8 days · Kunming → Dali → Lijiang · fully customizable
8 days · Kunming → Dali → Lijiang · fully customizable
Yunnan is China's mountain province: mild all year, with lakes, old towns and a 5,596 m snow peak. This route climbs gently, from Kunming to Dali to Lijiang, so your body has time to adjust to the altitude.
This is a sample route, not a fixed package. Every day, hotel and sight can be changed.
Met at the airport. Kunming sits at 1,900 m, so we keep the first day light: a stroll around Green Lake Park and an early night.
About 90 minutes by car to Shilin, a UNESCO site of grey limestone pillars and narrow paths. Lunch in the area and back to Kunming for the evening.
A two-hour train to Dali. See the 1,000-year-old Three Pagodas against the Cangshan mountains, then walk the stone streets of Dali Old Town in the evening.
Drive or cycle along the shore of Erhai Lake. Stop in Xizhou for its Bai courtyard houses and baba flatbread, and end with the sunset at Shuanglang.
A short train to Lijiang, at 2,400 m. Wander the canals and Naxi wooden houses of the old town, and climb Lion Hill for the view over its tiled roofs.
The cable car rises to the Glacier Park at about 4,500 m. Bring warm clothes; oxygen is sold on site. Below, the turquoise pools of Blue Moon Valley.
A slower day: the Ming-era murals of Baisha village, the quiet lanes of Shuhe, and the classic view of the snow mountain over Black Dragon Pool.
A free morning in the old town before your driver takes you to Lijiang airport for your flight home via Kunming or another hub.
No deposit: pay 80% when you arrive and 20% when the trip ends. Free cancellation before you arrive.
Tell us when you're travelling, who's coming and what you'd change. A travel designer replies on WhatsApp with your own version of this route and a free quote within 24 hours.
Adjust this route on WhatsAppMost people feel fine in Kunming, Dali and Lijiang. The glacier at about 4,500 m is the only high point, and it's optional. Drink water, go slowly and tell your guide how you feel.
Yes. Summer days are mild, often 20 to 25°C, with afternoon showers and green landscapes. It's one of the best escapes from Gulf heat.
Yes. Yunnan has a long-established Hui Muslim community, with halal restaurants in Kunming, Dali and Lijiang.
Tickets are limited each day and it can close in strong wind. We book ahead, and if it closes we switch to the Yak Meadow cable car or move the visit to another day.
Layers. Days are mild, evenings are cool, and the glacier is cold all year. Warm jackets can be rented at the cable car.
The bullet trains take 1.5 to 2 hours, leave from the city and need no airport check-in, so they're faster door to door and much more relaxing.
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