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If you’re buying they’re selling. Located 466 miles northwest of Kunming and 60 miles north of Lijiang; it’s "Lost Horizon" by James Hilton, the paradise, if any still exist of Northwestern Yunnan. Shangri-La formerly known as Zhongdian or by its old Tibetan name Gyalthang sits at 10,826 above sea level. It is the capital of Diqen Prefecture. Shangri-La / Zhongdian forms one of three counties that make up the Diqen Tibetan Autonomous. Digen borders Tibet in the northwest, Sichuan to the north, Lijiang to the south and the Lisu Autonomous prefecture to the west. It has a population of more than 150,000 85% of whom are minority nationalities including 34% Tibetans.
Although many travelers come to this town looking to travel overland into Tibet, the Song Zan Lin Monastery monastery complex and the beautiful outdoor scenery make this town definitely worth your attention and a spot on your itinerary. The streets of Zhongdian offer up many surprises. Whether on the main street or in back alleys the Tibetans beam hospitality and warmth. Old mud-brick and wooden houses are full of character and fun to explore.
Like Lijiang and Dali the town is split in two. There is an up market part of town targeted at the Chinese domestic tourism market and an old Tibetan town full of character called Dukezong Ancient Town. The boundary between the two areas is Tuanjie Street. The Dukezong area is in the southeast section of Shangri-La and has a history dating back over 1300 years. Though most of Shangri-La’s attractions are outside town, one can have a wonderful time wandering the streets observing minority peoples including Tibetan, Naxi, Han Chinese and Hui Muslim all living and working together. It's a unique multi-cultural environment that never fails to charm visitors.
Spring and autumn are the best seasons to visit Shangri-la for the comfortable temperature. During autumn the outdoor scenery on the plateau is spectacular. During the summer Shangri-La attracts large numbers of tourists but even then, the town never feels crowded or overwhelming like Lijiang or Dali.
The area has beautiful hills, flowers and alpine lakes. Trekking and exploration of picturesque Tibetan villages on the outskirts of Shangri-La / Zhongdian make for a unique visit. Though many of the forests have been logged there still large tracks of virgin forest. Some of the wildlife includes golden haired monkeys, wild donkeys, black-necked cranes and leopards. Most travelers stay in Zhongdian for one or two days, but some would stay there for as long as a week.
There are numerous attractions and scenic spots like Haba Snow Mountain, Song Lan Lin Monastery, Bita Hai Lake and Da Bao Si Monastery. For a complete list of attractions see Shangri-La Attractions.
Taxis don’t use meters in the county town. The flat fare is 5 Yuan. A trip to the outskirts of town cost 10 Yuan. For destinations outside of town you will need to negotiate a price. Trips to Song Lan Lin Monastery cost about 15 Yuan with Napahai Lake around 20 Yuan.
Diqing Airport
Shangri-La / Zhongdian is served by Diqing Airport (DIG). The airport is located 4 miles west of town. A taxi into town costs 10-15 Yuan and takes 15 to 20 minutes. Flight schedules change frequently and popular flights often sell out so you need to check schedules regularly. There are 3-4 Kunming flights per day, travel time is 50 minutes. Lhasa flights are 1 hour and 45 minutes and Guangzhou is 2 hours and 20 minutes. During high season there are also flights to Chengdu. Our recommendation is to use local travel agents or CTRIP for booking local flights as discounts of as much as 70% may be available. And book early!
Buses
There are two bus stations in Zhongdian. The main station is at the intersection of Changzhen Road and Jiantang Road. It serves most major tourist destinations. Day buses to Kunming take about 12 hours, night buses take slightly longer. Lijiang is 5 hours and Dali 8. Xiangcheng in Sichuan Province is about 9 hours by mini-bus. There is another bus station at the intersection of Changzheng Road and Huancheng Road. The number of destinations is more limited but fares tend to be lower.
There are only four local bus routes. Nos.1,2,3 all run within the town. Bus No.1 runs along Changzheng Road, No.2 runs along the southern part of Changzheng Road and Jiantang Road, and No.3 goes to the Songzanling Monastery. The fare is 1 Yuan and hours are 6:30AM – 10:00 PM. The fourth route serves Yila Grassland between 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM, the fare is 5 Yuan.
 
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