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Northwest Yunnan · 香格里拉

Shangri-La

Monastery roofs and broad wetlands sit above the valleys of Yunnan.

Gold roofs top the hillside Songzanlin Monastery above a green meadow.
Shangri-LaThe gilded roofs of Songzanlin Monastery rise above a meadow in Shangri-La.

Songzanlin Monastery and the high country around the city.

Shangri-La through the year

March–May

Spring

Haba Snow Mountain

Look for flowering rhododendrons on the slopes below Haba Snow Mountain. The higher ridges can still hold snow in April.

Pink rhododendrons frame a snow-streaked ridge above dark forest on Haba Snow Mountain.
Haba Snow MountainSpring rhododendrons frame the snowy ridgeline of Haba Snow Mountain.

June–August

Summer

Baishuitai

Follow the paths at Baishuitai for a view of the pale mineral terraces against the valley’s summer greenery.

Pale travertine terraces and mint-green pools curve down a wooded hillside at Baishuitai beneath summer clouds.
BaishuitaiBaishuitai’s pale travertine pools step down a green slope beneath summer clouds.

September–November

Autumn

Shudu Lake

At Shudu Lake in Pudacuo National Park, watch for breaks in the clouds that brighten the grasses and the lake’s reflection.

Clouds and gold-green shoreline grass reflect in still water at Shudu Lake in Pudacuo National Park.
Shudu LakeOctober light warms the shoreline at Shudu Lake while clouds reflect in the still water.

December–February

Winter

Dukezong Ancient Town

From Guishan Park, look over Dukezong’s tiled roofs towards the hills around Shangri-La.

Grey tiled rooftops in Dukezong look out towards bare hills and layered clouds on a winter day.
Dukezong Ancient TownGrey tile roofs lead the eye from Dukezong towards the bare hills around Shangri-La in February.