Hailuogou Valley
Hailuogou is a national forest Park with mordern glacier and a beautiful valley. It is officially named Hailuogou National Glacier Forest Park and commonly called Hailuogou Valley among the Western tourists. Located on the eastern mountainside of Mt. Gongga (7756m above sea level) within Moxi Town of Luding County, Sichuan Province, the park is famous for its low altitude glacier, glacier cascades, mountain hot springs and virgin forests.
Hailuogou Valley is the biggest glacier park in China with the lowest glacier in the world. Its glacier belongs to the valley glacier, stretching 14.4 kilometers long and covering an area of 23.2 square kilometers. With a lowest altitude of 2,850 meters, the glacier is easily accessible to visitors. The glaciers there are formed in various vivid shapes, such as arches, caves, stairs, gates, lakes and hills, look very beautiful.
Hailuogou has the highest and grandest glacier cascade in China. The cascade measures 500-1100 meters wide and a drop of 1,080 meters. Looking like the milk way descending from heaven, it sends out brilliant rays in the sunshine, creating a superb view.
Enjoying the hot spring bath in Hailuogou Valley is an exciting experience. Here you can find a swimming pool with a water temperature of 40 ℃ to 60 ℃, where you can bathe or swim in the hot springs. The water temperature of the hot springs in No.2 Encampment reaches 80 ℃, which is one of the few hot spring waterfalls in the world.
In Hailuogou, more than 70 square kilometers virgin forests are well kept there. The vegetation is in vertical distribution, forming strange scene of the coexistence of forest and glacier. Many mountaineer teams often stay in the Lodgepole pine forests of Hailuogou as their base camps.
Hailuogou is suitable for tourism, vacations, convalescence, mountain climbing, scientific exploration, and adventure holidays. The climate there is cool in summer and warm in winter, fewer clouds and more sunshine, the annual rainfall is about 2000mm. Slowly walking along the mountain roads, you can experience the everchanging plant landscapes. While walking through the jungles, you may tumble upon the lovely macaques, pandas, wildebeests, golden pheasants with red belly and many other rare animals.
