The area between Lijiang and Shangri La is dominated by the Yangtze river and its trubutaries carved in high snow covered mountains.
The
Yangtze, or Jinsha as it is called here flows south from the Tibetan Plateau, but near Lijiang it takes a sudden U-turn (approperly
called First Bend) north to a region where it has cut out one of the worlds deepest canyons, the Tiger Leaping Gorge.
It is a
favorite area for hiking, but recently the road has been improved so you can drive down to the Gorge.
The river continues
north to swallow the Shuiluo river at the border with Sichuan and then heads east on its long long way to the Shanghai Delta.
To
the east of the Yangze and north of Lijang lies a scenic mountain range called Jade Dragon Snow Mountains, its white peaks
easily reach 5600 meters.
Lijiang, known for its pittoresque Naxi Old Town Dayan, has become a tourist magnet, much to the chagrin
of the locals.
Shangri La, aka Zhongdian, is dominated by the age-old Buddhist Sungtseling monastery sitting
high on a hill.
The trip from Lijiang to Shangri La via HutiaoxiaZhen takes 190 kms and provides fantastic
views of the surrounding mountains and the Jinsha River.
