7-Day Free Travel Guide for Lijiang-Dali, Yunnan (Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Lijiang Old Town, Cangshan Mountain, Erhai Lake, Dali Old Town, Xizhou Ancient Town)
Originally planned to go to Northern Xinjiang this year, but due to pandemic control reasons, I changed my route to Yunnan, a place I have been thinking about for a long time. I booked tickets in July, prepared in August, and traveled in September. I will try to detail the itinerary for your reference.
Time: September 5 (Saturday) - September 12 (Saturday)
September 5: Fly from Shanghai to Lijiang; visit Lijiang Old Town in the afternoon and evening.
September 6: Morning: Jade Lake Village; afternoon: Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.
September 7: Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.
September 8: Morning: Lijiang bus to Dali; afternoon: Xizhou Ancient Town.
September 9: Erhai Lake.
September 10: Morning: Dali Old Town; afternoon: Cangshan Mountain.
September 11: Cangshan Mountain.
September 12: Morning: Xizhou Ancient Town; afternoon: fly from Dali to Shanghai, return home.
Cost: About 15,000 yuan (for two people); details will be explained at the end.
Accommodation: Stayed at the foot of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain in Lijiang, and in Xizhou Ancient Town in Dali; I will briefly share accommodation experience after introducing the attractions.
Now the highlight~~~
Before the trip, we decided to mainly see mountains and water scenery, choosing Dali and Lijiang. We wanted to "see them carefully," so we planned a week (but later found that a week was a bit too long for these two places; could cut 1-2 days). Before departure, we planned to visit Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Lijiang Ancient City, Cangshan Mountain and Erhai Lake, and Dali Ancient City. For other places, we would decide on the spot, not rushing, taking it slowly.
The flight from Shanghai to Lijiang arrived at noon. The hotel was at the foot of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. It took an hour to drive from the airport to the hotel. We had lunch at the hotel, rested in the afternoon, and since it was too late to go up the mountain and we heard that Dayan Old Town was beautiful at night, we set off for Dayan Old Town.
Dayan Old Town is one of the main ancient towns in Lijiang, no need for much introduction. My husband was not very interested in ancient towns, but I felt we had to check in when in Lijiang. Luckily, in September, it wasn't too crowded, giving a pleasant walk. We arrived at the old town around 4 pm and went straight to a high point, Lion Hill's Wangulou (Ten Thousand Ancient Towers), which offers a panoramic view of the old town and distant mountain ranges. However, we couldn't distinguish which one was Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. From the tower, we could see the Mu Mansion (Mu Fu) courtyard. Since it was late, we didn't enter Mu Mansion; looking from above was fine.
After descending Lion Hill, we looked for a place to eat, following reviews. We ordered local specialties: Stuffed Tofu (Baojiang Tofu), Mushroom and Chicken Soup, and Corn Patties (Yumi Baba). All were delicious but not cheap, costing over 200 yuan. After dinner, we strolled slowly along the stone-paved road, waiting for darkness. Lijiang is beautiful at night with thousands of lights shining brightly and warmly. Many shops had flower decorations outside, creating a unique charm under the lights. At Sifang Street, there was a bonfire dance, a local feature. After a satisfying meal and drinks, we wandered leisurely along the stone road on a not-too-noisy night, looking at the various shop scenes on both sides, the babbling water beside us, and occasionally looking up to see a cat stretching on the roof—truly a joy.
The next morning, we first visited a village near our accommodation called Xuesong Village, in Naxi language "Wuluken," meaning "at the foot of the snow mountain." There is a lake called Jade Lake (Yuhu), so the village is also known as Jade Lake Village (Yuhu Village). There is a meadow around the lake. We walked from our accommodation to the village and spent a morning exploring. The village is built in Naxi style and preserves the former residence of the Austrian-American explorer Joseph Rock, known as the "father of Naxi studies." Jade Lake Village is a less touristy spot, very quiet compared to Lijiang Ancient City, with a small area. The Naxi architecture is distinctive; if you have time, it's worth seeing. Almost every household here keeps horses, and they recommend horse riding to passersby. We wanted to walk but were constantly asked about horse riding, which slightly affected our mood.
