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Explore the region
About Baishuitai Travertine Terraces
Baishuitai sits in Baidi village, Sanba township, 101 km from the Xianggelila city centre. A Shangri-La state-media report describes it as China's largest travertine terrace and names several sub-features within it, among them 'Fields Left by the Immortals', the Five-Colour Jade Pool, Child-Seeking Cave, Sacred Spring Source and a rock inscription attributed to Mu Gao. The site is described as the birthplace of Naxi Dongba culture, from which the Dongba script developed. A Guangxu-era draft of the Zhongdian Prefecture Gazetteer is quoted recording that in the second lunar month people travelled great distances to make offerings and gather in numbers there, a practice that became the annual Sanba spring gathering; the second day of the second lunar month, known as 'Eryueba', remains a traditional Naxi festival at Sanba, when people in festive dress gather at Baishuitai to sing and dance around bonfires, sharing food before dancing in a circle to lusheng and drum music.
What to look for
- the terraced travertine formation, including the 'Fields Left by the Immortals' and Five-Colour Jade Pool sub-features
- the Child-Seeking Cave and Sacred Spring Source
- Mu Gao's rock inscription
Location & getting there
Getting to Baishuitai Travertine Terraces
Use an authorised visitor route. Cave sections, geological sites and access roads can close independently, so confirm the area that your ticket covers.
- Search for 白水台 with 迪庆藏族自治州 and 香格里拉市.
Find Baishuitai Travertine Terraces
白水台 · 香格里拉市
No reliable map pin yet: search by the Chinese name.
Sources & visit information
The linked sources support the identity and background described in this introduction. Opening hours, admission, activity availability and exact arrival arrangements have not been comprehensively checked. Confirm current visitor information with the venue; the original catalogue locality and editorial review flag are retained.