Tourist routes in Yunnan are mainly divided into northwestern Yunnan routes and southeastern Yunnan routes, of which southeastern Yunnan is mainly a photographic route, with famous attractions such as Dongchuan Red Land, Yuanyang Terraces and Luoping Rapeseed Flowers.
We spent 15 days to complete the Yunnan panoramic road trip punching tour. This traveler's punch list tour is the most classic Kunming - Dali - Lijiang - Lugu Lake - Shangri-La, which is part of the Yunnan-Tibet route.
Yunnan Overview
Yunnan is a multi-ethnic region "South of the Colored Clouds", also known as "South of the Cloud Ridge". During the Warring States period, this is where the Yunnan tribes lived. The highest peak in Yunnan is Meili Snow Mountain in the northwest, and the lowest point is Yuanjiang Valley in Hekou County, less than 100 meters above sea level.
Colorful Yunnan has always been a fascinating and mysterious place.
The rich tourism resources and internet celebrity attractions have attracted little brothers and sisters of internet celebrities from all over the country to take photos here, which is a paradise for photography and freelance traveling.
Yunnan Province is known as the "Kingdom of Animals", "Kingdom of Plants" and "Kingdom of Nonferrous Metals". Yunnan is called "Dian" for short, and its Dianchi Pond is located in the south of Kunming. It is called the "Pearl of the Plateau". It is the largest lake in southwest China and the sixth largest freshwater lake in China.
This magical land is inhabited by ancient ethnic groups. Yunnan is the province with the largest number of ethnic minorities in China. In addition to Yugu, Liangdongxiang, Baro and Hezhe, there are 52 ethnic groups left in Yunnan. The colorful ethnic customs, beautiful primitive forest landscapes and mysterious and ancient religious cultures all add to the infinite charm and fascination of the place.
The way
1 day Kunming to Dali is basically self-driving highway, no attractions.
The second day Dali day trip Cangshan - Erhai - Dali Old Town
3 days 2 days tour Lijiang River to Lugu Lake Lugu Lake Observation Deck - around the lake to the Sichuan Caohai, walk the wedding bridge - Lugu Lake Town - Xiaoluoshui Village - Nisai Village - Liguo Village - "Flower House Love Song
The fourth day of Lugu Lake to see the sunrise - take pig Boat to the lake - Liwabi Island and Liwabi Temple - Take the boat ashore and take Lugu Lake to Lijiang.
Day 5Lijiang to Shangri-La two-day tour - Gadan Songzanlin Monastery - Dokuzong Ancient City - Dokuzong Ancient City in Shangri-La - Turtle Mountain Park - Dokuzong Ancient City in Shangri-La County - Moonlight Square
Lijiang Pudacuo National Park (one-day tour) 6 days
Day 7Lijiang one-day tour Lijiang Ancient City - Glacier Park - Blue Moon Valley
Day 8Lijiang Lashihai Lijiang ancient love one-day tour
Northwest Yunnan classic route Kun Dali, can extend the Yunnan-Tibet line into Tibet self-driving cultural landscape avenue: Kunming Dali Lijiang Shuhe Lugu Lake Shangri-La Meili Snow Mountain Tibet salt wells Bomi Linzhi Lhasa.
Attraction
Yunnan has many attractions. The most famous are Stone Forest, Lijiang Old Town, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Shangri-La, Lugu Lake, Dali Erhai, Xishuangbanna Wild Elephant Valley and so on. But the attractions span around Kunming. Don't trust the map.
The ancients used 'Colorful Yunnan' to refer to this mysterious Yunling Plateau. On this red-earth plateau, there is the four-seasonal Kunming, the ancient Nanzhao of Dali, Shangri-La, the soft-age Lijiang, the matriarchal clan's daughter country, and the Tibetan Plateau. The colorful multi-ethnic culture here gives her mysterious and colorful endless charm. Walking Yunnan, leading a colorful journey!
D1--Dali
Kunming is mainly for food. The city attractions recommended Dianchi, West Mountain, Cuihu Lake.
Kunming attractions: Stone Forest, Expo Park, Nine Fragrant Caves, Daguanlou, Yunnan Nationalities Village, Great Folding Waterfalls, Dongchuan Red Land, Golden Horse Bijie Square, Cui Lake, West Mountain.
