The Meili Snow Mountains are a glaciated range on the border of Yunnan and Tibet, between the Mekong and Salween rivers, whose summit Kawagebo (about 6,740 m) is the highest point in Yunnan. Kawagebo is one of the most sacred mountains of Tibetan Buddhism, circled each year by pilgrims; it has never been climbed, and after seventeen members of a Sino-Japanese expedition died on it in 1991, mountaineering on the peak was prohibited.
- UNESCO World Heritage (natural) — Three Parallel Rivers · 2003
- National scenic area
Key facts
Overview
The range runs north–south for some 150 kilometres along the Yunnan–Tibet border in Deqin county, with more than a dozen summits above 6,000 metres. From the eastern side, across the deep trench of the Mekong, the peaks rise almost 5,000 metres above the river — one of the greatest reliefs in the Hengduan Mountains. The Tibetan name Kawagebo (Kha ba dkar po) means “white snow”; the Chinese name Meili is of uncertain origin and is used for the whole range.
For Tibetans Kawagebo is a warrior god and protector of the region, one of the great holy mountains of the Tibetan world, and the pilgrimage around it draws people from across Kham and beyond. The range is part of the Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan World Heritage site, where the Yangtze, Mekong and Salween flow side by side through parallel gorges.
How the landscape formed
The Meili range is a folded and uplifted block of the Hengduan Mountains, squeezed between two of Asia's great rivers as India pushed into Eurasia. The Mekong on the east and the Salween on the west have cut gorges several thousand metres deep, while monsoon moisture funnelled up the valleys from the Bay of Bengal feeds large glaciers at unusually low altitudes. The Mingyong Glacier descends from Kawagebo to around 2,700 metres into subtropical forest, among the lowest-reaching glaciers in China, and is notably active and prone to ice collapses.
Highlights
Kawagebo
卡瓦格博
The main summit, a sharp snow pyramid; Tibetan Kha ba dkar po, “white snow”.
Mianzimu
缅茨姆
A slender peak regarded as Kawagebo's consort, the goddess of the range.
Five Crown Peaks
五冠峰
A group of summits between Kawagebo and Mianzimu, seen as five Buddhas.
Mingyong Glacier
明永冰川
A long glacier falling from Kawagebo into forest above the Mekong, with temples and a walkway to viewpoints.
Yubeng
雨崩村
A Tibetan village in a high hidden valley below the peaks, reached only on foot or by mule.
Sacred Waterfall
神瀑
A waterfall above Lower Yubeng where pilgrims stand under the spray as a blessing.
Plants and wildlife
Within a horizontal distance of a few tens of kilometres the landscape passes from dry-hot valley scrub along the Mekong through pine, oak and fir forest to alpine meadow, scree and ice. This vertical compression of climates makes the range part of one of the most biodiverse temperate regions on Earth, which is why the Three Parallel Rivers were inscribed as a natural World Heritage site.
Plants
Alpine rhododendrons
高山杜鹃
Dense thickets on the slopes below the snowline, flowering in late spring.
Fir forest
冷杉
Old-growth fir and spruce on the shaded slopes around Yubeng.
Wildlife
Black snub-nosed monkey
滇金丝猴
An endangered primate of the Yunling and Meili ranges, living in the highest forests of any non-human primate.
White eared pheasant
藏马鸡
A large, pale pheasant of the forests and meadows, often seen near monasteries.
Culture and legend
Tibetan pilgrims walk two circuits of the mountain. The outer kora is a circuit of the whole range lasting about two weeks, crossing high passes and entering the Tibet Autonomous Region before returning to the Mekong valley; the inner kora leads to the sacred sites around Yubeng and the glaciers. Kawagebo is said to have been born in a year of the Sheep, and in Sheep years the number of pilgrims multiplies. Local villagers regard the snow of the summit as the god's dwelling; the refusal to allow climbing reflects their protests after the 1991 expedition as much as official policy.
Outer kora
外转经
The long pilgrimage circuit around the entire range, crossing into Tibet.
Inner kora
内转经
The shorter circuit to the Sacred Waterfall, the glaciers and holy lakes around Yubeng.
Feilai Temple
飞来寺
A small temple near Deqin town with a line of chortens facing the range, the classic viewpoint for sunrise on the peaks.
