Diqing Shangri-La (former name: Zhongdian) located at northwest of Yunnan province, and on the southern stretch of Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Shangri-La is a sacred place located in the midst of three rivers and blessed with magnificent mountains. It also the gateway of “The Tea Horse Road” and important transfer station of Silk Road in the ancient time.
Shangri-La not only boasts wonderful snowy valleys scenic of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and the splendid scenery of Inner Mongolia grassland. The famous scenic attractions are Bita Lake,Songzanlin Monastery, and White Water Terraces and so on.
Bita Lake
Bita Lake is the highest lake in Yunnan at an elevation of 3500m, 40 km east of Shangri-La (Zhongdian). Covering an area of about 159 hectares and with an average depth of 20 meters (the deepest reaches 40 meters), Bita Lake is famous for its limpid water and its beautiful scenery which is set against the mountains and forests surrounding it. Bita Lake also named Pear as in the Highland, and the most attracting is the pyramid structure small hill and the peaceful Lake.
Songzanlin Monastery
Located 4 km north of Zhongdian County, Songzanlin Monastery is a large, sprawling and well-preserved lamasery built in the 1700s by the Fifth Dalai Lama. Rom its outward appearance, the structure style is faithful the imitation of the Potala Palace in Lhasa. Its temples and buildings have ornate carvings and gilded highlights. Here you can experience the mystical sounds of chanting monks and clinging bells.
White Water Terrace
White Water Terraces located at foothill of Baha Snow Mountain, 103km away from Zhongdian County (Shangri-La). It’s a natural wonder which is built during the process of the calcium carbonate dissolves in the spring water. In addition to the spectacular terrace itself, visitors can also learn about the ethnic Naxi minority and folklore in the nearby Baidi village. The terrace is also known as the birthplace of Dongba culture of the Naxi Minority Group, each year on the 8th day of the second lunar month, the Naxi people will gather here to celebrate their traditional festival with singing and dancing.
By Air
Diqing Airport (DIG) is a civil airport located in southwestern Shangri-La, which is 5 kms away from Zhongdian(Shangri-La) County. At present, the airport has many routes to some of the major cities, such as:
Kunming – Shangri-La / Zhongdian
Chengdu – Shangri-La / Zhongdian
Lhasa – Shangri-La / Zhongdian
Guangzhou – Shangri-La / Zhongdian
Xishuangbanna – Shangri-La / Zhongdian
Beijing- Shangri-La / Zhongdian
Shengzhen – Shangri-La / Zhongdian
Guiyang – Shangri-La / Zhongdian
By Bus
The main means of transportation to get into Shangri-La is by bus. Because of the special location of Zhongdian, the road routes of Shangri-La can reach Tibet, Sichuan. In Yunnan province, the bus routes of Zhongdian as the following:
Kunming – Shangri-La / Zhongdian
Lijiang – Shangri-La / Zhongdian
Chuxiong – Shangri-La / Zhongdian
Dali – Shangri-La / Zhongdian
Deqin – Shangri-La / Zhongdian
By Train
There is no railway in Shangri-La at present.
Deqin of Shangri-la is a place where full filled with Tibetan customs. When you arrive at there, you can find selling of lots of Tibetan style handcrafts, the wooded bowl and box. And you also can buy some medical materials, Cordyceps sinensisand snow lotus and so on.
If you travel in Diqing, you also can buy some tricholoma matsutake which is a unique and delicious food.
Joining in Tibetan family bonfire party in the evening, where you not only can taste the Tibetan traditional snacks but also enjoy the traditional Tibetan folk dancing and singing.
