Short answer: Go up in steps. Spend a night or two in Kunming, then one or two in Lijiang, then take the 1.5-hour train to Shangri-La and keep your first day there deliberately lazy. Done this way, most healthy travelers feel nothing worse than a mild headache and some breathlessness on the stairs.
This is general travel advice, not medical advice. If you have a heart or lung condition, are pregnant, or have had altitude sickness before, talk to a doctor before you book.
Why Shangri-La is different
Shangri-La 香格里拉 sits at about 3,200 m, and some day trips around it go higher. That's roughly 1,300 m above Kunming and 800 m above Lijiang. Each breath carries noticeably less oxygen up here, and your body needs a day or two to catch up.
Fitness doesn't protect you. Young, sporty travelers get altitude sickness too, often because they try to do everything on day one. What helps is going up gradually and taking it easy once you arrive.
Go up in steps
- Kunming 昆明, about 1,900 m (1–2 nights). Yunnan's main airport is here. You'll barely notice the height, but it's a useful first step.
- Dali 大理, about 2,000 m (optional). A natural stop on the way north, about 2 hours by train from Kunming.
- Lijiang 丽江, about 2,400 m (1–2 nights). Adjust here before going higher. It's about 1.5 hours by train from Dali, or about 3.5–4 hours direct from Kunming (most trains leave from Kunming Station).
- Shangri-La, about 3,200 m. About 1.5 hours by train from Lijiang.
The train is what makes this easy. You arrive rested, having gained the height over several days rather than in one jump. Tickets need your passport; see how to book trains. Our classic 8-day route is built around this order.
If you visit Jade Dragon Snow Mountain from Lijiang, that short trip up to about 4,500 m and back down to sleep may help you adjust. If it hits you hard up there, though, add an extra night in Lijiang before moving on.
Your first 24 hours
- Keep day one easy. Check in, stroll the old town slowly and eat an early dinner. Save the monastery and anything with stairs for day two.
- Drink water through the day. The air is dry, and you lose more fluid than you notice.
- Skip alcohol the first night. It affects your breathing while you sleep and makes headaches worse. The local highland barley wine can wait until night two or three.
- Eat warm, simple meals. Yak-meat hotpot, the dish most visitors rate highest in town, makes a good first dinner.
- Walk at talking pace. If you can't hold a conversation while you walk, slow down.
- Sleep warm. Nights are cold for much of the year, and a chill makes everything feel worse.
Oxygen cans and medication
Small portable oxygen cans are sold locally, in convenience stores, pharmacies and some hotels, in both Lijiang and Shangri-La. A few breaths ease a headache or breathlessness for a while. They're a comfort, not a cure, and they don't replace going down if you feel seriously unwell.
Before the trip, ask your doctor whether preventive medication such as acetazolamide makes sense for you; it's prescription-only in most countries. Many people take rhodiola 红景天 supplements, but the evidence that they work is weak, so don't count on them. For a simple headache, ordinary ibuprofen or acetaminophen usually helps.
Stairs that feel harder than they look
Two of Shangri-La's best sights involve a climb, and at 3,200 m every step counts. Take them in short stages, stop on the landings, and don't race anyone to the top.
Songzanlin Monastery 松赞林寺
Yunnan's largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery, on a hillside just outside town. The main halls sit at the top of roughly 150 steps, which feel much longer than they look from the bottom. Go on day two or later, in the morning, when you're fresh.
Guishan Park 龟山公园
The small hill in the old town topped by a giant golden prayer wheel. The stairway is short but steep. You need to reserve entry by scanning a QR code, so sort that out before you climb.
A gentle three-day plan
- Day 1: Train from Lijiang, check in, a slow wander around the old town, early night.
- Day 2: Songzanlin in the morning, a rest after lunch, the Guishan prayer wheel in the late afternoon.
- Day 3: A loop around Napa Lake 纳帕海, which takes 2–3 hours by car or e-bike and is mostly flat.
More ideas are on our Shangri-La page.
Symptoms to watch, and when to go down
Mild altitude sickness is common in the first day or two and usually fades as you adjust. Typical signs are a headache, nausea or loss of appetite, tiredness, dizziness and poor sleep. Rest, drink water and don't go any higher until they ease. If they get worse instead of better, go down.
These signs are serious. They mean descend right away and get medical help:
- A headache that painkillers don't touch, or that keeps getting worse
- Repeated vomiting
- Confusion, unusual drowsiness, or stumbling as if drunk
- Breathlessness while resting, or a persistent wet cough
Going down even a few hundred meters often brings fast relief, and Lijiang is about 800 m lower. Don't wait for morning if someone is getting worse. The ambulance number in China is 120; see our safety notes for more.
Where to stay
Stay in or right next to Dukezong Old Town 独克宗古城. It's compact, with restaurants, cafés and the Guishan prayer wheel all a short walk away, so you won't need taxis on your slow first day.
- Ask for a low floor or a building with an elevator. Hauling bags up stairs at 3,200 m is harder than you'd expect.
- Check that the room has heating or an electric blanket. Old wooden guesthouses can be cold at night.
- Ask whether the hotel keeps oxygen on hand.
- The train station isn't in the old town, so arrange a taxi or pickup to your hotel.
