Lijiang to Shangri-La: Travel Distance, Bus & Map

Want to explore the real highlights in Lijiang and Shangri-La (or called Zhongdian) in Yunnan but do not know how to transfer between them? Lijiang and Shangri-La situated in the northwestern part in Yunnan, with a crow-fly distance of about 120 kilometers. To go from Lijiang to Shangri-La or from Shangri-La to Lijiang, it needs about 3.5 hours by car with a driving way of about 180 kilometers long, via Hutiaoxia Town (Tiger Leaping Gorge locates). At present, there is no direct flight or train between Lijang and Shangri-La. And for independent travelers, the best and most convenient transferring way is to take a distance bus, which takes about 4 hours. Let’s see the transportation map and the detailed information of bus between Lijiang and Shangri-La at below.

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Lijiang to Shangri-La

Lijiang Shangri-La Transportation Map

Lijiang Shangri-La Private Car

As the Tiger Leaping Gorge is one of the most attractive highlights on the half way from Lijaing to Shangri-La, most travelers usually arrange the tour from Lijiang to the Tiger Leaping Gorge to enjoy the turbulent water view at the gorge for about 2 hours, and then continue to go to Shangri-La to discover the essences in that wonderland. Therefore the most convenient way to travel around Lijiang and Shangri-La is by taking a private car.

We China Discovery, with rich experiences in ranging Yunnan tours for our customers, can provide you the best Lijiang Shangri-La travel experiences. Our professional English-speaking guide and experienced drivers can pick you up anywhere in Lijiang or Shangri-La at any time you want. Booking a private car service, you don’t need to waste your time and energy on planning the trip or waiting and transferring between different vehicles; you will have more time to relax on the car and enjoy the highlight on the road - Tiger Leaping Gorges. Our experienced travel consultants can help you to design Lijiang Shangri-La tour according to your own interests and preferance. If you need any help, please feel free to contact us and tailor your trip with us.

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Tiger Leaping Gorges

Lijiang Shangri-La Bus

Lijiang to Shangri-La Bus

From Lijiang to Shangri-La, the distance coaches run from Lijiang Bus Terminal to Shangri-La Bus Terminal, which usually depart about every half an hour during around 07:30 - 17:10. As there are different types of coaches serving, the prices varies between around 62 - 75 RMB/person.

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Shangri-La to Lijiang Bus

From Shangri-La to Lijiang, there are also frequent buses operating every day. They depart nearly every half to one hour from Shangri-La Bus Terminal to Lijiang Bus Terminal, usually during about 08:00 - 18:00, with a driving distance of about 180km. And the prices are around 62 - 68 RMB/person.

(Note: the above information of number of buses, bus stations, time, prices, etc. is only for your reference, since they could be slightly changed according to practical situation. You could contact our professional travel expert for the detailed and newest information of buses between Lijiang and Shangri-La.)

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Lijiang Bus Station

Location: No. 25, Kangzhong Road, Gucheng District, Lijiang, Yunnan (云南省丽江市古城区康仲路25号-丽江汽车客运站)

Lijiang Bus Terminal is located in Lijiang downtown. From that terminal, you could get to Lijiang Old City and Black Dragon Pool Park for about 15 minutes, to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and Blue Moon Valley for about 50 minutes, and to Shuhe Ancient Town for about 20 - 25 minutes by car. To get to Lijiang Sanyi Airport, it would take you about 30 - 40 minutes by local taxi.

▶ Check all information of Lijiang Travel Guide | Things to Do in Lijiang | Lijiang Attractions | Lijiang Weather & Seasonal Activities | How to Plan a Lijiang Tour

Shangri-La Bus Station

Location: At the junction of Xiangbala Avenue and Kangding Road, Shangri-La, Diqing (云南省迪庆藏族自治州香格里拉市香巴拉大道与康定路交叉口-丽江汽车客运站)

Shangri-La Bus Terminal lies at the city downtown area, around which are a bunch of hotels and hostels for your free choices. From there, you can transfer to Ganden Sumtseling Monastery for about 10 - 15 minutes, to Pudacuo National Park for about 30 - 40 minutes, to Dukezong Ancient Town for about 10 - 15 minutes, to Napa Nature Preserve for about 15 minutes by local taxi. To Shangri-La Airport, it needs about 15-20 minutes by taxi driving.

▶ Check all information of Shangri-La Travel Guide | Shangri-La Attractions | Shangri-La Weather & Best Time to Visit | How to Plan a Shangri-La Tour

Jade Dragon Snow Mountain & Blue Moon Valley

Pudacuo National Park in Shangri-La

Lijiang to Shangri-La Train

So far in Shangri-La, there is no train available. The Lijiang - Shangri-La Railway is under construction, and it is predicted that the train would be under operation between the two cities in 2020, and on the occasion, it would take about 6 hours to go from Kunming to Shangri-La directly by train. We will update the information of trains between Lijiang and Shangri-La if there is any news.

>> Check more about Lijiang Transportation

>> Check more about Shangri-La Transportation

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How to Plan a Lijiang Shangri-La Tour

If you got an about 5-day holiday, you are suggested to travel Shangri-La with beautiful Lijiang together as many other travelers. Spend your first 2 days in Lijiang to discover the famous old town, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and Naxi ethnic culture, followed by an exciting Tiger Leaping Gorge hiking experience. then, spend the last 2-2.5 days in Shangri-La to immerse into the earthly paradise with nice visiting of the holy monasteries and lovely landscapes.

Most Popular Lijiang Shangri-La Tour Package:

▶ 5 Days Lijiang & Shangri-La Best Highlights Tour

In fact, most visitors prefer to travel to Shangri-La in a longer Yunnan tours and usually arrange it as a middle stop or ending part. To enrich your travel experience, you are highly recommended to do as the others to enjoy a classic week long vacation in Yunnan starting from Kunming the provincial capital. You can spend 2 days for getting to Kunming and visiting Stone Forest and the city highlights, take a bullet train to Dali and spend 1-2 days there discovering the beauty of Erhai Lake and historical culture of the past Nanzhao Kingdom, transfer to Lijiang to meet the best essences within 2 days. After trekking at Tiger Leaping Gorge, enjoy another 2-4 days in Shangri-La for last pure land exploration to end your memorable trip!

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▶ 6 Days Best of Yunnan Tour (Lijiang / Shangri-La / Kunming)

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If you want to cover all the fantastic destination of Yunnan, arrange 10 days or longer will be great for the in-depth exploration. Highlight your trip by visiting photography paradises - Yunanyang and Dongchuan. Or if you want to enjoy tropical scenery, head south to the tropical kingdom Xishuangbanna or dreamlike land Puzhehei.

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Worry-free Travel with China Discovery

China Discovery has been the leading online travel agency for over 10 years and we are specialized in offering different tours in diverse Yunnan, including Kunming tours, Lijiang tours, Dali tours, Shangri-La tours, Yuanyang Rice Terraces tours, Dongchuan Red Land tours, Xishuangbanna tours...

No matter you want to put one simple destination into your trip or cover several destinations together or even extend your Yunnan tours all over China like Beijing, Xian, Guilin, Shanghai, Chengdu, Zhangjiajie, Hong Kong, Guizhou, Tibet, China Discovery can provide you best tour guides and experienced drivers with comfortable private cars in any of the destinations. Our English-speaking tour guide will accompany you all the way, showing you the best traveling route and telling beautiful stories of the colorful Yunnan. The tour can be tailor-made according to your group size, time, physical condition, plan, interests, budget and other special need. Please feel free to contact us if you need any help or customize the tour with free quotation!

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