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Zhongdian,
known as Gyalthang in Tibetan, recently changed its name to
Shangri-La. Perched
on a plateau at an elevation of 3300 meters, dotted with beautiful
hills, flowers and alpine lakes, the region of Zhongdian offers
great possibilities for trek, botanical exploration, as well
as discovery of Tibetan culture. The picturesque Tibetan villages
on the outskirts of Zhongdian still keep unique customs and
traditions, attracting many independent travelers. Most travelers
stay in Zhongdian for one or two days, but some would stay
there for a week.
In
order to protect the local natural resources, several nature
reserves have been designated in the region, such as Bita
and Napa Lake Nature Reserve, Haba Snow Mountain Reserve.
Zhongdian County was also included in Three
Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas, which was inscribed
on UNESCO's World Heritage Sites in 2003.
A report made by WCMC (World Conservation Monitoring Center)
on this wonderful park concluded that “This is an area
of unparalleled biological diversity, unusually explicit geological
and landscape variety and great scenic beauty.”
Best time to visit: In
May and June the region is alive with enchanting wild flowers.
From Mid-October to Mid-November the region is covered with
marvelous autumn colors. July and August is a high season
for tourism as well as rainfalls. Winter is dry and cold,
with average temperatures below zero(C).
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- Visit the old town, the museum and Sumtseling
Monastery. Get relaxed and adapted to high altitude. (Half
day)
- Hike in Bita Lake, visit Shudu
Lake. (One day, rent a mini bus or taxi, Y150 - Y180)
- Visit Napa lake and nearby Tibetan villages.
(One day)
- Visit Little Zhongdian. (One and two days, rent a car)
- Go to Niru. You can either reach there by car from Luoji,
or hike to Niru from Shudu Lake.(One or two days)
- Baishuitai: Y30. A popular site. High season. One bus service
between Zhongdian and Baishuitai.
- Birang Gorge (Shangri-la Gorge). Y20. (One or two days trip,
rent a car)
I
gave Zhongdian a two-star rating based on my short two-day
journey in September 2003. I would like to return to Zhongdian
once again either in May or in later October to discover more
undeveloped areas around Zhongdian, such as Little Zhongdian,
Niru, or other Tibetan villages as well as Haba Snow Mountain.
Maybe these areas are worth a higher rating.
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Old
town and local museum
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The
local government intends to transform the old town of
Zhongdian to a Lijiang style site, filling it with souvenir
shops, hostels and restaurants. For the moment, it is
still a local people's residential area. Many beautiful
Tibetan houses and monuments have been protected from
demolition. (see left photo 5 and 6). The museum displays
local costumes, botanic specimens and photos of the
region.
Comments
received from Haiwei
Trails (March 2004):
"We're based in the old town in Zhongdian and
I'd have to say over the last couple of years since
the issue of it's development has been mooted, I'm
(happily) surprised at just how much resistance there
is at all levels of govt to turning it into going
down the Lijiang disneyfication road, might be kinder
to characterize it as in the midst of a battle for
it's soul rather than, subject to local govt plans
for souvenir shops etc. Ironically, the photo number
6 may indeed be demolished because it was constructed
precisely with these motives and many locals (govt
included) find it kind of tasteless (apart from being
religiously worthless)."
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Ganden
Sumtseling Monastery
(Songzanlin Si) 松赞林寺
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The monastery is located 5 km north of Zhongdian.(see
left photo 2). It costs Y10 to visit the main gombas.
Other gombas are free. However there is one gomba confined
to men, women are not allowed to enter.
Take the bus no.3 for Y1
which passes in front of Yongsheng Hotel and Youth Hotel,
and terminates in front of the monastery. It costs Y10
by taking a taxi.
My first impression of
the monastery was not a favorable one. Shops, tourists,
peddlers, vehicles as well as constructions make the
area in front of the monastery terribly chaotic, contrary
to those peaceful, and more colorful monasteries I had
visited in Sichuan which had not been touched by tourism.
Walk along the kora path, you will
find a white chorten and mani piles (see left photo
3) at the east end of the monastery. From there
you can admire the beautiful Tibetan
farm houses (see left photo 1) scattered in a
golden valley dotted with sheep and yaks, as well as
the amazing blue sky. Such a blue can only be found
at an altitude higher than 3000m.
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-
Located 25km northeast of Zhongdian,
at an elevation of 3500m, surrounded by dense forests.
- Best time to visit is in late October to admire the
amazing autumn colors.
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The
lake has three entrances:
Most tourists go to the south entrance,
located only 2 km to the lake and 200 meters higher than
the lake. The second choice is the west entrance, 8 km
to the lake. It is heard that the undeveloped trail accessing
the lake from the east is 15 km long. I don't have any
information for east entrance and shall appreciate it
if anybody who has hiked this trail writes us about his
experience.
