Yunnan Travel, 8-Day Notes: Kunming – Dali – Lijiang – Lugu Lake

Number of days：8 days
Time: June
Average cost: 8,000 yuan
With whom: and friends
Updated: 2021.08.11

Things to Note

1. Sun protection! Sun protection! Sun protection! Yunnan is located at a high altitude, so both sunscreen and physical sun protection (sunglasses, a hat, and sun-protective clothing) are essential.

2. The weather in Yunnan can change rapidly, so you'll need an umbrella.

3. Bring mosquito repellent spray and patches (available at local supermarkets).

4. Yunnan is quite dry, so stay hydrated and have spray ready.

5. Due to the high altitude and low air pressure, your body can easily fart and burp as it tries to balance the internal and external air pressure (personal experience).

6. Avoid illegal taxis! Use legitimate ride-sharing apps for guaranteed safety and price. 7. Never trust the innkeeper's recommendations. Be confident in your own plans and make sure you're on your own. Join a tour group with a reputable travel agency, not the inn. 8. If you're staying in an ancient town, contact the innkeeper in advance and have them meet your suitcase at the door; otherwise, the roads in the ancient town will clash with your luggage's wheels. 9. If you have limited time, skip Kunming altogether; there's not much to do there. It's usually just a stopover, but if you have more time, you can explore. The decision to travel was actually quite rushed. With only two weeks to prepare, we chose a combination of group and independent travel. Kunming: 1800; Dali: 2000; Lijiang: 2300; Yulong: 4680; Lugu Lake: 2600. This will help reduce altitude sickness! The driver I met in Lijiang said that tourists go directly to the hospital after getting off the plane and then fly back directly. So if you're not in a rush, it's best to give your body a few days to adjust and have a more comfortable trip.

Day 1 Shanghai - Kunming

To save time for sightseeing, I booked a flight from Shanghai at around 8:00 PM on Friday. It was almost midnight when I arrived at Kunming Airport. Considering the airport is quite far from the city (nearly an hour by taxi), I settled for a night in a small hotel nearby.

PS: Hotels near the airport are quite poor. Although most offer airport pick-up service, it's better to stay in the city. Hotel prices in Kunming are generally lower. (For those who don't have much to do in Kunming, I recommend heading directly to Dali the next day!)

Day 2 Kunming

We didn't get up too early the next morning, arriving at our hotel in the city center by noon. We stayed in a small villa converted into a B&B in a good location. There's a small area of villas there, all of which are B&Bs, so there's a wide selection. There's a large supermarket nearby, making it convenient for snacks.

For brunch, we chose a highly-rated beef rice noodle restaurant near our B&B. We even walked around Wanda Plaza to find it. The rice noodles come in small and large bowls, and the difference between them was about 2/3 liang. Both were quite filling, and you could choose your own seasoning. The restaurant also provided local seasoning methods, and the taste was very authentic. On the left side of the entrance, you'll see a large pot of beef and bone soup, and on the right, a variety of braised dishes. The average price per person was around a dozen yuan. I also ordered a platter of braised vegetables. The dipping sauce was probably Danshan dipping sauce, with very fragrant chili powder, the kind that becomes more fragrant the more you chew it.

After eating, I took a taxi to the ethnic village. The ethnic villages showcase the diverse characteristics of Yunnan's 26 ethnic minorities, allowing you to focus on a few, which will be helpful for your upcoming trip (Dali - Bai, Lijiang - Naxi, Lugu Lake - Mosuo, Shangri-La - Tibetan, Xishuangbanna - Dai and Yi, etc.). That evening, on the driver's recommendation, we went to a Yunnan restaurant near our accommodation. We ordered local chicken soup, spare ribs, grilled tilapia, mixed taro flowers, Jianshui tofu, and stir-fried wild vegetables. The mixed taro flowers were particularly flavorful, and the grilled tilapia was perfectly seasoned. It was also the most expensive meal of our Yunnan trip, at 90 yuan per person. (Actually, only the chicken soup and spareribs are a little more expensive, but it's still much cheaper than Shanghai.)

Kunming's main attraction is Dianchi Lake. If you have more time, you can visit it. You can also use it as a stopover, as we did. Airfare is relatively cheap compared to Lijiang and Dali. Kunming-Dali-Lijiang is one route, and you can also go to Xishuangbanna on another. If you're pressed for time, you can fly directly to Lijiang, where the attractions are more concentrated.

Day 3 Kunming-Dali

We arrived in Dali by train a little after 9:00 AM (Kunming has convenient trains to Dali and Lijiang). We stayed in a sea view room in Xiaoguanyi Village, Xiaguan Town, near the train station. The room was 20 meters from the sea, separated by the Erhai Lake Circumference Trail. Dali City is essentially made up of several towns surrounding Erhai Lake. Xiaguan Town is the city center, and scenic spots are mainly distributed in Dali Ancient Town, Xizhou Town, Shuanglang Town, etc. For lunch, we had the owner's recommendation of the local favorite, the copper pot pickled beef restaurant. The place was practically full (the restaurant is in the village, so you'd be hard-pressed to find it if you weren't nearby). We ordered pickled fresh beef and offal, with a choice of vegetables. The shredded radish in the sour broth was quite appetizing. We also discovered Yunnan's first local beverage.

After eating, I strolled along the Erhai Lake trail in front of the hotel. The Erhai Lake is basically fenced off. After my visit, the hotels near it were moved back a few dozen meters, and the water quality has improved significantly.

I stumbled upon some Dai snacks on the roadside. The "Shuashou Baba" is similar to Indian flying pancakes, but softer and more fragrant. Paoruda is a dessert-like drink.

