Although a romantic name, Shangri-la does not actually refer to any specific place. The official name of Shangri-La is Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, which includes Zhongdian County as its capital and tourist base, Deqing County and Weixi County. The Shangri-La tour starts and ends both in Zhongdian, and this is also the transportation, cultural and commercial center.

By Air:
The newly built Zhongdian Airport has a daily flight to and from Kunming. The flight is currently the hottest flight in Yunnan, so make sure you reserve in advance! The flight takes about 1 hour.

The airport is located 5km southwest of Zhongdian County Town. The best way to get to the airport is by Taxi, which takes around 20 minutes and costs between RMB15-20.