In the year 1893, James Hilton described an eternally peaceful and quiet place among mountains in the East – “Shangri-La” in one of his novels for the first time. In the novel “Lost Horizon”, an English diplomat Conway and his brother Gorge scattered the English citizens and helped them leave the dangerous region. On their way home, their plane was hijacked and fell down into the mountain in the Tibetan region. Some lucky survivors were taken to Shangri-la where Conway found lots of fantastic things in such a state founded nearly 200 years ago, in which the local people lived up to more than one hundred years old and lived peacefully and harmoniously with the other people, animals and everything here. The place was called “Shangri-La” by the local folks.
Shangri-La is located in the Tibetan areas of Yunnan province. The word “Shangri-La” comes from the Tibetan Holly Bible.
1. What is the best season for the Shangri-La travel?
Generally, the best time to visit Shangri-La is from May to November. You can see the beautiful Buzhimin flowers here during this period of time.
2. The attractions in Shangri-La:
Most travellers like the Songzanlin Temple, Bita Lake and Shuoduo Lake. These place are not bad choices for the travellers but they are a little bit too crowded and the tickets are not cheap. I will recommend some specail places for your Shangri-La travel in this article. In my point of view, the most attractive thing of Shangri-La is the beautiful natural scenes, not the culture or history of Tibet.
(1). Wufeng Mountain and Dabao Temple: This trip not difficult and needs 4 to 5 hours. You can see some unique Tibetan villages in this trip. The hotspring is also a good option for you.
(2). Qianhu Mountain: You will see the Tibetan Holy Lake in this trip.
(3). Shige Snow Mountain: This trip is not a easy one and you’d better find a good tour guide if you are really interested in this mysterious place.
3. Eat in Shangri-La:
There are many nations in Shangri-La and the food here is also various. I will recommend some restuarants I like here:
(1). XIN’S Eats: It is a small but lovely restaurant. The food here is delicious and you can ask the chef to cook your dishes the way you like. Here is the phone number: 013988742139. It is in the opposite of the Zangdi hostel, Heping Street.
(2). Crow Bar: It is a specail bar in Shangri-La and you can find some local beers here(cost 10 rmb for one).
4. Hostels:
The most famous hostels here are the Yongsheng Hostel and Zangdi Hostel. They were very good choices for your Shangri-La travel. But their services are not so good now in my mind. I lived in a hostel named Longmen Hostel last year and this place is pretty cool. It is owned by a young man and his girlfriend. They are very nice to the travellers and the rooms there are clean and lovely. Here is the phone number of this hostel: 0887-8228178.