Explore Yangtze Source Beauty

The Yangtze River, also called Changjiang, is the third longest river in the world with a total length of 6380 kilometers. The river originates from the Geladandong Snow Mountain, a peak of the Tanggula Mountains in Qinghai province. It begins amidst a magnificent landscape with snow-capped mountains, ice peaks, vast grassland, blue sky and white clouds reflected in the river, constituting a refreshing natural beauty waiting for your exploration.

The best time to visit the River source in Qinghai province is from June to November. It is too cold to visit in winter. The 3-day exploration tour starts from Gulmod and ends at the Tanggula Mountain pass. Sightseeing is mainly along the Qinghai-Tibet highway south of Gulmod. En route you will have the chance to experience the extraordinary scenery on the plateau.

Start from Gulmod on the first day. You may choose to take the Qinghai-Tibetan train, but you can not fully appreciate the scenes along the way. The best way is to charter a car so you can stop anywhere you like to take photos. Also, it is not as tiring as the hiking tour.

The first day's drive takes you from Gulmod to the Kunlun Mountain pass which is about 160 kilometers south of Gulmod. En route, you may pay a visit to the Gulmod Hydropower station on the Gulmod river and the Nachitai Spring. The spring is the first ice-free spring on Kunlun Mountain although it is located in an extremely cold area with an altitude of 3540 meters. With a large and stable water supply containing trace elements beneficial to human body, the spring is known as "mannose on the ice mountain". Upon arrival at the Kunlun Mountain pass, you will see the stele indicating your location. Looking from afar at the grand scene in the distance, you will feel yourself a dot on the endless horizon. You can visit Yuxu Mountain with an altitude of over 6000 meters located on the east and west side of Kunlun Mountain pass. It is snow-capped all year round.

On the second day, continue driving to the River source for a visit. Upon arrival, you will see the stele reading "Changjiangyuan" which was written by the former Chinese chairman Jiang Zemin. Near the stele stands the first bridge upstream of the Yangtze River.

On the third day, drive another 200 kilometers to the Tanggula Mountain pass (altitude 5231 meters), which is the watershed of the Yangtze River and Nujiang River. The road here is one of the world's highest highways. If you take the railway, you can get off at the Tanggula Mountain stop and have a view of the majestic Tanggula Mountain.