There are sacred snow-capped mountains, deep canyons, flying waterfalls, tranquil lakes surrounded by forests, herds of cattle and sheep wandering on the beautiful grassland, mirror-like skies, and golden temples, all of which have breath-taking beauty, and are known as "paradises" because of their holy beauty.
Pure, hospitable people warmly welcome guests from afar. This is the holy land of religion, a paradise on earth. Here, the sun and moon rest in your heart. This is the legendary Shangri-La – from Lost Horizon
Yunnan's skies don't need filters
Located in Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, 200 kilometers from Lijiang, Shangri-La County is one of the largest and least densely populated counties in Yunnan Province. Many of nature's secrets are treasured in these off-the-beaten-path places. Shangri-La's attractions are mainly concentrated in the ancient city of Dukezong and around the county seat, north of Deqin County and the area around the Tiger Leaping Gorge.
Shangri-La Harmony Tower in the tower
The Middle Pagoda of Harmony was built in 2017, the 60th anniversary of the founding of Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, and is an iconic sight of Shangri. As the name suggests, the 108-meter-high White Pagoda wraps a 24-meter-high small tower, and there is a circle of rotating gold cylinders at the bottom of the tower, which needs to be turned clockwise, and local Tibetans will come here on their wedding day to pray for blessings. If you are just 4-5 kilometers away from Shangri-La, you will see the towering White Pagoda guarding the pure land of Shangri-La like a guardian.
Her traffic
By road: Kunming, Dali, Lijiang have shuttle buses to Shangri-La. Shangri-La also has shuttle buses to Lijiang, Dali and Kunming, but the online timetable is often adjusted and there is no reference.
Railway: Shangri-La is currently building a railway, which will be convenient in the future.
Airplane: Shangri-La also has an airport, called Diqing Airport, which is a few kilometers from the county seat. At present, the flights are Kunming, Xishuangbanna, Chengdu, Lhasa, Chongqing, Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai. Visitors from other cities can choose to fly to Kunming before connecting flights.
After arriving in Shangri-La County, in addition to Songzanlin Temple, you can take the No. 3 bus to go, other attractions can only be chartered, depending on the distance, to the scenic spots within 40 kilometers around the county, the chartered bus price is about 100-300 yuan
Shangri-La Napa Sea Grassland
Napa Sea is a national AAA tourist scenic spot. Napa Hai is called "Napa Tso" in Tibetan, which means "lake behind the forest" in Chinese. 6 km from Shangri-La City, it is a seasonal alpine lake in late summer and early autumn, with frequent rains and an increase in the lake's surface, and from late autumn to the following summer and autumn. In October, when the autumn breeze rises, flocks of black-necked cranes, spot-headed geese, white cranes, yellow ducks and pockmarked ducks arrive as scheduled to feed and play in the lakeside swamps. The Napa Sea is an ideal habitat for black-necked cranes. Above the eastern mountain of Napa Hai is the site of the ancient temple of Zhongdian - Gunjiu Temple. Surrounded by towering and lush trees, surrounded by broken walls and rubble, the temple was built at the end of the Yuan Dynasty and destroyed in the early Qing Dynasty. According to historical records, the temple has a statue of Qiangba Buddha with a height of three zhang and six feet, and the Ming Dynasty traveler Xu Xiake once wanted to visit it, but was blocked by the Lijiang Mu clan toast and could not achieve his wish. Climb to the ancient temple and enjoy a panoramic view of the Napa Sea grassland.
Best time to visit
Due to its location on a plateau, complex landscapes and natural conditions, a trip to Shangri-La is very important for the choice of seasons.
May-October is the best time to travel to Shangri-La.
May-June is the time to see a sea of flowers, yaks and alpine meadows.
Tiger Leaping Gorge is at its most spectacular in July.
The wildflowers on the grasslands bloom in July and August, which is very beautiful.
September to October is a good time to see wolf poison flowers and autumn scenery, the temperature difference between these two seasons is also large, you need to add or decrease clothing in time, pay attention to keep warm.
