Shangri-La and Meili Snow Mountain
Tibetan villages, a 17th-century monastery and one of Yunnan's great snow peaks. A trip for after your treatment is finished.
In the far north-west of Yunnan, Shangri-La is the gateway to Tibetan culture and high mountain country. The old town of Dukezong has wooden houses and prayer wheels, and Songzanlin Monastery, founded in 1679, sits on a hillside just outside town. Further north, near Deqin, Kawagebo, the main peak of Meili Snow Mountain, rises to 6,740 m.
Suggested itinerary
- Day 1Train from Lijiang, about an hour and a half, or a flight from Kunming of about one hour. A very easy first day to adjust to the altitude.
- Day 2Songzanlin Monastery in the morning, Dukezong old town in the afternoon.
- Day 3A private car north to the Feilai Temple viewpoint near Deqin, around four hours by road. Stay overnight for the sunrise on the peaks.
- Day 4Sunrise over Meili Snow Mountain, then back to Shangri-La.
- Day 5Fly or take the train back.
Good to know
Shangri-La is much higher than Kunming, and altitude sickness is common in the first days. This is a trip for when your treatment is complete and your doctor says you're fine to travel to altitude. Skies are clearest from about October to April; summer is the rainy season and the peaks are often hidden in cloud.
