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Yunnan Discovery: Kunming, Dali, Lijiang and Shangri-La in 10 Days

Old towns, snow peaks and the Tibetan edge of the plateau, travelled low to high so the altitude arrives gradually.

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Layered mountain silhouettes in terraced green and slate blue, rising towards a high plateau ridge

Overview

Yunnan is the part of China that does not look like the rest of it: a highland province on the Tibetan edge, with old towns, snow peaks and a mix of minority cultures that is nothing like the Han heartland. It is also the most comfortable place in the country to slow down — mild weather, excellent food, and towns small enough to walk end to end.

The route is built low to high on purpose. Kunming is around 1,890 m, Dali about 2,000 m, Lijiang around 2,400 m, and Shangri-La around 3,200 m. Climbing in that order gives your body several days to adjust before the plateau, which is the difference between a headache and a spoiled holiday. The final two nights of this itinerary are at altitude in Shangri-La; Lijiang, for the three nights before it, sits at 2,400 m — high, but a different order of high.

Prices here are indicative starting points per person and exclude international flights. The pace is moderate: one long-ish rail day at most, and three nights in Lijiang that exist precisely so the final climb is not rushed. One thing we will not be casual about — if you have a heart or lung condition, are pregnant, or are travelling with a very young child, ask a doctor before booking the Shangri-La section. We cannot give medical advice, and altitude is not something to test on holiday.

Why low to high

Altitude is the organising principle of this itinerary. Shangri-La is the only place on the route where it is a real consideration, and building the trip as a staircase — 1,890 m, then 2,000 m, then 2,400 m, then 3,200 m — makes the plateau the last step rather than the first. It also happens to be the more scenic way to travel: the landscape changes gradually, from Kunming’s mild basin to the Tibetan edge.

The third Lijiang night is the other half of that logic. It is also a good stop in its own right — the old town, the snow mountain above it, and a day with nothing on it, which most ten-day trips do not contain.

What we deliberately left out

Xishuangbanna, the tropical far south, is genuinely a different holiday: a flight from Kunming and a climate that has nothing to do with the plateau. It deserves its own week rather than three days appended here. We also leave out the two-day Tiger Leaping Gorge high trek by default, because it asks for a level of fitness and tolerance for rough trails that not every group has — it is easy to add if you want it.

Tibet is the request we turn down most often on this route. It borders Yunnan and looks like the obvious continuation, but foreigners cannot travel there independently: a licensed travel agency must obtain the Tibet Travel Permit, a licensed guide accompanies you throughout, and permits are checked before you board a flight or train. There is no high-speed rail to Lhasa — you fly, or take the Qinghai–Tibet Railway from Xining over 20–22 hours. Apply 20–30 days ahead and allow 8–9 business days for approval, and treat it as a separate journey rather than an extension.

Booking notes

Two things need real lead time. The Jade Dragon Snow Mountain cable car must be pre-booked and is the single item on this route that regularly sells out. The other is accommodation in Shangri-La during the May and October windows, where good rooms are thin relative to demand.

Everything else — the Kunming to Dali, Dali to Lijiang and Lijiang to Shangri-La trains — can be arranged within days rather than months, and rail fares on those legs are modest: Lijiang to Shangri-La runs ¥49–63 in second class. All of it is booked against your passport, and the physical passport is your ticket at the station gate — screenshots are refused, and foreigners queue at staffed counters rather than the self-service kiosks.

Trip highlights

  • Travel the northwest corridor in the right order — Kunming around 1,890 m, Dali 2,000 m, Lijiang 2,400 m and Shangri-La 3,200 m — so the altitude arrives gradually
  • Loop Erhai Lake from Dali, through shore villages and lakeside farmland, at bicycle or car pace
  • Ride the pre-booked cable car on Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, the snow peak that stands directly above Lijiang
  • Break the Lijiang to Shangri-La leg at Tiger Leaping Gorge, where the Jinsha River runs narrow between high walls
  • Finish at Songzanlin Monastery and the Tibetan old town of Shangri-La, with a full day to acclimatise rather than a rushed one

Day-by-day itinerary

  1. Day 1

    Arrive in Kunming

    Land at Kunming's Changshui airport and transfer to your hotel; Kunming relies on taxi, ride-hail or airport shuttle rather than rail, typically 20–60 minutes. The city sits at around 1,890 m — high enough to notice, low enough to be harmless, and the altitude buffer for everything that follows. Depending on your arrival time, an easy first evening and a dinner of Yunnan rice noodles and wild mushrooms.

    Meals: NoneOvernight: Kunming

  2. Day 2

    The Stone Forest and Dianchi Lake

    The Stone Forest is a half-day trip from the city: a karst field of limestone blades that is genuinely strange and, in high season, genuinely crowded — so go early. The afternoon brings you back towards Kunming at Dianchi Lake, which is the easier option if the weather has turned. Evening at a market for the province's food, where mushrooms, rice noodles and grilled skewers are sold side by side.

    Meals: Breakfast, lunchOvernight: Kunming

  3. Day 3

    Kunming to Dali

    Morning train to Dali, around two hours, arriving before lunch. The afternoon is Dali Old Town on foot — cobbled lanes, low whitewashed houses and the mountains standing directly behind the town — then dinner at one of the lakeside restaurants on Erhai. Dali sits at about 2,000 m, only a modest step up from Kunming.

    Meals: BreakfastOvernight: Dali

  4. Day 4

    The Erhai Lake loop

    A full day around Erhai Lake, by bicycle along the flatter western shore or by car with a driver if you would rather cover the whole circuit. The shore villages are farming and fishing communities, and the pace is slow: markets, boats and lunch somewhere with no English menu. This is the day to do very little, deliberately.