Kunming Cuisine: Bridge Rice Noodle, Cold Chicken Rice Noodle, Steamed Chicken, Lemongrass Roasted Fish, Canned Stinky Tofu, Canned Chicken, Sliced Fish Bait.
Places to eat and drink in Kunming: Cuihu Lake, downtown, Xingyuan Road, Dianchi Road, Guanzhong Road, Guannan Avenue, Expo Avenue, and North Downtown.
D2 Dali day trip, ending in Lijiang.
The Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple
Dali, where 'wind, flowers, snow and moon' meet, is strongly influenced by the low-latitude plateau monsoon climate, with insignificant seasonal changes. Dali is inhabited by a large number of Bai people, whose grand gatherings are held from March to April. Going to Dali at this time of the year allows you to experience the rich ethnic flavor. Of course, Dali in spring, like Kunming, is a good place to enjoy flowers and spring.
Dali attractions: the Erhai Sea, Yindu Shui Xiang Xinhua Tourist Village, Heqing, Dali Ancient City, Dali Wase Town, Dali Tianlong Bafu Film and Television City, Cangshan Mountain, Jianbiao Shizhongshan Grottoes, Fotusi Pagoda, the Yuan Shizu Pingyun Monument, the ruins of the city of Taihe and the Pagoda of the Temple of the Sacred Sacrifice.
Dali food: Bai's 'eight bowls of soil', Dali casserole fish, milk fan, raw skin.
Dali's beautiful mountains and rivers, pleasant climate, flowers above, wind below, snow on the Cangshan Mountains, Erhai moon, constituting Dali's 'four wonders', known as 'Switzerland in the East'.
Shangguan, the southernmost part of the Erhai, and Xiaguan, the northernmost part of the Erhai, are the main sources of wind between the Cang'er Lake and the present center of Dali. The ancient city of Dali, located in the center of the Erhai Sea, was once the capital of the ancient state of Nanzhao and the birthplace of Bai culture.
Snow on Cangshan Mountain is one of the four most famous sights in Dali, lasting throughout the summer, and a unique sight in the Cangshan landscape. In mid-winter, hundreds of miles of Cangshan, snow-capped, spring and March, there are still piles of silver jade above the snow line. The Cangshan Mountain cloud scenery is ever-changing, the most famous of which are the 'Wang Mi Yun and Dai Yu Yun'.
In order to take pictures, a few people can be said to have put up a fight. One morning, they went up and down the mountain, running all the way. When we got to the top of the mountain, it was enough to take a picture and leave a footprint.
First of all, the most famous rice noodle for lunch has a lot of specialties compared with those made in other places. Really delicious. After lunch, it was Erhai.
On the opposite side of the Erhai is Cangshan Mountain, and you can see the Erhai at a glance. Perhaps the best afternoon is to enjoy the autumn sunshine, the fresh breath of the natural oxygen bar, blowing the sea breeze, strolling Erhai, back to the city facing the sea, all the troubles and trivial life left behind, with the heart to feel the quiet beauty of the Erhai, return to the tranquility of the mind and simple.
The Dali Old Town at sunset has a solemn feeling. At first glance, it feels like a time lapse to the past. This special feeling is hard to feel in other cities. The strong humanistic atmosphere and the heavy historical and cultural precipitation are the true portrayal of today's Dali Ancient City.
The city's architectural style is unified, the scale is appropriate, and the cityscape is simple. Streets are surrounded by flowing water, and families raise flowers. There are some old houses on the street with flowers and trees, three buildings with one eye and one building with several pots of flowers. The city still retains a large number of buildings from the Ming, Qing and Republican periods, dotted with temples, academies, churches and other ancient buildings, such as the Chiang Kung Temple, the ruins of Du Wenxiu's Handsome House, the Catholic Church and other historical sites.
In the evening, I returned to the hotel and had a good rest. I started my journey early the next morning. It was a long journey as it was a long way to go directly to Lugu Lake to the junction of Yunnan and Sichuan.
D3-4 Lijiang to Lugu Lake then back to Lijiang.
Many travelers think that the old town of Lijiang is Lijiang, but it is not. In addition to the ancient city, Lijiang is much larger than Lijiang Old Town, and there are many places worth visiting, such as the mysterious Lugu Lake, the quiet and relaxing Shuhe Ancient Town, the majestic Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, the beautiful Lashihai, and the majestic Tiger Leaping Gorge.
