Diqing Transportation
Through the intensive transportation system in Diqing, Shangri-La is now reachable.
By Air
One of the easiest ways to reach the prefecture is through air. The Deqen Shangri-La Airport is surprisingly a well-maintained airport that is considered to be of medium type. This means it can receive more airlines and can have more turnarounds than the other airports near Yunnan or in Tibetan Plateau. Most of the planes come from the nearby cities and provinces such as Kuming, Lhasa of Tibet, and Xinshuangbanna. It is also possible to have interconnecting flights from Shenzhen through Guiyang or from Beijing, which still needs to pass through Kunming. Some of the airlines that are being served by the airport are Lucky Air, China Southern Airlines (including the one that comes from either Beijing or Chongqing), and the China Eastern Lines, which cover the most destinations including Shanghai, Kunming, and Chengdu. A typical flight can take around an hour, and in the case of Diqing to Kunming, no less than 5 flights are possible.
If you have a lot of money, you can choose to charter a plane instead. The great thing about this setup is you do not have to depend on the schedules of the airlines but instead depend on yours (of course, the plane still needs to coordinate with the Diqing Airport in order for it to park or use the runway). Now there can be plenty of companies that try to offer chartered flights, but always ensure that you are dealing with one that is legitimate and has a lot of experience. The pilots should be certified as well and as much as possible have rendered around 3,500 man hours up in the air, including no less than 100 hours of night trips).
Should you need to have some connecting flights, the nearest airport next to Diqing Airport shall be Kunming. You can arrive there and simply take a bus toward Shangri-La, which is the prefecture’s capital. Other nearby airports are Lijiang Airport, which is around 135 km, and Dali City Airport, which is about 244 km.
By Bus
There is no train that can take you from Kunming to Diqing, especially to Shangri-La or Zhongdian. Therefore, aside from riding a plane, your other option is to take a bus. Fortunately, you have plenty of schedules to choose from. The bus from Kunming leaves at Kunming West. The distance that shall be covered will be around 630 km, which means the entire trip can be as long as 8 hours. The fare is the same regardless of the departure time, and it is CNY 204. The first trip is at 6:30 p.m. and arrive at Shangri-La at 2:30 a.m. The last trip is 7:00 p.m. You will reach the county at 3:00 a.m. You are allowed to bring your luggage on board the bus, but make sure that you can keep your eye on your belongings all throughout the trip.
Bus rides from Zhongdian to other counties can still take a long time. From Shangri-La to Deqen, you may have to sit for around 5 hours. But once you get to see the surroundings, you may not mind the exhaustion at all. This also means that some attractions can actually be reached by riding the bus. The fare is no more than RMB 33. It is best to begin your trip early, considering most of the schedules are in the morning. During peak season, it is very difficult to secure your seat in any of the available times. The trip starts at 7:20 a.m. while the last bus to Deqen leaves at around noon. If you’re back from Deqen, make sure that you can ride a bus before 3 in the afternoon. If you want to rest, you can do so at Benzilan.
Diqing is also close to Sichuan Province, and there’s a bus route that connects the two. You have to pass through Panzhihua that is linked to Shangri-La. Nevertheless, because of the distance, you may end up spending a night on the bus. If this happens, pay RMB 90 instead of RMB 60, since the latter gives you only a hard sleeper bus.
If you want to go to Weixi, you can try the Dali route. You can reach the former in around five hours, thanks to the more improved road network. The bus schedule can be as early as 7:30 a.m. The fare is around CNY 90. The last trip, meanwhile, is at 2:00 or 2:30 p.m. You need to pay CNY 225 for the ride. Another option is through Xibu, which is found in Kunming, but it’s going to be an overnight bus.
Once you arrive at the bus station, you will then find dozens of mini buses. You can opt to wait for more passengers so you pay only for your seat, or you can just charter the entire ride. It can cost you as much as CNY 500, sometimes more, especially during the peak seasons, which fall on summer and autumn. If you’re coming from Ginza, another Tibetan autonomous prefecture,the bus ride to Shangri-La from Daoching can take half of your day. The entire trip is more than CNY 100.
Diqing, so far, is the only way to get to Tibet from any part of the Yunnan Province. A way to do that is to ride a bus that goes to Lhasa. The trip, though, is excruciatingly long; it can take you almost a week, and worse, you can get stuck in a seat bus only. Moreover, travel restrictions are being imposed strongly in the border, so you are further inconvenienced in the process.
You can actually start your trip from Laos or Vietnam and still end up in Diqing, but it’s a tedious ride. If you’re from Laos, you need to go to Xishuangbanna; on the other hand, if you’re coming from Vietnam, you take the bus route to Kunming, and the ride can take about 10 hours.
Around Shangri-La, navigating by bus is pretty straightforward since there’s only one road to think about: Changzheng. There are also only three bus numbers that matter, one of which (no. 3) takes you directly to the Songzanlin Monastery.
By Railway
Right now there’s no train that can take you to Shangri-La. The government is still building it, and it’s expected to be completed in 2014. You can, however, ride a train to Lijiang from many points in the country.
Taxis
Considering the good bus network, you may not really need a taxi unless you want convenience. You can ride one from the airport to the main center, as well toward certain attractions such as the monastery.
Horse Riding
This is such a popular kind of transport in the region that you can find them on queue at certain parts of town. The horses are helpful when you want to go on a trek; they also give you a more unique experience in Diqing. It’s advisable never to drive the horse by yourself as the animal can easily get anxious or overwhelmed in the presence of strangers. If you cannot find a horse along the road, you can ask families at homes if they’re willing to let you rent one. Most of them do.