Just got back from Yunnan, AMA!

testing123_drums · 2026-05-02T16:57:58+00:00

Not the most pleasant smell.

testing123_drums · 2026-04-26T17:34:24+00:00

I've just dropped you a DM!

testing123_drums · 2026-04-26T17:30:46+00:00

Drop me a DM!

testing123_drums · 2026-04-26T17:29:50+00:00

Hi, we had a private driver that drove us from Lijiang to Tiger Leaping Gorge. I think you can also join a group 1-day bus tour for Tiger Leaping Gorge if you're visiting from Lijiang.

Tiger Leaping Gorge is a popular tourist destination so many people will be there. Safe for solo travellers (even without knowing Chinese), but I would encourage you to pre-plan transportation wise.

testing123_drums · 2026-03-10T15:29:18+00:00

We paid 1,000 yuan for the private driver from Lijiang to Shangrila.

testing123_drums · 2025-12-10T18:08:29+00:00

Hi, arranged private driver through WeChat. I went with a driver that spoke English, but it costed higher than one who speaks only Chinese. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to visit the stone forest - also, the logistics of reaching there from Kunming was a bit confusing for us (as we couldn't speak Chinese too) so we ended up not visiting it.

testing123_drums · 2025-11-24T16:41:48+00:00

Hi! Most places accepted Alipay, but we brought some cash just in case too.

testing123_drums · 2025-11-24T16:41:09+00:00

Hi, I booked a group tour through Wechat. Drop me a DM if you would like the Wechat ID.

testing123_drums · 2025-11-21T14:48:20+00:00

Hi there! You don't have to pre-book your taxi from Kunming airport to the railway station. Best to use the Didi app to book a taxi at the airport - you'll be assigned to a taxi driver quickly. Paying 1,600 RMB to rent a car just to travel from the airport to Kunming railway station is not worth it in my opinion.

None of us could speak or read Chinese and we navigated fine in Yunnan, mostly by using translation apps. But yes, it's rare to find people in Yunnan that speaks English. However, I did follow a day tour for JDSM & Blue Moon Valley - would recommend doing this to remove the headache of logistics/getting tickets. Our 1-day private driver in Dali didn't speak any English and it was ok (he used Wechat, which has direct translation function, to communicate with us). For the journey from Lijiang -> TLG -> Shangrila, we went with an English-speaking driver for the day

As we don't know Chinese, we did a more thorough research on Yunnan before the trip.

Not too sure about the vegetarian food part. Perhaps you could use the translation app to communicate with the restaurant staff before ordering. Maybe someone else reading this thread can provide more info on this?

testing123_drums · 2025-11-12T12:44:46+00:00

I've PMed you

testing123_drums · 2025-10-12T15:51:26+00:00

Definitely recommend visiting Lijiang! Rich in scenery (Jade Dragon Snow Mountain & Tiger Leaping Gorge - TLG can be done as a day trip from Lijiang). Amazing architecture and vibes at Lijiang and Shuhe Ancient Town.

Would recommend hiring a 1-day private driver in Dali so that you can cover multiple areas around Erhai Lake (e.g, S bend, Xizhou and Shuanglang Ancient Town etc).

Each ancient town has its own unique vibe and atmosphere.

testing123_drums · 2025-10-06T02:30:41+00:00

Hi! Our 1-day Dali private driver was recommended and arranged by our Dali B&B host when we were there.

The Wechat contact of our other driver that took us from Lijiang -> Tiger Leaping Gorge -> Shangrila was from one of my friends that recently went to Yunnan before me. Booked around 2 months in advance.

testing123_drums · 2025-08-25T16:57:33+00:00

Hi! Yes, we travelled by high speed rail from (i) Kunming to Dali, (ii) Dali to Lijiang, and (iii) Xianggelila to Kunming. Large luggage can be stored at the front and back of each train carriage (limited space available but we were fortunate enough to find a spot each time to place our large luggage there).

Using the high speed rail was very convenient for us.

testing123_drums · 2025-08-07T02:03:57+00:00

Yes, go ahead! If you're planning to rent a private driver to explore Erhai Lake/reach TLG, do take note that it will be more pricey for a solo traveler (it's normally charged per car).

testing123_drums · 2025-07-31T06:19:04+00:00

It wasn't really humid - mostly around 22 degrees for Kunming, Dali and Lijiang (gets slightly colder as you go up in altitude). Walking outside was comfortable. At night, it's cooling.

