Kunming Shangri-La (Zhongdian) Transportation: by Flight, Bus & Train

Located in the northwest of Yunnan Province, Shangri-la is 720 km away from the provincial capital Kunming. It borders Daocheng and Muli of Sichuan Province to the east, and connected Deqin County to the north. At an average altitude of more than 3,000 meters, Shangri-La is very difficult to reach with limited transportation options. Without railways leading there, the main means of transportation is flight and bus.

How to Get to Shangri-La from Kunming?

By Air

Diqing Shangrila Airport is the only airport in the city, with direct daily flights to Kunming. Taking flights only needs around 1~1.5 hours to reach Shangrila. It’s recommended to take the morning or night flight to Shangri-la and then you can have more time to explore this city.

It is about 5 km (3 mile) to downtown Shangri-la. At present, there is no airport shuttle bus. Tourists can take the taxi to Shangrila downtown which will cost about RMB 30.

Kunming-Shangrila Airline Timetable

Flight Number Airlines Departs Arrives
MU5931 China Eastern Airlines 08:20 09:40
MU5939 China Eastern Airlines 08:30 09:55
MU5935 China Eastern Airlines 14:25 15:45

By Long-distance Bus

In Shangri-La, coach is the most important vehicle. Tourists can travel by coach between Shangri-la Long-distance Bus Station and Kunming West Bus Station, which takes about 10 hours. It is a long way between the two cities. So it’s better to get to Shangrila by flight from Kunming. The departure time is 09:30(duration: 9.5h), 14:00(duration: 9.5h), 19:00(duration: 15.5h), 20:00(duration: 15.5h), 20:30(duration: 15.5h).

Kunming West Bus Station:
Add: No.18, Yining Road, Xishan District, Kunming city, Yunnan province
How to Get: Take Metro Line 3 or taxi

Shangri-la Long-distance Bus Station:
Add: Zhongshan Road, Diqin Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan

By Train

At present, there is no train connecting the two cities of Kunming and Shangrila. The Lijiang–Shangri-La railway or Lixiang railway is a railroad under construction in Yunnan Province of Southwest China, due to be completed in 2020. After the completion of Lixiang railway, it will be connected with the existing Kunming-Lijiang railway, linking the tourist resorts of Dali, Lijiang and Shangri-La in Yunnan. By then, tourists can take the train to Shangrila from Kunming.

Transportation in Yunnan:

Yunnan Travel by Air

Rail Transport in Yunnan

Roads in Yunnan

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