Lijiang flavor is mainly represented by 'two mountains, one city, one lake, one river, one culture and one flavor'.
The second mountain refers to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and Laojun Mountain.
One refers to the ancient city of Lijiang.
One refers to Lugu Lake.
The river refers to the Jinsha River.
Culture refers to Naxi Dongba culture.
Style refers to Mosuo style.
Lijiang belongs to the plateau southwest monsoon climate, the temperature difference between day and night is big, and the overall climate is low. It is best to go to Lijiang in spring and summer.April-May is the most beautiful season in Lijiang. Lush flowers and trees and the blue sky, like a fairyland. Lijiang's azaleas bloom in the spring
It was already afternoon when I arrived at Lugu Lake. I was thinking of catching up on sleep on the bus, but the scenery along the way was so beautiful and shocking that I couldn't sleep. Of course, the most important thing when I arrived at Lugu Lake was to have a good meal.
Then I took pictures and went straight to the Lugu Lake Observation Deck.
Lugu Lake has a very beautiful natural shape, surrounded by mountains, full of magical features, there is a bay and an island, either hidden or present. The lakeshore is beautifully meandering. Countless large and small alluvial beaches provide natural places for tourists to rest and play.
The legendary Lugu Lake, at this moment, is in an unprecedented tranquility, a real peace inside. It's something you can't feel in the bustling city.
At the back of the three villages, there is a winding valley with clear springs. The exquisite 'Bodhisattva Cave' is hidden in this valley. For tourists, it is a great place to enjoy the affection, shade and scenery of the valley. Lugu Lake has rich cultural customs and beautiful natural scenery.
Lugu Lake in fall is really unique. We are really glad that we came here to capture the most beautiful fall scenery in Lugu Lake. Of course, it's beautiful here in other seasons, but I personally love the fall.
The charm of the Mosuo girls, the drift of the canoes, and the fishing songs rising and falling, are the 'three best things on the lake'. In every Shanwan village of Lugu Lake, you can see Mosuo girls in beautiful clothes, graceful and exquisite beauty.
Everything in front of you is like a dream and the truest portrayal of Lugu Lake. It is really unimaginably shocking. It is a more beautiful scene than imagined. Colorful Yunnan is really beautiful. It's worth it.
D5-6 Lijiang to Shangri-La, then back to Lijiang.
Shangri-La has a long history and culture, beautiful natural scenery, Pudacuo National Park, Dokuzong Ancient City, Gadan Songzanlin Temple, Tiger Leaping Gorge and other attractions. It is worth recommending.
Of course, because Yunnan has a lot of famous attractions, so the first time you come to Yunnan, it is inevitable to make a choice. I recommend these three must-see places. First of all, because it has been a classic route for many years, the infrastructure, transportation network and other aspects are relatively perfect, so it is very convenient to drive.
Because there are also many places in Yunnan where transportation is really inconvenient, and it's really not good for traveling when you encounter this situation.
Secondly, maximize the route is designed as a line, along the way a lot of classic scenery can be completely taken care of. This line is considered to be the classic line of Yunnan tourism.
Since Lugu Lake is farther away than Shangri-La, you can go directly to Lugu Lake from Dali and then directly to Lijiang. Passing through Shangri-La, on the way to see the most desirable scenes, and then directly stop (chartered, free travel) to take all kinds of photos, go down for a walk, breathe the fresh air, look at the blue sky and white clouds, and Shangri-La together with the scenery of this dream trip. Too beautiful!
In fact, Shangri-La has a long history and culture, but also one of the most unique places in Yunnan, beautiful natural scenery, Pudacuo National Park, Dokuzong ancient city, Gadan Songzanlin Temple, Tiger Leaping Gorge and other attractions.
Shangri-La is located in the eastern part of the Sanjiang longitudinal valley of the Hengduan Mountains on the southeastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau. The Shaluli Mountain Range enters the county from Ganzi in Sichuan Province and splits into two branches encircling the east and west sides of the county. Jinsha River from Tuzhaobi into the county, flowing south to Jinjiang Township Sasubi and Lijiang Shigu between, suddenly turned northeast, and then Luoji Jixin flows into the Sichuan Pingzi, around the southern part of the county. Shangri-La became 'snowy mountains for the city, Jinsha for the pool' at both ends of the narrow middle width of the magnificent place.
