Shangri-La & Songzanlin Monastery 香格里拉松赞林寺Xiānggélǐlā Sōngzànlín Sì

Why go to Shangri-La & Songzanlin Monastery

Ganden Sumtseling, known in Chinese as Songzanlin, is the largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Yunnan, its whitewashed halls and gilded roofs climbing a hillside above a small sacred lake. Hundreds of monks live here, and the prayer halls glow with butter lamps and painted murals. Shangri-La's old town, Dukezong, and the lakes and meadows of Pudacuo National Park are close by.

The story

Founded in 1679, the monastery belongs to the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. The town below was called Zhongdian until 2001, when it took its new name from the hidden paradise in James Hilton's 1933 novel Lost Horizon.

What to see at Shangri-La & Songzanlin Monastery

• Monastery gate and stairway 松赞林寺山门: The entrance sits at the foot of the hill, and a stairway of 146 steps leads up to the main hall, a climb that matters at about 3,380 m.
• Zhacang Hall 扎仓大殿: The main assembly hall, which can hold some 1,500 monks, with a gilded Shakyamuni figure of about 8 m and butter lamps burning at the altar.
• Dukezong Old Town 独克宗古城: The old 'Moonlight City' of Shangri-La, a Tea Horse Road halt rebuilt in the old style after the fire of 2014 and reopened in 2016.
• Guishan (Great Turtle Hill) 大龟山: A hill above Dukezong crowned by a large prayer wheel and a view over the old town and its rooftops.
• Napahai wetland 纳帕海: A seasonal highland lake at about 3,266 m, 8 km north-west of town. It becomes grassland in autumn, and black-necked cranes and other birds winter here.

How to visit Shangri-La & Songzanlin Monastery

Visit the monastery first in the morning, taking the 146 steps slowly, then return to Dukezong for the old town and Guishan in the afternoon. Napahai is a short drive out of town and works as a dawn or dusk addition. Half a day covers the monastery and the old town; a full day adds Napahai and Guishan. The Diqing Prefecture Museum beside Moonlight Square is closed on Mondays except public holidays.

How to get to Shangri-La & Songzanlin Monastery

Trains from Lijiang reach Shangri-La in under two hours, and the airport has flights from Kunming. The monastery is a short bus or taxi ride north of town.

Where to stay

Stay in or beside Dukezong old town, close to Moonlight Square and its restaurants and a short ride from the monastery; give yourself a gentle first evening to adjust to the altitude.

What to eat

• Yak hotpot 牦牛火锅: Yak meat simmered in a shared pot, a standard meal in Dukezong restaurants.
• Butter tea 酥油茶: Tea churned with yak butter and salt, served in Tibetan homes and restaurants.
• Tsampa 糌粑: Roasted highland barley flour, kneaded with butter tea into a dough that is a Tibetan staple.

Tips for visiting Shangri-La & Songzanlin Monastery

• At over 3,000 m, take your first day slowly while you adjust to the altitude.
• Walk clockwise around halls and stupas, and ask before photographing monks or prayer-hall interiors.
• Evenings are cold year-round, so bring a warm layer even in summer.

Nearby

• Baishuitai 白水台 50 km
  Milk-white travertine terraces below Haba Snow Mountain, sacred to the Naxi Dongba faith
• Tiger Leaping Gorge 虎跳峡 90 km
  A classic two-day trail high above one of the world's deepest gorges
• Daocheng Yading 稻城亚丁 90 km
  Three sacred snow peaks, glacial lakes and Tibetan meadows high on the plateau
• Jade Dragon Snow Mountain 玉龙雪山 100 km
  A glacier-hung massif on Lijiang's doorstep, with a cable car to over 4,500 metres
• Meili Snow Mountain & Yubeng 梅里雪山与雨崩 100 km
  Yunnan's highest peak, sacred and unclimbed, with a trek to a village beneath its glaciers
• Lugu Lake 泸沽湖 100 km
  A clear alpine lake on the Yunnan–Sichuan border, home to the matrilineal Mosuo

Also within 30 km: Shika Snow Mountain 石卡雪山 (10 km), Potatso National Park 普达措国家公园 (20 km).

Trips with Shangri-La & Songzanlin Monastery

• Yunnan by train: Kunming, Dali, Lijiang and Shangri-La 9 days · Kunming, Dali, Lijiang and Shangri-La

On the map

Open Shangri-La & Songzanlin Monastery on the illustrated map to see the terrain around it, what else is close, and to add it to a trip and plan the days.

Learn more

• Wikipedia
• Wikipedia (Chinese)