(23) The largest glacier group in China - Laigu Glacier.

(23) Self-driving tour of Sichuan-Tibet North-South Line The largest glacier group in China - Laigu Glacier Qamdo, Tibet 2024.9.21 Baxu is cloudy to sunny, with a temperature of 12-24 degrees. Today's highest altitude is 4400 meters, National Highway 318-National Highway 559. Yesterday's weather forecast said it would rain all day today, so I was ready to give up visiting Laigu Glacier and make other plans. This morning, I read the forecast again. The light rain was delayed until after noon. Seeing that the weather was relatively stable, I decided to go to Laigu Glacier Scenic Area immediately. Laigu Glacier is a collective term for a group of glaciers, known as "China's largest glacier" (Figure 1). It is located in Ranwu Town, Baxu County, Qamdo City. The glacier extends from the main peak of Gangrigarbu Mountain, which is 6606 meters above sea level, to an altitude of about 4000 meters. In terms of climate, it is located in the main channel of the Indian Ocean monsoon to transport cold air to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, with abundant rainfall, which is conducive to the development of glaciers, belonging to the marine glacier. As a friend left a message in the circle of friends: In China, there are not many places where you can see glaciers all year round, and the charming Tibet should contribute more than half of them. Indeed, low-altitude glaciers are mainly in Bomi and Baxu. There are currently three glaciers open in Laigu Scenic Area, namely Meixi Glacier, Ruijiao Glacier and Yalong Glacier. I didn't find any comparison of the characteristics of these three glaciers online, and I didn't ask any fellow travelers. It's like drawing lots to choose "Ruijiao Glacier" to visit (afterwards, I learned that there is not much difference in the way to enter, price, and view of the three glaciers). Let's take "Ruijiao Glacier" as an introduction for friends' reference. Overall feeling: The original ecological landscape is like an adventure; "Thousands of hardships and dangers", not suitable for everyone; First time on a glacier, see the "Blue Ice Cave", no regrets in this life. We arrived at the scenic area at 8:30 am, bought tickets and changed to a scenic bus. We drove for nearly half an hour to reach Laigu Village. Then we paid for another car and changed to a villager's four-wheel drive off-road vehicle. We bumped for nearly 50 minutes on the countless sharp turns, steep slopes, and muddy roads beside the cliffs. We came to the glacier. Self-driving four-wheel drive off-road vehicles can enter, but they are rarely seen, because the road conditions are unfamiliar and the difficulty is too high. That's not all, to get down to the glacier, there is no road, there is a slope, you have to go through a nearly 400-meter pile of rocks, weak or physically unstable people are very easy to sprain their feet or fall. It is very necessary to rent a pair of "ice claws" to walk on the glacier. The surface of the glacier is not flat, due to the erosion of meltwater, it is in the form of ditches and banks, and horizontal passage requires large strides or jumps (Figure 2). The weather in the mountains is changeable. At first, there was a little drizzle. Maybe it was infected by our persistence, the weather gradually changed from cloudy to sunny, the sun was shining, and the snow-capped mountains and glaciers were holy and handsome, majestic and spectacular (Figure 3). There was no sound around, only the sound of "click, click" of the "ice claws" on the glacier pushed us forward. There are natural "ice sculpture works" of various shapes on the glacier (Figures 4-5). Following the small flags inserted on the glacier, we walked for nearly 3 kilometers. At the end of one side of the glacier, we saw the "Blue Ice Cave". The ice cave is naturally formed. At this latitude and altitude, after a whole summer, there is still such a wonderful landscape, which is amazing (Figure 6). Bend down and walk into the cave, the top of the cave is like a tunnel arch, with meltwater dripping down from above, and the inside of the cave is unfathomable (Figure 7). The ice cave is light blue under the sunlight, crystal clear, unforgettable (Figure 8). It was already noon when we returned from the "Blue Ice Cave". After another difficult trek, bumpy ride, and dangerous situation, we finally returned to the parking lot at the entrance of the scenic area at 3 pm. We stayed in the scenic area for six and a half hours. On the way, the lake surface was like a mirror, and the mountains were like screens (Figure 9). Finally, I would like to remind you with a common phrase: Laigu is risky, and you need to be cautious when entering the park. Today is more tiring, did not go out as planned, just stayed in the hotel where I stayed last night, and plan to go to Zogong tomorrow.