Shangri-La Shika Snow Mountain
Shika Snow Mountain is located in the southwest of Shangri-La County, bordered by Napa Sea in the north, Thousand Lake Mountain in the south, Songzanlin Temple and Dukezong Ancient City in the east, mysterious canyon and the rushing Jinsha River in the west, and the main peak is 4449.5 meters above sea level, which is currently the only three-dimensional eco-cultural tourism scenic spot on the Diqing Plateau with cable car sightseeing conditions. Shika Snow Mountain has four distinct scenery in four seasons: "green grass in spring, flowers in summer, autumn colors in autumn and snow in winter", each season has a different beauty. "Shika" is a Tibetan transliteration of Shangri-La, meaning "mountain with red deer", symbolizing "auspicious longevity and the right law to ward off evil spirits". Shika Snow Mountain has many mysterious canyons, glacial lakes, meadow streams and gravel caves, as well as a variety of horn peaks, "U" valleys, ancient glacial landforms and more. Blue sky, white clouds, snowy mountains, meadows, Tibetan houses, cooking tobacco, cattle and sheep, shepherd boys, the creation of nature, in front of you is a wonderful pattern of "the unity of heaven and man". It is worth mentioning that when the weather is good, you can see the eight sacred mountains of Shangri-La from the top of Shika Snow Mountain.
Climatic conditions
The county seat of Shangri-La is about 3,300 meters above sea level, and like all plateaus, there is a large temperature difference between morning and evening.
The temperature is around 5-15°C in spring, and it will be cold when the snow melts in early spring.
Summer is the rainy season, and the temperature is around 10-25°C. The water and grass are abundant, the sea of flowers is charming, and there is a heavy rain from time to time, but it comes and goes quickly, and the scene of "rain here and sun there" is common. If the sun is out during the day, the temperature can reach 25 ° C, and the sunlight is so strong that people can't open their eyes. But sooner or later there will be a cold feeling. Even if you go to Shangri-La in summer, bring a jacket.
The scenery is the most beautiful in autumn, and the colorful forest and wolf venom attract many color friends, and the temperature is about 5-20 ° C.
Winter temperatures are lowest with snow, and temperatures can sometimes reach minus 10°C
Shangri-La Dukezong
The ancient city of Dukezong is the best preserved and largest group of Tibetan dwellings in China, and is the hub of the ancient Tea Horse Road. Zhongdian is the construction of the pond, and according to legend, together with Litang and Batang in Sichuan, it was the fiefdom of the three sons of the king of Zao. Historically, Zhongdian has always been a political, military, economic and cultural center in Tibetan areas of Yunnan. For thousands of years, there has been both the smoke of war and the noise of the "tea and horse mutual market". Here is the window of ethnic and cultural exchanges between Tibetan and Yunnan in the snowy region, the bridge of Sino-Tibetan friendship, the link of the "big triangle" of Yunnan-Tibet River, and the world's largest gold cylinder.
Friendly reminder
Many people are worried that they will be high, in fact, this is more determined by psychological factors, the more you are afraid, the more you have to come, it is better not to think about it. If you ask someone: Will I go to Shangri-La to be high? That's really impossible to answer, there are individual differences.
1. Shangri-La's altitude is slightly higher, and some people may experience altitude sickness, especially tourists who live in low altitude areas for a long time, and the probability of high altitude is much higher than that of people living at an altitude of 2,000 meters. Gao Anti has always had the saying that "bullying men does not bully women, bullying the old and not bullying the small, bullying fat and not bullying thin, and bullying without bullying quiet".
2. When you first arrive at Shangri-La, avoid strenuous exercise, do not walk quickly, do not do physical work, avoid overeating, do not drink alcohol and smoke, eat more vitamin-rich foods such as vegetables and fruits, drink plenty of water, and pay attention to keeping warm.
3. On the first night of Shangri-La, try not to take a shower, or only shower without washing your hair, and it is strictly forbidden to take a bath. Sleeping with the air conditioner on can lead to a lack of oxygen, remember.
