Baishuitai is a series of limestone travertines around 108km southeast of Shangri-la, with some breathtaking scenery and Tibetan villages en route. For good reason it has become the most popular back-door route between Lijiang and Shangri-la. The terraces – think of those in Pamukkale in Turkey or Huanglong in Sichuan – are lovely, but keep in mind it's a long trip for a small site.
A couple of guesthouses in the village have rooms from ¥50. From Shangri-la there is one daily bus to Baishuitai at 9.40am (¥24, three hours), or several buses per week from Lijiang (¥60, four hours) which also pick up from Tiger Leaping Gorge and Haba guesthouses along the way.