Climbing the Songzanlin Monastery in Shangri-La Yunnan, China

Guys, can you believe it? Shangri-La is an actual place! Well, sort of… And the iconic landmark that stands atop the entire city of Shangri-La is the epic Songzanlin Monastery which is located at an altitude of 3,380 meters!

This Tibetan Buddhist Monastery is a marvel of ancient engineering, and when I saw the Songzanlin Monastery with my own eyes for the first time, I almost felt like it was fake because it was just too beautiful.

I’m not being dramatic! This sort of view is something you’ll expect to only see in mythical Asian movies or literature, but no it’s actually real. Don’t believe me? Well then come with me as I bring you to explore the wonders of Songzanlin Monastery in Shangri-La, China!

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The City of Shangri-La

Shangri-la city china yunnan — *The view from atop the Songzanlin Monastery is truly beautiful*

Prior to traveling to Yunnan, China, my knowledge of Shangri-la is only limited to that story about a elusive and fictional Himalayan Utopia and that chain of hotels and resorts. But yes Shangri-La does exist! Although not like it’s described in James Hilton’s 1933 novel, Lost Horizon.

The modern day city of Shangri-La is the capital of the Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture and borders Lijiang City to the south. Shangri-La City was originally named Zhongdian, but during the 2001s the Chinese government renamed the city after the James Hilton novel in order to boost tourism in the region.

Despite that bit of false advertisement, Shangri-La City is actually a very beautiful place to visit if you are ever around in Yunnan China, and unlike the the fictional version that this city is based upon, Shangri-La city is quite modern with a full nightlife scene making it a popular tourist destination for local Chinese tourists as well. If you’d like more information about traveling in Shangri-La, I’ve written this handy dandy Shangri-La Travel Guide for you to read :)

Hotel Recommendations in Shangri-La

Shangri-La is a big city and you’ll want to spend at least a night here in order to fully experience everything this mountain top city has to offer. The nightlife scene here is something you don’t wanna miss if you are into that sort of thing. Here are some of my recommendations for hotels in Shangri-La City:

Shangri-La Resort Shangri-La - This is where I stayed at for one night, it’s a bit pricy but it’s an exceptionally good hotel. I mean if I’m gonna travel to a Himalayan Utopia, I might was well splurge right?
Yi's Hostel - If you are looking for a budget friendly and down to Earth accommodation, Yi’s Hostel is very charming and very good, this hostel is very popular with tourists.
Holiday Inn Express Shangri La - For a more Western style accommodation, this hotel is very comfortable and close to many of Shangri-La City’s major attractions

Shangri-La’s Tibetan Buddhist Monastery

songzanlin monastery tibetan monks — *Blowing on the horn looks kind of tiring not gonna lie…*

Since we are in the Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan, China, there is a large Tibetan Buddhist population. The Songzanlin Monastery is the largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery in the area and serves as a center place for the culture and religious backgrounds of the Tibetan people.

The Songzanlin Monastery was constructed in 1679 but you wouldn’t be able to tell that this monastery was over 4 centuries old, as everything is so clean and well maintained!

Fun fact! During the planning phase for the construction of the Songzanlin Monastery, the site was chosen by the 5th Dalai Lama himself through divination. At its peak the Songzanlin Monastery housed over 2000 monks, nowadays that number is closer to 700.

Best Time to Visit Songzanlin Monastery?

If you’re wondering when is the best time to visit the Songzanlin Monastery, I recommend you visit during the early mornings right when the monastery opens at around 8:00 AM.

As for seasons, I went during April when the weather was quite chill yet the sun was still blazing hot, making for a pleasantly chill atmosphere. So from March - May as well as September - November is the best time to visit. If you are looking for snow (yes, snow does fall at the monastery), then around August is the winter months.

Climbing up to Songzanlin Monastery

songzanlin monastery stairs — *You might think this looks easy but nah man, remember the oxygen is thin here*

Alright, let’s get to exploring the Songzanlin Monastery itself, but before we even get to step foot onto the premises of the monastery we’ll need to climb up some stairs…

And guys believe me, while only around 150 steps long, these stairs are no joke… This is where I must warn you, if you’ve been to the nearby Jade Dragon Snow Mountain this will be familiar to you.