In the afternoon of the second day and the third day, we visited Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. The main attractions on the mountain are Blue Moon Valley (Lanyue Valley), Spruce Meadow (Yunshanping), Yak Meadow (Maoniuping), and Glacier Park (Bingchuan Park). On the second afternoon, we only had time to visit Blue Moon Valley and Yak Meadow. On the third day, we entered the mountain again to visit Spruce Meadow and Glacier Park. If you want to see all these attractions in one day, you can only have a quick glance at each. The attractions are spaced apart, but there are convenient shuttle buses connecting them. Blue Moon Valley can be visited on the way back after touring other attractions; the buses stop there. It is a blue lake, very beautiful, and many people take wedding photos there.
Glacier Park, Yak Meadow, and Spruce Meadow each have cable cars going up, with descending altitudes. After getting off the cable car, there are boardwalks; you can walk according to your physical strength.
Glacier Park has the highest altitude, over 4,000 meters, with the corresponding cable car called the Big Cable Car (Grand Cableway). It's cold up there, so bring warm clothes; the site also rents down jackets. We came during the rainy season, so we didn't see snow cover, but rather clouds and mist, like a fantasy. When the clouds parted, the huge rocks looked majestic.
Yak Meadow features a large alpine grassland, very vast, with yaks grazing in the distance.
Spruce Meadow is a primeval forest with lush ancient trees, a natural oxygen bar. Although we paid for tickets twice, it felt worth it!
On the fourth day, we traveled from Lijiang to Dali. At Lijiang station, we took a bus along the Dali-Lijiang Expressway. The scenery along the way was beautiful. Since we booked a hotel in Xizhou Ancient Town, we got off early in Xizhou, taking about 2 hours. If going to Dali Old Town, it would take about 2.5 hours.
Lijiang has Naxi culture, Dali has Bai ethnic customs. Xizhou is a typical Bai town. We stayed on the edge of the village, with a large rice field outside. If it were summer, we could probably "hear the croaking of frogs." Compared to Dali Old Town, Xizhou was developed later, with less commercial atmosphere, making it a good place to experience Bai culture. The center of Xizhou is Sifang Street (many ancient town centers are called Sifang Street), with many snacks, such as Xizhou Baba (a kind of flatbread). There is a famous Bai courtyard called Yan Family Mansion Museum. Note it is "Yan Family Mansion Museum" because there is another courtyard also called "Yan Family Mansion"—two different places. The Yan Family Mansion Museum has a longer history. You can admire Bai architecture while listening to a Bai girl introduce the legendary tycoon's rise to wealth, and then enjoy a cup of tea, relaxing your mood.
On the fifth day, we went to Erhai Lake. If you look at the map of Erhai Lake, you can see that on the west side there is Dali Old Town, Cangshan Mountain, Xizhou Ancient Town; on the east side there are Shuanglang, Wase, Xiaoputuo and other attractions. A friendly reminder: when we went, many places on the west side of Erhai Lake were under road construction, making it difficult to travel, so we just toured the east side. Even though it was just a tour, it took most of the day. We rented an electric scooter, started from Shuanglang, rode south along the east lakeside road, stopping whenever we saw beautiful scenery. We set off from Shuanglang at noon, passed through Wase, and reached Xiaoputuo just at dusk, watching the sunset over Erhai Lake. These places have many restaurants and guesthouses. If you are not in a hurry, I strongly recommend a lake loop tour, either by self-driving or renting a car. Besides the popular photo spots, there are many places to stop and enjoy.
On the sixth morning, we first went to Dali Old Town. It was very crowded, so we just walked the main street, counting it as a visit. There are many snacks in the town. Originally, we planned to spend a day there, but with the crowd, we lost interest after half a day. In the afternoon, we went to Cangshan Mountain. It took 20 minutes by taxi from Dali Old Town to Cangshan. Cangshan has three cable car lines, starting from three different points. The cable car that goes to the highest point, Xima Pond (Xima Tan), is called the Big Cable Car. It has two sections: the lower section goes to Qilongnv Pool halfway up, where you get off and transfer to the upper section to reach Xima Pond. Xima Pond is nearly 4,000 meters above sea level. Since we had been to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, it didn't feel very cold there. The scenery on Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and Cangshan Mountain each has its own characteristics: Jade Dragon Snow Mountain gives a sense of grandeur, with huge rocks everywhere in Glacier Park, while Cangshan offers more appreciation of various vegetation and rock formations. The other two cable cars are Gantong Cable Car and Zhonghe Cable Car, which go up halfway. Notably, there is a 11.5-km-long walking path halfway called Jade Belt Road (Yudai Road). Its ends are at Gantong Cable Car terminal (Cangshan Grand Canyon) and Zhonghe Cable Car terminal (Zhonghe Temple), with Qilongnv Pool station of the Big Cable Car in between. Jade Belt Road connects the three cable car stations. The segment from Cangshan Grand Canyon to Qilongnv Pool is about 4.5 km, and from Qilongnv Pool to Zhonghe Temple is about 7 km. The path is in excellent condition, allowing you to breathe fresh air while enjoying mountain forest views, very comfortable. However, the length is challenging; if hiking, remember the latest cable car downhill time to avoid missing the ride. With only half a day, we could only take one cable car. We took Gantong Cable Car, visited Qingbi Stream and the canyon, but didn't have time for the popular Jizhao Nunnery, which is said to have beautiful succulents and delicious vegetarian meals.