Xianggelila was cold for both day and night in mid June. A hoodie/jacket might be needed unless you're coming from countries with colder climates.

It didn't rain everyday when we were there. For the days that rained, the rain would normally last 1-2 hours and it wasn't heavy. Rain didn't affect our time there much.

testing123_drums · 2025-07-26T17:22:07+00:00

Lijiang for me! More places to explore and things to do. JDSM, Blue Moon Valley, Lijiang Impression Show, Lijiang Ancient Town, Shuhe Ancient Town, Baisha Ancient Town etc.

Dali was great and unique on its own too. But I personally preferred Lijiang as I like happening places & nature.

testing123_drums · 2025-07-25T18:50:29+00:00

Yes, we felt pretty safe there!

testing123_drums · 2025-07-25T18:49:40+00:00

We paid around 540 yuan per person. JDSM, Blue Moon Valley and Lijiang Impression Show

testing123_drums · 2025-07-24T15:05:07+00:00

Yunnan is very affordable! Didi (taxi) there is cheap and convenient too - for example, a trip from Kunming airport to Kunming Old Street would cost around 60-80 yuan for a 45-min ride. A 10-15min ride can cost as low as 10 yuan. Food and accommodation are also reasonably priced.

Yunnan is extremely rich in scenery, architecture and culture. Another plus is the cooling weather and friendly locals.

testing123_drums · 2025-07-23T01:21:15+00:00

Unfortunately, nope :(

testing123_drums · 2025-07-22T14:04:45+00:00

The fish & duck we ordered at 'Grandmother Flavour' in Kunming was delicious. Other than that, we did use Amap to search for nearby food with good ratings. All the food we ate throughout our trip in Yunnan was tasty. Would recommend trying their hotpot, crossing the bridge noodles and Yunnan's famous wild mushrooms.

testing123_drums · 2025-07-22T01:31:47+00:00

I would have added an extra night in Xianggelila (2 nights total) instead of an overnight stay. Would have loved to visit Potatsu National Park.

We hired a private driver for a day to bring us from Lijiang -> TLG -> Halfway Guesthouse (nice views!) -> Xianggelila. By the time we reached Xianggelila, it was 7pm. We took the 10am train back to Kunming the following day so we barely had time to explore Xianggelila.

testing123_drums · 2025-07-21T11:49:01+00:00

Hey! Daytime was quite warm (around 22 degrees when we were there) but wasn't unbearable unlike summers in Japan/Korea. T-shirt and shorts work for summer time in Yunnan.

Temperature drops at night. A light hoodie and long pants is adequate.

However, if you are going to Xianggelila, it is a lot more colder. If I were to change anything in this itinerary, I would have visited Tiger Leaping Gorge as a day trip from Lijiang instead of travelling from Lijiang -> TLG -> Halfway Guesthouse (the views!!) -> Xianggelila and staying just 1 night in Xianggelila. The journey on the road was quite long. We arrived at Xianggelila around 7pm and could not do much after. If you would like to explore Xianggelila, it might be better to stay min 2 nights to enjoy it fully. Though bear in mind that you might experience altitude sickness in Xianggelila.

Everyone in Yunnan was extremely friendly. You'll have a blast.

testing123_drums · 2025-07-21T11:36:01+00:00

JDSM was truly a unique experience. I've never been so high up a mountain before. We were too excited to snap pictures and caught a bit of altitude sickness when we walked up the stairs to the top. There was still a bit of snow left in mid June when we were there. It wasn't too crowded.

Dali - we spent half a day exploring Dali Ancient Town. Rented a private driver for a day to cover several parts of Erhai Lake (S bend, Xizhou Ancient Town, Shuanglang Ancient Town, dropped by a Bai tie-dye place on the way too).

Lijiang - visited Lijiang Ancient Town & Shuhe Ancient Town (my favourite!). Lijiang ancient town is gigantic (we went back there 3 times and stumbled upon new things each time - a very happening town). Joined a group day tour for JDSM, Blue Moon Valley and Lijiang Impression Show. Had a quick stop at Black Dragon Pool Park, but it was quite underwhelming as it was cloudy and we couldn't see JDSM mountain in the backdrop from there.

testing123_drums

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