Things to do in Danba

From the moment you enter the village gate, your driving skills will be put to the test. It's all winding mountain roads with sharp S-shaped uphill turns, so drive carefully. There's a guesthouse parking lot at viewing platform number 5; it costs 10 yuan to enter and overlook the entire village. The view is quite good, so it's worth the visit.

📍 Location: Mordo Mountain Town, Danba County, Ganzi Prefecture, Sichuan Province, the core area of ​​Zhonglu Tibetan Village, at an altitude of 1700-5000 meters. It was awarded the title of "Best Tourist Village" by the United Nations in October 2025, becoming the first in Ganzi and the second in Sichuan. 🏔️ What makes it so special: 22 ancient watchtowers over a thousand years old + traditional Jiarong Tibetan dwellings, on the World Heritage Tentative List. Constructed of schist and yellow mud, they have stood for millennia. In March, pear blossoms turn the Tibetan village into a "sea of ​​fragrant snow." A living cultural museum: Guozhuang dance, Jiarong embroidery, coming-of-age ceremonies—you can dance, wear, and try them out! 🌸❄️🍂 Seasonal Activities: · Spring (March): Pear Blossom Music Cycling Season: Free admission, cycling + music, live-action mini-drama "Coming-of-Age Ceremony Under the Pear Blossoms" · Winter (December-January): Dairu Festival: Whitewashing walls, making dough figurines, pickling sauerkraut, burning incense, climbing watchtowers, bonfire and pot dance · Autumn (October): Public Archaeology: Han'eyi Neolithic Site, open every Saturday afternoon 🎮 How to Enjoy: 🧵 Intangible Cultural Heritage Crafts: Embroidery, clay sculpting, watchtower climbing, pot dance, making butter tea and tsampa 🥾 Light Hiking: Sunrise from the viewing platform → Mid-mountain meadow, chance encounters with musk deer, macaques, and yew trees 🏡 Stay in Tibetan Villages: Yinxitang, Dejikangwa, Kesaxikang, old Tibetan houses + modern facilities 📚 Forest School: The first of its kind in Tibet, offering ecology lessons and a watchtower restoration experience. 🍖 Culinary Delights: 🐷 Danba Fragrant Pig Leg: A provincial-level intangible cultural heritage, the hind leg of a Tibetan fragrant pig is air-dried, fragrant whether hand-shredded or charcoal-grilled. 🐔 Jiarong Hot Mixed Chicken: Fragrant with hot oil, spicy and flavorful. 🍄 Matsutake and Yak Hot Pot: Matsutake season is in September and October, a bite that warms you to the core. 🥬 Sauerkraut Noodles/Buns: A famous saying in Danba goes, "If you don't eat sour food for three days, you'll walk unsteadily." 🔥 Fire-baked Flatbread: Baked in fire pit ash, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. 🍵 Butter Tea + Tsampa + Highland Barley Wine + Zaza wine + Blood Sausage, finished with Danba apples and pears. 🧭 Tips: 🚗 Chengdu → Danba County → Jikai Village, explore the village in the afternoon, stay in a guesthouse and eat Tibetan food in the evening, hike to photograph the sunrise the next day. 📅 Spring and autumn are the best times to visit, and winter sunbathing is also worthwhile. 🎫 Some activities are free; book your room in advance during peak season. 🍽️ Tibetan food is plentiful and reasonably priced; order the braised pork leg in advance. In Jikai Village, ancient watchtowers stand, pear blossoms burst forth, the Guozhuang dance begins, and braised pork legs are being torn apart. Stay there, slow down, and be completely captivated by this Tibetan village nestled in the clouds.

The Dangling Scenic Area, located in Bian'er Township, Danba County, Sichuan Province, boasts a rich and diverse natural landscape, including the spectacular Dangling Snow Mountain, red birch forests, and alpine lakes. Key attractions include hot springs, crimson foliage, and alpine lakes. There are two hot springs: the sulfur-scented Murri Interlude and the vast lawn-enclosed Buka Interlude. The crimson foliage attraction is renowned for its mountain-wide red birch forests. Over 30 alpine lakes, including Huluhai, Zhuoyongcuo, and Macuo, are moraine-dammed lakes and cirques formed by the retreat of ancient glaciers during the Quaternary Period.

Moska, the whole village is built around the ancient Jinlong Temple. Under the leadership of the spiritual leader Riqiong Living Buddha, the herdsmen live a life of working from sunrise to sunset, pure and simple. The villagers of Moska believe in Tibetan Buddhism and never kill. Jinlong Temple is the spiritual sustenance and carrier of faith of the villagers of Moska. The villagers believe that marmots are the incarnation of gods, so they take very good care of them. The marmots here are very spiritual. They often walk on the grass and stop tourists for food. They will worship when they see people, play with you, and take pictures with you with cute expressions. They are the cutest wild animals in Moska Village. Here, temples, villages, grasslands, rivers, lakes, snow-capped mountains, humans, and animals live in harmony and integrate. If you savor it carefully, you will find that there are many beautiful things here.

The scenery is perfect, and the hard work is also perfect. Riding a wild motorcycle up the mountain is exciting, but the scenery is superb, it is worth it? The Golden Gourd Sea is so cute. Haizi loves it very much.

Jiaju Tibetan Village is located in Danba County, Ganzi Prefecture, Sichuan Province. It is a very famous scenic spot. Danba is a Jiarong Tibetan settlement area. Jiaju Tibetan Village is the largest Tibetan village. They are all built on the hillside. The watchtower is the most distinctive building.

Beauty Valley is located in Danba County, Ganzi Prefecture, Sichuan Province, in the ancient Kangba area, where the five rivers Dajinchuan, Xiaojinchuan, Geshizha River, Donggu River and Dadu River meet. Kangding men and Danba beauties are the most famous cultural landscapes in Ganzi Prefecture, Sichuan Province. Kangding men are as majestic as mountains, and Danba beauties are as beautiful as water; Danba, an uncultivated virgin land for tourism, not only has unique natural scenery, but also simple and beautiful cultural landscapes. They have not yet been fully opened. Isn’t this the place people dream of?

I went there during the off-season and walked up the mountain along a winding dirt road. I couldn't find the tower, so I asked a local resident and he showed me the way. I walked through the backyard of a resident's house, went into the kitchen, climbed the stairs, went up the hanging ladder, and climbed to the roof. Finally, I saw the tower.

It was really nice experience. Recommended to arrive early since there are lot of tourists and pandas are active mostly in the morning.