L2 – Ganheba Dry River Valley Tour
Start in Yuhu, the Naxi village Joseph Rock called home, and ride an Amflow e-MTB up through pine and meadow onto a white limestone riverbed at the foot of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. In the summer rains its lowest basin fills with milky turquoise water.
Full day tour | 16–25 km at 2,700–3,686 m | 4–5 hours riding | Simple lunch included
Bike
Amflow PL full-suspension e-MTB, sized to your height
Guide
Local ride guide who sets the loop to suit your group
Lunch
Simple lunch on the mountain
Getting there
Your guide confirms pickup time and place in Lijiang on WhatsApp the day before
ALTITUDE: This ride reaches 3,686 m, about 1,300 m above Lijiang Old Town. Spend at least a night or two in Lijiang first, drink plenty of water, skip alcohol the night before, and tell your guide at once if you get a headache, nausea or dizziness.
Important Note – Early Departure: If a customer leaves the tour before the scheduled end, all shuttle service and bike transfer fees will be paid by the customer.
Ganheba, the "dry river flat", lies on the southern side of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain above Yuhu, the stone-built Naxi village where the botanist Joseph Rock kept his base from 1922 to 1949. From the village you ride up through pine woods and open grazing meadows into a broad valley floored with white limestone gravel, with the peaks of Jade Dragon straight ahead; the main summit is 5,596 m. For most of the year the riverbed is dry and bright white. In the summer rains its lowest basin, known as Milk Lake, fills with milky turquoise water. There are no boardwalks and no tour buses. The ride is 16–25 km depending on the loop your guide chooses for the group, with 950 m of climbing between 2,700 m and 3,686 m and 4–5 hours on the bike. A simple lunch is included.
Is this ride for me?
25 km16 mi
Total ride distance
950 m3,120 ft
Total elevation gain
4–5hr
Estimated ride time
4 / 5
Difficulty
干河坝
Above Yuhu the track climbs through pine woods and meadows grazed by cattle and horses, then drops into Ganheba, the 'dry river flat': a broad valley floored with white limestone gravel and sand. Straight ahead the peaks of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain fill the sky. The massif has a dozen summits above 5,000 m, the highest being Shanzidou at 5,596 m, and 19 glaciers are mapped on it. The surface changes every few minutes, from packed dirt to loose stones to patches of soft white sand. On sand, keep your weight back, keep pedalling gently and go easy on the front brake. Your guide chooses the loop, somewhere between 16 and 25 km, depending on how the group is riding. From October to May the sky is at its clearest and the grass turns gold, as in the photo, with snow lower on the peaks in late winter. In the summer rains the meadows are green but the summits are often hidden. There is little shade on the valley floor and the white ground reflects the sun, so bring sunglasses and sunscreen.
牛奶湖
The lowest part of Ganheba is a basin of white limestone sediment, roughly 500 m by 1,000 m, that locals call Milk Lake. For most of the year it is bone dry, a bright white flat with a few trees standing in it, their trunks crusted with white mineral deposits. In the summer rainy season it fills, and depending on the depth and the light the water turns milky white or pale turquoise, the same kind of colour that draws the crowds to Blue Moon Valley on the mountain's eastern side. Here there are no boardwalks and no tour buses. Horses graze on the edges and sometimes wade straight across. If seeing water matters to you, come in July to September, and expect the weather that comes with it: cloud on Jade Dragon's summits, showers, and wet trails higher up. We can't promise exactly when the basin fills or empties in any given year. When it is dry, the glare off the white ground is strong, so sunglasses are worth having. Stay on firm ground at the edge rather than walking out onto soft sediment.
Gallery
Pro guides
Riders first. Guides second. Experience China's hidden routes like a local.
Rob is the founder of CycleQuest China, with 25+ years of cycling and tour experience and fluency in Mandarin, Guilin dialect, Cantonese, and English. Rob's lead sports are road cycling, mountain biking, downhill cycling, outdoor rock climbing, snowboarding, and golf.
Hou is a bike mechanic, cycling experience tour guide, and RtR Education Program instructor. Systematically trained in Chengdu, Hou specializes in high-end road bike assembly, internal cable routing, and fine-tuning Shimano Di2 drivetrains.
Snow is a cycling experience tour guide and event operations specialist. A former mechanical engineer, Snow has independently led 60+ cycling events for 1,000+ riders and logged over 80,000 km of road and gravel riding.
Testimonials
Real stories from riders and families who explored China with us.
We did a 34km loop along the river and had a wonderful time. The bikes were in great condition and the staff were very helpful. Pick up and drop off was organised for us, a seamless experience all in all. Definitely recommend.
