# Hailuogou Glacier Park (海螺沟)

Garze Prefecture, Sichuan Province · Southwest, China · Guidebook rating: 4/5
Canonical: https://cnatrip.com/en/places/hailuogou-glacier-park
Language: en

## Key facts

- **Admission:** Entry ticket ¥90 + sightseeing bus ¥160; cable car (round trip) ¥135; Yajia Love Sea (雅家情海) entry ¥35
- **Opening hours:** Winter 08:00-17:00; summer 07:00-18:00
- **Time needed:** 0.5-1 day
- **Address:** On the eastern slope of Gongga Mountain, in the southeast of Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture
- **Getting there:** Direct long-distance buses run daily from Chengdu's Xinnanmen Bus Station to Hailuogou. The trip takes about 5 hours, with a fare of around ¥120. Alternatively, take a bus toward Kangding and get off at Luding; the first bus departs at about 7:00, with a fare of around ¥100.
- **By car:** 1. From Chengdu, you can travel via Kangding → Luding → Hailuogou, a route of 101 km on mostly asphalt or concrete roads. There is also the Yumo Road (玉磨公路) from Yulin Township in Kangding City directly to Moxi Town, 74 km long, which crosses a high mountain at 4,000 m. In winter, this route requires a driver with extensive experience in snow and off-road driving. It is not recommended for ordinary drivers.
- **Good for:** Photography, Nature

## About Hailuogou Glacier Park

Hailuogou Glacier is the lowest-altitude glacier at its latitude anywhere on Earth. Its snow basin is the source of the entire glacier. When the snow and ice in the basin accumulate to a certain level, they spill over the rim and form enormous avalanches, so although the basin is beautiful and mysterious, it can only be admired from afar. At the basin's edge lies the largest known ice waterfall in China, crystal-clear and majestic.
At an altitude of 2,850 m, a glacier tongue 5,700 m long clings to the ground. Its surface is dotted with ice lakes, ice streams, crevasses, ice mushrooms, ice caves and ice bridges. The glacial arches are crystalline and transparent, blue tinged with green. Visitors who enter and exit through the glacier's “City Gate” arch are exploring the outlet of an underground river, yet what they see is a crystal palace.

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Source: China Self-Guided Travel 2025 (《中国自助游》, Tianjin Science & Technology Press, Aug 2024), p. 400. Prices, hours and transport details are as printed in the August 2024 edition and may have changed. Always confirm with the venue before you travel.
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