Shangri-La Transportation

0 COMMENTS

Shangri-La is a popular and fairytale attraction in Yunnan Province. Without a railway line, Shangri-La is only connected with the outside by road transportation and airplanes. Located in the point where Sichuan, Yunnan and Tibet meet, there are main three roads passing through Shangri-La, including Yunnan - Tibet Highway, Sichuan - Tibet Highway and Xikang - Tibet Highway. There is also a small regional airport in Shangri-La so that tourists can go to Shangri-La by air. When traveling in Shangri-La, tourists can take city buses, taxis and chartered vehicles to go to nearby attractions.

Shangri-La

Getting There & Away

By Air

Located in the southwest of Shangri-La County, Shangri-La Diqing Airport is 5 km away from Shangri-La downtown. As a civil airport, Shangri-La Diqing Airport manages airlines with Kunming, Xishuangbanna, Chengdu, Lhasa, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Beijing, and Shanghai. Since the flights connect a few cities, it is an ideal choice to fly to Kunming at first and take a bus or a flight to Shangri-La from Kunming. There is no shuttle bus from Shangri-La Airport to Shangri-La downtown. You can take a taxi to Shangri-La downtown from the airport and it will charge RMB 20-30 and take about 15 minutes..

Shangri-La Diqin Airport

By Bus

Taking a bus to get to Shangri-La is the main transportation for tourists. Since there are buses to Shangri-La from Kunming, Lijiang, Dali, Deqin, Daocheng and Panzhihua in Sichuan, it is very convenient for tourists to get to Shangri-La by bus. The detailed information about the buses to Shangri-La is introduced as the following.

Shangri-La Bus

Kunming - Shangri-La

The bus to Shangri-La from Kunming departs at Kunming Western Bus Station. The whole distance between Kunming and Shangri-La is about 630km. And it will take about 12 hours to get to Shangri-La from Kunming. There are several buses leaving from 09:30 to 20:30 and the ticket price varies as the types of the buses are different. The lowest price is RMB 208.

Kunming Kunming

Lijiang - Shangri-La

The distance between Lijiang and Shangri-La is 187 km. Lijiang Bus Station offers bus lines to Shangri-La every half an hour. It will take about 4 hours to get to Shangri-La from Lijiang and the ticket price is from RMB 58.

Lijiang Lijiang

Dali - Shangri-La

There are buses from Dali to Shangri-La departing at Dali North Bus Station, which will take 8 hours. From 8:00 - 12:00, buses leave every half an hour. The ticket price is RMB 106. In the afternoon, there are three buses from Dali to Shangri-La which depart respectively at 13:00, 15:00 and 18:30. The ticket prices are respectively RMB 106 and RMB 94.

Dali Dali

Deqin - Shangri-La

The bus from Deqin to Shangri-La will take 8 hours and the ticket price is from RMB 43. There are four buses leaving at 7:30, 8:30, 9:30 and 12:00. During the peak season from July to October, there will be more bus lines open.

Deqin Meili Snow Mountain

Daocheng – Shangri-La

There is a bus from Daocheng to Shangri-La departing around 6:00 in the morning. The distance between Daocheng Yading and Shangri-La is 334 km. It will take about 12 hours to reach Shangri-La. The ticket price is around RMB 100.

Daocheng Yading

Panzhihua - Shangri-La

Panzhihua is located in Sichuan Province. There is only one bus departing from Panzhihua to Shangri-La at 12:10. The distance from Panzhihua to Shangri-La is 490 km. It will take 12 hours on the way and the ticket price is RMB 156.

Panzhihua

Getting Around

By City-Bus

There are a few city-buses running in Shangri-La, including Bus No.1, No.2, No.3, No.4, No.6 and No.8. The ticket price is RMB 1. If you want to go to Shangri-La Bus Station, you can take Bus No.1. Only Bus No.3 can take tourists to the Songzanlin Monastery. In addition, there are minibuses available for you to take to surrounding towns and attractions.

Shangri-La City-Bus

By Taxi

The taxis are not metered by taximeter in Shangri-La. It usually costs RMB 10 transferring within the downtown. But the price will be higher to go out of the town. The price from Shangri-La downtown to Shangri-La Airport is RMB 20-30. And it will cost about RMB 200 for a round trip to White Water Terrance.

Shangri-La Taxi

By Chartered Vehicle

There are car rental services available in Shangri-La. It is the most convenient way to travel around Shangri-La by chartered car. But according to the law, the International Driving License or the foreign Driving License cannot be used in China. So, if you intend to rent a car to the surrounding attractions, you need to hire an experienced local driver to drive for you. The rental prices vary according to the different types of the cars.

Shangri-La Chartered Car