Yarlung Zangbo Great Canyon
( 2005-10-14 )

Best time to go: From July to October

TheYarlung Zangbo River, originating from a Tibetan glacier on the north Himalayas, is thought to be the highest river on the earth with an average altitude of more than 3,000 meters. It is 2,057 kilometers, ending in India, where it is named the Brahmaputra. The river is the largest river in Tibet and the sixth longest in China.

TheYarlung Zangbo Rivermakes a very sharp turn when it meets snow capped Mt. Namcha Barwa, which soars 7,782 meters, where it generally stays in clouds. The turn is so sharp that a great canyon larger and more spectacular than the Grand Canyon in Colorado has formed. The Great Canyon of Yarlung Zangbo's reaches 5,382 meters in depth and is 496.3 kilometers long, about 56 kilometers longer than the Grand Canyon in Colorado. Standing by it, one can feel a fascination with nature, awed by its precipitous cliffs, hotsprings, waterfalls, primeval forests, and rare plants and animals.

The Yarlung Zangbo Great Canyon is the world's largest canyon, covering 17,000 square kilometers. It has 17 snow-clad peaks above 6,000 meters, though the river drops 155 meters at its end. Wet winds from the Indian plains blow into the area.

The complex and unique geographic and climate conditions make it a museum of wildlife. Rare and unique plants and animals, existing only in this area on the earth, are well preserved. At the deepest of the great canyon, the Menba and Luoba peoplelive their primitive lifestyles on some of the most purified lands on earth.

It takes a month to walk through the Yarlung Zangbo Canyon . From July to October is the season for entering the canyon.