8-Day Yunnan Highlights: Kunming, Dali, Lijiang & Shangri-La

Welcome to Kunming, capital of Yunnan Province.

Your guide will meet you at the airport or train station and take you to your hotel. The rest of the day is free. You can rest up after the flight, or head out and explore based on how much energy you’ve got left.

Kunming is known as the “Spring City” for its mild year-round climate, and the “Flower City” for the blooms that come with it. It’s also the hometown of Zheng He, the Ming-dynasty navigator whose voyages reached across Asia and Africa in the early 1400s.

Free Time Ideas

• Yunnan Ethnic Villageand the Yunnan Museum of Minority (closed Mondays) for a look at the region’s ethnic diversity, plus Haigeng Park by Dianchi Lake which is home to migrating black-headed gulls in winter.
• A city walk from the Eastern and Western Pagodasto the Jinma and Biji Archways, the Flying Tigers Museum (a WWII history stop), and the lively Jingxing Flower and Bird Market.
• Daguan Zhuanxin Farmers’ Market for local flavours including flowers, mushrooms, ham, Rushan cheese, and followed by a wander down Nanqiang and Nanping Pedestrian Streets.

Getting to Kunming
Kunming Changshui International Airport has direct flights to destinations across Southeast Asia (Bangkok, Hanoi, Vientiane, Kuala Lumpur, and more) as well as major Chinese cities. High-speed trains connect Kunming to Dali (2.5 hrs), Lijiang (4 hrs), and Xishuangbanna (3.5 hrs), among others.

Morning
Drive about 1.5 hours (80km) to the Stone Forest, a UNESCO-listed karst landscape shaped over 270 million years, from ancient seabed to towering limestone pillars. A sightseeing bus takes you through the Big and Small Stone Forest areas. It’s tied to the Yi ethnic legend of Ashima, and was also a filming location for the 1986 TV adaptation of Journey to the West.

Afternoon
Back in the city, visit Yuantong Temple, over 1,200 years old and the oldest Guanyin temple in China. Its “downhill” design, where you descend rather than climb after entering, is unusual among Chinese temples, and it’s the only temple in the country that houses Han, Southern, and Tibetan Buddhist traditions side by side.

From there, it’s a short walk to Green Lake Park, once a marshy inlet of Dianchi Lake and now a favourite local spot for walking, birdwatching, and simply relaxing by the water.

Free Time Ideas

• Kunming Old Street, a 900-year-old street near Green Lake Park which is good for trying Yunnan cross-bridge rice noodles and browsing antique shops.
• Yunnan Impression, an 8pm outdoor performance by renowned choreographer Yang Liping, blending ethnic dance traditions from across the province.

Morning
Board the high-speed train to Dali (around 2 hours). Your local guide will meet you at the station and take you to the Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple, set against the Cangshan Mountains and overlooking Erhai Lake. The tallest pagoda stands about 69 metres, flanked by two smaller ones. According to local legend, they were built to hold back dragons believed to cause floods.

Just behind the pagodas, visit Chongsheng Temple itself, once the royal temple of the Dali Kingdom and known historically as “the Capital of Buddhism.”

Afternoon
After lunch, take a relaxed bike ride along Erhai Lake which is the second-largest highland lake in China, with the Cangshan Mountains rising along one side. The path passes through small Bai villages and fields, with plenty of good spots to stop for photos.

Evening (Free Time)
Explore Dali Ancient Town on your own. Established during the Ming dynasty, it was once the capital of both the Nanzhao and Dali Kingdoms. Wander Renmin Road or Foreigner Street for traditional Bai architecture, and stick around after dark when the night markets come alive.

Morning
Start at the Xizhou Local Market, a trading hub for over a century, selling everything from wild mushrooms to local snacks. Try Xizhou baba (a stuffed pancake) and a cup of Yunnan coffee while you’re there.

Continue to Xizhou Ancient Town, known for having the best-preserved cluster of traditional Bai homes anywhere. Visit the Yan Family Compound to see classic Bai architectural features, and try the “Three Courses of Tea” ceremony, with bitter, sweet, and lingering flavors that reflect life’s own ups and downs.