I took a taxi to Dali Ancient Town. It was filled with local women braiding colorful hair for young women. So surrounded, I had no choice but to follow the local customs. Later, I discovered that every scenic spot in Yunnan has these.

Day 4 Dali (Travel Photography Around Erhai Lake) - Shuanglang

Through a friend's recommendation in advance, I found a local girl named Zhao Min who runs a small tour group and booked a jeep tour around the sea. There was a professional photographer in charge of taking photos, and we had fun while taking photos. There was a colorful jeep for four people, and we got about 50 photos, and 9 retouched photos as a gift. Ladies who like taking photos should not miss it, their photographer is great!

The weather was nice, with a very blue sky and few clouds in the morning, but I got sunburned after half a day. In fact, travel photography is that each company finds some places with beautiful scenery and puts some photography props, such as the Sky Horizon and the Ladder to Heaven. The photos taken are very good.

For dinner, I found a local Bai ethnic restaurant in Shuanglang. I had pickled fish, scrambled eggs with whitebait, stir-fried wild vegetables (amaranth), and sour plum soup.

Day 5 Shuanglang - Shuhe Ancient Town

In the morning, we had rice noodles (sour soup rice noodles/small pot rice noodles) that were as spicy as the locals make. If you like spicy food, you can try it. We casually wandered around Shuanglang. Yang Liping's Sun Palace and Moon Palace were just average. When I left Shuanglang, I bought Pan Xiangji Fresh Flower Cakes near the South Gate. Both the appearance and the taste were the best I'd had on my Yunnan trip. When I arrived at the entrance, the car the inn owner had arranged stood up. After waiting for nearly an hour, I decided to take a taxi back to the city and take the train to Lijiang as planned. The Dali to Lijiang train only runs once a day, and it was difficult to get a ticket before, but this time I was able to get one on the same day. I had the opportunity to experience the transition from a double-decker sleeper to a hard seat. (I originally wanted to travel from Shuanglang to Lijiang to get closer, so taking a regular bus was more reliable.) If you have too much luggage, we recommend taking the special bus service, which runs from Shuanglang and Dali Ancient Town directly to Lijiang Ancient Town or Shuhe. This is more convenient, and you can find a ticket agent to purchase tickets.

From Lijiang Train Station, it took about 30 minutes to get to Shuhe Ancient Town. Shuhe was very uncrowded, the environment was very nice, and the accommodation was very comfortable. The accommodation was excellent. We had a fantastic meal in Shuhe Ancient Town that evening, a very good value-for-money meal. It was our first meal in Lijiang and a truly amazing experience, making this a perfect stop on our trip. The dishes were beautiful, the flavors were excellent, and the prices were very reasonable. It was a truly satisfying meal, and the owner was very friendly and left a wonderful impression. This restaurant is both a place of quality and a place of great character! Highly recommended!

Day 6 Jade Dragon Snow Mountain

It takes about 40 minutes to get from Shuhe Ancient Town to the snow-capped mountains. Considering transportation issues and the hassle of buying tickets for the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Cableway, we opted for a small, guided tour with Ms. Zhao Min, recommended by a friend. The experience was excellent, and the instructor was very welcoming. Tickets for the cableway are limited daily, with only 7,000 sold during the pandemic. On-site ticket purchases are not available, which is a hassle. Entry requires only an ID card. It's best to stand during breaks, as sitting can make you feel short of breath and uncomfortable when you get up. At 4,680 feet, an announcement advises against prolonged rest, so we snapped a photo, clocked in, and headed back down. The descent felt quite quick, and we didn't need much rest. We were told the food up there might be difficult to get used to, so we prepared our own self-heating hot pot. Afterward, we followed the car to Blue Moon Valley, which was packed with wedding photos. There were at least three couples per lake, and it was up to you to secure your spot. The lake itself is truly beautiful, resembling jade from up close and from afar. We returned to the inn in the afternoon. Day 7 Shuhe Ancient Town - Lugu Lake

We went to Lugu Lake with Miss Zhao Min's small group of 10. We chose a full tour package for 590 RMB per person, all inclusive. We stayed in a lake-view room. Our guide was a local Mosuo. His Mandarin wasn't very good, but everything else was excellent. Overall, the experience was great. Transportation around Lugu Lake isn't very convenient, so I recommend signing up for a small, all-inclusive tour package. Coincidentally, the day before our trip, the travel agency added a 20 RMB per person lunch fee. We originally had hot pot, but upgraded to steamed fish.

On the way, we passed the Eighteen Bends viewing platform, the first bend of the Yangtze River, and listened to the friendly driver share local stories along the way.

The first major attraction was the Walking Marriage Bridge, also known as the World's First Magpie Bridge, over Caohai. The sign near the bridge says you have to walk hand in hand across it. There's a horseback riding area near the bridge, which is a bit smelly. After getting off the bridge, there's a simple shop on the left side selling local specialties and decorative items, though many of them are probably closed due to the pandemic.

Dinner: Wood-fired chicken.

Bonfire show in the evening / two shows a day at 19:00 and 20:00. When we signed up, the performances had not resumed due to the epidemic. When we arrived, they had just resumed two days ago. Even if you want to watch the show, you need to wear a mask to enter. No matter which show you want to watch, you need to line up at the door 15 minutes in advance. In the end, everyone dances around the bonfire together, which is still fun, but there are too many people and the venue is too small.

Day 8 Lugu Lake - Lijiang Ancient Town

Since I had watched the sunrise at Erhai Lake, I chose to sleep in until I woke up naturally. Wake up, open the curtains and see such a blue sky, so I quickly go out to admire this painting again.

Lugu Lake

This is the source of Lugu Lake. The water in the lake all comes up from the bottom. Because the weather was really good this morning, you can see many colors in the lake.