1Highlights
Blue Moon Valley is the string of shallow lakes below the Jade Dragon glaciers, and it is the reason a mountain day is worth a full day rather than a morning. The water reads as a milky blue-green because glacier meltwater arrives carrying dissolved calcium carbonate, which settles on the lakebed and scatters light back โ the same process that makes the calcified terraces at the lower end of the walk. The single most useful thing to know is administrative rather than scenic: the valley is inside the Jade Dragon scenic area and is covered by park entry, so it does not sell an admission of its own. That matters because a separate "Blue Moon Valley ticket" is a recurring markup offered to visitors who assume the two are different places. The only genuine extra inside is the buggy along the lakes, which is optional. At roughly 2,800 m this is the gentler half of the mountain day โ a walk of about an hour past lake after lake, best taken in the afternoon once you have come down from the cable car. Its weakness is honest: the colour depends on weather and light. On an overcast day it is grey-green, and in the summer rains it carries more sediment.
- Admission
- No separate ticket โ covered by Jade Dragon park entry
- Why the water is blue
- Calcium carbonate in glacier melt
- Altitude
- Roughly 2,800 m
- Best light
- Clear mornings; grey-green when overcast
- Clearest water
- Roughly October to May
- Buggy
- Optional; the walk is about an hour
- Suggested time
- One to two hours
2Tickets
Blue Moon Valley is covered by the Jade Dragon park entry ticket and sells no admission of its own. The only charge inside is the optional buggy along the lakes. Figures below are reference amounts โ official current prices govern.
| Jade Dragon park entry | Reference ~ยฅ100 | Covers the valley; there is no separate Blue Moon Valley ticket |
|---|---|---|
| In-valley buggy | Reference ~ยฅ50-60 | Optional; the lakeside walk takes about an hour |
Jade Dragon is three separate charges, not one ticket๏ผThe single price you see quoted online rarely matches what you pay on site, because the scenic area bills three things separately: park entry (which also covers Blue Moon Valley and the meadows), the Glacier Park cable car (the one that reaches roughly 4,506 m, and the one with a daily carrying cap), and the in-park shuttles that link the visitor centre to the cable stations. Optional extras โ a rented down jacket, an oxygen canister, the Blue Moon Valley buggy โ sit on top of that again. A bundled day tour is often both cheaper and simpler than assembling the pieces at the gate, but the comparison only works if you price the bundle against all three charges rather than against park entry alone. Official current prices govern.
There is no such thing as a Blue Moon Valley admission ticket๏ผThe valley is administratively part of the Jade Dragon scenic area, so park entry is the ticket and nothing else is required to walk the lakes. Anyone selling you a standalone Blue Moon Valley entry away from an official counter is charging you again for something already covered. The buggy is the one real optional purchase inside, and it is sold at its own stop rather than as an entry fee.
Klook
The valley needs no ticket โ the cable car slot is the thing to secure
Because park entry already covers the valley, there is nothing to buy here on its own. What decides whether the day works is the Glacier Park cable car, which is capped daily, so a bundle that pairs the mountain with the valley solves the only real scheduling problem in one booking. Confirm the listing includes park entry rather than the cable car alone, otherwise you will still be buying entry at the gate.
- Check that park entry is included, not just the cable car โ the valley rides on park entry
- Pay with an overseas Visa or Mastercard, which is the practical reason to book ahead rather than at a counter in Lijiang
- Cable car time slots, shuttle departures and gorge boardwalk access follow the scenic area's notice for your own date
- Read the cancellation terms before booking โ high-altitude and mountain-road itineraries do get called off for weather
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3Getting There
Access is identical to the mountain, because the valley is inside the same scenic area: charter or day tour to the Ganhaizi visitor centre, then the in-park shuttle to the Blue Moon Valley stop.
Same route as Jade Dragon; the valley is a stop inside the park
Visitor centre to the Blue Moon Valley stop
Town to Ganhaizi, then change to the shuttle
Altitude shapes the order of your whole Lijiang itinerary๏ผThis is not a single-page warning, it is the premise of the whole trip. Lijiang town is already at roughly 2,400 m, the Jade Dragon cable car tops out near 4,506 m, and Tiger Leaping Gorge runs between roughly 1,800 and 2,600 m. Headache, breathlessness and poor sleep are common in the first day or two and have nothing to do with fitness. The practical consequence is an ordering rule: spend your first full day in town or in the old towns, and put the mountain on day two or later โ not on your arrival day. Go easy on alcohol the first night, walk more slowly than feels natural at the top, and treat worsening symptoms as a reason to descend rather than to push on.
Do the valley after the cable car, not before๏ผThe cable car's clear-view window is early and its slots are capped, so it has to come first; the valley is at a much lower altitude and looks good all day. Doing the valley first risks arriving at the cable station after the good slots and the clear weather have both gone. The one exception is a day when the cable car is suspended for wind, in which case the valley becomes the day's main event.
