6-Day Yunnan Tour: Gorgeous Scenery, Ethnic Charm, and Shopping for Jade and Silver
Before going to Yunnan, I was considering whether to join a tour or go independently. If you haven’t been before, you can join a group; it’s much more convenient. No matter how you arrive in Yunnan, once you find a tour group, you can relax—everything will be arranged for you until your trip ends and you’re sent back to the airport or station. Just leave it to the travel agency and save yourself the worry. After returning, I’m sure next time I’ll choose independent travel. Group tours have a tight schedule and dedicate a lot of time to shopping. Although forced consumption is no longer a thing, every guide will still do their utmost to make you spend generously. Moreover, you might not have just one guide—the guide won’t tell you in advance that they’ll switch mid-trip. Once you’ve shopped with the first guide, they might be swapped immediately, and then a second and third guide board the bus and you have to start over. During my 6-day trip, I had three different guides: the first from Kunming to Lijiang, the second for Lijiang, and the third for the return journey. So, next time, definitely go independently. Plan well, book flights, train tickets, hotels, guesthouses, and attraction tickets in advance. If you’re going to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, pay attention to the scenic area’s weather forecast in case high winds close the cable car.
Day 1: I departed on March 1, 2021. Pandemic control had just relaxed, and ticket prices were rising day by day—clearly, plenty of people were heading to Yunnan. The flight wasn’t too crowded right after the pandemic eased. The plane was delayed for some reason, and we landed in Kunming at 2 a.m. on March 2. Checked into the hotel and quickly went to sleep.
Day 2: Kunming is in the southwest, so at 7 a.m. when I found the guide and got on the bus, it wasn’t fully light yet. We drove east on the highway to the Stone Forest Scenic Area (I only remember a witty poem Guo Moruo wrote after visiting: 'From afar, big stones; up close, big stones; sure enough, big stones; stones sure enough big'). The entire afternoon was spent on the road to Chuxiong, with a two-hour stop at the Dinosaur Valley Tea House to taste tea, drink tea, and buy tea. In the evening, we tried wild mushroom hotpot in Chuxiong.
Day 3: Across from the ancient city of Dali, we toured Erhai Lake on a special boat for an island tour, enjoying the blue sky, white clouds, and gentle breeze. We stopped at Jinsuo Island, a popular photo spot, to take pictures and watch a fishing village performance. In the afternoon, we strolled through vast flower fields, took a jeep to the internet-famous glass ball, white table, and 'Mirror of the Sky', and then toured Dali Ancient Town by electric cart.
Day 4: All morning, the guide took us to Shuhe Ancient Town to buy jade, with one-on-one shopping assistants. It’s awkward not to spend money, but be prepared—prices range from a few thousand to several hundred thousand yuan, and they won’t hesitate to empty your wallet. We came out close to noon, and the guide handed out a few snacks: first, to give you a bit of energy for the next stop, Baishuifang, to buy silverware; second, to promote specialty snacks for the guide’s own sales pitch as your time with them was ending. In the afternoon, a new Mosuo guide took us to Lashihai Wetland Park for horseback riding along the Tea Horse Road (220 yuan per person). At night, we strolled through Lijiang Old Town and watched the Lishui Jinsha show.
Day 5: In the morning, we went to Shahe Ancient Town to buy yellow jade. At noon, armed with bread and mineral water, we headed to the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Glacier cable car. At 1 p.m., we took the big cable car to the summit. Near the top, a strong wind kicked up, and the cable car swayed—honestly, it was a bit scary. On the mountain, the wind howled, pelting icy snow into my face so I couldn’t open my eyes. After queuing for two hours, we took the cable car back down. We heard that the cable car had been suspended for a while due to high winds, and the scenic area canceled our subsequent uphill itinerary. So, when it comes to snow mountains, you have to watch the weather; if you’re unlucky, you might have to wait for days (better prepare oxygen in advance—a 15-yuan bottle costs 60 yuan on the tour bus. Usually, one bottle per person is enough, but bring two for longer stays). Due to time constraints, we hurriedly visited Blue Moon Valley and then set off back to Kunming. The drive from Lijiang to Kunming might take 8 hours. After descending, a Kunming guide took over.
Day 6: Originally, we were scheduled to visit the Flower City in downtown Kunming, but we ended up going directly to the Kunming International Convention and Exhibition Center, a tourist hub for shopping. It was relatively free—after listening to a presentation, you could wander on your own. Seeing there was still time, I hailed a Didi (ride-hailing car) to Dianchi Haigeng Park (about 30 yuan). I walked along the east bank scenic path of Dianchi Lake, bought some bread to feed the red-billed seagulls, snapped a few photos, then headed near Yunnan University to sample wild mushroom hotpot—the aroma was divine. Strolled through Kunming’s old streets, and when time was up, hurried back to the convention center for the airport transfer!
