1 Day Shangri La Balagezong Grand Canyon Tour

In the morning, pick up from your hotel and head to Balagezong Grand Canyon, which is located about 31 miles (50km) northwest of Shangri-la County. It earns very high admiration for the mysterious ancient Bala Village, hospitable villagers, holy snow mountains, plank road over Gangqu River, and precipitous gorges, especially Shangri-la Grand Canyon. It is a pure land isolated from the outside world, waiting for visitors to discover its unique beauty with rich Tibetan culture.

Bala Village
The first stop you will arrive at is Bala Village on the mountainside. It is the only village in this vast land in the past years. Tibetan scripture records that millions of years ago, a group of people tried to find an ideal place without wars and miseries.

Shangri-la Grand Canyon
After visiting the village, you will have a thrilling journey in gorges. It is said that the Blue Moon Valley described in the book Lost Horizon is within this scenic area. The U-shaped Shangri-la Grand Canyon, formerly called Birang Grand Canyon, is the main gorge with distinctive vertical climate.

Heaven-leading Gorge
What waits you is a branch gorge of Shangri-la Grand Canyon – Nanka Zhuorong Gorge whose name means a gorge leading to the heaven in Tibetan language. Therefore, it is also called Heaven-leading Gorge or Tongtian Gorge. The gorge actually leads to Balagezong Snow Mountain, a sacred mountain.

Balagezong Snow Mountain
The pyramid-shaped Balagezong Snow Mountain is a holy mountain among Tibetans, thus attracting lots of pilgrims every year. With an altitude of 17,408 feet (5306m), it is the highest mountain in Shangri-la County. Three snow-clad peaks, which are believed to be the incarnations of three daughters of a mountain God, tower into the clouds against the sunshine. The white snow and clouds floating on the clear sky make the mountain all the more sacred and mysterious, presenting a shocking view.

Shangri-la Stupa
At the northeast of the snow mountain stands the Shangri-la Stupa. It is actually a mountain resembling a round-based stupa and two mountains beside it look like a Lama and an unfolding sutra. As the only natural stupa all over the world, it enjoys a great reputation.