Kunming-Dali-Lijiang-Xishuangbanna-Xi'an, 9 days and 8 nights free travel

Number of days：9 days
Time: July
Average cost: 6,000 yuan
With whom：parents and children
Updated: 2024.08.18

During the summer vacation of 2023, I took my children on a 9-day free travel in Yunnan. Our itinerary is as follows:

**Day 1: Beijing-Kunming**

- Departure time: 20:22 on Friday, July 21, 2023

- Arrival time: 10:47 on Saturday, July 22, 2023. The itinerary is arranged in the evening so as not to interfere with daytime travel.

- Transportation: High-speed train

- Hotel: Hampton by Hilton Kunming South Railway Station (Four Diamonds)

Price: Around NT$550

- Tour content: Stone Forest

Tour content:

Arrive at Kunming South Railway Station in the morning, check in to Hampton by Hilton and take a short rest.

In the afternoon, head to the famous Stone Forest to experience the wonders of nature.

**Day 2: Kunming-Dali**

- Departure Time: A little after 7:00 am

- Arrival Time: Around 9:30 am

- Transportation: Train

- Hotel: Dali Guman Hotel (Four Diamonds)

Price: Around 580 yuan at the time

- Tour content: Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple, Dali Ancient Town

**Day 3: Dali-Lijiang**

- Departure time: 18:10 pm

- Arrival time: around 21:00

- Transportation: Motor train

- Hotel: Yingjing Hotel (Three Diamonds)

Price: Two nights, around 500 per night

- Tour content:

Tour around Dali during the day, with a reserved car service.

The first stop is Panxi S-bend.

The second stop is Xizhou Ancient Town.

The third stop is Shuanglang Ancient Town.

At the fourth stop, we arrived at Waise.

The fifth stop is Xiao Putuo.

The last stop is Ideal Country.

In the evening, arrive in Lijiang and check in to Yingjing Hotel.

In the evening, explore Lijiang Old Town and soak up its unique atmosphere.

**Day 4: Lijiang**

The original plan was to go to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, but after checking the guide, we found out that there was no snow on the mountain in July, so we gave up and mainly visited the ancient town.

**Day 5: Lijiang-Xishuangbanna**

- Departure time: 11:30 am

- Arrival time: around 12:45 pm

- Transportation: Airplane

- Hotel: Meijiang Island River View Hotel (Four Diamonds, not recommended)

- Tour content: Manting Park

Price: Two nights, around 550 per night

All the unhappiness started from here.

**Unpleasant things happened in Xishuangbanna**:

- At the Meijiang Island River View Hotel (not recommended), our child was injured, and we immediately contacted the hotel and called the police.

- We discovered that the hotel's swimming pool posed a safety hazard and contacted the 12345 Citizen Service Hotline, hoping for more help and guidance.

- We ultimately decided to hire a lawyer to handle the matter to ensure that our rights are protected.

For details, please refer to another travelogue. https://you.ctrip.com/travels/yunnan100007/4144100.html

Tour content:

Arrived in Xishuangbanna in the morning and checked into the Meijiang Island River View Hotel.

Visit Manting Park in the afternoon and enjoy its beautiful scenery. Day 6: Xishuangbanna

Given the long distances between scenic spots in Xishuangbanna, we were faced with two options: one was to charter a car service, and the other was to join a day tour group.

After weighing the pros and cons, we ultimately chose the latter, a day tour, on China-TravelNote, and the overall experience was very good.

- Tour Details:

- Visit the Xishuangbanna Dai Garden to learn about local culture and customs.

- Visit the Chinese Academy of Sciences Tropical Botanical Garden to admire the beauty of tropical plants.

**Day 7: Xishuangbanna**

Mainly dealing with the child's injury, we were dealing with this all day due to the hotel's behavior.

The police were called three times: twice by me and once by the hotel.

The first time, we went to the hospital, and the police went back.

The second time, the police arrived, recorded the entire process, and then left.

The third time, the hotel called the police, apparently accusing me of interfering with their business operations. We hired a lawyer, which prevented unnecessary trouble.

For more details, please refer to another travelogue.

https://you.ctrip.com/travels/yunnan100007/4144100.html

**Unpleasant things happened in Xishuangbanna**:

- At the Meijiang Island Riverview Hotel (not recommended), our child was injured, and we immediately contacted the hotel and called the police.

- We discovered that the hotel's swimming pool posed a safety hazard and contacted the 12345 citizen service hotline. 12345 transferred the case to the relevant authorities, who ordered the hotel to make corrections.

- We ultimately decided to hire a lawyer to handle this matter to ensure our rights are protected.

**Day 7: Xishuangbanna-Xi'an**

- Departure time: 23:15, arrival time around 1:40, flight for more than an hour

- Transportation: Airplane

- Hotel: Moshang Huakai Hotel (non-star)

Day 8: Xi'an

Change the dressing for the child;

Tour content, the Tang Dynasty City That Never Sleeps.

**Day 9: Xi'an**

- Tour content:

- Visit the Xi'an City Wall and feel the vicissitudes of history.

**Day 9: Xi'an - Beijing**

- Departure Time: A little after 3:00 PM

- Transportation: High-speed rail

**Summary**:

This trip allowed us to appreciate Yunnan's beautiful scenery, experience local culture, and enjoy the freedom of travel. While this independent travel arrangement allowed us to avoid many travel pitfalls, we still had some hotel mishaps. This lesson reminds us that when choosing accommodations, we shouldn't rely solely on star ratings; we also need to consider the hotel's actual services and facilities.