1. Brief Introduction
In Tibetan, Potatso means "A lake that ferries all living beings and reaches the other shore of the sea of suffering." The name implies that this is a sacred and beautiful place.
1.1 Why Is It So Famous?
1.1.1 Geographical Location
As the first national park in Chinese mainland, Potatso National Forest Park is situated 22 kilometers east of Shangri-La County, Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, with a total area of about 1313 square kilometres. In addition, it is also located in the central area of the world natural heritage of "Three Parallel Rivers" in northwest Yunnan and a provincial-level nature reserve which deserves a visit, its altitude is between 3500 meters and 4159 meters. The highest point is on the northern peak of Mili Tang with an altitude of 4159 meters; the lowest point is sited in Jinzigou in the east of Bita Lake with an altitude of 3200 meters. Most surprisingly, the relative height difference is 959 meters.
1.1.2 Tourism Resource
As one of the main tourist attractions in Shangri-La, Potatso National Park has a wealth of tourism resources such as lake wetlands, forest meadows, river valleys and streams, rare animals and plants etc, the original ecological environment is well preserved. Among them, Bita Lake, Shudu Lake and Mili Tang subalpine pasture are the three primary scenic spots in the park.
Apart from that, there are mirror-like alpine lakes, pastures with abundant water and grass, wetlands full of blooming flowers and primeval forests where birds and beasts often appear. The two beautiful freshwater lakes, Bita Lake and Shudu Lake, are known as the pearls of the plateau. These lakes have a large number of Schizothorax and Hemibarbus labeo. To our surprise, all kinds of wild ducks and other waterfowls play in the lake especially in autumn and winter, presenting a natural and interesting scene, which also deserves nature lovers' exploring.
1.2 Fast Facts Of Potatso National Park
Chinese name: 普达措国家公园
Climate: Sub-temperate and cold temperate monsoon climate with abundant rainfall
Temperature: The average annual temperature is 5.4℃, the average monthly temperature in the hottest month (July) is 13.2℃, and the average monthly temperature in the coldest month (January) is -3.8℃
Opening hours: 08:00-16:30 (This park is open all year round, the opening hours will be varied in slack and peak seasons, it is usually extended or shortened during statutory holidays)
Ticket: 138 yuan/person (including scenic spot ticket + round-trip sightseeing ticket), cruise ticket: 65 yuan/person
1.3 What Tangible Benefits Can It Bring To Tourists?
Potatso National Park looks like a fairy tale world without any pollution and the quality of water and air is very good. The lake is crystal clear and the sky is stunning blue, thus it is the best place for tourists to cultivate their body and mind as well as their sentiment. When tourists take the stroll there, they will feel relaxed and happy, linger and forget the troubles in their heart.
2. What To See And Do
The entire national park consists of three main scenic spots, they are named Shudu Lake, Mili Tang Alpine Pasture and Bita Lake. The waters of Shudu Lake and Bita Lake are as clear as mirrors, surrounded by alpine meadows and forests, as if one has entered a dreamy world. Tourists can take a stroll along the lakeside, especially in the early morning or evening. Sometimes the lake surface looks like a mirror, reflecting the surrounding mountains and woods. Besides, there are secluded walking paths in the park, which are suitable for tourists who enjoy hiking. For tourists who like cycling, the park also offers bicycle rental services. Additionally, tourists can engage in various activities in this National Park except hiking and cycling, boating is also an alternative choice, it is a great way for the travelers to get close to the nature and feel surrounded by tranquility.
3. Main Attractions
3.1 Shudu Lake 属都湖
Shudu Lake, approximately 40 kilometres away from Shangri-La City, surrounded by mountains on all sides, it has an altitude of 3705 meters. Therefore, it is regarded as one of the largest lakes in Shangri-La City and is renowned for "internationally important wetland." "Shudu" means that cheese is as solid as a stone in Tibetan. Actually, Shudu Lake has a large water area and its ecosystem combines alpine lakes, marshy meadows, and original coniferous forest vegetation together. As a consequence of this, it is extremely rich in rare animals and plant resources, it is said that the lake is abundant in "Shudu schizothoracin", the body of this type of fish is golden with a crack on the abdomen. Apart from this, there are also a large number of wild ducks, water hyacinths, teals and other waterfowls inhabiting the lake, which make the scenery very beautiful and spectacular.
In addition, a 3-kilometer wooden plank road has been built around the lake, tourists can hike to see the beauty of this lake from different angles. Among the plants along the lake, tourists can also encounter lovely little squirrels. On one side of the wooden plank road is the lake water, and on the other side is the primeval forest. By the lakeside is a continuous alpine pasture, wild flowers are in full bloom in spring and summer, the forests are dyed in layers in autumn. Before sunrise in late autumn, the water vapor on the lake surface condenses and the mist fills the air, forming a "morning mist reflection." As a result of this, it has attracted countless photography enthusiasts to come here and take pictures. Only by taking the first bus in the early morning, can tourists view this wonderful sight, which also makes it an unmissable destination.
