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Road from Lijiang to Shangrila

Ilya88 (2 posts) • 0

Hello!

Me with my friend are planning to drive from Kunming to Shangri-la on a rented car.

So we did our research and found that post on baidu.zhihu

"92日一早我们离开了四川前往香格里拉翻越大雪山的路真的很差路上满是大小石头坑坑洼洼所有大车小车都小心翼翼然后出事了小车底盘被托了遭遇开始了

“11点多第一时间给神州租车客服电话报告在客服指导下报警报保险神州的修车点远在大山外300余公里的丽江拖车过来可能要8个小时那会是半夜了大雪山上实在不安全在协商1个小时后神州同意我们自己联系拖车公司先将车拖到香格里拉市区120公里拖车费2000”

Question: Is road conditions there really that severe or those guy who wrote it just decided to go on offroad adventure in some remote desolate place on cheap sedan?

Peter99 (1246 posts) • +2

They post says they came from Sichuan. And hey, in early September, not in midwinter. They write the road was narrow, bumpy and bad. Maybe they came along the road from Yading, that area. Thats a fabulous road, but not always easiest thing. Nowhere in the post it says they went from Kunming to Shangrila, even recently, so the research you guys did, was not too well done. Its just about some people who broke their car there and got some minor panic. If you are two laowais planning to rent a car and drive, you may want some research on that as well. Anyway, the road from Kunming to Shangrila is really easy thing. Not severe at all.

Ilya88 (2 posts) • -1

@Peter99 Thanks! Btw can you please tell me if there is snow at Shangri-la this time of the year?

Not only in Shangri-la, but also at Tigers Leap Gorge.

We need to decide which pair shoes to take for hiking :)

mike4g_air (788 posts) • +3

From KM to Lijiang is a divided medium highway.

From Lijiang to SGla is a regular highway (on coming traffic) but road condition is perfect. Above 3000m some sections

of small side roads can have frosty pavement if the area doesn't get sunshine all day.

Boots and clothes
It's been dry this winter so no snow anywhere. Frost is present above 3000m without sunshine.
Expect 5oC or lower mornings and 22oC in the sun.
It can be very cold in some hotels.

Weather looks good into the new year.

l4dybug (89 posts) • +1

As 2020 comes to a close, a good piece of Yunnan news we may look forward to for next month. The new highway linking Lijiang and Shangri-la is slated to open, cutting travel time by at least half, to around 1.5 hours by car.

kc430kc430 (81 posts) • 0

A friend in Lijiang reports that the new Lijiang-Shangri-La highway opened in December 2020. Railway for same still under construction. Friend says no vaccine needed for travel to either city. But tomorrow never knows.

fabey (124 posts) • +1

The new Lijiang to Shangri-la rail opens this month. Regular train rail, currently not for HSR.

Spanning a distance of 139km with 13 stations, the word is the views in certain sections are spectacular.

This new rail line offers additional transportation avenue for reaching the popular Tiger Leaping Gorge and Haba Snow Mountain.

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