Best Places to Visit in Shangri-La

Best Places to Visit in Shangri-La will guide you the things to do in Shangri-La, where to visit in Shangri-La, the top attractions in Shangri-La, which is helpful for your Shangri-La Travel.

What are the top attractions to visit in Shangri-La? What are the best places to visit in Shangri-La? Shangri-La is the “Eden in dream”. Since it first appeared in British novelist James Hilton’s Lost Horizon in the 1939, it has been associated with the mystique of a place which could not possibly exist here on Earth. There are the lofty and continuous snowy mountains, endless grasslands, steep and grand gorges, azure lakes and the bucolic villages always leaving a deep impression on visitors. 

Best Places to Visit in Shangri-La

Tiger Leaping Gorge

As one of the deepest and most spectacular river canyons in the world, the scenery of Tiger Leaping Gorge is gorgeous. Foreign backpackers started hiking in the area in the 1980s and now Tiger Leaping Gorge Hiking Tour has been one of the most famous hiking tour all around the world. Tiger Leaping Gorgeis a scenic canyon on the Jinsha River, a primary tributary of the upper Yangtze River. The inhabitants of the gorge are primarily the indigenous Naxi people and Tibetan people, who live in a handful of small hamlets. Naturally Tiger Leaping Gorge is divided into three sections: Upper Tiger Leaping Gorge, Middle Tiger Leaping Gorge and Lower Tiger Leaping Gorge.

Haba Snow Mountain

The Haba Snow Mountain stands by the Jinsha River, 120 km southeast of Shangri-La City, with its main peak of 5,396 meters. The attraction of the Sanba Tourist Area is attributed to the towering peaks of the Haba Snow Mountain and its alpine moraine lake, endless tracks of azalea flowers and cluster of waterfalls cascading down snow-covered cliffs. The glacier on the Haba Snow Mountain is the southmost glacier in China. Haba Snow Mountain is the best mountain for climbing tours in Yunnan with an elevation of 5,396 meters in the summit. People can take a Haba Snow Mountain Climbing Tours from Lijiang or with Tiger Leaping Gorge Hiking. You can find more Haba Snow Mountain Climbing Tours here.

Songzanlin Monastery

Songzanlin Monastery is the largest Tibetan Buddhist temple complex in Yunnan province and one of the famous monasteries in the Kang region, which belongs to the Yellow Hat sect of Tibetan Buddhism of the Gelukpa order of the Dalai Lama. It is reputed as the Little Potala Palace due to its complex of Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet.

Meili Snow Mountain

Meili Snow Mountain is one of the most sacred mountains of Tibetan Buddhism. In the 1930s, they were praised by American scholars as the most beautiful mountains in the world. Meili Snow Mountain boasts numerous snow-clad ridges and peaks, thirteen of which are more than 6,000 meters above the sea level. The highest peak Kawagebo, which rises to 6,740 meters, has never been on the summit.

Dukezong Ancient Town

Dukezong Ancient Town is a Tibetan town in Shangri-la County, Deqin Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan. As one of the largest and best-preserved Tibetan residence groups in China, it is over thirteen hundred years old, which not only plays an important role in the Old Tea-Horse Road, but also serves as a corridor connecting Chinese and Tibetan language, people, religion and cultures.

Pudacuo National Park

Being one of the most bio-diverse regions in China’s Yunnan Province, Pudacuo National Park is the first national park in Chinese mainland which was announced on June 25, 2007. With its crystal-clear lakes, undulating mountains and gurgling streams, Pudacuo National Park is definitely a wonderful natural wonderland. Among China’s 2,500 nature reserves, Pudacuo is the only one meets the standards for national parks established by The World Conservation Union. In addition to its rare vegetation and mammal species, the stunning natural beauty of landscape is unmissable for visitors as well.

Baishuitai(White Water Terraces)

Baishuitai is located in Baidi Village, Sanba Township, southeast of Shangri-La City. It is 101 kilometers away from Shangri-La and 2,380 meters above sea level. It is the birthplace of the Dongba Religion of Naxi people. Looking in the distance, Baishuitai hidden in the green hills is really like terraced fields. Under the sunshine, it is like a frozen waterfall in a photograph. A foot on the white stone steps, there is a cool feeling that can not be spoken out.

Napahai Lake

With a total area of 31.25 square kilometers and an elevation of 3266 meters, the state-designated wetlands area Napahai Nature Reserve is located in Shangri-la city, Yunnan province. Established in 1984, it is a wetland ecosystemprotection zone to plateau seasonal lakes and marsh meadows. The natural reserve is flat, surrounded by mountains. When October steps in, flocks of black-necked cranes, bar-headed geese, white cranes, sheldrakes regularly come Napahai Lake looking for food and for fun.

Best Places to Visit Yunnan by Region

Yunnan Attractions by Region