3.2 Militang Alpine Pasture 弥里塘高山牧场
Militang Alpine Pasture, situated between Shudu Lake and Bita Lake, which is a sub-alpine meadow at an altitude of 3700 meters. "Mili Tang" means "meadow in the shape of a Buddha's eye", it is named after its resemblance to a slender Buddha's eye. As an important pasture in Shangri-La, it is also a place where local Tibetan residents graze, tourists can take distant shots, but they cannot enter the interior of this pasture based on the park's regulations.
3.3 Bita Lake 碧塔海
As one of the lakes with the highest altitude in Yunnan Province, Bita Lake is also the place with the most beautiful scenery in Potatso National Park. "Bita" means "oak trees form felt" in Tibetan, this is because there are plenty of oak forests and primeval forests distributed around the lake. When the shadows of the trees are reflected in the lake, the scenery is breathtaking and spectacular. What's more, it is an island in the shape of a round tower in the center of the lake, which is regarded as a sacred mountain by the locals due to the reason that this beautiful place has also been given a lot of mythological meanings in ancient times, so it attracts a lot of tourist lovers to come here for more exploration about its story.
As a provincial-level nature reserve, wetland by the lake coexists with alpine meadows, which makes it a wonderful tourist attraction not to be missed. Since the wetland ecosystem and the surrounding forest, swamp and meadow ecosystems basically maintain their original states, so it is not only the habitat of rare fish such as Ptychobarbus chungtienensis, but also it provides a stopover and wintering place for rare birds such as black-necked cranes. Most importantly, the walking plank road of Bita Lake is about 4.4 kilometres long, thus for those travelers who like hiking and taking special pictures of unique birds and animals, this is an absolutely good scenic spot.
4. Tourist Attractions Nearby Potatso National Park
The tourist attractions around Potatso National Park include Shika Snow Mountain, Napa Lake, Ganden Sumtseling Monastery and Dukezong Ancient City.
Shika Snow Mountain is sited in the southwest of Shangri-La County and is adjacent to Napa Lake. In the local Tibetan language, Shika Snow Mountain means "the mountain with red deer". Although it is called a snow mountain, in fact, there is only snow from November to April and May of the next year. At other times, tourists can enjoy the lush meadows and blooming azaleas at low altitudes, only wandering among them will make them feel very comfortable.
Napa Lake and Ganden Sumtseling Monastery are relatively close to Potatso National Park. Tourists can start at 8 o'clock in the morning to go to Napa Sea or Ganden Sumtseling and then take about two hours to take pictures around. After visiting in the morning and having lunch at noon, travelers can take rest around 1 o'clock and then set off to Potatso National Park, it takes about one and a half hours to take a car to the entrance of the parking lot to buy tickets. Tourists need to take a sightseeing bus to enter the scenic area and spend 4-5 hours there for the whole visit. After visiting Potatso National Park, they can go to Dukezong Ancient City in the next day. "Dukezong" means "Moonlight City" and "a castle built on stones" in Tibetan. There are many ancient buildings in this castle, tourists can also experience different folk customs and feel the peaceful and harmonious atmosphere in the ancient city.
5. Recommended Visiting Routes
5.1 How To Get To Potatso National Park
There are mainly the following transportation methods to Potatso Park.
Shuttle bus: There is one shuttle bus to Potatso every day at Shangri-La Passenger Transport Terminal. It costs 30 yuan for a round trip. It departs at 9:30 in the morning and returns at 15:30 in the afternoon.
Chartered car: Tourists can select an appropriate vehicle model according to their own situation.
Taxi: It costs about 80 yuan for a one-way trip and 150 yuan for a round trip. However, it should be noted that it is best to agree on the pick-up and drop-off time with the driver when departing and leave the driver's phone number to avoid not being able to get a taxi when returning.
Tips
There are four shuttle buses to Potatso National Park every day at Shangri-La Passenger Transport Terminal. The departure time is 08:00, 08:30, 9:00 and 09:30 respectively. The return time is 14:00, 14:30, 15:00 and 15:30 respectively. The one-way fare is 15 yuan per person and the journey takes about half an hour.
Chartered car: The cost is about 100 yuan for one way, 150-200 yuan for a round trip, and about 50 yuan per person for carpooling.
