Pudacuo National Park

Pudacuo was designated in 2007 and presented as China's first national park on an international model, covering a plateau above 3,500 metres in the Three Parallel Rivers world heritage area. Its two centres are Shudu lake and Bita lake, both shallow alpine waters ringed by spruce and fir hung with lichen, with boardwalks running along the shores and across marshy meadows where yaks graze and, in June and July, rhododendron and alpine flowers come out. Visitors move between them by park shuttle, walking the boardwalk sections. Birds and small mammals are visible, and the forest is old and undisturbed.

What you actually see

• Shudu and Bita lakes - shallow alpine waters ringed by conifer.
• The boardwalks - raised paths along shores and across marsh meadows.
• The meadow flowers - rhododendron and alpines in June and July.
• The lichen forest - old spruce and fir hung with beard lichen.

When to go

May to October, with flowers in June and July and colour in October; winter closes much of the park and is severely cold. Altitude above 3,500 metres makes walking harder than it looks.

Honest expectations

Entry plus shuttle is expensive, and the walking is limited to set boardwalk sections. Altitude affects many visitors. Weather changes fast and rain is frequent in summer.

Nearby

Shangri-La lies west; the Napa Lake grassland is nearby.