History
Early 20th century
Western exploration
Missionaries, botanists and explorers crossing the Mekong–Salween divide described the range; plant collectors worked in the valleys.
1987–1990
First attempts on Kawagebo
Japanese and Sino-Japanese teams made the first serious attempts on the summit, turned back by weather and avalanches.
3–4 January 1991
Avalanche on Kawagebo
An avalanche buried Camp 3 of a joint expedition of the Kyoto University Alpine Club and Chinese climbers, killing all seventeen members at the camp, eleven Japanese and six Chinese — one of the deadliest disasters in mountaineering history.
1998 onwards
Remains found on the Mingyong Glacier
Local villagers found remains and equipment of the 1991 expedition as the glacier carried them down over the following years.
2003
UNESCO World Heritage
The range was inscribed as part of the Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas.
Early 2000s
Climbing prohibited
Following local opposition, the authorities prohibited mountaineering on Kawagebo; the summit remains unclimbed.
Through the seasons
Spring
Rhododendrons flower in the forests; the peaks are clear on many mornings before cloud builds.
Summer
The monsoon brings heavy rain and cloud from June to September; trails around Yubeng are muddy and landslides can block roads.
Autumn
October and November are the most reliable months for clear views of Kawagebo and the favoured season for trekking.
Winter
Clear, cold weather with frequent sunrise views; high passes on the outer kora are snowbound.
Routes and ways in
Yubeng trek
A walk over a forested pass of about 3,700 m into the Yubeng valley, with day walks from the village to the Sacred Waterfall and to the Ice Lake below the glaciers; usually three to four days in total.
Mingyong Glacier
A trail and walkway from Mingyong village up through forest to the Taizi Temple and viewpoints over the ice.
Feilai Temple viewpoint
Terraces near Deqin town facing the whole range across the Mekong, used for sunrise views.
Outer kora
A pilgrimage circuit of about two weeks through Yunnan and Tibet, over several passes above 4,000 m; it crosses into the Tibet Autonomous Region, where foreign travellers need the Tibet Travel Permit and further permits.
Practical notes
- Deqin town lies at about 3,300 m and the trekking passes are higher; acclimatise in Shangri-La or Lijiang first.
- Kawagebo is sacred: walk clockwise around shrines and chortens, do not remove stones or prayer flags, and ask before photographing pilgrims.
- Mountain roads along the Mekong are prone to rockfall and landslides, especially in the monsoon.
- Routes of the outer kora that cross into Tibet are subject to Tibet's permit rules for foreign visitors; see the visa section for general entry rules.
Cities to start from
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas — UNESCO World Heritage Centre (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Yunnan Provincial People's Government — Yunnan Provincial People's Government (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- American Alpine Journal — expedition reports on the Meili range — American Alpine Club (retrieved 27 September 2026)
More mountains and nature in Yunnan
- Lake · 4,122 mErhai Lake and Cangshan洱海The highland lake and nineteen-peak range of the Bai homeland
- Mountain · 5,596 mJade Dragon Snow Mountain玉龙雪山The glaciated massif above Lijiang, sacred to the Naxi
- National parkPotatso (Pudacuo) National Park普达措国家公园Alpine lakes, meadows and fir forest east of Shangri-La
- Karst landscapeStone Forest (Shilin)石林Limestone pillars of the Yunnan plateau, home of the Sani Yi
- GorgeTiger Leaping Gorge虎跳峡The Jinsha river between two snow mountains
- ForestXishuangbanna Tropical Rainforest西双版纳热带雨林China's largest tropical rainforest, home of wild Asian elephants
Related
Philosophy
Chinese Buddhism →
Province
Yunnan →
Yunnan is China's south-westernmost province, bordering Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam, and reaching from the snow peaks of the Hengduan Mountains to the…
City · Yunnan
Shangri-La →
Shangri-La, formerly Zhongdian, is a county-level city at about 3,300 metres in north-western Yunnan and the capital of the Diqing Tibetan Autonomous…
Autonomous region
Tibet →
The Tibet Autonomous Region (Xizang) is a provincial-level region of China on the Tibetan Plateau, with an average altitude above 4,000 metres,…
Travel
China Visa Guide →
Visa types, the visa-free scheme, 240-hour transit, the Digital Arrival Card and how to apply.