17DropenlingB3
1Sights
Shangri-la is a wonderful place for getting off the beaten track, with plenty of trekking and horse-riding opportunities, as well as little-visited monasteries and villages. However, the remote sights are difficult to reach independently given the lack of public transport.
One increasingly popular village is Nírǔ (尼汝), close to Pǔdácuò, which offers good hiking nearby. There are a couple of guesthouses in the village and a van from Shangri-la will cost ¥300.
Ganden Sumtseling GompaMONASTERY
(松赞林寺; Sōngzànlín Sì ¥115; h7am-7pm)
About an hour’s walk north of town is this 300-year-old Tibetan monastery complex with around 600 monks. Extensive rebuilding has robbed the monastery of some of its charm, but it remains the most important in southwest China and is definitely worth the visit. Bus 3 runs here from anywhere along Changzheng Lu (¥1). From the main gate where the tickets are sold you can catch a tourist bus to the monastery.
Zhùangjīn TǒngHISTORIC SITE
( MAP GOOGLE MAP )F
This huge prayer wheel stands at 21m high and contains 100,000 small prayer wheels. At least six people are needed to make it spin.
Shangri-la Old TownHISTORIC SITE
(香格里拉古城, Xiānggélǐlā Gǔchéng MAP GOOGLE MAP )
A few streets survived the January 2014 fire that reduced most of the old town to ashes, and these retain the mix of cobbled lanes and renovated wooden buildings that characterised Shangri-la's old town. Now, they have been joined by new 'old' wooden buildings that imitate them. Worth a visit is Guīshān Sì (龟山寺; Guīshān Temple MAP GOOGLE MAP ), which is home to a handful of monks who conduct morning prayers.
Next to it is Zhùangjīn Tǒng. On the far side of Guīshān Sì is the Shangri-la Thangka Academy (唐卡学会; Tángkǎ Xuéhuì MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0887 888 1612; www.thangkaacademy.com; 31 Jinlong Jie; 金龙街31号 ), where young monks train in painting and Buddhist philosophy. The academy also offers classes for tourists, costing ¥100 per day, or you can stay at the academy to study for ¥200, including room and board.
Bǎijī SìBUDDHIST TEMPLE
(百鸡寺; 100 Chickens Temple )F
For the best views over Shangri-la, head to this delightfully named and little-visited temple. The temple has a couple of monks inside and dozens of chickens wandering around outside. To get here, walk along the narrow paths behind Kersang’s Relay Station, past the deserted temple, continue uphill and you’ll see it on the left.
JOSEPH ROCK
Yúnnán has always been a hunting ground for famous, foreign plant-hunters such as Joseph Rock (1884–1962). Rock lived in Lìjiāng between 1922 and 1949, becoming the world’s leading expert on Naxi culture and local botany.
Born in Austria, the withdrawn autodidact taught himself eight languages, including Sanskrit. After becoming the world’s foremost authority on Hawaiian flora, the US Department of Agriculture, Harvard University and later National Geographic (he was their famed ‘man in China’) sponsored Rock’s trips to collect flora for medicinal research. He devoted much of his life to studying Naxi culture, which he feared was being extinguished by the dominant Han culture.
Rock sent more than 80,000 plant specimens from China – two were named after him – along with 1600 birds and 60 mammals. His caravans stretched for half a mile, and included dozens of servants, including a cook trained in Austrian cuisine, a portable darkroom, trains of pack horses, and hundreds of mercenaries for protection against bandits, not to mention the gold dinner service and collapsible bathtub.
Rock lived in Yùhú village (called Nguluko when he was there), outside Lìjiāng. Many of his possessions are now local family heirlooms.
The Ancient Nakhi Kingdom of Southwest China (1947) is Joseph Rock’s definitive work. Immediately prior to his death, his Naxi dictionary was finally prepared for publishing.
TTours
Caravane LiotardTOUR
(%158 9436 7094; www.caravane-liotard.com)
Named after a legendary French explorer, this French-run outfit specialises in tours along the former routes of the Tea Horse Road.
Haiwei TrailsTOUR
(%139 8875 6540; www.haiweitrails.com)
Has a good philosophy towards local sustainable tourism, and well over a decade of experience running treks and trips.
