About the history

The concept behind Songtsam lodges emerged after their founder, Baima Dorji, made a trip to Shangri-La in 1999 to make a TV documentary about his hometown. Upon realizing that the area, which was just emerging as a tourist destination, lacked comfortable hotels, Baima decided to turn his family home, just down the road from the imposing Songzanlin Monastery, into a small guest house. Traditional and complex Tibetan building methods were used throughout the structure, and local artisans were commissioned to produce art for the hotel. The project took close to two years to complete. In October 2001, Songtsam Shangri-la (originally named as Songtsam Green Valley) opened its doors to guests.

The venture was a great success, encouraging the Tibetan entrepreneur to bring this concept to the heart of northern Yunnan, the core of Three Parallel Rivers area. With liked minded partners joining in, by 2010, four other lodges (Benzilan, Deqin, Cizhong, and Tacheng) had been built, bringing comfort and style to these beautiful and remote areas. All of these four lodges are situated in charming villages with great views and, most importantly, with friendly and personalized service.

Songtsam lodges are not just hotels but also offer travelers the opportunity to share their experiences and to discover the living heritage in these regions. Here, at this home away from home, our guests can meet like-minded people from all around the world.