4. If there is a high reaction, do not take oxygen at the beginning, try to adapt to it by yourself, otherwise there will be dependence. If you have symptoms such as cold, cough, fever, etc., be sure to take medicine and see a doctor in time, otherwise it is easy to transform into emphysema. If the situation is serious, immediately withdraw to the altitude.
The whole process of Songzanlin Monastery is Kadan Songzanlin Monastery, which is the largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Yunnan Province and the center of the Gelug school in Sichuan and Yunnan, which has a pivotal position in the entire Tibetan area and is known as the "Little Potala Palace". Built on the mountain, the shape is like an ancient castle. Completed in 1681. The Fifth Dalai Lama personally gave the name "Kadan Songtsenlin". The temple architecture can be said to have gathered the essence of Tibetan religious culture, and is also known as the Tibetan Art Museum. The building is resplendent in gold, colorful gilded copper tiles, the temple treasure horn beast kiss cornice, the large and magnificent hall of Zacang, many Buddha statues enshrined in the hall, Kunta is tall and sacred, and the murals in the west wing on both sides are beautifully carved.
Habit contraindications
Some tourists are afraid of Tibetans and worry about some safety problems when visiting Shangri-La. In fact, Tibetans are very kind and friendly, and because they are deeply influenced by Tibetan Buddhism, all aspects of their lives show traces of Buddhist influence. When traveling to Tibetan areas, we must respect various local customs and habits, and do not talk about political and ethnic topics related to the Tibetan people.
1. In the minds of Tibetans, Mani piles are signposts of God, and the Mani stones on them are carved with six-character mantras or Buddha images, which are sacred relics of Tibetans. When encountering religious facilities such as monasteries, mani piles, and stupas, you must detour from left to right, and Tibetans think that it is a sin to go in the opposite direction. Do not pick up mani stones, let alone sit on mani piles.
2. Do not cross the magic vessel or brazier. The warp barrel and warp wheel shall not be reversed. It is forbidden for others to touch the top of their heads with their hands.
3. Tibetans do not eat dog meat, monkey meat, horse meat, donkey meat, or fish meat.
4. When you are a guest in a Tibetan house, if you are invited to drink tea or drink, if you really cannot drink it, you should politely decline. When receiving a hata, take it with both hands, and if the other person is wearing it directly around your neck, do not remove it immediately.
5. When photographing people up close, especially monks and women, be sure to obtain the consent of the other party in advance to avoid unnecessary trouble. Many temples can take pictures outside, after entering the inside, you can not take pictures, the consequences of secret photography are very serious, some indicate that you can take pictures after payment, please do not take pictures randomly.
Shangri-La Tiger Leaping Gorge
Tiger Leaping Gorge, known worldwide as "dangerous", is one of the deepest canyons in China. Tiger Leaping Gorge has Shangri-La section and Lijiang section and is divided into He, and Shangri-La Tiger Leaping Gorge is a national AAAA tourist scenic spot, it includes upper, middle and lower Tiger Leaping Gorge, high road hiking line, of which: Tiger Leaping Gorge hiking line is known as "one of the world's top ten classic hiking routes", mainly composed of two parts: high road hiking line and middle tiger jumping gorge hiking line. The upper gorge of the Tiger Leaping Gorge is 1800 meters above sea level, and the lower gorge is 1630 meters above sea level, and the difference between the mountains and the river surface on both sides is 2500-3000 meters, and the valley slope is steep and spectacular. The river falls seven steep ridges in a row in the gorge, with a short drop of 216 meters. The water is rough and sounding for miles, and it is one of the deepest Grand Canyons in the world. In the past, the river was cut off by landslides, and there are still landslides left. There is also Guangdong Xinyi Tiger Jumping Gorge with the same name. Xiahujiao has a huge deep ravine with a depth of 1 km, and this is close to the exit of Tiger Leaping Gorge, which is the best place to enjoy Tiger Leaping Gorge.
Thank you for seeing here, honored by the traffic era, Damei Shangri-La, Damei Heshan, we are all here!