1. Scenic Area Introduction
Shangri La Balagezong Scenic Area is a national AAAA level ecological tourism scenic spot located in Nixi Township, Shangri La City, Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province. It began development and construction in 1999, was rated as a "national AAAA level scenic spot" in 2012, and was included in the list of AAAA level tourist attractions in Yunnan Province in 2022
The scenic area is located at the junction of Yunnan, Sichuan, and Tibet, and is one of the important scenic spots in the Hongshan area of the "Three Parallel Rivers" World Natural Heritage Site. It is situated in the central area of the Shangri La Tourist Area, 50 kilometers away from the city center. The scenic area is connected to the Sun Valley in Derong County, Sichuan Province to the west, and connected to the Blue Soil Canyon in Geza Township to the east. It runs north from Shangqiaotou, passing through Dongzhulin Temple, Baimang Snow Mountain, and adjacent to Deqin Meili Snow Mountain. It is located in the central area of the Yunnan Tibet Sichuan Triangle region, and together with the Blue Soil Canyon, it forms the Shangri La Grand Canyon2. Scenic Area Information
Ticket: Adult ticket 170 yuan/person, opening hours: 08:30-16:30
3. Ticket discount policy
Free:
1. Elderly: 70 years old (inclusive) or above with senior ID card. Sightseeing bus needs to be purchased separately.
2. Children: Height below 1.2 meters (exclusive) but below 6 years old (inclusive) with relevant valid documents.
3. Disabled: With disability card.
Half price ticket:
1. Elderly People: 60 years old (inclusive) -70 years old (exclusive) with senior citizen card or ID card
2. Residents of Diqing: with resident ID card
3. Minors: 1.2 years old (inclusive) 6 years old (exclusive) -18 years old (inclusive) with valid identification
4. Full time primary, secondary, and tertiary students: with student ID card
4 Introduction to Scenic Spots
Balagzong Scenic Area has many attractions, including snow capped mountains, canyons, glaciers, rivers, plateau lakes, and primitive forests. There are also attractions such as the Balagzong Grand Canyon, the Holy Homeland Bala Village, the Millennium Phoenix Bodhi Tree, and the Shambhala Buddha Pagoda. Among them, Gezong Snow Mountain is the highest peak in Shangri La City, with a highest altitude of 5545 meters. The lowest point is Shuizhuang, which borders Sichuan Province. The average altitude of the valley is about 2650 meters, and the annual average temperature is about 14.8 degrees Celsius. It belongs to the northern subtropical climate. Bala Village is an ancient Tibetan village with Tibetan style dwellings dating back over a hundred years. The surrounding scenery is peaceful and beautiful. The Shangri La Grand Canyon is one of the relatively deep canyons in Yunnan and even the whole country, known for its "profound and dangerous, magnificent and beautiful" features. Its biggest characteristic is that "there are canyons in the canyon, and there are canyons on the canyon, crisscrossing and connected". The Shambhala Pagoda is one of the main attractions in the scenic area, translated as "Xiangqu Qudeng" in Tibetan. It is a naturally formed pyramid shaped mountain peak, known as the "Natural Pagoda". The Thousand Year Bodhi Tree is a Bodhi tree with a tree age of over 3000 years. Its entire branch is like climbing on a cliff, spreading all its branches and leaves like a peacock spreading out over half of the cliff, earning it the nickname "Phoenix Bodhi Tree"
5. Travel Guide
1. Shambhala Pagoda (extra charge): This place has been untouched for thousands of years, and its every blade of grass, every tree, every rock, every soil and water is an authentic masterpiece of nature. Walking on the horizontal boardwalk, it feels like entering a dream world where you can admire the unique natural Buddhist pagoda and enjoy the scenery of the plateau pasture. Important note: The pagoda is nearly 40 kilometers away from the scenic area, and you need to pay for a private car according to the number of people. The cost for less than 5 people is about 500 yuan; Bus for more than 10 people, 75 yuan/person
2. High altitude glass walkway: experience the thrill of thousands of meters of drop. On the cliffs of the more than two thousand meter long canyon, which "has no way to heaven and no way to earth", the cliff plank road winding through the Shangri La Grand Canyon is like a giant dragon flying on the river, extending toward the east of Gezan Birong Canyon
3. Barra Village: the colorful Tibetan folk culture is included here, which is really a wonder. You can experience the thousand year folk customs
4. Balazhumalakang: Bala is a Tibetan transliteration, meaning a Tibetan village from Batang. You can experience Tibetan culture here. Every pictographic rock, every river beach cave, will lead people into associative imagery, thus giving rise to many legendary stories
6. Dejinka: Enjoy the panoramic view of the canyon. The cliff boardwalk winding through the Shangri La Grand Canyon resembles a giant dragon soaring on the river, extending towards the direction of the Gezhan Bilong Canyon to the east. 7. Bodhi tree: This is a Bodhi tree with a thousand years of age. It has traveled through thousands of years, on the magical land of Balagzong, leaning against cliffs, enduring wind and rain for over a thousand years yet still lush and vibrant, as if in dialogue with history. According to the "Golden Bright Most Victorious King Sutra", the Bodhi tree has a guardian deity, known as the Bodhi Tree God. 8. Tongtian Gorge: Because there are many palm trees growing in the gorge, some of which can reach a height of about ten meters, some of which are shaped like street lamps and stand alone; Some are born by sticking to the wall, resembling father and son; Some rely on each other, like lovers. On the cliffs, you can also see a mountain palm forest with an area of about 5 acres, standing upright and tall, with fan leaves and green leaves, wrapped in green vines, feeling like entering a tropical rainforest. Many biological experts believe that palm trees in Yunnan are mostly artificially cultivated, and wild mountain palm trees are only distributed in the hot climate areas of Dehong Prefecture and Gongshan below an altitude of 1990 meters. However, the large area of wild mountain palm forests distributed in Balagezong Scenic Area breaks this pattern
VI. Tourist Transportation
There are mainly two modes of transportation in the scenic area: sightseeing buses and hiking
1. Generally, tourists who arrive at the scenic area will first take a sightseeing bus to Bala Village for sightseeing, and then take a bus to the canyon area. After playing the canyon, they can choose to take a bus or drift back to the gate
2. If time is tight, you can also choose to only play in the canyon. In addition, there are several hiking routes deep in the scenic area, which take about 3-5 days. Professional outdoor enthusiasts can explore them
Before visiting the Balagezong Scenic Area, it is recommended to understand the local weather conditions in advance and arrange the itinerary reasonably. Due to the high altitude and low temperature within the scenic area, it is recommended to bring warm clothing. Meanwhile, the terrain within the scenic area is quite complex, so it is recommended to wear comfortable shoes for easy walking