PLEASE BRING AN OXYGEN TANK, This is not a joke, believe me you will need it no matter how healthy you think you are. Being located 3000+ meters above sea level, the air is thin and combined with exerting physical strength through these stairs, you will be struggling to breathe.

Portable Oxygen tanks can be bought at various local venders for around 40 RMB - 100 RMB. A note though, beware of the cheaper tanks, these are often filled with low quality breathable air… I recommend purchasing oxygen tanks from hospitals or pharmacies.

I am warning you because I didn’t bring an oxygen tank…

I am a young guy, I go to the gym 4-5 times a week, so physically, I’d say I am quite healthy. However these steps really made me struggle. I swear, I couldn’t even make it halfway up until I needed to pause for a sec to catch my breath.

It was actually terrifying at one point, I felt like I was loosing oxygen and that I might go unconscious. I felt dizzy, nauseous, and no matter how deep I try to suck in air into my lungs, it wasn’t enough.

Luckily with frequent rest stops and controlled breathing I managed to scale the 150 steps.

I learnt my lesson and needless to say, I was humbled. I bought a portable oxygen tank with me when I went to the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain later in my Yunnan holiday.

Don’t be like me, no matter how strong you think you are, you can’t fight mother nature, get yourself an oxygen tank.

Exploring Songzanlin Monastery

When you finally manage to climb the stairs you’ll reach this large open square. Here is where I wanna talk about the architecture for a bit. The buildings are a fusion of a Tibetan and a Han Chinese style with gold painted copper roofs and red wooden pillars.

I love the traditional style architecture, just Imagine what it would be like if there aren’t many tourists around, must be very peaceful.

songzanlin monastery main hall — *Sorry for the zoomed in photo, the main hall was too big to capture in frame*

One building that you definitely cannot miss (because it’s the first one you’ll see) is the main scripture hall, here is where all the monks congregate to recite the Buddhist scriptures housed within the monastery. Within the main hall is also a giant 8 meter tall copper statue of the Shakyamuni Buddha with paintings and decorations lining the wall of the hall depicting the life of the Buddha.

This congregation doesn’t happen frequently. However, when I went I was lucky enough to witness this event, it was so amazing and felt other-worldly in a way, like something sacred and divine.

I got the chance to climb up the top of one of the monastery’s buildings and found a group of monks um.. Blowing horns…? I apologize, I don’t really know what’s going on but the whole scene felt very calming and enlightening.

This is where I want to remind you that the Songzanlin Monastery is an actual monastery, not a tourist attraction. The monks here are real people practicing a real religion, it’s not just for show. I’m telling you this because I saw an obnoxious old man pointing his full frame DSLR camera right up in front of the monk’s face and even wrapping his arms around the monk to get a better picture of the horns, completely violating the monk’s personal space.

As a semi-serious photographer myself, I cringed so hard and felt so sorry for the monks for having to deal with tourists like these on a daily basis. So please remember to respect the environment around you.

Details About Songzanlin Monastery

Songzanlin Monastery is the largest Tibetan Buddhist Monastery in the Diqing Region, located in Shangri-La City, Yunnan, China. This monastery is situated 3380 meters above sea level and overlooks the idyllic city of Shangri-La.

There are a lot of tourists here so it may be crowded. Plus I highly recommend you purchase a portable oxygen tank.

Location: China, Yunnan, Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Shangri-La City, 建塘镇邮政编码: 674400

Opening Hours: 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM | Mon - Sun

Entrance Fee: 115 RMB

How to get to Songzanlin Monastery from Shangri-La City

I will assume you are starting from Shangri-La City, you have the options of taking a public bus or minivan.

With the public bus, there are busses that take you from Shangri-La City to Songzanlin Monastery directly such as the No. 3 Bus that is in front of Moonlight Square.

Whilst for the minivan option, these are also available at Moonlight Square.

Looking for Things to Do in Yunnan, China?

6 Day Shangri-La in Dali, Lijiang, Yunnan Tour - Encountering Cangshan Erhai Lake & Climbing Jade Dragon Snow Mountain & Viewing Rizhao Jinshan Mountain
5 Day Once in a Lifetime Yunnan Tour - Yubeng Village, Ancient Temples, Rizhao Jinshan Mountain

Useful Resources for Traveling in China

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