Birang Xiagu Travel Guide
Birang Xiagu (Birang Gorge) is an impressive gorge right in the north of Yunnan. Often dubbed Shangri-La Gorge, it is 100kms from Shangri-La (Zhongdian) and is a bit of a pain to get to.
- What is It?
- Birang Xiagu is a deep gorge in northwest Yunnan.
- When to Go
- April/May or September/October for the best weather.
- Nearest Town
- Wengshui is the service town, with Zhongdian 100kms farther south.
- Don't Miss
- the hiking path which leads out from Birang Xiagu.
- Trivia
- Birang Xiagu has sheer walls 150m in height.
Birang Xiagu is all about sheer cliffs, gushing rivers and hiking. The walls of the gorge rise to around 150m and there is a hiking trail that goes into it part way. Unfortunately a few shops and restaurants are beginning to pop up, which may spoil the gorge for the purist.
Unless you have your own transport or are on a tour, you will need to spend the night at the gorge in a standard nearby guest house as buses only run once a day to and from Shangri-La.
For those into hiking, a side trip to Deqin is a better bet. It has miles of good hiking trails. The best of them are in Meili Xue Shan Nature Reserve where there is a temple and glacier to hike to.
Travel to Birang Xiagu - Getting There
The only public transport option for getting to Birang Xiagu is a daily bus from Zhongdian (Shangri-La), which takes an excruciating 5 hours to complete the 100km distance. Wengshui is the gateway town. The nearest airport is in Zhongdian (Diqing Airport), which receives flights in under an hour from Kunming. Kunming is a 12-hour bus journey from Zhongdian.
