Itinerary · 10 days · balanced
Yunnan loop — Kunming, Dali, Lijiang, Shangri-La
The northwest Yunnan circuit through Bai, Naxi and Tibetan culture.
Ten days through the four major Yunnan stops. Pacing: 1 day Kunming + Stone Forest, 2 days Dali, 3 days Lijiang, 2 days Shangri-La. Plus arrival/departure days.
Day by day
Day 1 · kunming
Arrival, Stone Forest
Day trip to Shilin.
Attractions: stone-forest
Day 2 · dali
HSR to Dali, Old Town walk
Walking; tea on the Cangshan slopes.
Attractions: dali-three-pagodas
Day 3 · dali
Erhai Lake cycling
Lakeside loop; Xizhou and Shuanglang stops.
Day 4 · lijiang
HSR to Lijiang, Old Town
Walking Dayan; Black Dragon Pool morning view.
Attractions: lijiang-old-town
Day 5 · lijiang
Jade Dragon Snow Mountain
Cable car to the glacier park.
Attractions: jade-dragon-snow-mountain
Day 6 · lijiang
Tiger Leaping Gorge — start
Hike the high road, day 1 to Halfway Guesthouse.
Attractions: tiger-leaping-gorge
Day 7 · shangri-la
Tiger Leaping Gorge — finish, on to Shangri-La
Hike day 2; bus on to Shangri-La.
Day 8 · shangri-la
Songzanlin Monastery and Pudacuo
The major Tibetan-cultural sights.
Day 9 · shangri-la
Pudacuo / Napa Lake
National park day.
Day 10 · kunming
Fly back, depart
Return home.
Flight Shangri-La → Kunming → home.
Budget guide (CNY per day)
| Backpacker | ¥600 |
| Mid-range | ¥1300 |
| Comfortable | ¥3000 |
Per day per person.
Cities covered
Attractions covered