The best way to enjoy the lake is
to walk down to the lake from the south entrance, take
a boat to the ferry near the west entrance, and hike 8
km (easy walk, around 2 hours) to the west entrance. Follow
the main trail which is 2 to 3 meters wide, you would
not get lost. I happened to walk the opposite way. The
200-meter-high ascent from the lake to the south entrance
was fairly tough, especially after having walked for two
hours from the west entrance at such a high altitude.
I suffered from a terrible headache.
Tips:
1) Official price for the boat trip to the ferry near
the west entrance: A motorboat: Y50 per person, takes
10 minutes. Rowing boat: Y30 per person, takes 45 minutes.
(Negotiate the price, we paid Y100 for five persons.)
2) The whole journey takes 4 hours, excluding lunch time.
So when you rent a car in Zhongdian, tell the driver to
send you to the south entrance and ask him to wait for
you at the west entrance. The driver might charge Y20
more than if you enter and exit from the same entrance
which costs from Y150 to Y180, including a further trip
to Shudu Lake.
3) Horse trek: There are horses for rent at both west
entrance and south entrance. I don't think it's necessary.
From the west entrance to the lake: round trip costs Y65,
single trip costs Y45. From the lake to the south entrance:
Y25. |
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Shudu
Lake 属都湖:
Y30. A
newly developed site. Easy to visit as the parking
is close to the lake.
Too many tourists. Worth a visit in late October.
(see left photo 4, a photo copied from the entrance
ticket).
Hot
spring: Few hot springs
in China have reliable sanitary conditions. I prefer
to recommend you to discover one more beautiful Tibetan
village instead of taking a bath in the local hot
spring, which is not accessible by public bus.
Napa
Lake 纳帕海:
Y10. Located
7 km from the town. Worth a visit in May and June
when the plain is covered by wild flowers. Take a
Benzilan or Deqin bus to go to this lake, or go there
by bike or taxi. For the return, wait for a bus along
the main road. On your way to Deqin, you can get a
better view on this lake while the bus climbs higer
along the slope.
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| Hiking:
There are a lot of hiking possibilities around Zhongdian:
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Shangba-la
Folk environment Association organizes trek or visit
in the Shangba-la
Farm Nature Reserve. Contact Mr. Zhaxi Duoji at Tibet
Cafe for detailed information. Tel. 0887-8230282. E-mail:
kangbaren@hotmail.com. Website: www.shangba-la.org. |
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Bitahai:
an easy hike from its south entrance to the west entrance.
Admire well-preserved forests around the lake, wildflowers
and green meadows. |
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Gyalthang
Dzong Hotel organizes nature walks, botanical tours,
tour guide arrangements. |
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More
aggressive trek: Start from a village in Little Zhongdian,
hike to Baishuitai, Haba Village, and Tiger Leaping Gorge.
(5 - 7 days). This route is reserved for experienced hikers.
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hiker from Taiwan posted the following itineraries at
Naxi Family Guesthouse: |
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Shudu
Lake - > Niru 尼汝
(6 hours) -> Luoji 洛吉
(10 hours). A good adventure for those who want to explore
the real country, less influenced by modern society and
tourism. Niru is a beautiful, isolated place. I don't
have information for local accommodations. |
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Trek
to Yading in Sichuan: Langdu 浪都
-> Geka 各卡
(6 hours) -> Yading 亚丁 (2 days).
(see local map
for location.) |
| Who
can help you rent a car, horses or find a guide and lodgings:
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Wandou
at Youth Hostel , Zhaxi
Duoji at Tibet Cafe, Gyalthang
Dzong Hotel, Haiwei
Trails. |
| How
can you find other travelers to join your hike in order
to share the expenses of a guide and a car: |
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Post
your itinerary on the notice board of Youth Hostel. There
are few bus services between Zhongdian and the above mentioned
region. |
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| Cycling
: Yongsheng Hotel, Youth
Hostel and Gyalthang
Dzong Hotel have bikes for rent. |
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Suggested routes : 1. Napa
Lake and nearby Tibetan villages.
2. Ride to the west entrance of Bita Lake
by bike (two to three hours) and further to Shudu
Lake (45 minutes). This journey is quite tough, including
a four-hour hike and a six-hour ride. |
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Air
Two
daily flights from Kunming to Zhongdian (Y640). During high
season, two flights are added from Zhongdian to Chengdu (Y890)
and one to Lhasa (Y1270).
The airport is located 6km from Zhongdian. Taxi to the airport
costs Y10.
Getting
there by bus:
see
Tiger
Leaping Gorge, Deqin.
