Hailuogou Glacier Park is a stunning area of glaciers and mountains in Western Sichuan. It is accessed through the town of Moxi, to the southwest of Chengdu, and boasts the lowest glacier in Asia.
Hailuogou Glacier Park is nestled up against the eastern flank of the huge Gonggar Mountain and is the biggest glacier park in China. Its main claim to fame is the low altitude of the glaciers although the park gets pretty busy with local tourists as a result.
Treks of the Mount Gonggar region go from Moxi, which is 50kms southwest of Luding. It’s an interesting little town of old buildings yet is not worth visiting unless you are here for Hailuogou Glacier Park.
The Grand Glacier Cascade is the main attraction in Hailuogou Glacier Park, with its 1,000-meter-plus drop along a six-kilometer glacial tongue. It is 30kms within the park and came into existence around 16 million years ago. The snow basin atop the glacier is its source.
Getting There & Away
The Sichuan-Tibet Highway connects Luding with Chengdu, from where mountain roads lead to Moxi, the gateway town 320kms from the provincial capital. Luding is 6 hours away by bus, from where Moxi is another 4 hours. The nearest major airport is Suhangliu International Airport in Chengdu, 10 hours by bus to the northeast. Flights between Beijing and Chengdu take 2 hours, 30 minutes.