The Putatso National Park is an amazing highland nature reserve located just outside of Shangri-la. As the first 'national park' of mainland China, it is one of Yunnan's highlights worth visiting. In the Tibetan language, the area is called Potatso and means 'reaching the opposite side of the lake by boat under the help of deity'. Bitahai Lake and Shuduhu Lake form the two major parts of the park. Besides these two lakes, forest, marsh, valley, and alpine meadows can be seen in the park. All major spots are connected by walkable planks which offer a close distance for travelers to experience the natural environment. The main parts are Bita Lake, Shudu Lake, and Militang subalpine ranch. Putatso National Park is also one of the major popular attractions in Shangri-La.

With an altitude of 3500-4159 meters, it is a provincial nature reserve and an important part of the "Three Parallel Rivers" scenic spot. The original ecological environment of Putatso National Park is well preserved, including mountain lakes like mirrors, pastures with beautiful water and abundant grass, wetlands full of flowers, and primitive forests frequented by birds and animals. It is 22 kilometers away from Shangri-La City, with a total area of about 1313 square kilometers.

The vegetation in Putatso National Park Reserve is dominated by Abies bracteatum, followed by azalea, arrow bamboo, bryophyte, honeysuckle, spruce, alpine pine, Quercus acutissima, Sequoia, red birch, Aspen, birch, etc. according to different altitudes and yin-yang slopes. From the perspective of meadow and aquatic plants, it is mainly Artemisia meadow, and aquatic vegetation is mainly fragrant man community, glossy leaf, and potpourri community There are many rare birds and animals in the natural reserve of Putatso National Park. There are mainly national first-class protected animals, black-necked Crane, second class protected animals, macaque, lynx, clouded leopard, golden cat, black muntjac, horse muntjac, crown deer, forest musk deer, Tibetan pheasant, green tailed red pheasant, etc. There are three kinds of protected animals: blood pheasant and antelope. There are also some economic animals and ornamental animals, mainly black bears, Tibetan pikas, flying squirrels, plateau rabbits, red-bellied squirrels, bamboo mice, mallard ducks, Ma ducks, parrots, and a variety of thrushes with high ornamental value.

Reference: Wonders of Yunnan

Photo Resource: Internet

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