In this article, you can find all the info you need to visit the beautiful Yubeng villages not far from Shangri-La, in Northern Yunnan.
Nestled in the rugged beauty of northwest Yunnan, Yubeng Village (雨崩) is a hidden gem waiting to be explored. Surrounded by snow-capped peaks, pristine forests, and alpine meadows, this remote Tibetan village offers nature enthusiasts and trekkers an unforgettable adventure.
If you are planning a trip to Northern Yunnan, in the Shangri-La area (here is my guide), don’t miss this stunning area. Here, you can read my Western Sichuan Travel Guide, where you can find other amazing Tibetan Villages.
Best Time to Visit Yubeng
The best time to visit Yubeng is during the Spring (March-April) or Autumn (September-October), when the weather is nice, and the skies are generally clear. During these seasons, temperatures remain mild despite the village’s high elevation of about 3,400 meters, making hiking and exploring much more comfortable. You’ll also find blooming flowers in spring and colourful foliage in autumn, creating some of the most photogenic scenery in the region. These months also offer the clearest views of the surrounding mountain peaks, allowing you to appreciate the dramatic beauty of the Tibetan Plateau fully.
It’s best to avoid the rainy season (July to August), when heavy rainfall can make trails slippery and dangerous. You might risk landslides, flooded paths, and limited visibility of the peaks, which can significantly affect both safety and the overall experience. Winter visits are possible but come with extremely cold temperatures, snow-covered paths, and limited accessibility.
Where to Stay and for how long
Yubeng is composed of two villages: Upper Yubeng (上雨崩) and Lower Yubeng (下雨崩). They are close and offer different views of the Meili Snow Mountain range. Lower Yubeng is probably quieter, but Upper Yubeng offers slightly better sunrise photos.
Regardless of which village you choose, you’ll find a variety of options for accommodation, ranging from traditional Tibetan guesthouses to basic hostels. Many local houses have become guesthouses, so you’ll find plenty of options. The main issue is how to book them. On Trip.com, you can find some, but many guesthouses are still unavailable on the main international booking platforms. This is one of the few options.
The length of your stay depends on you. Considering how long it takes to get to the villages, I think the bare minimum would be 2 nights, but you can easily stay even 4 nights if you plan to hike the nearby mountains.
How to get to Meili Snow Mountain and Yubeng
The best way to get to Yubeng is from Shangri-La. Shangri-La is easily reachable by high-speed train from Kunming or by plane since there is a small airport outside the city. You can book train or airplane tickets using Trip.com.
The ideal itinerary to reach Yubeng includes spending one night in Feilaisi (飞来寺), a small village about 4 hours from Shangri-La, just after Deqing. If you want public transportation, take a bus from Shangri-La to Deqing, then a minivan or taxi to Feilaisi. I recommend continuing on to explore the western part of Yunnan, which is truly a hidden gem.
You can spend one night there (this is one of the few hotels available online in English) and wake up for the sunrise, where, if you are lucky, you will be greeted by a fantastic view of the Meili Snow Mountain range right in front of you, with the sacred Kawagarbo peak and its 6740 meters high.
You can spend the morning photographing the Tibetan pilgrims and paying homage to the sacred mountain before heading for your next destination: Xidang Village (西当村), the starting point for Yubeng. The village is about one hour from Feilaisi, right below the snowy mountain range.
Getting there by public transportation can be difficult, so I suggest arranging for a local driver to take you to Xidang and return a few days later to pick you up after you finish your trip to Yubeng. Feel free to contact me if you need a recommendation for a local agency that can help you.
Once in Xidang, you have two options: hiking for about 5 hours along a windy, steep road full of SUVs taking people to and from Yubeng, or paying 200 RMB to get on one of those SUVs. If you decide to hike but later change your mind when you are already on the road, remember that it’s pretty challenging to hitchhike because SUVs only leave for the village when they are full, so most won’t have any spare seats.
WARNING: THE ROAD FROM XIDANG TO YUBEN IS CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION, AND THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE ROUTE TO FOLLOW INNINONG (尼农).
The car will take you to the entrance of the Upper Yubeng Village. If your guesthouse is in Lower Yubeng, you must hike down for about 30 minutes. Usually, the cars won’t take you to Lower Yubeng unless you want to pay more money, and even in that case, it’s not guaranteed that they’ll do it.
How to explore Yubeng
There are two main hiking routes in the area:
- The first is from Upper Yubeng to Glacier Lake (冰湖). It’s about 6 km long (one-way) and has an elevation gain of 700 meters, starting from Upper Yubeng at 3200m and ending at the lake at 3900m. This trek is more challenging and takes about 5 hours to reach the lake.
- The second one leaves from Lower Yubeng and goes to the Sacred Waterfall (神瀑). It’s about 5 km long, with the first 2/3 of the hike relatively easy and the last part quite tricky due to the never-ending stairs. The altitude gain is smaller because you’ll start at 3100 m and end at 3700 m. It takes about 4 hours to get to the waterfall.
You can also consider spending a day walking around the two villages and photographing some of the local people. There is a Tibetan temple hidden in Lower Yubeng, with a tooth-shaped rock, from which the village took its name.
Final Thoughts
Yubeng is a place of raw beauty that has been hidden and forgotten for centuries, and rediscovered only recently. You can see this in the increasing number of guesthouses and tourists. Due to its remote location, it still hasn’t been touched by mass tourism, though: head there before it’s too late!
Before heading to China, remember to get a VPN; otherwise, you won’t be able to access most of the internet. If you prefer an eSIM, I recommend this one. As for travel insurance, this one is really good.
If you are looking for other places to visit in Yunnan, check out my travel guide. If you are looking for another authentic area in Yunnan that is still relatively untouched by tourism, check out my travel guide to Dulongjiang and Jingmaishan.
Here, you can find other pictures I took in Shangri-La.
Hello Fabio! Thanks for these informations.
Just a little precision because we are in ninong and there is no possibility here to have a jeep, it must be done by foot and we didn’t expect that !
Maybe it’s best to precise.
Thank you!
Hi Mathilde it was possible until recently. Will update the post.
Hello how are you?
Im spanish and i want to go to yunnan 14 days and we need a good driver speaking very good english or italian or spanish,and a very kind person do you know where can i find it?do you do that?