China, however you cut it, is a very large country. Not only does it rank third in overall land area, but it’s also incredibly diverse geographically, with a long ocean coast, deep canyons, mighty rivers, wide plains, lofty snow-capped mountains, jungles, and two of the world’s most spectacular deserts within its borders. China’s natural beauty is something many outsiders are still not well acquainted with, and one place you can experience it firsthand is Sanjiangyuan National Park.
Occupying an area roughly the size of England in southern Qinghai Province, Sanjiangyuan National Park is Asia at its most rugged and untamed. This wild expanse of land sits high on the Tibetan Plateau at elevations often exceeding 15,000 feet. At 150,000 square miles, it’s around 14 times the size of Yellowstone National Park. The landscapes and ecosystems found here are as varied as China itself, ranging from grasslands and marshes to alpine lakes and towering, rocky crags.
Perhaps most impressive is the array of wildlife that thrives in the park, including the notoriously hard-to-spot snow leopard. China is home to around 60% of this iconic cat’s world population, and the park offers opportunities to see these ghostlike creatures while also staying with locals — an eco-tourism venture that supports both the leopards and the human communities that call this extraordinary place home.
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Soak up China’s unspoiled high-altitude splendor at Sanjiangyuan National Park
A group of women and a child stand in front of a lake in Tibet – Wang He/Getty Images
Sanjiangyuan was established as China’s first official national park in 2021 as part of a plan to build the world’s largest national park system. While it’s the largest, four other parks were created alongside it: Wuyi Mountain, Giant Panda, Northeast China Tiger and Leopard, and Hainan Tropical Rainforest. The name “Sanjiangyuan” means “source of three rivers,” referring to the headwaters of the Yangtze River, Yellow River, and Mekong River (known in China as the Lancang). These rivers supply an estimated one billion people downstream with freshwater, placing them among Asia’s most important watersheds.
You’ll find more than pristine river sources in Sanjiangyuan National Park. Its extremely high-altitude location makes it one of the planet’s most distinctive landscapes, sometimes referred to as the “Third Pole” because of its cold, dry climate. And while humans have called the Tibetan Plateau home for millennia, it’s a sparsely populated area with a beautiful, wide-open landscape punctuated by dramatic mountain rises and stunning bodies of freshwater.
“Here, a deep blue lake lies still like glass, broken only by drifting ice carried on the highland wind,” notes China Daily in a piece about the park. “Beyond it, snow-covered peaks rise in quiet permanence, framing a landscape both vast and untouched.” Deep China built upon this, describing Sanjiangyuan as a place where “wetlands and lakes dot the grasslands like scattered pearls. Crystal-clear waters mirror the blue sky, white clouds, and distant peaks, and winding rivers surge forward like the earth’s veins.”
Experience local people and stunning wildlife at Sanjiangyuan National Park
A snow leopard stalks on some rocks – Adrian Dockerty/Getty Images
Despite its remote location, people live in Sanjiangyuan. You’ll find communities of Tibetan herders in the park, and an ideal way to experience it is to stay with them. Not only will you learn about day-to-day life in such a breathtaking environment, but the locals can act as teachers and guides, as many of them make their living as ecological rangers.
While Sanjiangyuan’s natural scenery may enchant you, one could argue that its wildlife is the real star of the show. Like this region in South America called the “Brazilian Serengeti,” the park is teeming with animals. You’ll find over 270 species of vertebrates here, including Eurasian lynx, argali sheep, brown bears, gray wolves, wild yak, Tibetan foxes, antelopes, and snow leopards. In fact, Sanjianyuan boasts one of the world’s most important habitats for snow leopards, with estimates of 400 to 700 of these majestic alpine felines living in the park. However, they remain extremely difficult to spot, but guided tours may improve your chances.
The best way to get to Sanjiangyuan National Park is to fly or take a train to Xining, the capital of Qinghai Province. From there, you can take National Highway 214 to the gate of the park, which takes at least 10 hours. Most people, however, join an organized tour, as you’ll need a sturdy four-wheel-drive vehicle and a driver who knows the lay of the land to explore the park. For more of Asia’s natural wonders, consider these 10 incredible hiking trips in Nepal.
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Read the original article on Islands.
