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.
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.
Getting There & Away
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.