Meili Snow Mountain is a massif of thirteen peaks straddling the Yunnan-Tibet border, with eight summits above 6,000 metres. The principal peak, Kawa Karpo, rises to 6,740 metres and is considered one of the most sacred mountains in Tibetan Buddhism — along with pilgrimage sites in Tibet, Nepal, and Bhutan, it forms part of a circuit that devout pilgrims walk over several weeks. The mountain's Tibetan name translates roughly as "White Snow Prince of the King of Dharma."
The dramatic view of the full massif from Feilai Temple, across the deep Mekong gorge, is the main reason most visitors come to Deqin. On clear mornings — and they are not guaranteed — the peaks catch the sunrise in a sequence of orange and gold that shifts minute by minute as the light strengthens. Photographers and pilgrims both arrive before dawn hoping for this spectacle. The surrounding range also contains the Mingyong Glacier and the pilgrimage village of Yubeng, both accessible by trail.