Sichuan also has its own Altay! Yele Lake, a great summer retreat!

'My Altay' is a big hit, the drama's portrayal of the ethereal prairie life has captivated many, like a pure land, romantic and healing. But Xinjiang is too far, why not come to this corner of Sichuan, where you can also have poetry and distance. Yele Lake, located in Yele Township, Mianning County, Liangshan Prefecture, at an altitude of about 2600 meters, really gives you a sense of Altay, with grasslands, cattle, horses, blue skies, and lakes, no filter needed, even the cloudy weather is super beautiful! 🔖Our itinerary DAY1⃣️: Chengdu — Gulu Village (3 hours) DAY2⃣️: Gulu Village — Yele Lake (2 hours 20 minutes) DAY3⃣️: Yele Lake — Chengdu (4 hours) ▶️It's close to Menghuo City, just over 50 minutes, so you can play along the way. Considering the natural scenery is rather monotonous, we chose 'Gulu Village + Yele Lake'. ▶️It's also only two and a half hours from Xichang, so 'Yele Lake + Xichang' is also worth considering. 💰Costs You generally need to book in advance to enter the scenic area, search for 'Panda YouTu' and select 'Yele Shepherd Valley', 100~150 yuan per campsite (more expensive on holidays), if you can't book, you can ask a local B&B owner to take you in, 100 yuan per car. Sometimes the scenic area doesn't seem to check that carefully, and there are cases where you can drive straight in. 🏕️Camping options Once you enter the scenic area gate, there's a fork in the road, the left side is the Flower Sea Camping Base, and the right side is the Shepherd Tribe Camping Base, both require another 10+ minutes of driving to reach. You can't drive to the lakeside at the Shepherd Tribe Camping Base, a 50-meter radius around the lake is fenced off, and you can only carry camping equipment in. There are man-made facilities like swings here, more popular, with B&Bs nearby for easy resupply. Personally, I prefer the Flower Sea Camping Base, purely natural, more beautiful scenery, and more open space! When we went, there were no management personnel, no water, you have to go to a farmer's house to get it, which is far, so it's best to bring your own, and at the end, someone came and said if you don't clean up properly, you'll have to pay a cleaning fee. Besides camping, there are also B&Bs available. 🐴Entertainment From time to time, villagers bring horses to the lakeside, you can ride around, the price is 30~50 yuan. Other than that, it's up to you. 🍚Dining There's not much to eat around Yele Lake, it's recommended to bring more of your own food. It's an hour and a half from Mianning County, which is known for its lamb offal noodles; an hour from Shimian County, known for Shimian barbecue, similar to teppanyaki, but most barbecue restaurants don't open until four or five in the afternoon. 💁🏻‍♀️Tips: 1⃣️The temperature difference is big, even if it's 30 degrees in Chengdu, it can be freezing here, so wear a down jacket😂. The weather forecast is very inaccurate. 2⃣️There are no charging stations at the campsite, some B&Bs have them, and there are many at highway rest stops along the way. 3⃣️On the way to the Flower Sea Camping Site, you can also see wild monkeys~