Namjagbarwa is a cloud-kissing peak. In Tibetan, it means 'a spear piercing into the sky'. Surrounded by clouds and mists, snuggled by the river and valley and clustered round by forest, Namjagbarwa is appraised as the most beautiful mountain in China by a number of scientists, explorers and climbers.
Located at Nyingchi area in the southeastern part of China's Tibet, Namjagbarwa is the fifteenth highest peak in the world, with a height of 25,531 feet (7,782 meters) above sea level. From the top down to the bottom, in a linear distance of 6,562 feet (2 kilometers), scenes on the peak vary from snowy winter to evergreen season.
On the top, snow persists throughout the year. Beneath the snow-line, there are dark green alpine plants. Further down, clumps of bushes begin to appear. Mauve azaleas in full bloom and pink primroses adorn the mountainside and large tracts of tall firs form a frigid taiga forest. In the lower edge of the taiga forest, you can see trees with larger leaves. Camphor trees are emitting a unique fragrance. At the lower venue, forests become denser. Bananas, chrysalidocarpus and other tropical plants are swaying their huge leaves. The atmosphere is full of the specific muggy air of tropical rain forest. How magical Namjagbarwa is! Because of great altitude, it has become such a good magician that varied sights can be in one same picture. No wonder it is called a world natural museum of mountain vegetation forms.
The peak is always too shy to come out from the clouds. A legend goes: two brothers were assigned to guard the southeastern area of Tibet. They were immortals and the elder brother's name was Namjagbarwa, while his younger brother's name was Gyalabele. Gyalabele was stronger and smarter, so Namjagbarwa was very jealous. Then he killed his brother - he cut off the head of his kinsman. Both of them turned into mountains afterwards. The top of Gyalabele is round, and the elder brother - Namjagbarwa is very regretful of his crime and feels ashamed of being seen by others.
The rolling clouds always veil the mountain as if the peak is a paradise in fantasy and this adds more mystery to it. According to the local Tibetan, only sincere people can see the scenery of the peak. Actually, there were British explorers came at the bottom in the hope of seeing its scenery, but they waited for a month in vain. Geographers explain that since Namjagbarwa is next to Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon, the moist air from the Indian Ocean flows along the canyon to the north, and mountains on both sides of the canyon are shrouded by clouds and mists.
The white and streaming clouds always envelope the snow - capped mountaintop of Namjagbarwa. Once in a while, the sharply defined triangular peak of the Namjagbarwa may be exposed to view, but almost immediately, the mountain is shyly hidden again. The local Tibetans regard Namjagbarwa as the Road to Heaven. They believe that when clouds flow around the top, the immortals are climbing the mountain to go up to the Heaven.
Entranec Fee: Free
Best Time to Visit: Feb. to Apr. & Oct. to Nov.
Transportation: Tourists from China usually take a bus from Lhasa to Bayi Town along the Sichuan-Tibet Highway, and then go to Milin County along the Niyang River, and then go eastward along the Yarlung Tsangpo River to Paiqu. Finally, go northwards along the rough Paiqu Road to Gege, and walk to the entrance of the peak.
