Hailuogou 海螺沟

About Hailuogou

Its visitor route combines scenic buses, forest viewpoints and the cable-car area at Camp Four, now also called Gongga Hall. Clear weather can reveal the high mountain and icefall, while the lower valley shows the unusual meeting of forest and glacier terrain. Current managed paths are the basis for a visit: walking onto the glacier or beyond the open scenic area is prohibited.

Hailuogou lies on the eastern slope of Mount Gongga (贡嘎山) in Luding County, next to Moxi town, about 380 kilometres southwest of Chengdu, and is a national 5A scenic area (国家5A级景区). It is known for a low-altitude modern glacier, a large ice waterfall, forest, cloud and mist, a red stone beach (红石滩) and alpine hot springs, and contains more than 70 square kilometres of primeval forest whose vegetation is distributed vertically, with glacier, hot springs and forest existing together.

Hot springs are found within the scenic area at Camp One, Camp Two and Camp Three, with water temperatures between 50 and 90 degrees Celsius, forming neutral therapeutic springs. Camp One, at about 1,900 metres, is the lowest of the three and so less likely to cause altitude sickness; it lies 15 kilometres from Moxi and its spring water reaches 78 degrees Celsius. Camp Two, also called Reshuigou Boiling Spring (热水沟沸泉), lies about 7 kilometres from Camp One, with a maximum flow of 8,900 tonnes and an outlet temperature of up to 90 degrees Celsius. Camp Three, at about 2,940 metres, is the highest of the three.

What to look for

• The Camp Four, Gongga Hall, mountain and glacier panorama when visibility permits.
• The contrast between forested lower slopes and glacier terrain along the open route.

Location & getting there

Getting to Hailuogou

Begin at the Hailuogou visitor centre in Moxi, Luding County. Use the reserved scenic bus to Ganheba and the operating cable car for Camp Four; confirm the timed-entry slot.