When everything feels like an uphill struggle, just think of the view from the top!
Unforgettable landscapes, spectacular scenery, ancient wonders, a sense of being one with nature, there are so much to enjoy when you leave the wheels behind and take to the foot path and by ways of the Shangrila’s most fascinating places, walking the traditional trials will absorb everything around us, capture each walk’s own special atmosphere and explore the unique stories it has to tell.
From relatively flat, well groomed trails to challenging long mountain treks such as the Great Ridge Trek (Tiger Leaping Gorge to Shangrila), there is no shortage of hiking trails in northwest Yunnan and Shangrila! In fact, many people visit northwestern Yunnan just for the trekking.
In Northwest Yunnan there are options of easy day hikes passing through small hills and villages for families to full on two week’s challenging trekking for experienced trekkers.
Ringha Day Hike
This family oriented 5hrs gentle day hiking provideས opportunities of taking in local culture and walk in the nature. A day hike to a small remote monastery called Ringha which is a smal monastrery yet that happened to be the oldest temple of Tibetan Buddhism in the region, just located southeast of Shangrila town, passing two Tibetan villages and herds of yaks and horses ramming about the pasture land, visit Ringha monastery before picked up and drive back to Shangrila.
Abuji Day Hike
With trailhead located just an hour drive outside Zhongdian (Shangrila) this is a fast way to get into the wilderness, equally beautiful in both Summer and (for experienced snow trekkers) winter with mountains and Abuji alpine lake. This is a trek that can of course be combined with other legs of a longer journey of 4 days or 12 days with Tiger Leaping Gorge or even longer with Nirui extention with fully camping excursion, this hike is almost tailor designed for those who maybe are flying in for a short break in the area to have a test of the mountains of Tibetan plateau.
The great Ridge Trek
Our pioneering Treks – for Experienced trekkers!
After spending a night in Lijiang’s historic Old Town, our trek starts with the world-famous trail, the Tiger Leaping Gorge trek. We exit the gorge before the western finishing point and head north towards the Great Ridge, passing through several Naxi and Yi villages on the way to Black Lake, overlooking picturesque Haba village. We continue north along the Great Ridge towards the sacred lake and mountain of Abuji. This is an untamed trail used only by seasonal herders and mushroom hunters during summer seasons, ascending and descending through wonderful forests and numerous alpine lakes among breathtaking natural settings. The height of the Great Ridge also affords consistent stunning views of distant majestic mountain ranges located well into Sichuan province, as well as spectacular Haba Snow Mountain and Abuji, eventually delivering us right into the city of Shangrila.
Shaka – Yangtze Valley Trek
Mt Shaka (Shika) located to the immediate west of Shangrila Town. There is no shortage of trekking options་in and around Mt Shaka region, from easy one day cable-car ride to the top to undertaking 5 day rigorous trek crossing the massive mountain ranges into Yangtze water shed. In spring the slower slopes of mountain covered with variety of wild flowers like rhododendrons and the meconopsis, we will meander through dense forests and a series of stunning alpine lakes before, we finally reaches the Yangtze watershed. This 4/5 days trek across Mt Shaka range also offers breathtaking scenic grandeur of mountain vista, and one of the greatest rivers of the world – the mighty Yangtze.
Shangrila Outdoorsman 