Khampa CaravanTOUR
(康巴商道探险旅行社; Kāngbā Shāngdào Tànxiǎn Lǚxíngshè MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0887 828 8648; www.khampacaravan.com; Jinlong Jie; 金龙街 h9am-noon & 2-5.30pm Mon-Fri, 9am-noon Sat)
Tibetan-run, this well-established outfit organises some excellent treks and overland journeys, inside Tibet too, that get good feedback, as well as homestays with Tibetan families. The company also runs a lot of sustainable development programs within Tibetan communities. See www.shangrilaassociation.org for more details.
4Sleeping
A frenzy of construction followed the 2014 fire that devastated the old town and there's now a wide choice of guesthouses and hotels here again. Cheap digs (¥60 a room and up) can be found around the bus station.
Despite Shangri-la’s often glacial night temperatures, most cheaper guesthouse and hotel rooms are not heated (although you will get an electric blanket). Many dorms in town are fairly basic too.
Desti HostelHOSTEL$
(背包十年青年公园; Bēibāo Shínián Qīngnián Gōngyuán %130 3860 8855; Chenni Village; 称尼村 dm ¥50-70, d ¥280-380; iW)
Unusual and very flash new hostel located in a huge, converted Tibetan house in a village just outside town close to the grasslands and mountains. Tibetan-run, it has numerous communal areas, while dorms are heated and come with individual reading lights, USB sockets and comfy beds. Private rooms retain the original wood features of the former house.
But the real draw here is the chance to interact with the local villagers. You can herd yaks, help a Tibetan family farm before eating with them, study Tibetan and thangka painting, or ride horses or trek into the mountains. They offer free pick-up, and it's a 20-minute bike ride from town.
Tavern 47GUESTHOUSE$
(仁和客栈; Rénhé Kèzhàn MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0887 888 1147; [email protected]; 47 Cuolang Jie; 措廊街47号 dm ¥45, d with/without bathroom ¥150/100; niW)
This hostel gets good feedback (book ahead) and the private rooms are distinctive, with Tibetan motifs and big, comfortable beds. Dorms are more basic, but there's a nice communal area with a big stove to keep warm by, a small garden and efficient staff, and Western, Korean and Naxi meals are available.
N's Kitchen & LodgeGUESTHOUSE$
(香格里拉藏地国际青年旅舍; Xiānggélǐlā Zàngdì Guójì Qīngnián Lǚshě MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0887 823 3870; [email protected]; 24 Beimen Jie; 北门街24号 dm/d ¥40/150; iW)
They do a fine yak burger, but this is more of a lodge with compact dorms and private rooms set around a suntrap of a garden. There's a small roof terrace and movie room, as well as a pool table and travel advice.
Kersang’s Relay StationINN$
(格桑藏驿; Gésāng Zàng Yì MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0887 822 3118; [email protected]; 1 Yamenlang, Jinlong Jie; 衙门廊1号、金龙街 dm ¥50; d ¥180-240; iW)
This friendly, Tibetan-run place survived the 2014 fire by the skin of its teeth. Rooms are cosy with modern bathrooms and come with much-needed electric blankets. There's a cool terrace, communal lounge and pleasant staff. Call ahead, as it's not always open unless it has guests.
Kevin’s Trekker InnGUESTHOUSE$$
(龙门客栈; Lóngmén Kèzhàn MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0887 822 8178; www.kevintrekkerinn.com; 138 Dawa Lu; 达娃路138号 d ¥180-400; iW)
Under new management, this guesthouse is still friendly and helpful. It has a cosy lounge and rooms that range from the cheap and boxy to the very comfortable, with good bathrooms and views over the newly rebuilt old town. It’s located just off Dawa Lu behind the Long Xiang Inn.
oNánshān Arts HotelBOUTIQUE HOT
EL$$$
(南山艺术; Nánshān Yìshù MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0887 881 1222; 9 Cangfang Jie; 仓房街9号 d ¥428-1280; aW)
Brand-new boutique hotel in the heart of the old town. Big rooms with high ceilings, large, comfortable beds, sofas and individual decoration. At night, spotlights indicate your residence, while each room gets a complimentary oxygen cylinder, just in case the altitude is getting to you. Best of all, the rooms are superwarm. Friendly staff and there's a cafe in the lobby.
Arro Khampa HotelBOUTIQUE HOTEL$$$
(阿若康巴-南索达庄园; Aruòkāngbā Nánsuǒdá Zhuāngyuán MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0887 8881007; www.zinchospitality.com; 15 Jinlong Jie; 金龙街15号 d ¥980; nW)
Hushed boutique hotel with swish rooms set around a stone-flagged courtyard. Excellent beds and bathrooms, and the underfloor heating keeps everything toasty-warm. There's a restaurant offering Chinese and Tibetan dishes onsite. Efficient staff. Nonsmoking too.
