Midui Glacier

Midui is a maritime glacier, fed by monsoon snowfall carried up from the Indian Ocean side of the Himalaya, and because this part of eastern Tibet is warm and wet the ice descends unusually low, ending at around 2,400 metres among conifer and rhododendron rather than above the treeline. The result is a view of an icefall and glacier tongue with forest and meadow in front of it, framed by two high peaks, with a lake at the snout and a village below. The glacier is retreating, and an ice avalanche in 2018 blocked the valley river and destroyed part of the road.

What you actually see

• The glacier tongue - ice descending to about 2,400 metres into forest.
• The icefall - the broken cascade of ice below the peaks.
• The snout lake - meltwater pooled at the end of the glacier.
• The forest setting - conifer and rhododendron in front of the ice.

When to go

April to October; the summer monsoon brings heavy rain, autumn is clearest with colour in the forest. Winter access is difficult. The glacier is often partly hidden by cloud.

Honest expectations

The glacier has retreated visibly and viewing platforms are further from the ice than older photographs suggest. Approaching the snout is restricted after the 2018 avalanche. Entry plus shuttle is charged.

Nearby

Bomi lies east; Ranwu lake is further east on the highway.