Metok （“Motuo”in Chinese） is Tibet’s purest and holiest region. It is located in the southeast of the Tibet Autonomous Region and at the lower branch of the Yarlung Zangbo River， covering an area of 30，553 square kilometres. The average altitude of the county is 1200 meters above sea level while the average altitude of the Tibet plateau is about 4000 meters， which makes it the bottom of a well.
It is the only Chinese county with no highway connection to the outside world and inaccessible by modern vehicles. The only transportation way in Metok is to carry things by human beings. Stone pans and chopsticks are the merely commodities transported from the county.
The way to the paradise-like place is like purgatory as the mountains are steep and the water in the river is gust. Many sections of the road are on the krantz and some cols are covered with snow for the whole year. The place is called “The absolute field in the world hidden among mist， jokuls and dense forests” and “the last mysterious land on earth.”
To visit Metok， one must climb mountains and crags，and cross forests with hands and feet. In about 9 months of the year， Metok is separted from the outside world. There are mainly two routes to Metok. The 1st one is： climbing the Doxong La Col of the Himalayans and then reach Beibeng township of Metok county， and then go northward （opposite to the flowing direction of the Yarlung Zangbo River） to reach Metok county. This 115-kilometer route will take 4 days by walking and it is accessible from June to October. Another 141-kilometer route is to walk along the Zhamog- Metok road from Bome county. Because of Garwalung mountain’s block， this route is only accessible from August to October to 80 kilometers after ice and snow melt. And then visitors need to walk two days to reach Metok county. In other months visitors need to climb the Garlung La Col with an altitude of 4060 meters. It will take 5 days to walk in normal conditions.
The special transportation way leads to high prices in the county. The government has tried to choose 5 courses to build for cars but cars are still not able to drive into Metok because of different reasons. Nowadays， Metok is also open to cars in subsection during certain seasons and it is difficult to ensure a smooth traffic flow. After years of reconnaissance， experts concluded that Metok is located at the Himalayan Orogenic Belt and Medog Orogenic Belt where earthquakes， landslides and debris flows happen frequently. Moreover， Metok’s humid and wet climate adds difficulties for traffic in the region. The 141-kilometer Zhamog- Metok road （from Zhamog town of Bome county to the Metok county in Nyingchi Prefecture） was built in 1994 and announced scrapped after welcoming only one car， which became an “cultural relic” after it arrived in Metok. At present， shrub and ruderal cover the road and many sections of the road have collapsed. Some places have become landslide surfaces while all that remains of the former bridge on the road is some rusty steel frames. So the traditional transportation way ― people carrying things still exists.
Metok has a large number of mountains， abundant water and many waterfalls. Different types of waterfalls are wonderful and the most famous ones are： the Grand Canyon Water-fall （dubbed as the “Tibetan fabric wonder”）， the 400-meterhigh Hanmi Waterfall and the fluttering Laga Waterfall.
With a length of 400 meters each， Beibeng Ratten Bridge and Dexing Ratten Bridge are the most well-known in Metok. And the latter crosses the Yarlung Zangbo River and has a history of more than 300 years. Often seen in strategic places of the river， Ratten bridges hang in the air in a tube shape. However， it is almost hermetic so it is safe for passengers. As for the sliding cableways， the ones who dare to use them need great skills and bravery as it needs a posture backward the river.
The main body of the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon is within the county and Metok is a place with the lowest altitude with best environment in the Tibet plateau. Boasting a humid subtropical climate， it is warm the whole year. The county has the maximum precipitation and the best-preserved ecological conditions. Metok boasts abundant plants and animals. The Metok National Animal and Plant Reserve Area has more than 3，000 species of plants， 42 species of rare wild animals that under special State protection， and over a thousand of hexapod species. And it is a scarce special forest area in both China and the world. With various categories of plants， its complicated vegetation structure is in vertical zonal distribution. In 40 kilomenters， nearly all vegetation types including from the frigid zone to the tropical zone can be seen. Many rare species such as nanmu， camphor， ebony， taxus and tree fern dubbed as “the natural living fossil” are widely distributed. Scarce animals in Medog include Bengal tiger， Bengal cattle， and great hornbill， etc.
Metok is also called Baimagang in ancient times， means“secret lotus flower” in Tibetan language. And the county is dubbed as Tibet’s Xishuangbanna （Xishuangbanna in Yunnan Province is famous for its beautiful scenery）. It is a place that Buddhist believers long for. It is written in the “Kanjur”Buddhisism scriptures “Baimagang， Buddha’s pure land， is the most outstanding in holly lands”. According to the legend， in Metok， there are inexhaustible grains and milk， and on the mountains ancient trees with big flowers can be seen everywhere， the flowers are so huge that people can sleep in the middle of them， the golden key to the Elysium is hidden here as well.