Daocheng Yading — Tibetans call it "the last pure land on the blue planet." In April I came to walk its trails, lungs burning in the thin air, heart lifted by the silence between peaks. The title of this piece borrows from the film "I Belonged to You": in the human world of April, I passed through your whole world.
Day 1: Short Route - Zhaguangbeng to Chonggu Temple to Pearl Sea
From Zhaguangbeng I walked up to Chonggu Temple, the trailhead that splits into the short and long routes. Pine smoke hung in the cold air, and the temple sat low in a wide valley, dwarfed by three snow-clad peaks.
The path from Chonggu Temple switchbacks up to Pearl Sea (Zhuoma La Tso), a pocket of still water at 4,060 meters. It mirrors Xiannairi Mountain (5,998m), the peak that stands for Avalokitesvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion. Standing there, breath shallow, I watched the snow summit lay itself perfectly across the surface — a silence you feel more than hear.
That night I slept in a Tibetan homestay in Yading Village, its windows framing the same peaks. At first light the summit of Xiannairi caught the sun and turned gold, spilling warm light across the floor — a quiet kind of grace to wake up to.
Day 2: Long Route - Chonggu Temple to Luorong Pasture to Milk Sea and Five Color Sea
This is the hard one. Six point seven kilometers of trail separate Chonggu Temple from Luorong Pasture, a broad meadow where yaks lower their heads to graze, snow peaks stacked blue and white behind them.
Above Luorong the trail steepens toward Milk Sea (4,600m) and Five Color Sea (4,700m). The climb is unforgiving — lungs starved of oxygen, loose rock underfoot, the air thin enough to make every step a decision. Within a single hour the sky threw wind, then snow, then driving rain at us.
Even so, standing at 4,700 meters is a memory that won't fade. The clouds withheld the sun, so the lakes never flashed their best — Milk Sea's famous milky blue, Five Color Sea's restless shifts of turquoise and green stayed half-hidden. But the climb, the shared struggle, and the easy laughter with strangers on the same trail made the gray sky irrelevant.
The mountains hand you humility. At 4,700 meters, bent over and gasping, you feel how little you are. Nature keeps no schedule for your plans or your pride — you simply endure, and put one foot in front of the other.
Travel Tips
Location: Daocheng County, Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province
Tickets: 146 yuan for a 3-day pass. Shuttle bus from the entrance to Chonggu Temple is 120 yuan round trip. Horse riding is available for part of the long route but is expensive and limited.
Altitude Warning: Yading Village sits at 3,900m, Chonggu Temple at 3,800m, the lakes at 4,600–4,700m. Give your body days to adjust before the long route, and pack oxygen canisters and glucose to keep your legs moving.
Clothing: the weather turns on a dime. Layer up, bring a waterproof shell and real hiking boots — and remember that even in April, the air up high drops below freezing.
Best Time: April to May and September to October bring clear, walkable skies. Summer arrives wet; winter closes the mountains to all but the hardest travelers.
Stay: Yading Village (3,900m) puts you closest to the trailhead, so it's the smart base. Reserve early — peak season rooms vanish fast.