    Meals: Breakfast, lunchOvernight: Dali

  5. Day 5

    Dali to Lijiang

    Rail to Lijiang, 1.5–2 hours and around ¥80, arriving before lunch. The old town is a maze of canals and wooden houses, and it is at its best before the day-trippers arrive — so walk it as soon as you have checked in, and again early tomorrow. Lijiang sits around 2,400 m, another modest step.

    Meals: BreakfastOvernight: Lijiang

  6. Day 6

    Jade Dragon Snow Mountain

    A full day at Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, with the cable car booked well in advance — it is the one thing on this route that regularly sells out. The mountain stands directly above Lijiang, and the top station is higher than anything else on this trip apart from Shangri-La, so take the ascent slowly and give it a miss if you are already feeling the altitude. Back in Lijiang for the evening, when the old town is quieter than it was at midday.

    Meals: Breakfast, lunchOvernight: Lijiang

  7. Day 7

    A slow day in Lijiang

    An intentionally slow day: the quieter lanes of the old town in the morning, a teahouse through the middle of it, and an afternoon with nothing fixed on it. Three nights in Lijiang is deliberate — it is the buffer that makes the climb to Shangri-La comfortable rather than punishing. Use it or waste it; both are correct.

    Meals: BreakfastOvernight: Lijiang

  8. Day 8

    Lijiang to Shangri-La

    Rail to Shangri-La, about 1.5 hours and ¥49–63, arriving at around 3,200 m. This is the one real altitude step on the route, and the reason the preceding days climb so gradually. Travellers who want to stop at Tiger Leaping Gorge do that leg by private car rather than by train; it costs most of a day and we arrange it before you travel. The first afternoon here should be gentle — a short walk in the Tibetan old town and an early night, because sleep is the best acclimatisation there is.

    Meals: BreakfastOvernight: Shangri-La

  9. Day 9

    Songzanlin Monastery and the plateau

    A full day at a deliberately slow pace. Morning at Songzanlin Monastery, the Tibetan Buddhist complex a short drive outside town and the clearest statement of where you are. The afternoon is free: the old town, or the grassland and lake country beyond it if you feel well and want the drive. Nothing here is worth pushing through a headache for.

    Meals: Breakfast, lunchOvernight: Shangri-La

  10. Day 10

    Depart Shangri-La

    Transfer to Shangri-La's airport for the flight out, which usually routes through Kunming; if you would rather finish by rail, the line back to Lijiang remains an option. Most international connections go through Kunming or Chengdu, so allow a night in a hub city if your onward flight is early. Domestic flights and trains are booked against your passport, and that passport is your ticket at the gate.

    Meals: BreakfastOvernight: —

What is included

  • Nine nights in 4-star hotels and good local guesthouses, twin share, breakfast included
  • Second-class seats on the Kunming–Dali, Dali–Lijiang and Lijiang–Shangri-La rail legs
  • Private English-speaking guide and driver on sightseeing days
  • All entrance fees listed in the itinerary, including the Stone Forest, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and its cable car, and Songzanlin Monastery
  • Airport and railway station transfers on arrival, departure and transfer days
  • 24-hour phone support in English during the trip

Not included

  • International flights to and from China
  • China visa fees, if your nationality requires one
  • Internal flights, including the departure flight from Shangri-La
  • Lunches and dinners not listed as included
  • Travel insurance and personal spending

Good to know

  • Shangri-La sits at around 3,200 m and Lijiang at around 2,400 m. The final two nights of this itinerary are at altitude, and the route climbs deliberately from Kunming so that step is gradual rather than sudden.
  • If you have a heart or lung condition, are pregnant, or are travelling with a very young child, ask a doctor before booking the Shangri-La section. It is the one part of this route that is a genuine health consideration rather than a comfort one.
  • Dali to Lijiang is 1.5–2 hours by rail, around ¥80; Lijiang to Shangri-La is about 1.5 hours and ¥49–63. Both are short scenic legs rather than travel days.
  • Jade Dragon Snow Mountain must be pre-booked, and it takes a full day from Lijiang rather than an afternoon. Tell us early if it is a priority — it is the item on this route that sells out.
  • March to May and September to November are the best months here. July and August are wet, which is also the strongest window for the high plateau, and the province spans several climate zones — pack for two.

Questions about this route

How real is the altitude risk on this route?

Shangri-La is the only place where it is a genuine consideration: roughly 3,200 m, for the final two nights. The route climbs from Kunming at 1,890 m through Dali and Lijiang so that your body has several days to adjust, which is most of the defence. Headaches and broken sleep are common on the first night at that height; serious altitude illness is not, at these elevations, for people without underlying conditions.

Should I skip Shangri-La if I am unsure?

If you have a heart or lung condition, are pregnant, or are travelling with a very young child, ask a doctor first — we are not in a position to advise you medically, and the honest answer is that the plateau is optional. Dropping Shangri-La costs you two days and one of the trip's best monasteries; keeping it in and turning back early costs you very little.

Can we add Tiger Leaping Gorge, or continue on to Tibet?

Tiger Leaping Gorge can be done as a stop on the road between Lijiang and Shangri-La, or as a two-day trek if you want the full high trail; both are arranged before you travel. Tibet is a different proposition: foreigners cannot travel there independently, a licensed agency must obtain the permit, a guide accompanies you throughout, and it takes 20–30 days to arrange. It is not something you add on arrival.

What is the best time of year for Yunnan?

March to May and September to November are the clearest and driest months. July and August are wet but are the best window for the high plateau, and the province is regional enough that a jacket in Shangri-La and a T-shirt in Kunming on the same day is entirely normal.

What does the price exclude?

International flights, visa fees if your nationality requires one, the internal flight out of Shangri-La, travel insurance, most dinners and personal spending. Prices are indicative starting points per person and exclude international flights.

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