8-Day Yunnan Tour: Kunming, Dali, Lijiang, Shangrila

Cable car to the summit, then walk the narrowest point of Tiger Leaping Gorge.

An 8-day private tour of Yunnan combining four ancient towns (Kunming, Dali, Lijiang, Shangrila), mountain scenery and ethnic culture. You travel by high-speed train between cities, explore on foot with a guide, take cable cars to alpine viewpoints, and watch a large-scale outdoor performance. The tour includes all entrance fees, hotels, breakfast, train tickets and a professional English-speaking guide. You arrange your own lunch and dinner. Children from age 6 are welcome.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1: Arrive Kunming and city tour

• Meet guide at arrival hall
• Transfer to downtown hotel for check-in
• Visit Kunming Old Street
• Explore Nanping Shopping Street and Jinbi Square
• Enjoy street food at Nanqiang Night Market

Day 2: Travel to Dali and sightseeing

• Travel Kunming to Dali by bullet train
• Visit Chongsheng Three Pagodas
• Explore Dali Old Town

Day 3: Explore Dali natural and cultural sites

• Visit Cangshan Mountain via cable car
• Visit Erhai Lake and Longkan Pier
• Explore Xizhou Old Town and try local snack
• Visit Zhoucheng Village for tie-dye fabrics

Day 4: Visit Shaxi and Lijiang Old Towns

• Visit Shaxi Ancient Town
• Travel from Dali to Lijiang by private car
• Explore Lijiang Old Town

Day 5: Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and show

• Visit Jade Dragon Snow Mountain via cable car
• Visit Blue Moon Valley
• Watch Impressions Lijiang show (VIP seat)

Day 6: Tiger Leaping Gorge and Potatso Park

• Visit Tiger Leaping Gorge Upper Scenic Spot
• Visit Potatso National Park by sightseeing bus
• Travel Lijiang to Shangrila by private car

Day 7: Shangrila cultural sites and travel

• Visit Songzanlin Monastery
• Explore Dukezong Ancient Town
• Travel Shangrila to Kunming by bullet train

Day 8: Free time and departure

• Free time in Kunming for shopping and exploring
• Transfer to airport for departure

The experience

Your guide meets you at Kunming airport and takes you to your hotel downtown. The first evening you walk Kunming's century-old streets: the Ming and Qing dynasty layout of Kunming Old Street, the shops and food stalls of Nanping Street, and the Golden Horse and Jade Rooster Memorial Archways, built around 400 years ago and lit up at night. The next morning you board a high-speed train to Dali, where you visit Chongsheng Three Pagodas, the tallest standing 69 meters, first built during the Nanzhao Kingdom (823–859 AD). The pagodas sit among ancient cypresses and reflecting pools. On calm days the water mirrors them perfectly.

From Dali you take a cable car up Cangshan Mountain to Ximatan, an artificial lake at 3,920 meters built in the Nanzhao period. The 35-minute ride gives you views of Dali's ancient city and the surrounding peaks. You visit Erhai Lake, the second-largest highland lake in Yunnan, and in winter months (November to March) you can watch and feed thousands of red-billed gulls that migrate from Siberia. You explore Xizhou Old Town, home to the best-preserved Bai ethnic architecture and the local snack Xizhou Baba, a pan-fried bread with sweet or savory filling. In Zhoucheng Village you see the tie-dye fabrics and embroidery that earned it the title "hometown of Bai tie-dye."

You drive to Lijiang and stop at Shaxi Ancient Town, the only surviving market on the Tea Horse Ancient Road and a filming location for the film "Meet Yourself." The town sits on the World Monument Watch List of 100 most endangered sites. Lijiang Old Town, at 2,400 meters elevation, is a UNESCO World Heritage site built by the Naxi people without city walls. Its waterways and ancient architecture let you wander without a fixed route. You take a cable car up Jade Dragon Snow Mountain to Spruce Meadow at 3,240 meters, a huge lawn in original spruce forest where you see the 5,596-meter peak up close. Blue Moon Valley below holds four turquoise lakes and dozens of white waterfalls. In the evening you sit in the VIP section to watch Impressions Lijiang, a large-scale outdoor performance directed by Zhang Yimou (who directed the 2008 Beijing Olympics opening ceremony), with more than 100 horses and 500 non-professional actors from 16 local villages performing on a 12-meter stage made of red sandstone.