Touring methods: Purchase scenic spot tickets and bus tickets (mandatory). After entering the scenic spot, travelers can take the sightseeing bus to the parking lot of each scenic spot. Within the scope of each scenic spot, they can adopt other methods to visit. For example, the bus will take you to the parking lot of Shudu Lake at the first scenic spot, then you can choose to hike, take a boat or continue to take the bus to the scenic area of Shudu Lake. In fact, for tourists with good physical strength, hiking is undoubtedly the best way because they will have a great deal of time to take pictures. If you take a boat, you need to buy a ticket at the designated place and some sightseeing may be missed during the journey.
Ticket purchase notice: People can buy tickets directly at the entrance of the scenic spot or online. However, after purchasing tickets online, you must wait for two hours before you can pick up the tickets and enter. The opening hours of the scenic spot are 8:30 in winter (8:00 in summer). Therefore, if you buy tickets online, it is best to do it one day in advance, otherwise it will affect the tourist's itinerary arrangements of that day.
Sightseeing bus: According to the regulations of the scenic spot, tourists must get on and off at the designated places and take the bus to visit each scenic spot, so they are not allowed to get off during the journey.
5.2 The Best Way To Appreciate Bita Lake And Shudu Lake
Bita Lake is about 8 kilometres away from the park gate, the hiking route of this lake is a total of 2 kilometers back and forth and takes about 50 minutes. Since the ecological education experience area of Bita Lake is strictly protected, visitors need to move within the area designated by the park. To experience Bita Lake, one needs to hike about 1 kilometer on the wooden plank road to the lakeside viewing platform. After the experience, travelers return to the parking lot along the same route.
Potatso National Park has set up an ecological hiking experience area. After arriving at the Shudu Lake parking lot, tourists can choose to combine boating and hiking together, the flat wooden plank road is 3.3 kilometers long. The estimated hiking time is about 2 hours. Among them, there is a secluded walking path, which is a hiking route full of primeval forests and small streams. The whole journey is about 2.2 kilometers and is very worthy of exploration by visitors.
6. Travel Tips
6.1 The Best Time To Go There
The best time to travel to Potatso National Park is from April to June and from September to November. During the two periods, the good weather makes it very suitable for photography and hiking.
From April to June, the spring scenery is very enchanting since various flowers are in full bloom, the alpine lakes and flower seas are extremely beautiful and spectacular in this season.
From September to November, although it is already autumn, the park's sightseeing is still colorful at this time, visitors can notice that the leaves gradually change from dark green to orange-yellow and fiery red, contrasting with the azure blue of the lake and forming a beautiful autumn picture. Consequently, for those visitors who love taking photos or sharing the stunning views in their blogs or travel diary, this will be an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
6.2 Travel Precautions
Precautions for traveling to Potatso Park mainly include the following points:
Altitude sickness: Due to the high altitude of the park, altitude sickness may occur. It is recommended to carry enough oxygen cylinders and dry food to replenish physical strength for emergencies.
Clothing and equipment: Since the temperature difference in the park is relatively large, it is recommended to wear comfortable clothing that is easy to add or remove, and you'd better prepare a warm coat. In addition, the comfortable sports shoes or hiking shoes are a must, as hiking is the main activity in the park.
Food and water: There are few restaurants in the park. It is recommended to bring your own portable food and enough drinking water. You can also spot drinking water sources in the scenic area, but bringing your own water bottle is necessary.
7. Food And Accommodation
The special cuisines in Potatso National Park mainly feature in yak cheese, highland barley cake, buttered tea, yak hot pot, Tibetan-style dumplings and yogurt etc. These cuisines are not only diverse in unique tastes but also possess strong Tibetan characteristics. Yak cheese has a rich taste and is full of milky flavor, highland barley cake tastes crispy and tender, sweet and delicious. Buttered tea has a strong Tibetan flavor and a mellow taste. Yak hot pot, Tibetan-style dumplings and yogurt are also very unique local delicacies, allowing visitors to deeply experience the distinct Tibetan flavor.
The restaurants around Potatso National Park mainly include Burger Restaurant, Potatso Restaurant, and Snow Mountain Manor Restaurant. If tourists want to eat authentic yak beef burgers, they can go to the Burger Restaurant, it offers authentic Tibetan fragrant pig and yak beef burgers, as well as things like seaweed soup, which are indeed very delicious.
If visitors want to eat yak barbecue, they can go to Potatso Restaurant, which offers the top quality of yak barbecue.
For those who want to pursue a higher quality of dining experience, they can go to Snow Mountain Manor Restaurant. The good service attitude from the staff and delicious food, adding the wonderful surrounding atmosphere with lovely little animals around, tourists may feel it is worth a visit.
Regarding the accommodation, please consult with us and we will help you to order the good quality hotels with cost effective price.
