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中|CHINANETZ

National park · Yunnan

Potatso (Pudacuo) National Park

普达措国家公园 (Pǔdácuò Guójiā Gōngyuán)

Alpine lakes, meadows and fir forest east of Shangri-La

Potatso (Pudacuo) National Park is a protected area of alpine lakes, wetlands, meadows and old-growth conifer forest at around 3,500 to 4,000 metres, east of Shangri-La in north-western Yunnan. Established in 2007 as the first protected area in mainland China to be run under the name of a national park, it takes in Shudu Lake and Bita Lake, whose wetland has been a Ramsar site since 2004.

Key facts

Established
2007 (Yunnan pilot national park)
Ramsar site
Bitahai Wetland, 2004[1]
Elevation of lakes
about 3,500–3,700 m
Location
Shangri-La, Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan

Overview

The park lies on the high plateau of Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, in the wider Three Parallel Rivers region, and combines two long-protected areas: the Bita Lake nature reserve and the Shudu Lake area. Rolling ridges of spruce and fir, lichen-hung and carpeted with moss, enclose two clear lakes and broad marshy meadows where Tibetan herders graze yaks and cattle in summer.

Yunnan created the park in 2007 as an experiment in managing a protected area on the international national-park model, with a strictly protected core, a limited visitor corridor served by shuttle buses and boardwalks, and a share of revenue for the villages inside it. Its experience fed into the national park system that China began to build in the following decade.

How the landscape formed

The park occupies an uplifted plateau surface within the Hengduan Mountains, shaped by Quaternary glaciers. Glacial scouring and moraines created the basins of Bita and Shudu lakes, and poorly drained hollows between the ridges have filled with peat, fens and wet meadows. The lakes drain towards the Jinsha river, the upper Yangtze.

Highlights

  • Shudu Lake

    属都湖 (Shǔdū Hú)

    A lake in a basin of forested hills and meadows, walked around on a lakeside boardwalk.

  • Bita Lake

    碧塔海 (Bìtǎ Hǎi)

    A long, clear alpine lake with a small forested island, the core of the Ramsar-listed wetland.

  • Militang meadow

    弥里塘 (Mílǐtáng)

    A wide alpine pasture between the lakes, carpeted with flowers in early summer.

Plants and wildlife

The park protects alpine lakes, wetlands and peatlands together with mature forests of spruce, fir and larch and extensive rhododendron scrub. It is part of one of the richest temperate plant regions in the world, and the lakes hold endemic fish.

Plants

  • Rhododendrons

    杜鹃花 (dùjuānhuā)

    Dense thickets around the lakes that flower in late May and June.

  • Fir forest

    长苞冷杉 (chángbāo lěngshān)

    Old-growth fir (Abies georgei) with hanging lichens on the ridges.

  • Beard lichen

    松萝 (sōngluó)

    Hangs in pale strands from the branches, a sign of clean air.

Wildlife

  • Schizothoracine fish

    裂腹鱼 (lièfùyú)

    Carp relatives adapted to cold plateau waters; the lakes of the Zhongdian plateau hold species found nowhere else.

  • Black-necked crane

    黑颈鹤 (hēijǐnghè)

    A plateau crane that winters in the wetlands around Shangri-La.

Culture and legend

The name is usually explained as a Chinese rendering of Tibetan words linking the lake with the Potala, the mythical abode of Avalokiteshvara — “a boat crossing to the Potala”. Tibetan villages inside the park keep their summer pastures and take part in running it. A local story tells of fish in Bita Lake falling asleep after eating fallen rhododendron petals, a tale of the season when the flowers drop on the water.

  • Rhododendron-drunk fish

    杜鹃醉鱼 (dùjuān zuì yú)

    The local saying for fish said to float stunned after eating rhododendron petals on Bita Lake.

  • Luorong village

    洛茸村 (Luòróng Cūn)

    A Tibetan village within the park, with timber houses and barley fields.

History

  1. 1980s

    Bita Lake protected

    Bita Lake was placed under protection as a provincial nature reserve.

  2. 2003

    Three Parallel Rivers inscribed

    The surrounding region of north-western Yunnan became a UNESCO World Heritage site.

  3. 2004

    Ramsar site

    Bitahai Wetland was designated a Wetland of International Importance.

  4. 2007

    National park established

    Yunnan opened Pudacuo as a pilot national park, combining the Bita Lake and Shudu Lake areas.

Through the seasons

  • Spring

    Snow melts in April and May; the forests are quiet and the first flowers appear.

  • Summer

    June brings rhododendron blossom and flowering meadows; July to September is the rainy season, with green pastures and herds.

  • Autumn

    Larch and birch turn gold in October and the skies clear; nights are frosty.

  • Winter

    Cold, with snow on the ridges; the lakes may freeze and parts of the visitor route may close in bad weather.

Routes and ways in

  1. Shudu Lake boardwalk

    A lakeside boardwalk through forest and meadow around part of the lake, taking an hour or two on foot.

  2. Militang meadow

    A stop with viewing platforms over the high pasture between the lakes.

  3. Bita Lake boardwalk

    A walk along the shore of Bita Lake, the quieter and more wooded of the two lakes.

Practical notes

  • The park lies at around 3,500 to 4,000 m; walk slowly and allow a day or two to acclimatise in Shangri-La (about 3,300 m) first.
  • Visitors move through the park by the park's own shuttle buses and walk on boardwalks; private vehicles are not allowed inside.
  • Leaving the boardwalks, feeding animals and fishing are prohibited to protect the wetlands.
  • Weather changes quickly at this altitude; warm and waterproof clothing is needed even in summer.

Cities to start from

Frequently asked questions

Sources

  1. Bitahai Wetland — Ramsar Sites Information Service (retrieved 27 September 2026)
  2. Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas — UNESCO World Heritage Centre (retrieved 27 September 2026)
  3. Yunnan Provincial People's Government — Yunnan Provincial People's Government (retrieved 27 September 2026)

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