On the drive to Shangrila you visit Tiger Leaping Gorge, one of the world's deepest. You take an elevator down to the Upper Gorge Scenic Spot and walk along the Jinsha River to its narrowest point to hear the roar of the water. Potatso National Park sits at 3,700 meters. You ride a sightseeing bus and walk the wooden boardwalk around Bitahai Lake. In Shangrila you explore Songzanlin Monastery, the largest Tibetan Buddhist temple in Yunnan, built to mirror Potala Palace in Lhasa, with halls lit by incense and yak butter oil lamps. Dukezong Ancient Town, 1,300 years old at 3,200 meters altitude, has traditional Tibetan homes, narrow winding alleys and prayer flags. From Guishan Park you can see the world's largest prayer wheel and views over the town. A high-speed train returns you to Kunming, where you have a free morning to explore and buy souvenirs before the driver takes you to the airport.

What’s included

• All entrance tickets to the sites in the itinerary.
• private air-conditioned vehicle with driver, including petrol, toll fees and parking.
• first-class high-speed train tickets (Kunming to Dali and Shangrila to Kunming).
• Impressions Lijiang VIP seating.
• professional English-speaking guide.
• daily breakfast.
• 4-star local hotels with twin-share rooms.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day

Book up toStart time

AgesAdult (18 to 65 years) · Youth (13 to 17 years) · Child (6 to 12 years) · Under 6: can't be booked

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish and Chinese

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 2 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 6 days before the start.Between 2 and 6 days before the start, 50% refund.After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

ConfirmationConfirmation within 48 h

Prices and times updated 7 days ago

Good to know

Moderate physical effortPublic transport nearbyNot recommended during pregnancyNot recommended with heart problems

Operated by China Wandering Travel Tours

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to move between Yunnan's mountain towns and lakes by private vehicle over multiple days, combining walking through ancient streets with cable car ascents to high viewpoints.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Chinese.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (13 to 17 years); Child (6 to 12 years). Children under 6 can't be included in the booking.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 6 days before the start.

What's the cable car experience like on Cangshan Mountain?

The Ximatan cableway takes about 35 minutes to reach 3,920 meters, an artificial lake built during the Nanzhao Kingdom period. From the top you see Dali Ancient City and the surrounding natural scenery of Cangshan Mountain before the cable car brings you back down.

Can I see the seagulls at Erhai Lake?

Erhai Lake is seagull-watching season from November to March, with the largest flocks in December. Tens of thousands of red-billed gulls migrate from Siberia to spend the winter there, and you can feed and interact with them up close against the backdrop of snow-capped Cangshan Mountains.

What happens at Impressions Lijiang?

Impressions Lijiang is a large-scale outdoor song and dance performance with more than 100 horses and 500 non-professional actors from 16 local villages and over 10 ethnic minorities. The 12-meter stage is made of red sandstone, and you watch from the VIP seating with Jade Dragon Snow Mountain in the background.

How does the train travel work on this tour?

You travel by high-speed train in first class from Kunming to Dali on day two, and from Shangrila back to Kunming on day seven. Both train tickets are included in the tour price. Guide service on the train is available as an option at checkout.

What's included in the tour price?

The tour includes all entrance tickets to the sites listed in the itinerary; private air-conditioned vehicle with driver, petrol, tolls and parking; first-class train tickets; Impressions Lijiang VIP seat; professional English-speaking guide; breakfast daily; and 4-star hotels with twin-share rooms. You arrange and pay for your own lunch and dinner.