National 5A Scenic AreaSouthwest China
Shangri-La & Pudacuo National Park
香格里拉·普达措 · Yunnan, Diqing
A high-altitude Tibetan region of azure lakes, yak meadows and the magnificent Songzanlin Monastery.
Shangri-La (formerly Zhongdian) is a Tibetan town on the Yunnan plateau ringed by mountains, its skyline dominated by Songzanlin, the 'Little Potala' monastery. Nearby Pudacuo National Park protects pristine alpine lakes, marshes and primeval forest at over 3,500 metres, where yaks graze and prayer flags line the passes in scenery echoing the mythical Shangri-La.
The region is part of the historic Tibetan cultural area of Kham; Songzanlin Monastery was founded in 1679 under the Fifth Dalai Lama and became the largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Yunnan. Pudacuo, opened as a national park in 2007, showcases the plateau's protected wetlands and forests in the 'Three Parallel Rivers' UNESCO area.
Day-by-day routes you won't find online — now starting with an 8-day, 1,500 km loop through western Sichuan. New regions are added regularly; tell us where you want to drive next.
