Shangri-La Travel Tips

To have a better travel experience in Shangri-la, here are some useful Shangri-la travel tips which may be helpful for your Shangri-la tour. When plan your trip to Shangri-la, view our answers to questions about Shangri-la travel to get better understanding of Shangri-la Yunnan.

Useful Numbers

Here below are some useful numbers in Shangri-la, in case the emergency while you are traveling (such as fire or traffic accidents), or have other complaints or questions.

Best Time to Visit

May to October is the best time to Shangri-la, at that time, the galsang flowers are blooming and the meadow is evergreen, full of artistic conception. During the period, you can visit charming Pudacuo national park and magnificent Tiger Leaping Gorge. September- October is the best time to hike in Tiger leaping gorge and climb Haba snow mountain.

What to Pack

Shangri-la is more than 3,000 meters above sea level, enjoying a plateau humid climate. The temperature difference between morning and evening is large. No matter what season you go to Shangri-la, you should prepare a warm coat.

• Spring(March-May): Wear sweaters and coats, and dress in layers to adapt to the large temperature difference.
• Summer(June-August): Light clothes for the daytime and warm clothes for the night. Remeber to bring an umbrella, hat, sunglasses and sunscreen. The roads are bad on rainy days. You'd better check the weather before you travel.
• Autumn(September-November): Long-sleeved clothes and warm coat are needed.
• Winter(December-February): Thermal underwear, sweaters, thick coat/down jacket, gloves, scarf, and warm hat.

Other Tips

• Language: People in Diqing area mainly speak in Yunnan dialect and Tibetan language, and most people in the Dukezong ancient town speak mandarin. With the development of tourism, more and more foreigners travel to Shangri-la, and some local people begin to learn English. In some remote Tibetan mountains, some old people and children can only speak Tibetan, not Chinese, let alone English.
• Internet Service: Most inns and hotels in Shangri-la offer free Internet access. Many restaurants, coffee shops and other beverage shops offer WIFI service as well.
• Altitude Sickness: Shangri-la is more than 3,300 meters above sea level. Some people may have a little altitude sickness, but it's usually not serious. If you want to go to the mountain pass, which is more than 4000 meters above sea level, it is better to take more preventive measures. Before going to the plateau, you can take some medicines to alleviate the altitude reaction, such as rhodiola rosea, American ginseng tablet and so on.
• Insurance Purchase: Most people who travel to Shangri-la are backpackers or hikers. Most of them aim to climb mountains and hike. It is recommended to buy relevant insurance before the trip. In addition, when buying tickets at the scenic spot, remember to pay attention to whether the ticket contains insurance or not. For example, if the risk factor of visiting the scenic spot is large, it is recommended to buy additional insurance.
• Altitude Sickness Preventing: During the travel, do not overeat, drink or smoke. It is recommended to eat more vitamin-rich foods such as vegetables and fruits to prevent altitude sickness. Drink adequate amount of water, pay attention to keep warm, less showers to avoid cold and physical exertion. Once you have altitude sickness, don't take in oxygen at the very beginning, but try to adapt to it by yourself. Because oxygen uptake has a strong dependence, you may not be able to leave the oxygen bottle any more.
• Road Condition: Every year from June to September is the rainy season in Shangri-la. The road condition may be not good for travelling. In winter, Shangri-La is snowy. After the snow, the mountain road is not easy to walk, and waiting for the snow to melt needs patience and time.

Banks

Shangri-la has industrial and commercial bank of China, agricultural bank of China, China construction bank, etc., which are mainly located in the Changzheng avenue. In addition, the ancient town parking lot has construction bank ATM machines.

• Bank of China(Diqing Branch)中国银行迪庆州分行
  Address: Chicika Street, Shangri-la, Diqing迪庆州香格里拉市池慈卡街
  Tel: 0871-64139710/0871-64332852
• Bank of China ATM
  Address: No.13, Cangfang Street, Shangri-la, Diqing迪庆州香格里拉市仓房街13号
• Industrial and Commercial Bank of China中国工商银行
  Address: No.144, Changzheng Avenue, Shangri-la, Diqing迪庆州香格里拉市长征大道144号
  Tel: 95588/0887-8222632
• China Construction Bank中国建设银行
  Address: No.46, Chicika Street, Jiantang Town, Shangri-la, Diqing迪庆州香格里拉市建塘镇池慈卡街46号
  Tel: 0887-8222787
• Agricultural Bank of China中国农业银行
  Address: No.175, Changzheng Avenue, Jiantang Town, Shangri-la, Diqing迪庆州香格里拉市建塘镇长征大道175号
  Tel: 0887-8222406

Post Offices and Expresses

The postcode of Shangri-la is 674400. Yuantong Express, Yunda Express and China post have branches in Shangri-la. Sending postcards and parcels is very convenient. The postage for sending postcards is 0.8 yuan per sheet.

• China Post中国邮局
  Address: In the intersection of Dongwang Road and Jiangke Road, Shangri-la, Diqing迪庆州香格里拉市东旺路与江克路交叉口
  Tel: 0887-8232510
• Yuantong Express圆通速运
  Address: The Southeast of Jinsha International Hotel, Jiantang Town, Shangri-la, Diqing迪庆州香格里拉市建塘镇金沙国际酒店东南
  Tel: 95554
• Yunda Express韵达快递
  Address: No.213, Changzheng Avenue, Shangri-la, Diqing迪庆州香格里拉市长征大道213号
  Tel: 95546
• Yunda Express韵达快递
  Address: No.84, Dawa Road, Jiantang Town, Shangri-la, Diqing迪庆州香格里拉市建塘镇达娃路84号
  Tel: 95546
• SF Express顺丰快递
  Address: No.127, Da La Lang, Dukezong Ancient Town, Shangri-la, Diqing迪庆州香格里拉市独克宗古城达拉廊127号
  Tel: 95338
• SF Express顺丰快递
  Address: Jinsha Road, Shangri-la, Diqing迪庆州香格里拉市金沙路
  Tel: 95338

Hospitals

• People's Hospital of Shangri-la(香格里拉人民医院)
  Address: No.19, Chicika Street, Jiantang Town, Shangri-la, Diqing迪庆州香格里拉市建塘镇池慈卡街19号
  Tel: 0887-8222022/0887-8222454
• Tibetan Medicine Hospital of Diqing Prefecture(迪庆州藏医院)
  Address: Kangzhu Avenue, Jiantang Town, Shangri-la, Diqing迪庆州香格里拉市建塘镇康珠大道
  Tel: 0887-8223974
• Shangri-la Xiehe Hospital(香格里拉协和医院)
  Address: No.9, Yangtang Road, Shangri-la, Diqing迪庆州香格里拉市阳塘路9号
  Tel: 0887-8233120/0887-8266120
• Shangri-la Boai Hospital(香格里拉博爱医院)
  Address: No.32, Xiangbala Avenue, Shangri-la, Diqing迪庆州香格里拉市香巴拉大道32号

Read More

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