Watership Tank Meadow, Water Trough Junction, Haba Muru River
Hiking Times: Luke’s Hostel to Empty Glad Platform 1:20 hrs. High point 2:55. Watership Tank Meadow 3:45. Water-Trough Junction 5:30. Ennu Village 6:25.

Summary: Ennu Village to Haba Village

Summary: Ennu Village to Haba Village

Region: East Peak Group
Itinerary: Ennu Village—Pusa Mountain Ridge—Haba Village
Duration: 2½ hours one-way
Distance: 8 km one-way
Altitude in Meters: Start 2,600. Max 3,030. End 2,650
Elevation Gain: 430 meters
Rating: Moderate
Water Sources: Brook above trailhead at Haba Village
Hiking Times: Ennu Village to Pusa Mountain ridge 1:50 hrs. Haba Village 2:35.

Info

Please read the explanation of hiking times, distances, altitudes and rating levels here.



Written by
Ken Krov
2021-05-03