bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

sponsorType

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

David Eimer

The best time to visit Shangri-La is between April and October; the  city mostly shuts down during the frigid winter months. Its annual horse-racing festival in mid-late June is especially popular, when Shangri-La is flooded with  tourists and Tibetans from the surrounding area.
Flights 
There are no direct flights from Hong Kong to Shangri-La, but China Eastern Airlines and Dragonair fly daily to Kunming, from where there are four flights a day to Shangri-La during the peak season. 
Buses 
Hourly buses make the 4 1/2hour journey from Lijiang to Shangri-La for 40 yuan  (HK$46). There  are also four buses a day from Kunming (213 yuan), although it  is an 11-hour trip.
Hotels
Songtsam Retreat  (0887-828 5555, http://www.songtsam.com/eng). Nestled in the hills close to Songzanlin Monastery, this upmarket hotel has rooms decorated in Tibetan-style and a spa.
Banyan Tree Ringha  (0887-828 8822,  www.banyantree.com), 40 minutes outside  Shangri-La, this is the most luxurious of the area's hotels and resorts 
Kevin's Trekker Inn  (0887-822 8178, www.kevintrekker.inn.com) is the first choice for backpackers. 
There is also an increasing number of bland budget and mid-range hotels.



Highway to heaven