On the seventh day, we entered the mountain again, took the Big Cable Car up to Xima Pond, played for 2-3 hours, then descended to Qilongnv Pool, walked along Jade Belt Road to the Gantong Cable Car terminal, walking relatively fast, about 1 hour, then took Gantong Cable Car down.
On the eighth day, we prepared for the return. In the morning, we strolled around Xizhou Ancient Town again. As mentioned, the town has a large rice field. In September, it was just beginning to turn from green to yellow, and many people were taking photos there. In the afternoon, we returned.
Alright, that's basically the whole tour process. Finally, let me share some information on climate, accommodation, food, and costs.
Climate: When we arrived, the rainy season had not yet ended. It rained a little almost every day, but not continuously. We could still go out. However, it was misty on the mountains; sometimes at the cable car base it was sunny, but at the top it was raining. Traveling is about mood; the rainy season has its own beauty. October will be clearer. If you want to see snow, come in winter; if you want to see flowers, come in the third lunar month.
Accommodation: The two places we booked were Chilin Snow Mountain Kiss Art Hotel in Lijiang, and Dali Tiangu Xiyuan Ancient Ruins Boutique Hotel in Dali. Both were good. Chilin Snow Mountain Kiss was warm and casual. Since we stayed at the foot of the snow mountain, it was hard to get a taxi, so the hotel provided pick-up and drop-off. Their food was also of high quality; we ate there several times, and the meal and transportation costs were settled together at the end. Dali Tiangu Xiyuan was managed like a hotel, with polite service. A special feature is that the whole hotel was converted from a Bai courtyard. The exterior is old-style architecture, while the interior is modernly decorated, offering both visual enjoyment and clean, comfortable accommodation. These two places are respectively at the foot of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and in Xizhou Ancient Town. I chose them based on the criterion of a quiet environment. In terms of transportation, the Lijiang hotel was far from Lijiang Ancient City but close to the snow mountain; the Xizhou hotel was northwest of Erhai Lake, a bit far from both Cangshan and Shuanglang. We spent quite a bit on taxis these days. Next time, I might consider staying inside a lively attraction for convenience.
Food: Local specialties tend to be spicy. Meat mainly includes fish and chicken. I like sweets; I recommend a dish called "Carved Plum Ribs" (Diao Mei Pai Gu), which is sweet and sour. Vegetable dishes feature various flowers, such as pomegranate flowers, jasmine, rhododendron, and "Water Nature" (Shui Xing Yang Hua, a type of aquatic vegetable), which were a novelty. Of course, there are also various insects, but we just looked and didn't dare to eat. Snacks include Baba (flatbread) and Erkuai (rice cake).
Costs: The two of us spent about 15,000 yuan in total. Airfare: 6,400 yuan (two people); Accommodation: 3,400 yuan; Transportation, meals, and tickets: about 4,000 yuan. We didn't try to save money. Areas where savings could be made: airfare: we went on Saturday and returned on Saturday; traveling on weekdays would be cheaper, and we flew into Lijiang and out of Dali; round-trip from the same city would be cheaper. Accommodation was over 400 yuan per night. The itinerary was a bit long; if fully packed, 1-2 days could be saved. For local transportation, we took taxis everywhere, costing tens to hundreds each time, about one to two hundred per day. Then we paid for mountain entry twice, but we visited many attractions.
That's the story of our Yunnan trip. Thank you for reading to the end! I hope it can be a useful reference!!