UP IN SMOKE
On 11 January 2014 much of Shangri-la's old town went up in flames, reducing the city's prime tourist attraction to a pile of smoking ashes.
The fire was caused by an electrical fault in a guesthouse. Once it took hold, the old town – a tightly packed warren of narrow, twisting lanes and wooden houses – had no chance. Some 260 buildings, including 40 guesthouses, were destroyed.
Thankfully, no one died in the inferno, a result of the fire services ordering an immediate evacuation of the area. Less impressive was the fact that their fire engines turned up without any water, resulting in them having to turn around and head to the nearest river to fill up.
For many locals, the fire was an accident waiting to happen. Ever since Chinese 'experts' announced in 1997 that the city of Shangri-la and the surrounding area was the fabled Shangri-la of James Hilton's best-selling 1933 novel Lost Horizon, the city had expanded at a pace that far outstripped its infrastructure.
Water shortages were common, while a lack of planning ensured the old town was nothing more than a fire trap, with locals opening shops, guesthouses and restaurants on top of each other to cash in on the tourism boom.
Hilton's novel – likely inspired by articles written by the famed northwest Yúnnán explorer Joseph Rock – tells the story of four travellers who are hijacked and taken to a mountain utopia whose residents can live for over 150 years. In contrast, the 'real' Shangri-la lasted a mere 17 years before it had to be reconstructed.
5Eating
Shangri-la's numerous eating options include Tibetan, Chinese, Indian and Western food.
RebgongTIBETAN$
(热贡艺人阁; Règòng Yìrén Gé GOOGLE MAP ; %182 8882 0252; Shangye Jie; 商业街 dishes from ¥15; h11am-9.30pm; W)
Excellent joint for Tibetan eats, even if it is somewhat lacking in atmosphere – and always busy with locals. The house speciality is yak meat hotpot, and they do a small version for two people (¥88), but the mómo (馍馍, Tibetan dumplings), which come in meat or veggie versions, or the spicy yak-meat pizza are good alternatives.
To find it, walk west of the big square underneath the giant prayer wheel, turn right on the first street you come to and it's about 100m ahead on the left-hand side.
oSilent Holy StonesTIBETAN$$
(静静的嘛呢石; Jìngjìngde Manishí MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0887 828 6627; 3 Zuobarui; 作巴瑞3号 dishes from ¥18; h10am-11pm; W)
Re-opened after the 2014 fire in a new location and still a favourite spot for local Tibetans, this relaxed and welcoming place specialises in yak meat hotpots (from ¥148). Great mómo (馍馍, Tibetan dumplings) too, which come with a spicy dipping sauce, as well as a small selection of vegetable and mushroom dishes.
CompassINTERNATIONAL$$
(舒灯库乐; Shūdēng kùlè MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0887 822 3638; 50 Shangye Jie; 商业街50号 mains from ¥40; h8.30am-10pm Tue-Sun; W)
Bustling spot for a fine breakfast, and a popular hang-out for Western travellers. Salads, steaks, pasta and pizzas are all available, as well as a few generic Asian dishes. Great cakes and coffee and nonsmoking too. It's an ideal place to take a break from sightseeing.
Flying Tigers CafeINTERNATIONAL$$
(飞虎; Fēihǔ MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0887 828 6661; [email protected]; 91 Jinlong Jie; 金龙街91号 mains from ¥40; h11am-11pm Mon-Sat; W)
New, French-run bistro located in a converted courtyard house with the finest wine list in town (from ¥30 a glass) and a small but select menu that utilises local ingredients: try the homemade mushroom ravioli or the yak burger. It's equally good for a daytime coffee or evening drink.
Noah's CafeINTERNATIONAL$$
(挪亚咖啡厅; Nuóyà Kāfēitīng MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %139 8875 7634; Changzheng Lu; 长征路 dishes from ¥16; h9am-10.30pm Tue-Sun; W)
It has been around a while in various guises, but Noah's remains a sound spot for its all-day breakfast (from ¥35) and is popular with the locals for its mix of Western and Chinese dishes. Decent coffee and its excellent stove means this is one of the warmest spots in town.