Getting away by bus: Timetables
for buses leaving from Zhongdian to
| Destinations |
Departure
time
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Remarks
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| Southeast
direction: |
| Kunming
昆 明 |
11:00,
13:00, 14:00, 16:00, 18:00, 19:00, 19:30 |
660
km, 15 hours, around Y140 |
| Lijiang |
from
7:00 to 17:00 |
11
departures |
| Dali
(Xiaguan) |
from
7:00 to 19:30 |
15
departures |
| Qiaotou
虎 跳
峡
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15.30 |
You
can also take any Kunming, Lijiang or Dali bus
and get off at Qiaotou. |
| Jinjiang
攀 枝
花 |
15.00,
17:00 |
470
km. also called Panzhihua, located in Sichuan Province.
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| Jianchuan |
14:50 |
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| North
direction to Sichuan: |
| Daocheng,
Xiangcheng |
7:00 |
300
km, Y100, 8 hours to Xiangcheng, 12 hours to Daocheng.
Bus can be canceled at any time due to rockslides or not
enough passengers. |
| Derong |
9:00 |
Y40,
5 hours. |
| Northwest
direction: |
| Deqin
德钦
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7:20,
8.20, 9:20, 12:00 |
180
km, 6 hours. Y35. Lunch at Benzilan, further climb a path
more than 4000 meters high with a splendid view on the
Baimang Snow Mountain and its glaciers. In Deqin you can
find a bus to Tibet. |
| Benzilan
奔子栏
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13:00,
14:00 |
or
take the Deqin bus. |
| Southwest
direction: |
| Tacheng
塔城
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9:30 |
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| Weixi
维西
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7:00,
8:00, 9:00, 10:00 |
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| Around
Zhongdian: |
| Haba
哈巴
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14:00 |
Y22.5 |
| Baishuitai
白 水 台 |
7:30 |
Y22.5 |
| Luoji
洛吉
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15.00 |
Near
Sichuan border. |
Zhongdian
has only one bus station: phone 0887-3501822.
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Diqing
Tibetan Area International Youth Hostel is no doubt your
first choice if you want to spend several days in Zhongdian.
Bunk beds: Y15 per person. Double room: Y50 per room. Tel:
0887-8228671. Fax: 0887-8228451.
A cute two-floor Tibetan style hostel. Clean, hot shower,
washing machine, restaurant-bar, Internet service, bikes for
rent. Location: near the old town, 30 meters to Yongsheng
Hotel, 100 m to the Tibet Cafe. Taxi to the bus station: Y5.
Travel books available at the bar. Good travel service and
advice. A home for backpackers.
I stayed first at Yongsheng Hotel (Tibet Hotel) which
was recommended by many guidebooks. Their double rooms (Y30
on the second floor and Y40 on the first floor with TV) are
less expensive than doubles in the Youth Hostel. However,
the bathroom and WC are all on the ground floor. Going back
to my second floor room from there takes too much energy,
due to the altitude of 3300m. The beds are clean. But water
for the shower is not hot enough even at a night in September.
Forget about their standard double rooms (Y150 - Y200), with
a terrible bathroom.
There are many midrange hotels in the town, with the price
for a double room starting from Y100. I can't give any recommendation
because such hotels deteriorate quickly mostly due to poor
management. Always check your room first and try those newly
opened hotels.
There are many upmarket hotels springing up in the past two
years. Among them, Gyalthang
Dzong Hotel is worth a recommendation. This hotel makes
a comfortable western style holiday possible in addition to
the discovery of local Tibetan culture as well as one of the
most wonderful natural treasures in a remote, undeveloped
region. The hotel offers ecotourism programs: such as hiking,
botanical tours. From November, the hotel gives a discount
up to 50%. In the beginning of November, the region is still
covered by amazing autumn colors, much more beautiful than
the summer high season. Visit their website, you will find
more information about the region and this hotel. http://coloursofangsana.com/gyalthang/facilities.htm.
I haven't been to this hotel. I appreciate very much if anybody
having stayed at this hotel and joined their tour provides
us a comment.
Food:
Tibet
Cafe: nice location. Good travel advice. Contact for Shangri-La
Folk Environment Protection Association.
There is a restaurant offering noodles, delicious dumplings
at the opposite side of Youth Hostel with reasonable price.
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Before
Zhongdian: Lijiang,
Tiger Leaping Gorge.
After Zhongdian:
1) Northwest direction : Deqin, Meili
Snow Mountains, and the route to*Tibet.
2) North direction to Sichuan : Daocheng, Yading Nature Reserve, Litang, and the route to Tibet.
3) Southwest direction : Weixi, Liuku, Nujiang Valley, and
Dulongjiang Valley.
*Visa to Tibet. Tibet Cafe can help you obtain the visa for
Tibet.
If
you fly from lower plain to Northwest Yunnan, you'd better
start your circuit from Lijiang instead of Zhongdian due to
Zhongdian's high altitude.
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