Yunnan

Yunnan, in a few days

Between 1,900 and 3,400 m, Yunnan lines up the grey tiled roofs of Lijiang, the flooded Hani terraces of Yuanyang and the gorge where the Yangtze runs between two peaks of more than 5,000 m. Twenty-five minorities, Friday markets and a fast train between Kunming, Dali and Lijiang.

Day by day

1

Kunming

Days 1-2

The provincial capital and the way in, with the limestone blades of the Stone Forest 85 km to the east.

🎟️ Worth booking

• The Shilin Stone Foresthalf a day · from €17
  85 km east of Kunming, a 270-million-year-old karst raises its grey limestone blades over 350 km², 80 of them laid out for visitors, some 30 m high.

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Cloudland International Youth Hostel ↗ (€25 a night) · Mid-range: Grand Park Kunming ↗ (€85 a night) · Luxury: Grand Hyatt Kunming ↗ (€120 a night) · All places to stay by budget →

📲 Book things to do in Kunming on GetYourGuide

2

Duoyishu (Yuanyang)

Days 3-4 · 🚌 Bus 6h30

A village above the Yuanyang terraces, which the Hani have been cutting into the Ailao mountains for 1,300 years.

🎟️ Worth booking

• The Yuanyang rice terracesa full day · from €13
  On the slopes of the Ailao mountains, the Hani have been cutting terraces for 1,300 years, stepped from 500 to 1,800 m over 16,000 hectares, a UNESCO site since 2013.

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Jacky's Guesthouse ↗ (€35 a night) · Luxury: Twelve Manor Xiangdian Yuanyang Rice Terraces Retreat ↗ (€120 a night) · All places to stay by budget →

📲 Book things to do in Duoyishu (Yuanyang) on GetYourGuide

3

Dali

Days 5-7 · 🚌 Bus + 🚆 Train 8h

Between the Cangshan mountains and Erhai Lake, with Shaxi and its Friday market on the old tea and horse road.

🎟️ Worth booking

• The Three Pagodas of Dali2 to 3h · from €10
  At the foot of the Cangshan mountains, the Qianxun pagoda has raised its sixteen storeys to 69 m since the 9th century, flanked by two 42 m octagonal towers added a century later.

✦ Free to visit

• Erhai Lake by bike
• Shaxi and its Friday market

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Dali Yunxi Boutique Inn ↗ (€40 a night) · Mid-range: Dali Yuanlu Hanging Garden Hotel ↗ (€85 a night) · Luxury: Hilton Dali Resort & Spa ↗ (€120 a night) · All places to stay by budget →

📲 Book things to do in Dali on GetYourGuide

4

Lijiang

Days 8-10 · 🚆 Train 1h45

Naxi lanes and grey tiled roofs at 2,400 m, with the Tiger Leaping Gorge within reach.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Lijiang old town2 to 3h · from €6
  A UNESCO site since 1997, the old town of Dayan spreads its cobbled lanes and grey-roofed Naxi houses around Sifang Square, at 2,400 m.
• Tiger Leaping Gorgeseveral days · from €8
  Over 15 km, the Jinsha, the upper Yangtze, forces its way between Yulong (5,596 m) and Haba (5,396 m), with nearly 3,800 m between the water and the summits.

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Mama Naxi Guesthouse ↗ (€25 a night) · Mid-range: InterContinental Lijiang Ancient Town Resort ↗ (€150 a night) · Luxury: InterContinental Lijiang Ancient Town Resort ↗ (€150 a night) · All places to stay by budget →

📲 Book things to do in Lijiang on GetYourGuide

5

Shangri-La

Days 11-13 · 🚆 Train 1h30

The former Zhongdian, at 3,380 m, around the largest Tibetan monastery in Yunnan.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Songzanlin Monastery, Shangri-Laabout 1h30 · from €12
  Founded in 1679 on the orders of the fifth Dalai Lama, the largest Tibetan monastery in Yunnan climbs a hill at 3,380 m, north of Zhongdian, the town renamed Shangri-La in 2001.

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Shangri-La Youran Valley Inn ↗ (€35 a night) · Mid-range: Shangri-La Karesansui Hotel ↗ (€115 a night) · Luxury: Hotel Indigo Diqing Moonlight City by IHG ↗ (€190 a night) · All places to stay by budget →

📲 Book things to do in Shangri-La on GetYourGuide

Worth sorting before you go

Train and bus · Dali, Lijiang and Shangri-La are linked by train; the Yuanyang rice terraces are reached by bus.

📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly

🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta

🚗 Car hire
Compare the agencies before you land.
Compare · Booking

💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut

🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer

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Flavours & local habits

🍽️ Worth tasting

• Dim sum: small steamed and fried dishes shared over tea, a Cantonese morning ritual.
• Peking duck: lacquered, roasted until the skin cracks, and carved at the table.
• Hot pot: a simmering pot of broth, often fiercely spiced in the Sichuan style, to cook your own meat and vegetables.
• Jiaozi and hand-pulled noodles: dumplings and noodles made to order, cheapest and best in the north.
• Tea and baijiu: green, oolong or pu'er depending on the region, and a very strong grain spirit for toasts.

⚠️ Best avoided

• Google, WhatsApp and most Western apps are blocked: sort out a roaming eSIM or a VPN before you arrive.
• Set up Alipay or WeChat Pay with your foreign card before you go: cash is accepted less and less.
• Carry your hotel's address written in Chinese characters for taxi drivers.
• Stay away from political topics in conversation.

Words that help

English ↔ Mandarin

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The practical page

Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/yunnan

Packing checklist

Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.