The Cambridge Dictionary defines Shangri La as a ‘beautiful place, often far away, where everything is pleasant and you can get everything you want’. The good news is you can experience your own slice of heaven on earth if you land the top prize of 3,000-times your stake amount in the Shangri La online slot machine. The term Shangri La was first used in James Hilton’s novel Lost Horizon, and featured a mystical paradise in the Tibetan mountains. Software developer NextGen has continued that theme in the Shangri La slot, with the added bonus of free spins and special symbols to help create your own utopia right there on the reels.

The first thing you’ll notice about the Shangri La online slot is how peaceful it is; the lush background and gentle waterfall soundtrack will help to transport you to an island in the sun, even if you're playing on a packed commuter train. There are 15 paylines to explore that are home to all manner of Asian-inspired symbols. There are lotus flowers, ornamental swords, elephants and temples, with the highest-paying main game icon of the Shangri La slot game being the tiger, who awards a handsome 500-times your stake for matching five on your reels. With this being a NextGen title, the fun doesn’t stop there; you’ve also got four bonus games to enjoy, scatter symbols and expanding wilds. More on those later in this guide to the Shangri La slot.

The 15 available paylines in the Shangri La online slot game are fixed in place, but players can alter their stake accordingly so their bet amounts per spin suit. Simply click on the up and down arrows next to the coin meter on the screen to set your amount, with anything from 0.01 to 2.00 per payline available. Once you’re happy to get started, click the spin button manually or alternatively lock in the autoplay function, which will play out up to 100 spins on your behalf at a set spin wager.

It's fair to say this video slot that appears gentle on the surface is packing a real punch. The wild is the adventurer, and she'll appear occasionally on your middle three reels. She comes bearing gifts; substituting for all other symbols apart from the scatter, any winning combination she features in will see your prize doubled and extra wilds added to your reels. Then there's that gold amulet scatter, which pays a staggering 3,000-times your bet when five are revealed on your reels. Three or more of the scatter also trigger one of the four available bonus games: Free Spins, Super Free Spins, the Chest Bonus or the Trail Bonus.

Shangri La Free Spins Bonus

This bonus awards eight freebies, while the Super Free Spins round offers 12 free goes and a guaranteed-to-occur wild feature.

Chest Bonus

This is your standard ‘pick ’em’ style feature; select from the chests and continue to accumulate prizes until you choose the round-ending trap.

Trial Bonus

Last, but by no means least, there is the Trail Bonus where you spin the wheel of good fortune to move around the treasure map, picking up prizes until you hit the big ‘X’.