Afternoon
Drive on to Zhoucheng Village, known as the “Hometown of Bai Embroidery” and famous for its tie-dye tradition, now recognized as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage. Visit a local workshop to see the technique in action.

(Want to try it yourself? Ask about a hands-on tie-dye workshop.)

Continue to Lijiang (around 2 hours). Set beneath Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Lijiang’s Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the heartland of the Naxi people. The rest of the day is free.

Free Time Idea
Visit Black Dragon Pond Park, at the edge of the Old Town, known for its reflection of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain on clear days.

Morning
Visit Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, a UNESCO site sacred to the Naxi people. We use the Spruce Meadow route, a cable car up to 3,240 metres, followed by an easy walk along the plank road through the forest, avoiding the more strenuous high-altitude trekking.

Continue to Blue Moon Valley, known for its striking turquoise water reflecting the mountain behind it. The valley has four lakes in total; Jade Liquid Lake is generally considered the highlight.

Afternoon
Optional: Impression Lijiang Show which is an open-air performance directed by Zhang Yimou, featuring Naxi singing and dance, held at Ganhaizi (about an hour long).

Continue to Baisha Village, birthplace of the Naxi Mu chieftaincy, to see the Baisha Murals, a blend of Buddhist, Taoist, and Naxi religious imagery spread across several temples.

Finish with free time in Lijiang Old Town, an 800-year-old trading hub of cobblestone lanes, canals, and stone bridges. Take a short walk to Sifang Square, the town’s main gathering point, for local handicrafts and evening atmosphere.

Morning
Depart Lijiang for Shangri-La, stopping first at the First Bend of the Yangtze River, where the river makes a dramatic 180-degree turn within just one kilometre. An observation deck gives you a wide view of the bend.

Afternoon
Continue to the Upper Section of Tiger Leaping Gorge (1,800m) which is named for a legend of a tiger leaping across the gorge’s narrowest point to escape a hunter. One of the deepest gorges in the world, it runs between Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (5,596m) and Haba Snow Mountain (5,386m). Walk the plank road along the gorge’s edge.

(Optional lift available for an additional fee, if you’d rather save your legs.)

Continue to Shangri-La (about 2–2.5 hours). Formerly known as Zhongdian, this Tibetan-influenced town in the Diqing Autonomous Prefecture is often associated with the mythical paradise from James Hilton’s novel Lost Horizon.

Morning
Visit Songzanlin Monastery, sitting at 3,380 metres and the largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Yunnan. Modeled after the Potala Palace in Lhasa, it’s sometimes called the “Little Potala.” Around 700 monks currently live here. Climb up through the monastery’s three main halls, then take in the view over Lamuyangcuo Lake from the top.

Afternoon
Drive about 30 minutes to Pudacuo National Park, China’s first national park and part of the “Three Parallel Rivers” World Heritage area. Visit Shudu Lake (3,705m) via sightseeing bus, followed by a walk around Bita Lake (3,568m), both known for their clear, still water and mountain backdrops.

On the way back, stop for a visit with a local Tibetan family, with a chance to try yak butter tea and local snacks.

Evening
Explore Dukezong Ancient Town, over 1,300 years old and the largest well-preserved Tibetan settlement in China. Climb Guishan Hill to spin the world’s largest prayer wheel and take in a wide view over the town.

Optional Evening Activity
Around 7pm, locals often gather in Sifang Square for traditional Tibetan dancing that is worth joining in if you’re around.

After breakfast, enjoy some free time in Shangri-La before your guide takes you to the airport for your onward flight.

Departure Ideas
Diqing Shangri-La Airport has domestic flights to Chengdu, Chongqing, Lhasa, Guangzhou, and Shanghai. For international connections, we’d recommend heading back to Kunming first, either by high-speed train (about 5.5 hrs) or flight (about 1 hr).

Thinking of Extending Your Trip?
If you’d like to see more of Yunnan, the Yuanyang Rice Terraces or Xishuangbanna, for example, just let us know and we can help arrange it.

Thank you for choosing Asia Pioneer Travel for your Yunnan journey. We hope to see you again on your next trip to China or Asia. Safe travels!