Shangri-La is an inclusive city, reflected in the multi-ethnic, Tibetan and Chinese ethnic groups and other races. And its geographic features are complex and varied, with a perfect blend of natural and humanistic landscapes such as snow-capped mountains, grasslands, hills, rivers and cities. Whether from the natural or humanistic landscape, it is very tolerant and open, with beautiful scenery and pleasant climate. It is a must-go place in Yunnan.
So what are the main features of these must-visit cities?
Spring and summer in Shangri-La are filled with stunning scenery, favorable temperatures and blooming flowers. Nearly 20 days after the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Diqing Plateau is colorful, and the autumn colors will continue on the endless plates
Shangri-La cuisine: braised liver and chili peppers, uneasy tofu, steamed polenta, Tibetan pastries ('auspicious knots' deep-fried fruits, cinnamon buns, 'basha' pastries, deep-fried 'xu lu xu lu'), buckwheat po-bah, desiccated pork, milk dregs, yoghurt, sorrima wine, ghee tea, barley wine.
Tibetan travel tips
1. Shangri-La is the Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Tibetan compatriots will generally toast barley wine and ghee tea to visitors from afar. Cheers to a full glass. When a guest drinks, he/she first waves his/her index finger three times to the sky and wishes "Zhasidler" before drinking. If the guest can't drink much, he/she can skip a drink with the host's permission. Generally, when making a toast, the host asks the guest to take three sips, then adds three more, and then takes a full glass.
2. When traveling in Tibetan areas, it is forbidden to cross musical instruments and fire pits; sutra tubes and sutra wheels are not to be turned upside down; other people are forbidden to touch their heads with their hands.
3. Mani piles are signposts to the gods in the eyes of the Tibetans, and mani stones inscribed with the Six Character Truth or images of the Buddha are sacred to the Tibetans. When you come across monasteries, mani piles, stupas and other religious facilities. You have to take a detour from left to right. Tibetans consider it a sin to do the opposite. Don't pick up mani stones at random, and don't sit on the mani pile.
D7-8 Lijiang trip and return
Coming to the intoxicating Lijiang, the old town is of course a must, Shuhe Old Town and Lijiang Old Town are optional, but we are going to Lijiang Old Town.
Lijiang ancient city is said to be a place where you can meet a ping pong. There are lots of beautiful women, and like us, many are traveling from all over the country. It would be nice to think about how wonderful it would be to have a perfect encounter on the trip, but just think about it. We were not so lucky!
The ancient city of Lijiang is no stranger to everyone. In earlier years, it has been spread all over the internet and all over the country, attracting a lot of younger siblings of internet celebrities to visit, and even a lot of people want to settle here. It can be seen that Lijiang ancient city is really charming.
Lijiang Old Town has a lot of nightclubs and beautiful women, and there are also a lot of beautiful young ladies and young brothers outside to invite pedestrians to come in for a drink, such as the network BerryBros.Rudd, which can be seen everywhere in the streets and alleys.
Warmly reminded, there are also a lot of pits here. If you are from out of town and do not know the situation, it is better to choose carefully. Of course not intentionally black, you personally more sensitive.
Morning, enjoy the scenery of Lijiang Old Town. Lijiang ancient city has a long history, with a water town and mountain city style. As a city with a long history of ethnic minorities, it has its own unique Naxi style from the overall layout of the city to the engineered architecture, blending the essence of the Han, Bai, Yi and Tibetan ethnic groups.
Jade Dragon Snow Mountain
After lunch, there is Glacier Park. The park is located on Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and is a typical representative of modern glaciers on Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. It is much easier and more exciting to go directly to the ropeway in the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain scenic area.
It is recommended to eat a full meal, because the location is remote, eat very little, so if you come up hungry, it is estimated that the cold and hungry can not stand.
Glacier is a park of caves and caverns eroded by glaciers. It is a remnant of a landform formed by the Quaternary glaciers and is known as the Glass Palace of Lucerne.
The glacier scenic area is snow-covered in winter and spring, which is the best place for skiing and playing in the snow. The scenic area is 2.7 kilometers long in summer and fall, and the Whitewater No. 1 Glacier was formed 40,000 years ago. Known as the top of green snow, the ice tower forest is like a huge piece of ice jade set among the jagged rocks. Challenge the limit and transcend yourself in the snowy area at an altitude of 4,506 to 4,800 meters above sea level; stay away from life and death and purify your soul in the holiness of the thousand-year-old ice and snow.
