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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12 day trip to Kunming, Dali and Lijiang
![]() Our tour guide cum driver for Kunming, is Jack Lee. He took good care of us, especially when there is any descending or ascending hike during the trip. He gave excellent suggestion for dinner and even show us the authentic way to eat the food. We had a fantastic 6 days in Dali area. Our guide, 王立婷, is from the Bai ethnic group. She is very knowledgeable in the custom and history of Yunnan as well as the different Ethnic group of the area. We learn a lot of interesting things from her. If I were to go to Dali again, I will definitely look for her. The last stretch of our trip, is 3 days in Lijiang with our guide , 和绍春. He is from the Naxi Ethnic group. He shared with us his knowledge of his people and also how to handle high altitiude. Luckily for us, we had him to look out for us as some of us were unwell during and after the ascent of Yulong snow mountain. Last but not least, our driver, 卞师傅,spent 9 days with us and is a safe driver and a friendly person. more
Apr 2025, Boon Keow L
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Lijiang and Kunming
![]() Thanks to Camillia Jiang from China Highlights who created our itinerary we had a wonderful holiday in Lijiang and Kunming. Our guides in Lijiang Alice and Lulu in kunming were wonderful in taking care of our needs from the word go and made our holidays so much better. more
Apr 2025, Chng S
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Amazing 9D8N Yunnan Experience!
![]() Our group of 8 had an amazing time in Yunnan with China Highlights!We’re on 9D8N tour in Shangrila, Lijiang, Dali and Kunming. Special thanks to Liberman (key coordinator) for his patience in meeting our many requests and changes, I’m really impressed with his good English competency, prompt responses and follow-up. We were blessed with great weather, sunshine when we visit Pudacuo and Songzhanlin, Hotel Indigo is an excellent choice for hotel stay in Shangrila. We were able to ascend Jade Dragon Snow Mountain in Lijiang too, it was snowing slightly and the mountain was covered by thick white snow, making our experience a very special one. Thumbs up to Lijiang guide Jack, he’s one of the few guides who would hike up the mountain side by side with guests. Our special thanks goes to our guides - James (Shangrila), Jack (Lijiang), Alice (Dali), Lydia and May (Kunming). They have worked very hard to ensure our Yunnan experience is an amazing one with beautiful scenery, delicious food, great shopping! I will definitely travel with China Highlights again andwill highly recommend them to my friends. more
Apr 2025, savvy Traveler
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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.