Travel China 中国

The Yunnan Loop

云南环线

Kunming to Dali to Lijiang to Shangri-La, with the Tiger Leaping Gorge trek in the middle. The best-value classic route in China.

Photo: Pavel Špindler · CC BY 3.0

Length: 12 days
Pace: Relaxed
Best season: March–May, September–November
Budget: ¥7,000–10,000 per person

Yunnan has the mildest climate, the most ethnic diversity and the cheapest good guesthouses in the country, and a new rail line has made the northwest corner far easier to reach. This loop climbs steadily from 1,900 m in Kunming to 3,200 m in Shangri-La, which conveniently acclimatises you as you go.

→Day by day

Day 1

Kunming
Arrive. Green Lake Park, the Yunnan Provincial Museum, and a bowl of crossing-the-bridge noodles.
Day 2

Stone Forest
Day trip to the limestone pinnacles, 80 km out. Evening train or flight to Dali.
Day 3–4

Dali
Cycle the Erhai lakeshore, the Three Pagodas, and the Bai villages at Xizhou. Slow days by design.
Day 5–6

Lijiang
Dayan old town at dawn, Black Dragon Pool, Baisha frescoes, and Jade Dragon Snow Mountain's glacier cable car.
Day 7–8

Tiger Leaping Gorge
The two-day High Trail. Up the 28 Bends, overnight at Halfway Guesthouse, down to Tina's on day two.
Day 9–10

Shangri-La
Songzanlin Monastery at morning prayers, Pudacuo National Park, and the rebuilt old town. 3,200 m — take it easy.
Day 11

Shangri-La → Lijiang
The new railway, 80 minutes. A last evening in Shuhe.
Day 12

Depart
Fly out of Lijiang, or back to Kunming.

Swaps and variations

Add 3 days for Meili Snow Mountain and Feilai Si beyond Shangri-La — one of China's great mountain views
Substitute Xishuangbanna's tropical Dai country for the northwest if you prefer heat to altitude
Yuanyang's rice terraces work as a southern extension, best in winter

03On this route