Shangri-La｜A Hundred Wonders of a City

Number of days：3 days
Time: March
Average cost: 1800 yuan
With whom: and friends
Updated: 2022.03.31

Up to now, I still haven't had the courage to travel farther. So, whenever we have some time, we try to travel to nearby Yunnan, such as Shangri-La, which we visited once in February and once in March. Although our time in Shangri-La wasn't long each time, we still managed to see quite a bit of its beauty.

Transportation:

Car rental. We flew to Shangri-La and then rented a car. We rented the car from a certain platform before we left. A certain platform is a nationwide car rental platform, and it's better to choose a reputable brand for better security. Furthermore, the disinfection work was excellent during the pandemic.

Accommodation:

We stayed in a hotel in February. Shangri-La is incredibly plentiful, and I personally don't think there's any need to worry about finding accommodation. Plus, during the pandemic, many hotels are very affordable.

In March, we stayed in a B&B, which was also very pleasant. It's not expensive; you can get a nice stay for around 200 per night. However, there's one drawback to B&Bs in Shangri-La: they're generally high-rise and lack elevators. Therefore, choosing a place on the roadside with no steps is crucial.

Those travel memories

First, let's record my memories from March.

After landing in Shangri-La, we went to pick up our car. The pick-up point is right in the airport parking lot, which is very convenient.

After picking up the car, we went straight to the B&B. The B&B had a great environment, with a small tent, and it had that Instagram-esque feel. Luckily, we all had some really nice clothes ready for photos. Wearing beautiful clothes and taking photos here really made the most of our time in Lijiang. After packing up, we went to have a hot pot. There are many hot pots in Shangri-La, including mushroom hot pot and beef hot pot. For me, I have to eat meat no matter where I go.

We had hot pot at this restaurant. They used yak beef, which was incredibly delicious and well-seasoned. I have to say, even without chili peppers, the soup base was incredibly flavorful. Eating hot pot in Yunnan always feels like a very healthy meal. This alone is enough to pique my interest in this city.

After dinner, a few of us went to Guishan Park. Arriving at Guishan Park, we first visited the Auspicious Victory Tower. Actually, you can turn the prayer wheel during the day. However, the prayer wheel here is incredibly large, reportedly weighing around 60 tons, so getting it to turn is quite challenging.

Beautiful scenery at Haba Snow Mountain

The next day, we drove around Shangri-La. We saw Haba Snow Mountain on the way, and the view from the observation deck was particularly beautiful. The peaks in the distance were covered in snow, a pristine white. I imagine watching the sunrise or sunset from here would be quite breathtaking.

Our destination this time was Napahai. Napahai is a stunning lake, and whether you're shooting against the light or not, you'll be able to capture stunning scenery.

Luckily we rented a car and drove ourselves. The scenery here is so beautiful that you'll be tempted to stop at any time. Only by steering yourself can you truly feel free to start and stop as you please.

The waters of Napahai are incredibly clear, mirror-clear. Standing on the shore, you can even clearly see the seabed and your own reflection.

Continuing on, we passed Baima Snow Mountain and, of course, stopped to check in. Oh, and here's a piece of advice: when visiting places like this, you absolutely must hire a car or share a ride, because you can stop and take photos anytime you see something interesting. It's truly amazing.

After passing Baima Snow Mountain, we arrived at Meili Snow Mountain in the afternoon. Meili Snow Mountain looked even more majestic. The snow on its peaks was thicker and larger. We even saw heart-shaped clouds, which were absolutely stunning.

Our hotel was right at the foot of the snow-capped mountains, and from the window we could see the stunning Meili Snow Mountain in the distance. The hotel is called the Deqin Meili Eye Scenic Hotel, and the environment is quite nice.

We went to bed early so we could watch the sunrise over the Golden Mountain the next day.

They say you can only see the Rizhao Golden Mountain when you least expect it. But we did, and it was absolutely stunning that day.

You can see the beautiful Rizhao Golden Mountain from the hotel. However, for the best view, you must go to the observation deck. These photos were taken from the observation deck.

History of Balagzong

After leaving Meili Snow Mountain, we immediately headed to Balagzong. The history of Balagzong is truly fascinating. This place was built by Snadingzhu, who even spent all his 20-year savings on its construction.

I have to say, Balagzong is truly beautiful. Nestled among the peaks, this road and this building look like a castle in the sky. After leaving the Balagzong scenic area, we drove back to Shangri-La. This time, we stayed at Ganlu Inn again, and opted for yak hotpot. We were supposed to try Yunnan's mushroom soup hotpot, but seeing yak hotpot made us crave it.

That day, we visited Songzanlin Temple. Just from a distance, you could already feel its majesty.

We saw several fat dogs inside the temple.

After leaving Songzanlin Temple, we went to a small restaurant for dinner. It was quite crowded. Unexpectedly, the restaurant had a wide variety of dishes and was very affordable. The portions were also generous.

After dinner, we went to Pudacuo National Forest Park. The scenery was stunning, worthy of being a 5A-rated tourist attraction. This is Pudacuo National Forest Park. Look at the water here, it's sparkling. There's still some snow by the river that hasn't melted.

Standing by the river, snapping a few photos was incredibly relaxing. Perhaps it was off-season, so not many people were visiting. So, the photos turned out incredibly quiet.

Finally, let me share some notes from my trip to Shangri-La in February. I also visited Tiger Leaping Gorge. Seeing the tigers there was truly fascinating; they looked mighty yet a little cute. Because of the epidemic, not many people came here at that time. We arrived in the morning, which should have been the busiest time of the day, but we were the only ones in the area. I've always hoped for fewer people when traveling, but we didn't want it to be that small. After all, it was a little scary to see so few people. In addition, we also went to Songzanlin Temple in February and stayed there longer than this time in March. In short, if you come to Shangri-La, Songzanlin Temple is a must-see.