 Meili Snow Mountain, also known as Prince Snow Mountain, is located 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) northeast of Deqin County and 184 kilometers away from Zhongdian County of Yunnan Province. The mountain sits on the border of Yunnan Province and Tibet, where three famous rivers, namely the Jinsha, Mekong (Nu) and Salwen (Lancang) flow.
With an average altitude of over 6000 meters, Meili Snow Mountain is the highest one. Known for the grandest view in Yunnan Province, it boasts numerous snow-clad ridges and peaks, thirteen of which exceed 6,000 meters (19.685 feet) above the sea level. The most splendid view is of the Kawagebo Peak, the highest in Yunnan Province rising about 6,740 meters (22,112.86 feet). In the Zang Language, Kawagebo Peak means the Lord of Snow Mountains. As the head of eight most sacred mountains of Tibetan Buddhism, Kawagebo Peak welcomes large quantities of pilgrims for worshiping. They travel to the mountain at the beginning of each winter, with no sparing a great distance from Tibet, Gansu Province, Qinghai Province and Sichuan Province. Thousands of devout pilgrims worship together and encircle the holy mountain, adding even more mystery and loftiness to the mountain. Out of people's admiration, it is still a 'virgin peak' where no one has ever reached the top for continuous glacier and flaky frozen earth. Thus, Meili Snow Mountain is a challenge for all mountain explorers from home and abroad.
From the foot of the Kang Karpo Peak, you will see the peculiar low-altitude glaciers formed in modern times. Strong updrafts collide with cloud airflow from the inner continents in this area producing frequent dense fog and heavy snow. The resulting topographic extremes include hanging glaciers, icefalls and snow slides. The Mingyong Glaciers, in particular, rushes from an elevation of 5,500 meters (18.045 feet) down to the forest zone 2,700 meters (8,858 feet) above the sea level in rainy seasons. From afar it looks like a huge white snake wriggling its way among the verdant mountains. On the south side of the peak, a waterfall named 'holy collapsing rain' falls from thousands of meters high. Pure water splashed from snow cracks and with the help of the sunlight, rainbows are often seen hanging above the fall.
Owing to its high altitude, the mountain owns several climatic zones with a diversity of plants, vast expanse of grassland and rich fungi species that are vertically distributed. The types of vegetation here range from the Torrid Zone to Frigid Zone vertically. From the altitude of 2,000 meters (6562 feet) to 4,000 (13123 feet) meters, forests flourish with varieties of spruce. The depth of the forest is an exotic world of rare birds and animals. The meadows surrounding the forests are embellished by countless flowers which add more vitality and charm to the mountain.
Visitors are treated to spectacular view from all vantage points. The continuous mountain ridges feature snowy peaks and the sun throws golden lights on the low-floating clouds which form various extraordinary shapes, affording yet another splendid view! However, the mountain mostly presents itself as mystery when dense fog and clouds made it a gleaming sight to see and you could hardly resist the temptation to unveil it. You can have a panoramical view of the thirteen towering peaks from the Feilai Temple which is in the west of Deqin County. |
