2021 Northern Yunnan and Western Sichuan Self-Driving Tour

Number of days: 10 days
Time: November
Average cost: 8,000 yuan
With whom: and friends
Updated: 2021.12.10

Mumblings:

1. Counting on my fingers, it's been 3 years since I've had a proper trip. This restless heart just can't contain itself.

2. I don't know when this pandemic will end, but it has both advantages and disadvantages for travel.

3. This year, the business unit completed its full-year performance ahead of schedule, and the team is basically stable. I took advantage of the early November break to quickly sneak out.

4. Thank you so much, boss, for supporting me on this trip to relax and unwind, and for supporting my restless heart, haha.

5. Anecdotes: 1) Two nights before our trip, my itinerary code suddenly had an * on it, which devastated me. 2) The day before our trip, Yunnan banned outbound tourism and cross-border tour groups, so I prepared for the worst.

6. It's been almost a month since I've been back, and I'm taking advantage of my sick leave to write this travelogue. Dedicated to everyone who doesn't plan a trip, and to everyone who's restless.

Main text:

Itinerary: Shanghai - Lijiang - Lugu Lake - Yading - Feilai Temple - Yubeng - Lijiang (8 days, those who understand this itinerary and the number of days will know how exciting it is)

DAY1

After reporting to work in the morning, I went straight to Pudong Airport to meet up with my friends. After nearly 4 hours of sleep, I finally arrived in Lijiang. Considering that we would be crossing mountains and ridges this time, I rented a Volkswagen Tiguan, which is really good and can handle the intensity (it only hit the bottom three times, haha). After getting the car, I went straight to Lijiang Old Town (I recommend staying outside Lijiang Old Town). After a quick packing, I went out to find food. I had just arrived and definitely needed to nourish myself, so I had a pot of matsutake chicken soup to start. I have to say that business in Lijiang's B&Bs and restaurants was really bleak during the epidemic, and there were very few people eating. After the first meal, I don't know if it was the altitude sickness or the ingredients, but I started to feel dizzy and had diarrhea. I endured the pain and walked around the old town. Anyone who has been there should know that this large water wheel is a landmark building.

Lijiang Ancient Town Waterwheel

DAY2

After breakfast, we left the B&B and headed straight to Walmart (the largest supermarket in the area) to stock up on dry food for this trip;

B&B where we stayed

Around ten o'clock, we set off for Lugu Lake (the entrance to Yunnan). This section of the road has been paved and the scenery is beautiful along the way. We chatted and laughed and soon arrived at our first stop - Lugu Lake. The order of this tour is counterclockwise: Lige Peninsula, Lover's Island, Luoshui Village, Walking Marriage Bridge, Goddess Bay, and Lige Peninsula. A half-day drive is enough to complete the entire route. This is a place you won't want to leave. If the sun is shining, every photo you take will be a beautiful landscape painting. Here are the pictures (I still used a filter to make it look better). Lugu Lake Lover's Island Lugu Lake Lover's Island Lugu Lake Goddess Bay Lugu Lake Prayer Wheel

It's a pity that I didn't get a good angle to take photos of the sunset over Lugu Lake (and the sunrise the next day). I'll leave that regret for next time. I stayed in the best local hotel for less than 300 yuan that night, which was really cheap. As for whether there were any activities here at night, no, there was nothing at all. Bonfire parties, bars, they didn't exist in this environment. I decided to go to bed early.

DAY3

The sunrise was around 7:40 in the morning, and this sunrise looked like a sunset.

Lugu Lake Rige Peninsula

Looking back at this quiet little village, I will stay here again next time - Rige Spring. Around 8 a.m., we began our journey, the Lugu-Ya Line. I'd done a thorough research beforehand. The Lugu-Ya Line has three main routes and eight branch routes. This time, I chose the shorter and more accessible Lugu-Ya West Route (directly via Gaode, bypassing the highway, Yiji Township, Eya Township, Jiya Township, Geka Township, and Riwa). A quick aside: I'll try the Muli Dasi (East Route) next time I have the chance. A few key words for this trip: mountain roads, dirt roads, gravel roads, shell craters, fallen rocks, and caves. My brother and I both experienced off-roading; even city drivers were dwarfed by the road. I didn't have the heart to take photos of the mountain scenery along the way, so I left a few photos of the road conditions for your own experience.

