Zada Clay Forest

Zada Clay Forest

The earth forest in Zanda, Ngari Prefecture,came into being after the erosion and weathering of waters and wind. It is an unique landform that shows special charm. And during the sunset, the earth forest under the sunset glow features the most enchanting scenery.

The forest contains earth of varied shapes, some are like castles or towers, while other are like tents or palaces.In the canyons of the forest, Xiangquan River flows quietly, putting itself in the fairyland. Facing such masterpieces of nature, one cannot be more admire at the power of the nature..

The earth forest is a unique scenery of Ngari Prefecture. According to legend, long time ago, Zanda was used to be an ocean, where there were only water and wind under the blue sky. And as time passed by, the earth forest gradually grew out of the ocean. The legend does make sense to some extent. According to scientists,there was used to be a large lake with a coverage of 500 square kilometers. The Himalayan orogeny lifted the lake basin, and the water table dropped. That, coupled with the long-term erosion of the wind and rain, contributed to today’s clay forest.

On the way to Zanda County, you can appreciate the beautiful canyon-like scenery, filled with countless earth castles.You can walk to the earth forest from the Zanda County town.

Photography Tips

Best time for photographing

Spring and Autumn are the appropriate seasons for shooting the earth forest. You have to avoid visiting there in August, the rainy season in Tibet. During the period, the road to Zanda is too slippery to walk or pass.

Best places for photographing

The Viewing Platform of Zanda clay Forest

About 30kms away from Zanda County town(about one hour’s driving),the viewing platform is among the best places to shoot the forest. If you want to shoot the forest under the beautiful sunset glow, you need to protect yourself from the strong wind, lest you catch a cold. On top of that, you have to be careful driving from the forest to the town at night, given the steep slope, sharp turnings and the dropping altitude.

Guge Kingdom Ruins

It takes about 40 minutes driving from the town to Guge Kingdom Ruins through the unpaved road of 20KM long. If you choose to stay overnight at the Zhaburang Village, then you can walk to the ruins before sunrise the next morning. Surrounded the ruins are also some clay forests of different shapes, which are of perfect view under the morning sun.

Outskirts of Tholing Town

To the north of Tholing Town, the county town of Zanda, there lie a red and white pagoda of the Tholing Temple and rows of pagoda ruins. Pagoda, along with earth forest and prayer’s flags, contributes to the unique local scenery in Zanda. Features

As one of the most mysterious geologic wonders, Zanda clay forest is a paradise for shutterbugs, who are able to shoot pictures with strong light effect there.