Live Your Best Lives
A tour of Lijiang Old Town requires at least one day. If you want to see all of Lijiang's main attractions, you'll need at least five to seven days. If you want a more in-depth tour of the entire city and have ample time, you could spend more than a month in Lijiang.
D1: Lijiang
Day 2: One-day tour of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain
D3: One-day tour of Shuhe Ancient Town
D4: Tiger Leaping Gorge → The First Bend of the Yangtze River
D5: Lijiang Ancient Town Tour
D1: After arriving in Lijiang, arrange your accommodation and then you can wander around the Old Town. If it is a night flight, you can enjoy the night view of Lijiang after arrival and have some fun in the bar. You may even run into a wonderful romantic encounter.
D2: In the morning, depart from Lijiang to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. You can take the cable car to and from the mountain, visit the Baishui River and Yushui Village, and in the evening, go to the city to enjoy Naxi ancient music.
D3: Drive to Shuhe, take a good tour of Shuhe Ancient Town and experience the different scenery of the ancient town.
D4: In the morning, take a bus to visit the First Bend of the Yangtze River and Tiger Leaping Gorge, return to Lijiang in the afternoon, and continue to experience the enchanting charm of Lijiang at night.
D5: After breakfast, visit Yuquan Park and Dongba Museum. Then, feel the peaceful and tranquil atmosphere of Lijiang during the day in the ancient city. Buy some local specialties for family and friends. Return by plane in the afternoon.
D1: Lijiang → Shangri-La
D2: Songzanlin Temple → Napa Lake → Baima Snow Mountain Pass → Feilai Temple
D3: Feilai Temple → Salt Well → Return to Feilai Temple
D4: Return to Lijiang from Feilai Temple
Day 1: Depart Lijiang Old Town at 4:00 PM and travel along the Yunnan-Tibet Highway, heading towards Shangri-La. Arrive at your destination before dusk and check into the Tibetan-style hotel in Dukezong Old Town.
D2: Depart in the morning, admire the Tibetan Buddhist Songzanlin Temple and Napa Lake from afar, then continue on the Yunnan-Tibet Highway. At noon, pass through Benzilan, an important town on the Ancient Tea Horse Road, and head towards the highest point of this trip, the Baima Snow Mountain Pass (4292 meters above sea level). After passing Deqin County, we arrive at today's destination, Feilai Temple, the best viewing point of Meili Snow Mountain.
Day 3: Wake up to the sun and admire the breathtaking views of the Golden Mountain. Continue driving this morning to Yanjing in Qamdo, Tibet (the farthest point of this itinerary). Visit the Tibetan alpine salt fields and various salt well ruins before returning to Feilai Temple on Meili Snow Mountain.
D4: Return to Lijiang along the Yunnan-Tibet Highway, arriving at your destination in about 10 hours. Alternatively, continue to Dali.
D1-D2: Lijiang
D3: Lijiang → Shangri-La
D4: Shangri-La → Napahai
D5-D6: Dali → Shuanglang
D7: Return to Lijiang
Days 1-2: Fly to Lijiang for the COART Art Festival. Enjoy Sichuan hotpot for lunch, then visit Lijiang and Shuhe Ancient Town. Overnight at Caowowo Inn (No. 5, Zhonghe Road, Shuhe Ancient Town, Lijiang; Tel: 18213270760).
D3: In the morning, visit Lijiang Old Town. We recommend having yak hotpot at noon. In the afternoon, drive to Shangri-La and stay overnight in Shangri-La.
D4: After breakfast, drive to Napahai for sightseeing. Be careful of altitude sickness and it is recommended to bring some Rhodiola rosea. After the sightseeing, drive to Dali and enjoy the scenery along the way while enjoying the fun of self-driving.
D5-D6: Tour the ancient city of Dali and visit Foreigner Street. When you feel tired, go to Molong Coffee House (No. 42, Central Square, Foreigner Street, Ancient City, Tel: 0872-2670535) for a cup of coffee, then go to Shuanglang to stroll around and bask in the sun and spend a leisurely time.
D7: Return to Lijiang
The Tiger Leaping Gorge hike is about 30 kilometers long and usually takes 2-3 days. From a physical point of view, crossing the Tiger Leaping Gorge is not too difficult. Make adequate preparations and plans before hiking, choose a good route, and allocate time reasonably according to your own situation. Most healthy young people can complete the Tiger Leaping Gorge hike.
Less difficult hiking trails
Itinerary: Lijiang → Daju → take a boat across the river → Walnut Garden (Woody's or Shanquan Hotel) → Middle Tiger Leaping Gorge (Tina's Hotel) → Local Bay (Halfway Inn) → get off the highway → Upper Tiger Leaping Gorge → Qiaotou → Lijiang.
Route Description: This route goes east to west up the Jinsha River, taking a bus from Lijiang to Daju. From Daju, you'll continue upstream. The advantage of hiking is that it's ideal for photography and allows you to better appreciate the canyon's treacherous terrain. After reaching Qiaotou, you can either take a shuttle bus to mid-morning or return to Lijiang, giving you more options. The second route visits the upper, middle, and lower Tiger Leaping Gorges, but the road is too easy to follow and doesn't meet the requirements of a hike.
The most common hiking route
Route: Go up the Jinsha River from east to west: Lijiang → Daju → take a boat across the river → Walnut Garden (Woody's or Shanquan Hotel) → Zhonghutiao (Tina's Hotel) → Bendi Bay (Halfway Inn) → 28 Turns → Qiaotou → Lijiang.
Route Description: The 28 turns offer a significant downhill climb, but the route is relatively strenuous, offering stunning views of Tiger Leaping Gorge. This route is suitable for photography enthusiasts. You can continue on to Daju, following the Haba Snow Mountain through Haba Township, to Baishuitai (Sanba Township), and then to Zhongdian. Completing the remainder of the journey requires significant stamina and perseverance, and it's best to have a local guide.
Popular routes for foreign hikers
Lijiang → Qiaotou → 28 Turns → Bendi Bay (Halfway Inn) → Zhonghutiao (Tina's Inn) → Walnut Garden (Woody Inn or Shanquan Inn) → Cross the river by boat → Daju → Lijiang