Songtsam Lodge Benzilan

Benzilan, which means 'tiny sandbank' in Tibetan, is a very unique dry-hot valley in Shangri-La. With an altitude of less than 2,000 meters and a warm climate, yellow-brown land and sparse shrub slopes lie astride the Jinsha River, where sunshine is strong, cacti stand like wasteland guards, and fruits are fragrant in all seasons. Benzilan is famous for its wooden lacquerware, an important daily necessity for Tibetans since ancient times, and its Guozhuang dance is renowned across Tibetan areas. The town sits at the junction of Sichuan and Yunnan and was once an important stop on the ancient tea-horse road; though that prosperity has long faded, traditional handicrafts have been preserved in the rarely disturbed surrounding countryside. As the lowest-altitude Songtsam lodge, it is nestled in an intimate green valley by the Yangtze: a small stone building wrapped in green plants, together with authentic white-walled Tibetan homes. From the colorful windows of the lodge you can see a small prayer house resting atop a hill, and on starry nights you will fall asleep to the sound of cow bells and the flowing stream.