Shangri-la (Zhōngdiàn) Getting there & around

Getting there & away

Land

Bus

If you’re up for the bus-hopping trek to Chéngdū, in Sìchuān, you’re looking at a minimum of five to six days’ travel at some very high altitudes – you’ll need warm clothes. The first stage of the trip is Shangri-la 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. For more details on these towns see Western Sìchuān & the Road to Tibet.

Note that roads out of Shangri-la can be temporarily blocked by snow at any time from November to March. If you are travelling at this time bring lots of warm clothes and a flexible itinerary.

For Bēnzǐlán you can also catch the Déqīn bus which passes through Bēnzǐlán on the way. See also individual local destinations for transport details.

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Air

There are four flights daily to Kūnmíng (Y830), two a week to Guǎngzhōu (Y1880) and regular flights to Lhasa. Flights for other domestic destinations also leave from the airport but are completely irregular and destinations change from week to week. You can inquire about your destination or buy tickets at the CAAC (Zhōngguó Mínháng; 822 9901; Wenming Jie).

The airport is 5km from town and is sometimes referred to as Díqìng or Deqen – there is currently no airport at Déqīn. Don’t expect to see any taxis here; they are rare around the airport. Shuttle buses (Y10) sometimes wait for incoming flights and will usually drop you right at your hotel. The drivers wear picture ID. If the shuttle bus isn’t there you’ll have to negotiate with the drivers of the black sedans in front of you or call your accommodation to try and arrange transport.

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