4Route & Photos
Walk it downstream rather than looping back: start at the upper lake, follow the path from one lake to the next, and finish at the calcified terraces at the lower end. About an hour at a normal pace, an hour and a half if you stop to photograph.
Recommended Route
- 1
Upper lake
Start at the top of the chain, where there are fewest people and the water is clearest.
- 2
Follow the path downstream
Each lake gives a different angle on the same peak; the path does the work for you.
- 3
Main lake
The turquoise core, and the shot most people come for โ best with the sun behind you.
- 4
Calcified terraces
The lower end, where the same calcium carbonate that colours the lakes has built the cascade.
Best Photo Spots
Main lake boardwalk
Turquoise water with the peak behind โ shoot with the sun at your back in the morning, not into it.
Calcified terraces from the side
A low side angle shows the stepped structure that a front-on shot flattens out.
5Food & Stay
| Scenic-area kiosksFast food | Reference ยฅ40-80 per person | Thin choice and captive pricing; fine for refuelling only. |
|---|---|---|
| Your own snacks and waterTrail snacks | โ | Strongly recommended, since options inside the valley are limited. |
Fold lunch into the mountain day rather than eating here๏ผFood options inside the valley are limited and priced accordingly. The sensible sequence is to eat at the mountain base after descending from the cable car, then walk the lakes on a full stomach, and save a proper meal for back in Lijiang. Carry water either way โ at 2,800 m you dehydrate faster than the walking distance suggests.
Where to Stay
- Lijiang town or the old towns โ the valley is at most a half day and sits inside a scenic area, so there is no reason to sleep any closer. Roughly ยฅ300-600 a night.
6Tips & Pitfalls
- The colour is weather, not luck alone. Clear mornings are bluest; overcast turns it grey-green, and the summer rains bring more sediment. If your mountain day is forecast grey, the valley is the part that suffers most.
- Skip the buggy if you can walk. The lakeside path is about an hour and the buggy cuts past angles you came for. If mobility is a concern, it does get you to the main viewpoints.
- Bring a layer even in summer. At roughly 2,800 m the wind off the water is cold in any season, and the walk is entirely in the open.
- Ticket prices, cable car fares, shuttle costs and reservation windows all change. Verify the official listing for your own travel date rather than relying on any figure quoted online, including the reference figures on this page.
- Lijiang town itself sits at roughly 2,400 m. Give yourself a full day here before any high-altitude day, go easy on alcohol the first night, and drink more water than usual.
- The old towns are paved in uneven stone and vehicles cannot enter the cores. A backpack beats a roller case, and rain makes the lanes genuinely slippery.
7Frequently Asked Questions
Does Blue Moon Valley have its own ticket?
No. The valley is inside the Jade Dragon scenic area and is covered by park entry, so no separate admission exists. If someone offers you a standalone Blue Moon Valley entry fee away from an official counter, that is a markup on something your park ticket already includes. The one genuine optional charge inside is the buggy along the lakes.
Why is the water blue-green?
Glacier meltwater arrives carrying dissolved calcium carbonate, which settles out on the lakebed and scatters light back as a milky blue-green. The same mineral has built the calcified terraces at the lower end of the walk. Because the effect depends on suspended and settled minerals plus the angle of light, the intensity genuinely changes: clear mornings are bluest, overcast days read grey-green, and the summer rains carry more sediment.
Is the buggy worth taking?
Not if you are able to walk. The lakeside path takes about an hour at a normal pace and passes the angles that make the valley worth visiting, several of which the buggy route skips. It earns its fare if mobility, altitude or time is a genuine constraint, in which case it delivers you to the main viewpoints without the walking.
How do I fit Blue Moon Valley and Jade Dragon into one day?
Cable car first, valley second. Take the earliest Glacier Park slot you can book, spend around an hour on the platform, descend to the base for lunch, then walk the lakes through the afternoon. Park entry covers both, so no extra ticket is needed. Doing it the other way round risks reaching the cable station after the good slots and the morning's clear weather have gone.
What time of year has the clearest water?
Roughly October to May, when the air is drier and the meltwater carries less sediment. The rainy season from around June to August gives fuller lakes but often a murkier colour. Winter light sits low, which can make the blue read deeper in photographs even though the water level is lower.
Combine With
Other Lijiang sights that genuinely pair well with this one
Before You Go
The practical guides you will actually need here
All Lijiang attractions
GoChinaTravel Editorial Team
Our team of China travel researchers combines on-the-ground contributor insights, official government sources, and traveler community feedback to create the most detailed English-language China guides available. Every guide is fact-checked against primary sources (NIA, 12367, official attraction websites, Railway 12306) before publication.