White-Water Terraces (Baishuitai), Yunnan, China

4SOH KIEN PENG 5:00 PM Apr 12, 2015

Stunning tableland and awesome rural scenery
We took the morning 8 am coach from Lijiang to Shangri-la. The ticket cost RMB 61 and we arrived at Shangri-la coach station at about 12 noon. The weather was surprisingly cold when we arrived at Shangri-la and I was told that it was snowing the previous night. We put on our jackets and headed to our Home Inn hotel which was located only 100 meters from the coach station..We booked the hotel through ctrip website and paid RMB 113 for a night. We intended to spend 2 days at Shangri la. I was advised that it was more convenient to stay near the coach station than in the Dukezhong Old Town. On the first day, we visited the Dukezhong Old Town and Songzhanglin Monastery. The second day, we decided to visit Baishuitai (White Water Terraces). I thought of buying my bus tickets on my first night but the coach station was closed at night. The following morning at about 6.30 am when the coach station opened, I immediately made enquiries at the counter and purchased the bus tickets to Baishuitai. The one way ticket cost RMB 24 and the bus departed at 9.10 am. The counter staff informed me that I could only purchased the return ticket from the driver. We bought some food to cater for our lunch as I was not sure if there is any eating places at Baishuitai. The departing bus was not crowded and we had our seats. The journey took about 3 to 4 hours and the rural mountainous views were stunningly beautiful. But the roads cut through mountains and valleys and at times the road was so narrow and was so near to the edge of the mountain where there was no barricade. The driver kept horning at blind spots and that kept us alert and warned us of the perils. We just kept our fingers crossed, learnt to enjoy the scenery and had our faith in the experience of the driver. The entrance fees to Baishuitai was RMB30 and we showed your ticket to a staff at the entrance before we start climbing up a flight of stairs and met a group of locals asking if we need a horse ride. We rejected the offer and continued our journey up the hill. The wooden walkway up the hill was not very well maintained as some were broken and we had to walk on the hill slope in order to access to the hill further up. It was not difficult to walk up but I was heaving heavily when I reached the hill-top. I was told that the last return bus from Baishuitai to Shangrila will arrive at 2.30 pm and we had only about 2 hours to spend our time at the attraction. If we missed this bus at 2.30 pm, we would probably had to stay overnight at the hostel nearby. However, that would have disrupt our itinenary. Thus, we rushed our way up the hill and hastened our pace and that could have contributed to our breathlessness. According to the information at the notice board at the beginning of the track, there were 8 scenic spots up the hill. I found about 5 of them but the most impressive ones were those white terraces that were unique feature at this place. The panoramic view from the terraces was also awesome. Both me and my wife were more interested in taking photographs with the terraces than exploring around. There were thin wire that barricaded around the terraces to prevent any intrusion but I saw some of the visitors just climbed over and walked near the terraces. In fact, there were officials around to ensure no one deliberately damage the delicate terraces. The variegated landform of the tableland has a history of 200,000 to 300,000 years and the formation is a continual deposition of calcium carbonate that is contained in the spring water. Every year, the surface of the land is covered by the deposition and finally transformed into the terraced structure we see today The attraction was not a big one. I had visited Kuangsi Waterfalls in Luang Prabang and had seen terraces even more beautiful than these ones I saw. But this tableland is stunningly unique in that it was white and yellow in color and the terraces were so well sculptured that they were evenly spread out on the hill slope against a background of green mountains. The terraces at Kuangsi Waterfalls were not that white and were spread on lower grounds. If you ask me to compare, I could only say that both terraces were beautiful and have their unique features. In fact, an hour and a half is more than sufficient to explore this place. Just be more careful when you walk down the wooden walkway as the flight of stairs were broken and not maintained. We bought some eggs and buns when we came and had our `sumptuous' lunch at the foothills. There is a eating house where you could purchase a bowl of fried rice for RMB5 and you can also use the toilet at the eating house. But remember to look-out for the last bus. We met few visitors at the eating house and they were engrossed in conversation and eating that they almost missed the bus. I heard the cranking bus engine and walked out of the eating house and happened to see the bus was already at the entrance at 2.20 pm and alerted the rest of the visitors. So, do not expect the driver to be punctual at 2.30 pm or wait for you. It will move if he could not see other passengers. The bus journey to and fro the attraction totaled 6 hours. The visit was less than 2 hours. So, be prepared for a day excursion out. The return bus ticket was supposed to cost RMB24 according to the counter sale girl at the coach station but the driver demanded for RMB30 which we did not expect. Nevertheless, we thanked the driver for the safe journey back. For the stunning picturesque tableland and awesme rural scenery, the meagre transportation fee was worth spending. While it was a little physical taxing to climb up to the attraction and also the enduring long and `perilous' journey there, it was exciting to view those naturally crafted terraces that glow luminously against a background of green mountainous Naxi villages. It was no wonder that the Naxi people treated this as a gift from God and this place was the birthplace of the Dongba religion and culture that the Naxi minority adhere to. Each year, the Naxi people will congregate at this attraction singing and dancing to celebrate and commemorate their festive event on the 8th day of the second lunar month of the year. We were glad to witness this `gift from God' that the Naxi people so treasured.

3Frau M 5:00 PM Jul 31, 2020

nice, but only if you are passing by anyway
it is quite beautiful to be sure, but not worth a day trip from shangri la, since you will end up spending much more time on the road than walking around the terraces. when we went (august 2020) there was only one street going there from shangri la, which was in bad shape and under massive constructions, which drastically increased travelling time. however, if you happen to stop by on your way to another place, it will definetely be worth seeing!