Travel Tips of Haba Snow Mountain Climbing in Shangrila

Haba Snow Mountain is a mountain rising above the northwest side of Tiger Leaping Gorge in Yunnan, China. It rises opposite the higher Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, and towers 3,500 metres above the upper reaches of the Yangtze River(Jinsha River). The summit of the mountain is a popular destination for amateur mountaineers and its lowest slopes are crossed by the popular Tiger Leaping Gorge trail. Its massif is considered the southernmost extent of the expansive Shaluli Mountains, themselves a component range of the Hengduan Mountains.

Basic Information about Haba Snow Mountain

Facts of Haba Snow Mountain

  • Elevation (meters):5,396
  • Continent: Asia
  • Country: China
  • Latitude: 27.3394
  • Longitude:100.191
  • Difficulty:Basic Snow/Ice Climb
  • Nearest major airport: Lijiang (Yunnan China)
  • Tour starts/finishes: Lijiang or Shangri-La
  • Fitness required: Excellent
  • Recommended Visit Time: 2-4 days

GPS data of Haba Snow Mountain

  • Haba Village: E100.08.110 N27.18.935 altitude: 2626 m
  • Base Camp: E100.05.419 N27.20.556 altitude: 4115 m
  • C1 camp: E100.06.382 N27.19.766 altitude: 4967 m
  • Peak: E100.06.230 N27.19.161 altitude: 5396 m 

Necessary Equipment for Haba Snow Mountain Climbing

High-top waterproof hiking shoes, head lamps, talpenstocks, gaiters, snow goggles, wind-proof caps, gloves, winter jackets, technical pants, raincoats, vacuum cups, backpacks with rain covers, close-fitting quick-drying clothes, more than three pairs of socks, personal medicines, mobile power supply, sunscreens, lipsticks and other personal items!

Note: It should be emphasized that the gloves should be double-layered, the socks must be thick, the hiking shoes should be bigger, the backpacks should be around 20 liters.

See more about Equipment for Shangri-La Haba Snow Mountain Climbing.

Best Time to Climb Haba Snow Mountain

Above 4,000 meters in Haba Snow Mountain are precipitous snow peaks and rugged glaciers. Below 4,000 meters, the terrain slopes gently where subtropical zone, temperate zone, cold temperate zone and frigid zone are distributed. The temperature difference can reach 22.8℃ between the foot and top of Haba Snow Mountain.

Best time to climb Haba Snow Mountain is between mid of March till end of June and mid of September till mid of December. Affected by the monsoons, fresh gales blow in January and February. From April to June, the blossoming rhododendra add more glamour to mysterious Haba Snow Mountain. In the late autumn, the forest is full of color, the air is pure, and the starry sky can be photographed. From November to December, the light wind makes tourists more easily to climb up to the summit. 

So if you want to climb Haba Snow Mountain in winter, you can do it in November and early December, or in late February and March.

See more about The Best Time to Climb Haba Snow Mountain.

Main Attractions of Haba Snow Mountain

  • Snow Peak: It is covered by snow year-round. The upstanding main peak, together with four little peaks around it, seems to be a shining crown on a fine day in the distance.
  • Magnificent Glaciers: The glaciers that cover Haba mountain, known locally as the “snow sea”, lie about 4,000 meters above sea level on the northwestern slope of the peak of Haba.
  • Black Sea: It gets its name from the color of its water which is as black as ink. An abundance of Chinese giant salamanders will swim together forming a ring in the shallows of the Black Sea with an appropriate temperature is reached, which makes it more attractive.
  • Huanghai Lake: Huanghai Lake is located on the northwest side of the Heihai Lake of Haba snow mountain, 4,300 meters above sea level. The bottom of the lake is all yellow sand, reflected yellow in the water.
  • Wonderful Waterfalls: There are also hanging springs and waterfalls in Haba Snow Mountain including Jianshan Waterfall, Dadiaoshui Waterfall, etc.
  • Beautiful Azaleas: From April to June, there are more than 200 hundred kinds of azaleas are distributed from the bottom to the top of the mountain, accounting for 70% of those in Yunnan.

How to Get to Haba Snow Mountain

Tourists can take a long-distance bus from Lijiang or Shangri-La to Qiaotou and it will take about 2 hours. Then rent a car or a minibus driving along the highway near Tiger Leaping Gorge for Haba Village.

If you miss the direct long-distance bus to Qiaotou from Lijiang or Shangri-La, it’s easy to rent a car or a minibus and get to Haba Village. The driver of chartering car can stop for you to enjoy the scenery and take photos. Yunnan Exploration Travel can provide car-rental service, please contact us.

See more about How to Get to Haba Snow Mountain.

Recommended Climbing Route

Recommend you to start with a warm-up trekking from Tiger Leaping Gorge to Haba Village first instead of arriving Haba Town by bus. Then you can start your Haba Snow Mountain Climbing Tour from Haba Village. From Haba Village to the Base Camp, it takes an average walk of 5-6 hours. The Base Camp is at the altitude of 4,100 meters. From here, hike up to 4,900 meters in 3 hours, and another 2 hours to the top. If there is no snow up to the 4,900m point, you can easily get there in 2 hours, and another 1.5 hours to the top (5,406 meters). Here we have a recommended itinerary. 

  • Day 1: Lijiang – Tiger Leaping Gorge – Haba village
  • Day 2: Haba Village – The Base Camp of Haba Snow Mountain
  • Day 3: The Base Camp of Haba Snow Mountain – The Summit – The Base Camp of Haba Snow Mountain
  • Day 4: The Base Camp of Haba Snow Mountain – Haba Village – Lijiang

More Recommended Haba Snow Mountain Climbing Tours:

Safety Concern of Haba Snow Mountain Climbing

In a fine summer day, ordinary tourists may reach the summit successfully if they follow the suggestions from the professional climbers. However there are some accidents happened, some of famous travelers died here, so everything needs to be paid full attention and taken care of. If you plan to climb Haba Snow Mountain without any previous experience, hire a mountain guide and try to avoid climbing the mountain alone. Be ready that your plans ascending mountain top can be canceled. If you have time, stay more days at the base camp, and climb when the weather is good. 

Nearby Attractions

  • Tiger Leaping Gorge
    The Tiger Leaping Gorge is one of the deepest gorges with spectacular sceneries on the planet such as Jade Dragon Snow Mountain to the west and Haba Snow Mountain to the east.
  • Jade Dragon Snow Mountain
    Jade Dragon Snow Mountain now is a famous scenic spot for sightseeing, mountaineering, skiing, exploration, scientific research and taking holiday.