The dramatic ‘spring city’
Familiarize yourself with the true gem, Yunnan, located in the central south of China. This diverse province of china borders Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam and still values the local customs and traditional rules. Hence, Shangri-La is the best city to visit, if you want to experience the Tibetan culture instead of travelling to Tibet itself. The colorful Yunnan will definitely surprise you with its amazing stone forest, shining Lijiang Ancient Town, adventurous Tiger Leaping Gorge, charming Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, eye-pleasing Dian Lake and wonderful Yuanyang Terraced Rice Fields and with many other must-go attractions. If travelling to Yunnan, one trip will not be simply enough.
Kunming: November to March is the best time to watch Black-headed Gull in Green Lake, and also you can go to Jiaozi Mountain to see the snow. March to October is the season full of fruits, flowers, and ethnic minority festivals. Besides, Kunming has the most beautiful scenery at this time.
Dali: April is the best time in Dali with the nice weather conditions, colorful flowers, and lush trees.
Lijiang: Lijiang is nice to visit all year round, but remember to avoid the Chinese national holiday and the rainy season (June – August).
Shangri-La: From May to June is the best season in Shangri-La full of followers. September to October is the best time for photography. While December is best for snow landscape and bride watching.
Lijiang Ancient Town
Its architecture is notable for the way various cultural components that have coexisted for many centuries have been blended together. Lijiang also has a very sophisticated and inventive old water delivery system that is still in good working order. In the daytime, you can wander on the narrow streets, and see old architecture which will remind you how people lived in ancient times. At night, it becomes the most bustling place full of bars decorated in different styles.
Jade Dragon Snow Mountain
Jade Dragon Snow Mountain National Scenery Spot includes Glacier Park, Blue Moon Valley, Yak Meadow, Spruce Meadow and Ganhaizi Tourist Center. Well known for its 13 peaks, 19 glaciers and breathtaking snow scenery. It is very easy to visit via a system of cable cars which takes visitors to different parts of the mountain. Different altitudes give rise to changing landscapes with peaceful meadows giving way to snow-covered paths and glaciers.
Tiger Leaping Gorge
Located about 60 kilometers (37 miles) north of Lijiang in Yunnan, the Jinsha River, a tributary of the vast Yangtze River, has sculpted this beautiful gorge. One of China's most breathtaking sceneries is found in Tiger Leaping Gorge, which has lime-green rice terraces and blue streams. Tiger Leaping Gorge is hailed as one of the world’s best multi-day hiking places. Scaling along the sides of a gorge with turquoise waters, limestone cliffs, snow-peaked mountains, and fluffy clouds.
Songzanlin Lamasery
Songzanlin Monastery is the largest Tibetan Buddhist temple complex in Yunnan Province with an altitude of 3,300 meters high. It was founded in CE 1679 under the religious rule of the renowned Fifth Dalai Lama, during the reign (CE 1661-1722) of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing (CE 1644-1911) Dynasty. The best season to visit the lamasery is spring and summer.
Erhai Lake
Erhai Lake is a crystal lake adjacent to Dali Ancient Town, it is the second largest highland lake in China. You can experience folk customs of the Bai ethnic people living along the bank with the backdrop of the Cang Mountains. Erhai Lake can be explored in three ways: by boat, on foot, or by bicycle.
Yunnan food is a blend of light Southeast Asian flavors as well as the headier flavors of the Tibetan plateau. Yunnan is a fascinating melting pot of unique ingredients, vivid flavors, and cultural flare thanks to its diverse ethnic minority population. Cuisine from Yunnan, also known as Dian cuisine, is distinguished by dishes that have a surprising sweetness and are sour and slightly spicy. The distinctiveness of Yunnan cuisine lies in its efforts to maintain the original flavor of each ingredient utilized in its signature dishes.
Many recipes use mushrooms and mints as main components, but other unexpected additions include flowers, ferns, algae, and even insects. The distinctive recipes of the southern region of Yunnan have also been greatly impacted by Burmese, Lao, and Thai cuisine; hence, elements like lime juice, coconut, and palm sugar are frequently used.
Must-try: Rice Noodles, Da Jiu Ji, Old Grandma’s Potatoes, Rubing, Shao Erkuai with Fried Bread, Yak Meat, Wild Mushroom Hotpot
Kunming
Yunnan’s provincial capital, Kunming, has good air transportation connections. Kunming Changshui International Airport serves both international and domestic flights. There are five daily flights that arrive at Lijiang Sanyi Airport from Kunming Changshui Airport in around one hour. From Kunming Railway Station / Kunming South Railway Station to Lijiang Railway Station, there are roughly six bullet trains every day. The train journey takes about 3-3.5 hours. Since Dali is between Lijiang and Kunming. You can travel from Kunming to Dali, and then make a transfer to Lijiang by high-speed trains. There are five flights per day, departing Kunming and arriving Shangri-La in about 80–90 minutes.
Lijiang
There are good connections between Lijiang Sanyi International Airport and some of China’s largest cities such as Guilin, Nanjing, Wuhan, Beijing, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Xian, Shanghai, and Hangzhou.