6Drinking & Nightlife
oRavenBAR
(乌鸦酒吧; Wūyā Jiǔbā MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0887 881 1663; 3/F, Bldg D8, Tancheng Wangjiao; 坛城旺角D8栋03号 beers from ¥20; h11am-late; W)
Relocated since the 2014 fire, the Raven remains the best bar in town (and in northwest Yúnnán), with a huge range of beers and spirits. There's a big bar counter to sit around, sofas to sink into, New York–style pizzas (from ¥45), a pool table and decent sounds. It's a 10-minute walk from the old town, perched over a mini lake. Look for the raven sign.
7Shopping
DropenlingARTS & CRAFTS
(卓番林; Zhuó Fāng Lín MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %139 8871 8979; www.tibetcraft.com; 18 Cengfang Lu; 达娃路18号 h2-9pm)
Wide array of Tibetan handicrafts made by Tibetans in Tibet but designed for Western tastes, including bags, cushions, toys and ornaments.
8Information
Altitude sickness can be a problem here and most travellers need a couple of days to acclimatise.
Bank of ChinaBANK
(中国银行; Zhōngguó Yínháng GOOGLE MAP ; Heping Lu)
Has a 24-hour ATM and changes US dollars.
China PostPOST
(中国邮政; Zhōngguó Yóuzhèng GOOGLE MAP )
You can send mail overseas from here.
Public Security BureauPOLICE
(PSB; 公安局; Gōng'ānjú Kangzhu Dadao; 康珠大道 h9am-noon & 2.30-5.30pm Mon-Fri)
Shangri-la is an excellent place to extend your visa, the local police being both accommodating and friendly, although new regulations mean the process can take between three and seven days now. The PSB office is on the outskirts of town. Bus 2 (¥1) runs here from Changzheng Lu.
8Getting There & Away
Air
Shangri-la Airport is is 5km from town and is sometimes referred to as Díqìng or Deqen – note that there is currently no airport at Déqīn.
There are five flights daily to Kūnmíng (¥850), one to Chéngdū (¥810), and a daily flight to Lhasa (¥2480) in peak season. Flights for other domestic destinations also leave from the airport but destinations change from week to week. You can enquire about your destination or buy tickets at CAAC (中国民航; Zhōngguó Mínháng GOOGLE MAP ; Wenming Jie). If booking online, you need to type in ‘Diqing’ for the airport name.
Bus
Note that bus tickets may refer to either Shangri-la or Zhōngdiàn, but usually the former. Destinations from Shangri-la:
ABǎishuǐtái ¥24, three hours, one daily (9.40am)
ADàochéng ¥119, 11 hours, one daily (8am)
ADéqīn ¥58, four hours, five daily (8.20am, 9.20am, 10.30am, 12.30pm and 2.30pm)
ADōngwàng ¥50, seven to eight hours, one daily (8am)
AKūnmíng ¥218 to ¥249, 10hours, five daily (8.30am, 9.30am, 2pm, 6pm and 7pm)
ALìjiāng ¥58 to ¥63, four hours, every 30 minutes (7.20am to 6pm)
AXiàguān ¥78 to ¥116, 6½ hours,
every 30 minutes (7.30am to 12.30pm)
AXiāngchéng ¥85, eight hours, one daily (8am)
If you’re up for the bus-hopping trek to Chéngdū in Sìchuān, you’re looking at a minimum of three to four days’ travel (often five to six) at some very high altitudes – you’ll need warm clothes. Note that for political reasons this road may be closed at any time of the year (if the ticket seller at the bus says ‘come back tomorrow’, it’s closed indefinitely for sure).
If you can get a ticket, the first stage of the trip is to Xiāngchéng in Sìchuān. From Xiāngchéng, your next destination is Lǐtáng, though if roads are bad you may be forced to stay overnight in Dàochéng. From Lǐtáng, it’s on to Kāngdìng, from where you can make your way west towards Chéngdū.
Roads out of Shangri-la can be temporarily blocked by snow at any time from November to March. Bring a flexible itinerary.
Train
A railway is being built from Lìjiāng to Shangri-la and is expected to be operational in 2019.
GETTING TO TIBET
At the time of writing, it was not possible to enter Tibet overland from Shangri-la, or anywhere in Yúnnán. If you’re tempted to try and sneak in, then think again. There are many checkpoints operating on the road between Shangri-la and Lhasa; you will be caught, fined, detained, escorted to Chéngdū by the police and deported at your own expense. Any local person believed to have assisted you (for example by giving you a ride) will get into worse trouble.
Lonely Planet China Page 144
