Itinerary · 14 days · relaxed
Yunnan deep loop — Kunming to Tengchong, 14 days
Fourteen days through the full breadth of Yunnan: Kunming, Dali, Lijiang, Shangri-La, the Yuanyang terraces, Jianshui and the geothermal fields of Tengchong — the province's different climates, altitudes and minorities in one loop.
Yunnan is China's most diverse province by ethnicity, altitude and climate — in a two-week circuit you move from subtropical river valleys to the Tibetan Plateau fringe, passing through Bai, Naxi, Tibetan, Hani and Yi minority areas. The loop is practical by a mix of HSR (Kunming–Dali–Lijiang corridor), long-distance bus and domestic flight. Tengchong is best reached by flying from Kunming on the return leg.
Day by day
Day 1 · kunming
Arrive Kunming, Stone Forest day trip
Fly to KMG. Afternoon bus to Stone Forest (90km, 2h) — limestone karst at ground level, very different from the tower karst of Guilin. Return Kunming for dinner. Yunnan crosses noodles (guoqiao mixian) for the evening meal.
Attractions: stone-forest
Stay in: Kunming city, near Green Lake.
Day 2 · dali
HSR to Dali, Three Pagodas
Morning HSR (2h). Arrive Dali. Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple in the afternoon — three Tang-dynasty stone pagodas in front of the Cangshan Mountain range with Erhai Lake behind. Old Town cobbled lanes at dusk.
Attractions: dali-three-pagodas
Stay in: Dali Old Town.
HSR Kunming → Dali, 2h, ¥120.
Day 3 · dali
Erhai Lake circuit, Bai villages
Bicycle or e-bike circuit of a section of Erhai Lake (110km total — do the northern half). Stop at Xizhou village (Bai architecture, preserved commercial buildings from the Qing era). Shuanglang village on the eastern shore for lunch over the lake.
Day 4 · lijiang
Bus to Lijiang, Naxi Old Town
Morning coach (2.5h). Afternoon in Lijiang Old Town — stone-paved waterway lanes, Naxi architecture. Black Dragon Pool at dusk for the jade peak reflection.
Attractions: lijiang-old-town, black-dragon-pool-lijiang
Stay in: Lijiang Old Town courtyard guesthouse.
Coach Dali → Lijiang, 2.5h, ¥55.
Day 5 · lijiang
Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Tiger Leaping Gorge
Cable car to 4,506m. Return by noon. Drive to Tiger Leaping Gorge viewpoint (45 min) for the deep Jinsha River canyon scenery. Back in Lijiang for a Naxi dinner.
Attractions: jade-dragon-snow-mountain, tiger-leaping-gorge
Day 6 · shangri-la
Bus to Shangri-La, Ganden Sumtseling
Long bus journey (3.5h, 2,400m → 3,300m altitude gain) to Shangri-La (Zhongdian). Arrive early afternoon. Ganden Sumtseling Monastery (the largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Yunnan, 1679 CE) for the afternoon.
Stay in: Shangri-La old town (Dukezong).
Bus Lijiang → Shangri-La, 3.5h, ¥60.
Day 7 · shangri-la
Pudacuo National Park, Old Town
Morning at Pudacuo National Park — Shudu Lake and alpine meadows at 3,500m. Electric bus circuit within the park. Afternoon in the partially rebuilt Dukezong Old Town (the original timber buildings burned in 2014; reconstruction is ongoing). Yak butter tea at a Tibetan tea house.
Day 8 · yuanyang
Fly Kunming to Yuanyang (via Kunming)
Return bus to Lijiang and flight to Kunming, then long-distance bus south to Yuanyang (4h). Arrive evening. Scout the Duoyishu viewpoint for tomorrow's dawn.
Attractions: yuanyang-rice-terraces
Stay in: Yuanyang new town or near Duoyishu viewpoint.
Bus to Lijiang then flight LJG → KMG then bus to Yuanyang, full travel day.
Day 9 · yuanyang
Yuanyang rice terraces — sunrise shoot
Pre-dawn departure (6:30am) to the Duoyishu viewpoint. The terraced fields fill with mist and reflected light for 90 minutes at sunrise. Walk the terrace bunds mid-morning for a ground-level view. Laohuzui and Bada viewpoints in the afternoon.
Attractions: yuanyang-rice-terraces
Day 10 · jianshui
Bus to Jianshui, Confucian Temple
Bus to Jianshui (2h north of Yuanyang). Jianshui is a well-preserved Han Chinese market town — the Zhu Family Garden (Qing dynasty merchant's compound) and the large Confucian Temple (Song dynasty, one of the finest outside Qufu). The old triple-arched bridge is photogenic.
Stay in: Jianshui old town.
Bus Yuanyang → Jianshui, 2h.
Day 11 · jianshui
Jianshui steamed chicken, Swallow Cave
Jianshui steamed chicken (qi guo ji) is the definitive local dish — a clay-pot slow steam with no added water. Morning at a local market. Afternoon excursion to Swallow Cave — a river cave through limestone with tens of thousands of swiftlets nesting in the cave ceiling.
Day 12 · tengchong
Fly to Tengchong, Heshun Village
Flight route: Jianshui → Kunming → Tengchong (via connection). Tengchong is in far western Yunnan, near the Myanmar border — geothermally active, with hot springs and volcanic fields. Heshun Ancient Town (a Qing-era overseas Chinese merchants' village, remarkably well-preserved) in the afternoon.
Stay in: Heshun village or Tengchong city.
Flight via Kunming to Tengchong (TCZ), approx 4h total travel.
Day 13 · tengchong
Rehai geothermal springs, Volcano Park
Morning at Rehai (Hot Sea) — geothermal pools and mud springs at 100°C. Afternoon at Tengchong Volcano Park — a cluster of dormant volcanoes, the most active geothermal zone in China. Black volcanic rock fields contrast with the green Yunnan countryside.
Day 14 · tengchong
Depart Tengchong
Flight TCZ → Kunming → onward connection. If time allows before the flight, a final walk through Heshun's stone-paved lanes.
Flight TCZ → KMG → onward.
Budget guide (CNY per day)
| Backpacker | ¥2800 |
| Mid-range | ¥7000 |
| Comfortable | ¥15000 |
Per person total 14 days including domestic flights (approx ¥2,000) and HSR/buses (approx ¥700). Yunnan's distances are larger than they appear. International flights excluded.
Attractions covered
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