We didn't stay in Shangri-La town, nor did we go into Yading Village. Instead, we checked into a guesthouse in Riwa Town (500 meters from the entrance to the Yading scenic area. Don't think it's close; if possible, you wouldn't even walk 50 meters). After driving for nearly 11 hours, we finally arrived at the Summer Solstice Guesthouse. The landlady was very nice. I lazily listened to Chen Li's storytelling. It turned out she was from Northeast China. The accommodations down the mountain were better, with floor heating but no air conditioning. After a long day of driving, we rested early.

DAY 4

We woke up at 7:30 a.m. for breakfast. The landlady told us it wasn't necessary to go up the mountain so early in November because it was very cold. We took the 8:45 a.m. bus up the mountain and finally arrived at Chonggu Temple after 38 turns. Here we saw the first sacred mountain, Shanuoduoji. Due to the bright sunshine that day, we didn't have a good location to take photos of Shanuoduoji.

Yading Chonggu Temple

Since we were still energetic on the first day, we decided to take the long route first. We took an electric car to Luolong Ranch, officially ascending the mountain at around 10:15. The second sacred mountain we saw was Yangmaiyong.

Yading Luorong Cattle Farm

After walking for about an hour, you will see a deep green lake. Don’t mistake it for the Milk Sea (it’s still early), this is an artificial lake. It is the best place to view Yangmaiyong (Manjushri Bodhisattva). After another two hours of climbing, we finally reached our first lake, Milk Lake. At an altitude of 4,600 meters, the temperature reached -5°C. Since there were only a few hikers that day, we were probably the first group to reach it. It was strange that Milk Lake wasn't white, but green, and it was already frozen. But that didn't diminish its beauty. Forgive my photography skills; the scene still left me awestruck by nature's uncanny craftsmanship.

Yading Milk Sea

Although the altitude rise from Milk Sea to Five-Colored Sea is only 100 meters and the walk is only 300 meters, this section can be said to be the most tiring. The Five-Colored Sea is relatively mediocre compared to the Milk Sea, probably due to the light and angle.

Yading Five-Colored Sea

We arrived at Five-Colored Sea around 2:40 PM. Feeling a bit exhausted from the high altitude and low temperatures, we refueled and began our descent. The journey took four hours, but I won't go into detail. I was left with a headache and dizziness (especially on the 38-turn bus ride down the mountain, which can make you question your life. Be sure to bring motion sickness medicine). Luckily, we parked our car right at the entrance. Once we reached the base, we didn't want to walk another step. The sun was setting when we returned to the hotel. At 10 PM, the hotel's power went out (normal in mountainous areas), so we headed to bed.

DAY 5

After a night of rest and recovery, we packed our belongings (we were the last guests of the year; after cleaning up, the owner's wife was heading back to Northeast China for the Lunar New Year). We drove to the main gate of Yading. Since our Yading ticket was valid for two days, we only needed to buy a 60-yuan bus ticket the next day to ascend the mountain. The journey took about the same amount of time as the first day. We started at Chonggu Temple and headed to Pearl Sea, which is only 4,060 meters above sea level and takes an hour and a half round trip. Here we saw the third sacred mountain, Xiannairi (Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva). The Pearl Sea was clearer than the other two lakes.

Yading Xiannairi Pearl Sea

When we were going down the mountain at Chonggu Temple at noon, we had a relatively good position to take pictures of Xianuoduoji (Vajrapani).

Yading Xianuoduoji

At around 1:30 PM, we descended the mountain and arrived at the main gate of Yading. We immediately set off for our next stop, Feilai Temple. While there's a highway from Yading to Feilai Temple, we opted for the shorter, more accessible rural roads through Dongsong, Dongwang, Guxue, and Zigeng townships. Compared to the Luya West Line, these roads are relatively easy to navigate. We had originally planned to reach the Baima Snow Mountain viewing point around sunset, but a sudden road closure occurred in Ranwu Township, delaying us for an hour. It was dark by the time we passed Baima Snow Mountain. This was our first time driving a mountain road at night, and the journey was thrilling. We were exhausted by the time we reached Feilai Temple. We checked into a Tibetan guesthouse, where the owner enthusiastically helped with our luggage and prepared heaters. It was a wonderful experience.

DAY6

I came to Feilai Temple with one purpose, to see the golden mountain in the sunshine. It was sunny almost every day during my 10 days in Yunnan. I saw the golden mountain on my first visit. At 7:25 in the morning, every roof was crowded with people. Maybe it was because it was illuminated by the snow-capped mountains. I personally think the purple golden mountain I saw in Huangshan is better. After the viewing, we drove to the last stop of this trip - Yubeng Village, a paradise on earth (directly navigate to Yubeng parking lot). There are currently two ways to enter the village, one is a 6-hour walk, and the other is a 200-yuan off-road vehicle. I strongly recommend taking the off-road vehicle. First, the scenery along the way is average and it is all dirt roads. Second, it saves time and energy. Third, I think the off-road vehicle experience is amazing, and the driver's driving skills are really awesome. Yubeng Village: Lower Yubeng. Yubeng has three major scenic spots. Currently, the Divine Waterfall is open. Both the Ice Lake and Divine Lake are undeveloped (in other words, there's no road). Considering time constraints, we chose the Divine Waterfall route for our first day in Yubeng, so we drove directly to Lower Yubeng via off-road. Here's a picture to show you the highlights.

