Xianggelila (Shangri-La) Photo Gallery

Places and attractions from the gallery are featured in the tours listed below. Please refer to each itinerary for a detailed account of the specific attractions included in that tour.

Note: The links below will open or download .pdf (portable document format) versions of our itineraries. You might need the free Adobe Reader to view these files, if it's not already installed on your computer.

Yunnan Highlands Local Culture 11-Day Tour (CIT004): Kunming 昆明 (Stone Forest 石林 / Jiuxiang 九鄉) – Dali 大理 – Lijiang 麗江 – Xianggelila (Shangri-La) 香格里拉

Click on any photo below to open a full-sized version in a separate window.


Xianggelila: a land that sometimes does seem too beautiful to be real (photo by Liu Shu)	Remote hamlets (photo by "The Tenth Dragon")


Traditional rural life (photo by "The Tenth Dragon")	Horses, cows, and yaks roam the land (photo by Edwin Lee)	Prayer flags: symbols of the local Tibetan culture (photo by Poppy Wu)


Pray you never have to leave (photo by Poppy Wu)	A closeup of the prayer wheel on the left (photo by Poppy Wu)	Songzanlin Monastery and its environs (photo by CIT)


The entrance to Songzanlin (photo by CIT)	A ceiling mural (photo by CIT)	A demonic figure on the wall (photo by CIT)


Monastery buildings (photo by CIT)	Simple buildings give way to grand temples as you climb (photo by CIT)	This place does seem close to the pure blue heavens (photo by CIT)


Even clouds here seem like celestial sculptures (photo by Edwin Lee)	Traditional architecture (photo by Tracy Liu*)	Firewood for the monastery (photo by CIT)	Rooflines fit like puzzle pieces with the sky (photo by CIT's Tracy Liu*)


Birds of prey: a common sight (photo by Edwin Lee)	Climb first to the left temple (photo by CIT)	Colorful decor in the courtyard below the left temple (photo by CIT)	Imposing statues and lavish works of art are secreted within (photo by CIT)


Smoke and sunlight (photo by CIT)	A possibly taboo shot of the interior (photo by Chen Ying)	Monks gaze downward (photo by Chen Ying)	Sun and shadows in the courtyard (photo by CIT)


The view from the top of the stairs: on top of the top of the world (photo by CIT)	Pointing at the crescent moon (photo by CIT)	The right-hand temple (photo by CIT)


A sight at once thrilling, sobering, and welcoming (photo by CIT)	A shy young monk takes a tentative look out the window (photo by CIT's Tracy Liu*)	Spinning a prayer wheel: No whammies...Stop! (photo by CIT)


Xianggelila's Pudacuo National Park (photo by Zhengmao Hu)	Shudu and Bita Lakes (photo by Zhengmao Hu)	Fir trees (photo by Zhengmao Hu)


Lovely shades of green, yellow, and brown (photo by Zhengmao Hu)	A lonely tree (photo by Zhengmao Hu)	A Tibetan cowboy? Giddyup (photo by Zhengmao Hu)


Low-resolution cows graze pixellatedly in the distance (photo by Zhengmao Hu)	Wildflowers at Pudacuo (photo by Zhengmao Hu)	Another wildflower (photo by Zhengmao Hu)


A stream crosses the valley (photo by Zhengmao Hu)	Explore local culture at the Xiagei Tibetan Culture Village (photo by Bon-yu Chu*)	Tibetan "mani dui": sacred piles of stones (photo by Bon-yu Chu*)


Stroll contentedly through the streets of Zhongdian Old Town (photo by CIT)	Coffee and Internet service: the beauty of Heaven, the convenience of home (photo by Poppy Wu)	Dancing in the town square (photo by Poppy Wu)


While you're in Heaven, don't forget to buy a souvenir (photo by CIT)	Prayer flags cross the street (photo by Tom Thai)	The best 'tatoes you'll ever have (photo by CIT)	Tibetan-style hot pot (photo by CIT)