Cami — HK
I had an amazing experience with Cyclequestchina. I rented an e-bike for the day, which came with a Dji 360 camera and bags. The overall quality was very good and I had no issues at all. The pickup at the store was smooth. Before handing over the bike, everything was well explained and I could even choose a route with maps that included popular scenic points accessible by following the GPS. I returned the bike to the store after completing a full round trip. The staff were amazing and I would recommend this experience if you want to see the major scenic points in Yangshuo by yourself.
Noor G — FR
How was your guide — pace, language, local knowledge? Our guide, Ivan, was the best! He took us on safe paths, looked out for us- and even stopped for us when we wanted to take a photo. In addition- we had our 4 year old daughter with us and he knew when we had to slow down, or be careful- he was extra cautious. My favorite part of the trip was when we stopped for a cold beverage- the view was beautiful, and the drinks were delicious. Ivan was very knowledgeable about the routes, and where to go- this tour was so so great. We did the E bike and that allowed us to enjoy the scenery and mountains, without getting too tired. We also got some amazing photos from Ivan at the end- great photos to help remember how beautiful and fun it was! We can't wait to do another tour with this company!!
Aly — US
T3 – Yulong River + Jinbao River
Excellent bikes, really rich selection of routes recommended and great advice from the bike hire staff. Route chosen absolutely brilliant and planning to go back soon to do a longer one. Absolutely fantastic, cannot recommend highly enough.
Amy - Brit living in China — GB
The experience of renting the bike tour with CycleQuest was incredible. Our guides, Ivan and Snow, were incredibly attentive, competent, and delightful. They took photos, organized the bikes, and handled everything to ensure our day was perfect and completely safe. We plan to return to China and will book Cyclequest’s services again. I will definitely recommend them to friends.
Nara Saad — BR
What a fantastic tour it was by far the best one we have done throughout our one year trip. From start to finish . We were picked up at our hotel in a luxury minibus for us and our 3 brilliant crew . Our driver our cycling guide and our organiser. The equipment was all brand new and immaculate. We stayed in 5 different hotels all excellent . The lads helped us choose food in the restaurants for lunch and dinner. We often stopped for local snacks in the mountains. The cycling routes were amazing the views and local culture were spot on. We did over 300km over 5 rides to altitudes of almost 5000km some days were a bit cloudy but it didn’t stop us we really got a true feel for scenic China . Their organisation and planning and communication was also excellent .We also felt we were on an action movie photo shoot with the number of photos that they took . The trip far exceeded our expectations!
Nicola and Paul — GB
7 day e-bike cycling tour through western sichuan mountains
The pickup and return were super smooth, the bike was in fantastic condition and ready to roll, and riding to Shaofeng Mountain and Jietan Temple was an absolute blast!
Ratno — ID
We had the most amazing 4 days I can remember 🧡 🚲— thanks so much!!
Jack
Whilst staying in Yangshuo the 3 of us booked the 66km e-cycle tour with Cycle Quest China through our hotel (you can of course book directly with them) taking in rice and lotus fields, incredible mountain views, experiencing the natural wonders of the Yangshuo area as well as a fantastic local lunch in a tiny village where the fish, chicken and vegetable’s were so delicious as a result of the local mineral water spring and local farming methods. We had the absolute best day with our expert guides. It was very well coordinated with regular rest and hydration breaks. We were very well taken care of and had the most amazing experience, we are already looking at booking again! Cannot rate this company highly enough! Excellent! 🌟 🚲
The Hanson family — New Zealand
66km e-cycle tour
The team were very helpful in making sure we got exactly what we needed
UK cyclist — GB
Destinations
Our most requested service for global riders. Ride deeper into China's breathtaking landscapes on our bespoke, multi-day e-bike itineraries. We design exclusive routes away from heavy traffic, immersing you in local culture and hidden natural wonders.
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6 Days Discover Lijiang & Dali Amflow E-Bike Tour — six days of guided enduro riding on Amflow E-MTBs, from the Ganheba dry riverbed beneath Jade Dragon Snow Mountain to the backcountry trails of Yunlong and Eryuan near Dali, between the Cangshan range and Erhai Lake. Purpose-built rider basecamps like the Dali Enduro Club, full van support, and the ancient towns of the Naxi and Bai people round out the ride.
A great ride demands great equipment. We do not compromise on our fleet. Whether you are tackling mountain trails or cruising scenic river valleys, our fully maintained, high-performance bikes are ready for the challenge. Our Premium E-Bike & MTB Fleet Includes: Specialized, Trek, Cannondale, Amflow, Fnix. Every bike is meticulously serviced by our in-house mechanics before every tour to ensure perfect performance. ( Beijing, Guilin, Yangshuo, Chengdu, Dali, Lijiang, Wuhan )
