Laigu Glacier

Chinese Name: 来古冰川 (Lai Gu Bing Chuan)
Location: Ranwu Town, Baxio County, Changdu  Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region
Ticket: CNY30.00
Estimated tour time: 4-6 hours
Recommended time to visit: Sep to Mar
Nearby attractions: Ranwu Lake, Karub Ruins, Galden Jampaling Monastery, etc.

Laigu Glacier is a group of glaciers, located in Ranwu Town, Baxio County, Changdu (Chamdo) Prefecture, Tibet. This glacier is one of the world's three largest glaciers and the source of the Parlung Tsangpo River. Water flows into Ranwu Lake after ice and snow melt.  Ranwu Lake, one of the most beautiful lakes in Tibet, is next to the glacier. Beside the lake are dense virgin forests and many primitive Tibetan villages. Yalong Glacier is the most spectacular of the glaciers. The Yalong Glacier is 12 kilometers long and extends from the main peak of Gangri Gabu mountain at an altitude of 6,606 meters to the Gangrigabu Lake at an altitude of 4,000 meters. Climatically, it is located in the main channel of the Indian Ocean monsoon to transport cold air to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, with sufficient precipitation, which is conducive to the development of glaciers, and belongs to the maritime glacier.

Laigu Glacier takes its name from a small Tibetan village called Laigu Village, which is located next to the glacier. Laigu in Tibetan means a hidden arcadia. The village is hidden in the green canopy of the surrounding undulating mountains, and seems to be deliberately hidden by nature, hence its name. Many ice lakes are formed in front of the village. Some ice lakes are floating with large and small icebergs, which looks like the antarctic. Laigu Village, with more than 70 families, still maintains the most authentic Tibetan village style, which is half agricultural and half pastoral. Standing here, you can see the six marine glaciers. Such a natural landscape is unique in China and even in the world. It is a great place to see the glaciers.

The first sight of the Laigu Glacier is like the appearance of a beautiful woman. Located next to Ranwu Lake, Laigu Glacier is the largest and widest known glacier in Tibet. The Laigu Glacier is composed of six glaciers: Meixi Glacier (Death Glacier), Yalong Glacier, Ruojiao Glacier, Xiongjia Glacier and Niuma Glacier. Because all of these glaciers surround Laigu Village, they are collectively known as the Laigu Glacier.