Haba | iGuide

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Haba

“

Haba is an interesting township beneath Haba Snow Mountain inhabited by a mix of Naxi, Hui (Muslim) and Yi minority peoples. It is primarily of interest to hikers and those who enjoy exploring remote and more traditional villages.

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Highlights

The local minorities include Naxi, Hui (Muslim) and Yi peoples, as well as the odd Tibetan. Opportunities abound for hiking in the surrounding forest and mountains, though a guide is recommended. Keen hikers will be interested to hike to the summit of Haba Snow Mountain, which takes two days at pace for ascent and descent and requires spending a night on the mountain. Guides are required on the ascent and are available within the town.

Our guesthouse owners took us mushroom picking in the forest above the town, but this is a seasonal activity and may not be available when you arrive. Reportedly the best months are July and August.

Practicalities

Getting In & Out

Buses run daily to and from both Lijiang and Zhongdian, and are rarely full. Bear in mind that these will stop at many points along the way to pick up locals from intermediate villages.

Bicycle

To the south, the road towards Tiger Leaping Gorge rises for five kilometres or so, offering a spectacular view of the valley before descending almost constantly for nearly thirty kilometres to the valley entrance. From there a slight climb will get you to Walnut Grove.

Heading north out of town a two kilometre climb sees you through a pass, after which a slight but near-constant descent brings you within a brief distance of Baishuitai.

Getting About

While the town itself is small enough to walk around, the surrounding area is only accessible by walking. The adventurous may hitch a ride on the occasional local vehicle or tractor to get slightly out of town for awhile. No taxis are available.

Accomodation

Accomodation is basic and similar throughout most of the town, with budget beds from 10-15元. Showers are shared with solar powered hot water.

The two most popular options are the Haba Snow Mountain Inn and the Fourth Sister Inn. The former provides a computer and a generator, as well as a larger selection of vegetables for meals.

Food

Restaurants

Other than the impressive range of locally gathered wild mushrooms, there is a definite shortage of culinary variety in this town. Most places offering accomodation feature a limited variety of sorry-looking vegetables and a hunk of meat of two. The staple food is often baba (粑粑) or flatbread rather than rice, and you may be offered Tibetan-style butter tea, which is an acquired taste by all accounts. The saving grace is that all food available is locally produced and is completely free of agricultural chemicals. Also note that Muslim establishments will not serve pork.

Communications

The China Mobile signal is weak to terrible in much of the town and frequently fails entirely. Locals seem used to the fact.

Though dialup internet is available on what we understand is the only computer in town, the fact that a generator must be powered up to run it means the price is steep (over 10元 per hour covers only the generator) and access is not possible in the evenings due to noise from the generator.

Money

There are no banks in town, so bring enough money to cover expenses, get you in and out.

Environment

Geography and Climate

While the town along the road is inhabited by a small number of Han people plus a mix of local minorities, the area above the road towards the mountain is home to two Hui (Muslim) villages, each of which with its own mosque. Further up the mountain is an Yi village. Further down the valley, beneath the road is a lush agricultural area inhabited by Naxi people. In the distance, across the valley on a solitary plateau stands what is reportedly a leper village.

Shopping

Don't plan on acquiring anything but the most basic of supplies in town - water, sweet drinks, beer, candy and basic foodstuffs are almost the only available items.

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