Namche Barwa has a few meanings in Tibetan: one is 'the flaming thunderbolts' and another 'the lance that stabs straight to the sky' which is derived from the description of the chapter 'the Menlin Battle' of the Legend of King Gesar. These Tibetan meanings reveal the features of the peak: steep, dangerous and unconquerable. As a matter of fact, due to the complex plate formation and structure of the  Yarlong Tsangpo Canyon where the peak is located, earthquakes and snow slides has always haunted Namche Barwa. Consequently it had been a 'virgin peak' that had never been conquered by human climbers for a long while.

The 7,782 meter high Namche Barwa Peak is the highest in Nyingchi and the 15th highest in the world. The 14 higher peaks are all above 8,000 meters; therefore Namche Barwa is the No. 1 in all the peaks below the latitude of 8,000 meters. Its colossal triangle body is covered with deep snow and mists all year around which makes people hard to see its real face. It was not until 1992 that the Sino-Japan Mountain Climbing Team conquered Namche Barwa. Today it has become a very hot and challenging destination for professional mountain climbers. The foot of the peak abounds with a host of hot springs and exuberant vegetation, which is an ideal resort for both leisure and exploration.

The west slope of the peak is a bluff that goes down to the floor of the valley. A long mountain ridge, which consists of several peaks over 7,000 meters above the sea level, winds its way northwestwards. The whole ridge resembles a huge iron saw with its sharp teeth mantled with thick ice and snow. Between Namche Barwa and the Peak of Naipeng in the south three colossal glaciers grow downwards and finally disappear in the lush green forest. The 7,234 meters high Lajiabailei Peak in the north, shaped like a horse saddle, is also permanently mantled with fog and snow.

The snow land scenery on the peak top (7,782 meters above the sea level) and the tropical views can all be seen between Namche Barwa and Bacuoka of Motuo County (the distance between is only 200 kilometers). In this land one sees bananas and borneol growing in the tropical area; the camphor normally found in the subtropical area; cedar, azalea of the temperate zone as well as many unnamed plants seen merely in the Frigid Zone. In a word you can never see such marvelous spectacles in other places than Tibet.

Viewed from afar the peak hides behind floating clouds; and observed closely it may scare away any climbers for its height of over 5, 000 meters. The locals often say that it is standing in the human world but hardly shows its true face to the human beings. The only difference between the peak and the heaven is that Namche Barwa is a part of the mundane world.

Travel Time: Winter and autumn are considered the best time to glimpse its rare views unobstructed by clouds.

Tips: One of the best places to view the mountain is the Serkhym-la Mountain Pass, which stands on the Sichuan-Tibet Highway( Bayi-Pome Section). The other is at the entrance of the Great Canyon, which can be reached from a small village named Pai by 3.5-hour hiking. Daily coaches to Pai Village can be taken near the Post Hotel at Bayi and the journey probably needs four hours. Dining and lodging are available at Pai.