Three Parallel Rivers National Park is situated in northwest Yunnan province. It sprawls over a huge area of 1.7 million hectares. As the name suggests, the park encompasses three great rivers – Yangtze (Jinsha), Mekong (Lancang) and Salween (Nu) – running parallel to each other. Locals call it the place where God resides.

The Three Parallel Rivers National Park is the only area in the world where three rivers flow so close to each other. 66 kilometers separate the Yangtze and the Mekong and only 19 separate the Mekong and the Salween Rivers. Close though these rivers run to each other, they each flow into different oceans, their mouths thousands of kilometers apart.

The three rivers flow from north to south for hundreds of kilometers, cutting deep gorges into the land, some as much as 2000 meters deep. Some of the surrounding, glacier-covered mountains are as much as 6000 meters tall. Altogether there are eight clusters of protected areas.

Because the climate in this region changes dramatically depending on the elevation, these protected areas include some of the richest bio-diversity in China. Some of the rare species found here include Yunnan golden monkeys, antelope, snow leopards, Bengal tigers and black-necked cranes.

One of the mountains these wide rivers snake around is Terrace Mountain, where the Naxi tribe resides more than 2000 metres above sea level. The mountain boasts a number of spectacular natural limestone terraces. These terraces form a kind of altar where the Naxi offer worship.

Meili Snow Mountain is another famous mountain in the region, regarded as holy by the local tribes.  

The Tiger Leaping Gorge on the Yangtze River is believed to be the deepest in the world. Here the river passes between two great 5000 meter plus peaks, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and Haba Xueshan.

The Three Parallel Rivers National Park is also the home of 16 different ethnic groups, where various religions, languages and cultures co-exist peacefully.

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