Tsopu Valley National Forest Park

Chinese Name: 措普沟国家森林公园 (Cuo Pu Gou Guo Jia Sen Lin Gong Yuan)
Location: Chaluo Township, Tsola District, Batang County, Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province
Ticket: Entrance ticket CNY100.00, sightseeing bus CNY90.00
Estimated tour time: 4-6hours
Recommended time to visit: May to Oct
Nearby attractions: Maoya Pasture, Sisters Lake,  Litang Monastery, Genie Holy Mountain, etc.

Tsopu Valley National Forest Park is located in Chaluo Township between Litang County and Batang County. The 318 Sichuan-Tibet National Highway passes through entrance of the valley. It integrates the original ecological scenery of alpine lakes, virgin forests, rivers, gorges, waterfalls, hot springs, grasslands, monasteries, wildlife and other natural and cultural landscapes. The beautiful alpine scenery is different in the four seasons. It is a bright pearl on the Sichuan-Tibet Highway. By the Tsopu Lake is the majestic Mt. Zhajin Jiabo, the most magnificent and magical mountain between the Hengduan Mountains and the Shaluri Mountains with ugged cliff, bare rock and strange mountain shape.

● Highlights of Tsopu Lake

The First Holy Lake of in Kham 

Tsopu Lake, depth 2-4m. Pilgrimage around the beautiful lake, there are magical snow-capped peaks, deep primeval forests, wide grass lands and huge stone scriptures. The verdant holy lake, lying quietly in the green embrace of alpine pine and fir forests, is home to the beautiful swans and black-necked cranes.

The First Geothermal Park in Western Sichuan – Rekeng Hot Spring Group

Go up the Bachu River and enter the natural ecological protection area 8km from Tsola. Puffs of hot air were blowing in my face. This is the No. 1 geothermal resource in Sichuan Province, Rekeng geothermal field in Tsopu Valley. Springs of various shapes, large and small, scattered on the hillside, beside the road, in the forest, fields, under the cliff, by the river, permeated in the whole valley, rising with a stream of hot air. The heat is sometimes light, sometimes thick, sometimes bright, sometimes dark, under the irradiation of the sun, constantly changing the charming color, the scene is spectacular. Rekeng spring water is of high temperature, rich in minerals, and has special curative effect on skin diseases, rheumatism, etc., and is well known as "medicine spring". Among the Rekeng hot springs, the most unique and spectacular is the three famous geysers. The smallest of them erupts every ten minutes or so. In the dry cave, the water gathers slowly, suddenly the crystal beads are thrown into the air, and soon the whole cave is dry again. The middle one erupts every two or three hours. The fountain bead more than a meter high suddenly burst. Steam, white as a dense fog rushed up. The whole process can last for more than ten minutes. The most spectacular geysers, erupt only once a day. During the eruption, the water column reaches four to five meters high, and the steam shot straight into the sky. Under the sunlight, it formed a magnificent rainbow, and the water temperature reaches more than 100℃, making it the hottest hot spring on the whole Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Hometown of Equestrian

The exquisite horsemanship of the herdsmen in the area of Tsopu Valley is quite famous in Kham and enjoys the reputation of "Hometown of Equestrian". Every year in June of the Tibetan calendar, in addition to horse racing festival, Tsopu Monastery will also host a large-scale mountain and lake worship activities, very lively.