Yunnan Deep Dive 10 Days
A ten-day Yunnan loop through Kunming, Dali and Lijiang: altitude, rainy-season timing, local transport and what you can safely skip.
Route: Kunming → Dali → Lijiang → Shangri-La
Last reviewed October 23, 2026 · schedules, prices and opening hours change — re-check before booking
Who this suits
Travellers who prefer landscapes and local life to checklist sights. You need to be comfortable at 3,200 m and happy with road transfers; this is not a luxury-resort route.
What it costs
¥9,000–14,000 per person, including nine nights of guesthouses and mid-range hotels, trains, buses, tickets and food. International flights excluded.
Book in this order
- 1Book Kunming→Dali and Dali→Lijiang trains at the 15-day release; the afternoon services fill first.
- 2Jade Dragon Snow Mountain sells a combined park and cable-car ticket; book a morning slot and check the weather.
- 3Tiger Leaping Gorge needs a guide only for the full high trail; the upper trail is walkable independently.
- 4Shangri-La buses leave from Lijiang’s bus station; buy the day before and sit on the left for views.
Day by day
- 1
Arrive in Kunming
Green Lake in the afternoon, local rice noodles for dinner. Kunming is the altitude-gentle start to Yunnan.
- Sleep
- Kunming
- Getting around
- Metro Line 6 from the airport to the city, then DiDi.
- Book
- Hotel only; Green Lake is free.
- Daily cost
- ¥350–600 (excl. hotel)
- 2
Stone Forest day trip
A full day among the limestone spires — go early, it fills up. Back to Kunming for the night.
- Sleep
- Kunming
- Getting around
- Car or tourist bus to the Stone Forest, about an hour each way.
- Book
- Park ticket; leave by 08:00.
- Daily cost
- ¥400–700 (excl. hotel)
- 3
High-speed train to Dali
About two hours to Dali. Old town in the afternoon, sunset on the Erhai lakeshore.
- Sleep
- Dali
- Getting around
- High-speed train Kunming South→Dali, about 2 hours; DiDi to the old town.
- Book
- Train at the 15-day release.
- Daily cost
- ¥500–800 including train (excl. hotel)
- 4
Dali: Erhai and Xizhou
Rent an e-bike or take a car around the lake: Xizhou village, baba flatbread, lakeside villages.
- Sleep
- Dali
- Getting around
- E-bike or private car around Erhai; Xizhou is 30 minutes north.
- Book
- No timed tickets; confirm e-bike range and helmet.
- Daily cost
- ¥300–600 (excl. hotel)
- 5
On to Lijiang
Two hours by train. Evening in the old town — crowded but genuinely pretty after dark.
- Sleep
- Lijiang
- Getting around
- Train Dali→Lijiang, 1.5–2 hours; walk or DiDi to the old town.
- Book
- Train at the 15-day release; old-town maintenance fee may apply.
- Daily cost
- ¥400–700 including train (excl. hotel)
- 6
Jade Dragon Snow Mountain or Baisha
The cable car and glacier views if the weather cooperates (book ahead), or the quieter alternative: Baisha village and Shuhe old town.
- Sleep
- Lijiang
- Getting around
- Tour bus or private car to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, about 45 minutes.
- Book
- Combined park and cable-car ticket, morning slot; check visibility.
- Daily cost
- ¥600–900 (excl. hotel)
- 7
Tiger Leaping Gorge
Hike the upper trail for a few hours or drive to the gorge viewpoints — the river between the peaks is the highlight of the trip for many.
- Sleep
- Lijiang
- Getting around
- Two-hour drive each way to Tiger Leaping Gorge; upper trail on foot.
- Book
- No permit for the upper trail; arrange the driver for the full day.
- Daily cost
- ¥400–700 (excl. hotel)
- 8
Bus to Shangri-La
About three to four hours. Take it easy at 3,200 meters: Dukezong old town and the giant prayer wheel at dusk.
- Sleep
- Shangri-La
- Getting around
- Bus Lijiang→Shangri-La, 3.5–4 hours; walk to Dukezong.
- Book
- Bus ticket the day before; take it easy at 3,200 m.
- Daily cost
- ¥400–700 including bus (excl. hotel)
- 9
Songzanlin Monastery and Pudacuo
Morning at the monastery — the largest Tibetan monastery complex in Yunnan — then Pudacuo National Park if time allows.
- Sleep
- Shangri-La
- Getting around
- DiDi or local bus to Songzanlin; Pudacuo needs a car or tour.
- Book
- Songzanlin ticket; Pudacuo park bus included in its ticket.
- Daily cost
- ¥500–800 (excl. hotel)
- 10
Departure
Fly out of Diqing airport, or return to Lijiang or Kunming for your onward flight.
- Sleep
- Departure
- Getting around
- Diqing airport is 20 minutes from the old town; or bus back to Lijiang.
- Book
- Leave two hours before a domestic flight; check winter cancellations.
- Daily cost
- ¥300–500 (excl. hotel)
If the plan does not fit
Skip Shangri-La
If altitude is a concern, end in Lijiang and add a night in Shuhe or Baisha. You lose the Tibetan plateau but gain a much gentler finish.
More time on Erhai
Dali rewards a third night: cycle the lakeside villages, visit Xizhou market in the morning and skip the crowded old-town bars.
Destinations on this route
Read before you book
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I can help decide whether this route is too full, where to cut a city, and whether it still works for a first trip, family travel or a tighter budget.
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