Jade Dragon Snow Mountain
The trip ends at the Blue Moon Valley, which is located in the valley at the eastern foot of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, north of Ganhaizi and south of Yunshanping. After melting from the snowy mountains, the snow and ice flow down the cliffs and eventually form a crystal clear and extremely sweet river in the deep valley upstream of the Blue Moon Valley. It's really beautiful.
Blue Moon Valley, formerly known as White Water River. On a clear day, the water is blue in color and the valley is crescent-shaped. From a distance, it looks like a round of blue moon set at the foot of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, so
Blue Moon Valley River's river is blocked by the mountain in the flow process, forming four major water surfaces, which are called Jingtan Lake, Blue Moon Lake, and Listening to the Tao Lake. Baishui Terrace is also a must-photograph place for internet celebrities.
Cost
We went with a few people, attractions tickets round-trip ticket price per capita about 3500. The entire 4-star hotel, accommodation environment needless to say, all online celebrity hotels. Eat food of course will not miss the snacks, local specialties almost all eaten. The whole process is very comfortable and free.
Because there are many of us, and as a photography enthusiast, we all like to travel freely. It was free and comfortable to go directly by car. We could stop and go whenever we wanted.
The scenery along the way was beautiful and photography was perfectly fine.
Matters needing attention
1. The scenic spots along Dali, Lijiang and Shangri-La started early, developed over a long period of time, and have a relatively high degree of commercialization. It is really hard to play well with a traditional group. Almost get on the car to sleep and get off the car to take pictures of the card mode is not fun at all, and is not suitable for young people.
2. The infrastructure and transportation conditions of this route are much better than those of famous spots such as Xishuangbanna, and the transportation network of this route is completely accessible. Because the transportation in Yunnan is really not as good as the mainland, the transportation along this route is still good, and there will be a lot of famous features in this route, which is really recommended.
3. Because the route is good, all the way chartered bus will be very comfortable, very free, much more fun than the traditional group tours. It is recommended to charter a bus.
4. Charter bus can be booked online in advance. If the reputation is good, book in advance, do not have to go to the destination chartered car. This will waste a lot of time, and really hard to find, very troublesome. Sometimes, a big circle is no way to go, only the traditional with the group or bus to go, but really lose the fun of traveling.
5. The most important thing about traveling is to be on the road, because a lot of small places on the road are very unique, no worse than the places that these people in the Internet celebrities have clocked. However, you can't enjoy the fun and happiness on the way with traditional group tours.
6. In this season, you need to bring a thick jacket and warm pants. Although Dali and Lijiang are not that cold, it is still cold on the snowy mountains.
7. If you like to take pictures, bring a camera, and if you like to eat, just bring a mouth. Miss the bubble girl can go to Lijiang ancient city of chance. See if there is an affair.
8. Yunnan may be slightly more chaotic than other places, to prevent the behavior of black guides, choose carefully.
9. Reasonable arrangements for the trip, attractions, car, accommodation time. Pay attention to the details in this regard, or it will be very bad.
Yunnan travel tips
1. Time and temperature
Best time to travel: 'Four seasons in a year, ten miles of different days' is a graphic description of Yunnan's climate characteristics. Yunnan has a complex topography and diverse climate, but in general, it has the remarkable feature of "four seasons, dry and wet".
Kunming and Dali have four seasons like spring, but the best time to visit is spring, when flowers bloom and ethnic festivals abound.
Lijiang, Lugu Lake and Shangri-La are suitable for spring and summer. The autumn of Diqing Plateau is also colorful, full of autumn colors and charming scenery.
2. Route arrangement to avoid backtracking.
It is recommended that friends who come to Yunnan for the first time can plan the route first, because here if there is no planned route, it is really not fun, and many details are troublesome. It is important to plan a good route in advance when you hit Yunnan.
Important thing to say three times, 'route planning, route planning, route planning'.
Before we went to Yunnan, we also popularized a lot of tips and travelogues in advance, and synthesized and simply made a strategy by ourselves. We also played a lot of fun.
Yunnan is the province with the largest number of ethnic minorities in China. In addition to the Yugu, Liangdongxiang, Baro and Hezhe, Yunnan is left with 52 ethnic groups. Colorful ethnic customs, beautiful primitive forest landscape, mysterious and ancient religious culture, but pay attention to respect the local culture and folklore.