Shangri-La in Yunnan Province in south China was once known as Zhongdian (a Mandarin name). In 2002, it was renamed Shangri-La to promote tourism after the fictional Tibetan place in Lost Horizon by James Hilton, who got some of his inspiration from descriptions by explorer Joseph Rock, who spent 27 years in Yunnan near Shangri-La. Shangri-La means 'the Sun and Moon in the Heart' in Tibetan.
Located on the southeast edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Shangri-La enjoys magnificent mountain-scapes — snow-capped mountains, deep gorges, rushing rivers, and tranquil lakes. The biggest Tibetan Buddhist Temple in Yunnan Province, Songzanlin Lamasery, is the spiritual symbol of Shangri-La.
The Shangri-La tours that we recommended will enable you to see the best of Shangri-La and enrich your experience with some exclusive activities such as visiting a lama's dormitory, thangka painting lessons, and extension tours to the best-kept secrets of Shangri-La.
Top Recommended Yunnan Shangri-La Tours
The suggested itineraries for a private Shangri-La tour below will give you some inspiration. Please feel free to contact us no matter if you would like to combine it with the popular cities in Yunnan or would like to get off the beaten path to explore more about Shangri-La area.
- Songzanlin Lamasery
- Tangka painting learning
Yunnan Tours including Shangri-La
Here are the recommended Yunnan tours including Shangri-La We are happy to combine any other destinations with Shangri-La according to your interests to create your private trip.
- Mountains and Old Towns
- Ethnic Minorities
Other Popular Destinations in Yunnan
Here are the other popular cities for a Yunnan tour. Click to get more information about each destination and tours
Discover real reviews of Highlights Travel Family's best-rated service across trusted platforms.
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Yunnan tour with China Highlights
This visit to Yunnan was 10 days long with stops at Dali, Lijiang, Shangri-La and Kunming. We had 4 different guides - Dali with Daisy, Shangri-La with Peter, Lijiang with Li and Kunming with Doyle. Our guides, Daisy, Peter and Doyle was outstanding in their service. They were sensitive to our needs, flexible when we wanted any changes and did their job with enthusiasm and pride. The measure of how good a travel agency provides their service is not only in the planning of the itinerary but the follow through with good guiding service. Daisy, Peter and Doyle were exemplary in this regards! Well done, China Highlights for having guides of this quality. more
Mar 2025, Michel Siew Ngo... F
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Unforgettable 7 Day Travel Experience in Yunnan
Our 7 days Yunnan trip with China Highlights started at Kunming then took us all the way to Dali, Lijiang and Shangri La. Visiting Yunnan in December during winter time was interesting, less crowded and most importantly enable us to see Yunnan in a different landscape. A special mention to our fantastic guides, May (in Kunming) and Sunny (in Dali) and their respective drivers who were personable and shared a wealth of knowledge and insights of the places we visited. They spoke good English, helpful with our requests and ensured that we were comfortable and satisfied with our tours. We will not hesitate to use China Highlights again for our next trip to China! more
Jan 2025, Jess W
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Lijiang- family trip Dec 2024 Eleanor
My family really enjoyed our time with Eleanor in Lijiang. She was able to pass on a lot of knowledge about her city which made the trip lots more interesting! We enjoyed having her guide us to amazing places. She was really attentive when one of us were feeling sick at the top of the mountain and provided us all with adaquete preparation for the 4000km+ altitude ascension. more
Jan 2025, Nicole L
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Shangri-La Travel Tips
The altitude of Shangri-La is 3,300 meters above sea level. Most of our clients don't experience any altitude sickness problems. However, if you have a problem with your breathing or blood pressure, etc. please ask your doctor if you can visit Shangri-La.