Yubeng Village Lower Yubeng Ranch

The scenery along the way is spectacular, but just like the legend, it is a paradise for the eyes and a hell for the body. It is strongly recommended that girls ride a mule up the mountain, but you know what it means for men.

Yubeng Village Prayer Flags

In winter, the Shen Waterfall is mostly frozen over, making it less majestic than one might imagine. But in the hearts of Tibetans, it's the sacred water bestowed by the Meili Mountains. If the journey along the way was a feast for the eyes, this place was a feast for the soul. There was a small incident here: just as I was approaching the Shen Waterfall to receive the water, an avalanche occurred on the nearby mountain. As everyone screamed, I could only say one word: well worth the trip.

Here we met a couple from Shenzhen (yes, the kind with the keychains). They invited us to their hotel that night to warm up by the fire and gaze at the snow-capped mountains, the stars, and the Milky Way. I couldn't help but marvel at how playful Daocheng was, plagiarizing their masterpiece.

Yubeng Village Yeyu YEYU Hotel Wunv Peak

Yubeng Village Milky Way Starry Sky

DAY7

After yesterday's 7-hour round-trip hike, my energy was practically at its limit. I woke up at 9 a.m., making it impossible to go to Shenhu Lake at that hour (now thinking back, it's a good thing I didn't go. The equipment I brought and the guide I'd made didn't support a purely off-piste hike. It's recommended to go with a partner who brings professional equipment and set off before 7 a.m., at an altitude of 4,700 meters, with an ascent of 1,700 meters). So we packed our bags and headed for Shangyubeng, where we could see the entire Yubeng along the way.

Yubeng Village At 10:30 AM, we began our journey toward the glacial lake. Due to energy constraints and having already passed Aden, I planned to only reach Xiaonong Base Camp at 3,608 meters (where the Japanese climbers camped before provoking the Kawaborg). The final 250 meters of elevation gain would be a regret. Today's cloudy weather allowed the scenery along the way to offer a different perspective on Yubeng: a sense of both solemnity and freedom.

Yubeng Village

Yubeng Village My favorite photo, bar none.

We arrived at Xiaonong Base Camp at 3:30 PM. I was a bit reluctant to give up after the climb. The return trip up to the glacier lake would take another 1.5 hours, and the descent would probably take until 8 PM (friendly Tibetans and fellow travelers told me we had to be down by 4 PM no matter where we were). Since we only planned to reach Base Camp, we stuck to the plan. A word of caution: the only way to the glacier lake is by mountain trail (dirt), a mule-beaten path. If you're not well-equipped, the descent can be dangerous and very damaging to your knees and ankles. I ruined a pair of shoes.

DAY8

Today's itinerary was to leave Yubeng and return to Lijiang via the West Scenic Route, connecting to the G214. Compared to the previous trip, the journey was much simpler, with all roads paved. We passed Baima Snow Mountain, Haba Snow Mountain, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, and Shangri-La City. The scenery along the way is also highly recommended; it's breathtaking.

Shangri-La Napa Lake

Shangri-La Haba Snow Mountain

DAY 9

As usual, when I visit a place, I like to browse farmers' markets and tea shops. I spent three hours at a tea shop, tasting seven or eight varieties of tea, from Dianhong to Pu'er. Although I got a little tipsy, I was left feeling incredibly satisfied and content. In the afternoon, I visited Shuhe and Baisha Ancient Towns. The experience was relatively ordinary, which was within my expectations. Since ancient times, Lijiang has been a stopover on the Tea Horse Road, primarily for trade and leisure, so it's not a good time to stay.

DAY 10

I woke up early to catch my flight back to Shanghai. Despite wearing sunscreen these past few days, my skin has noticeably darkened. It felt so good to be back in Shanghai, standing at 7 meters above sea level and breathing in the fresh exhaust fumes. Well, it feels so good to be home! Thank you for your companionship, the beautiful scenery, the sunny weather, and everyone and every moment I've met along the way. Thank you, and I look forward to my next trip!