Travel with Livia: 4 Days Yunnan Lijiang and Shangri-La Solo Travel Tour

Yunnan has been on my travel list for a long time. I have been to Kunming and Dali 7 years ago but didn't finish Lijiang and Shangri-la part. For the epidemic, I casually have 4 days break every week in May. It naturally came to my mind to take a 4-day trip to Lijiang and Shangri-La.

My original tour plan referenced 2 routes on our website

• 3 days Lijiang tour

• 3 days Shangri-la Tour

But under the epidemic situation, there is no travel agency was allowed to arrange a tour in May 2020. The China domestic travel industry reopened on 14, July 2020. I have to travel on my own and made a plan by myself. Yunnan is a remote region and less advanced developed. All the public transportation facilities are limited and poor. It's not so convenient to finish my plan with public transportation so most of the time I used a taxi and DiDi app. As lucky as me, I got a recommendation from my hotel owner, to join a local driver's group to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and Shangri-La. Saved lots of my time and energy.

My Original Plan is:

Day 1: Chengdu-Lijiang. Morning flight. Take a visit to Dayan's ancient town and live there. Mufu Palace.Sifang Street Square. Lion Hill and climb up the 33-meter-tall Wanggu Tower. Black Dragon Pool Park and Dongba Culture Museum.If time permits, go to Shuhe ancient town for dinner.

Day 2: Jade Dragon Snow Mountain,. Impression Lijiang Show.Blue Moon Valley.Baisha Mural Paintings.

Day 3: Lijiang-Tiger Leaping Gorge.Shangri-La (Songzanlin Monastery.Guishan Hill Dukezong Old Town.

Day 4: Napa Lake Pudacuo National Park.Shangri-La-Chengdu (Evening flight)

In my actual tour, I didn't have a private driver, so I have to take a lot of walks. And for COVID-19 many places are closed very early such as Dongba Museum. All those information didn't update on the website or anywhere I can get. It would be better to remove Shuhe Ancient Town and Black Dragon Pool Park when you plan to solo travel.

The 2nd day - The Baisha Mural Paintings can be added with Yuhu Village and the Former Residence of Joseph Rock etc. It's a mature travel route of Dongba culture. In Lijiang ancient town, there is a bus go through all the scenic spot linked with Dongba Culture.

The 3rd day - Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and Lijiang impression show (if you can be booked the tickets) is very enough for a day tour. No need to add other itineraries.

In Shangri-La - Songzanlin Monastery is very close to the Napa Sea. This can actually be arranged within one day. And you can live in Dukezong ancient town and take a night climbing of Guishan Park.

So the suggested 4 days route is:
Day 1: Chengdu-Lijiang. Morning flight. Take a visit to Dayan's ancient town and live there. Mufu Palace.Sifang Street Square. Lion Hill and climb up the 33-meter-tall Wanggu Tower. Have dinner in the mountain bar near Wangu Tower. You can see the night panoramic view. Suggest dishes: Naxi roast fish. Cuckoo flower fried eggs.

Day 2: Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Impression Lijiang Show.Bring your own lunch. Blue Moon Valley.Dinner: Smoked pork rib hot pot.

Day 3: Lijiang to Tiger Leaping Gorge.Songzanlin Monastery.Napa Lake Live in Dukezong ancient town and climb the Tortoise Hill and the biggest golden prayer wheelDinner: Yak Hot Pot.

Day 4: Pudacuo National Park.Shangri-La-Chengdu (Evening flight)

Lijiang and Shangri-La Dish Specialties

Lijiang specialties

① Smoked Pork Ribs Hot Pot.

② Black Mountain Lamb Hot Pot.

③ Lijiang Baba cake.

④ Chicken bean jelly.

Shangri-La specialties: Yak Hot Pot

Gift for friends: Pan Xiang Ji Flower Cake. There are many shops in Lijiang. Zanglong Tibetan Yak Meat. It's a Shangri-La local brand. You can buy it in the supermarket. recommended by a local Didi driver.

Local restaurant recommendation for Lijiang Pork Ribs Hot Pot. It's recommended by the owner of the hostel, named 'Lao Dao Fang'. CNY 70 for a small hot pot, enough for 2 people. It offers many kinds of vegetables. You can add it as you like and make the dish sauce by yourself. It is a small restaurant in the ancient city with a clean but limited condition.

Lijiang Pork Ribs Hot Pot

Shuhe Ancient Town: Grandma Wen's little chef. The milk-packed tofu is crispy at the bottom and top but tender in the middle. So delicious.

Yunnan Health Code

There was a health code board for each province next to the airport check-in place. You can scan the code there and fill it out, and it will soon succeed. Or after getting off the plane in Lijiang, there is the staff who will help you register your Yunnan health code and airport entry code. You have to scan the code when you leave the airport and scan another the entry code when you take the airport shuttle bus, also scan one departure code when you get off the bus. Every scenic spot also operates like this. Scanning the code will show which cities you have been to, whether from high or middle-risk places. As long as it is in green would be ok.

Health Codes

Transportation

1) Chengdu to Lijiang: Special discount in epidemic season. The total price for a single way is RMB300 in May 2020. The price will back to normal now since the domestic travel industry back on track.

2) After arriving in Lijiang, I take the airport bus and get off at the last station Blue Sky Hotel. It takes around 1 hour. The last station is very close to many entrances of the Dayan ancient town. Only take 8 minutes DIDI to my hostel.

3) All scenic spots inside Lijiang ancient town are near each other within 10-15 minutes of taxi driving.

4) There is a special bus in the entrance bus station, charge CNY 15 per person. It would take you from Dayan ancient town to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. Departure at 07:30 around. Only local people know it. And would come back at around 16:00.

5) There is a coach from Lijiang to Shangri-La in the coach station, but it will not stop at Tiger Leaping Gorge. So, I didn't take it.

Accommodation - Where to Stay in Lijiang

Because of the epidemic, many inns and hotels offer special prices. I booked a homestay at CNY 115 per night. There are many options for lodging. The main suggestion is to live in the ancient town you like. Shuhe ancient town or Dayan ancient town. Dayan ancient town has more bars while Shuhe ancient town has a bonfire party at 20:00. Moreover, it is best for a single person to book a hostel instead of a hotel. It's cheaper and you can chat with the owner and get a lot of authentic information.

Village Green Inn Guesthouse is where I choose. Because the water heater was broken, Yang, the owner, picked me up to stay at her another hotel which has a better location without extra pay. She adds me on WeChat and sent me a video of the room for me to reference. The room was very nice and clean. She is a super nice person. I went to Lijiang alone and I wanted to go to a bar in the evening. After a few talks, she dressed with makeup and went out with me. Whether she knew the bar owner or not, she can ask them to give me a 30% discount.In the evening, I was still planning how to go to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain by myself. Then she recommended a local driver with a super low price of CNY280 only, share with 7 strangers. The tour starts at 06:30 or 08:30, and I choose the 08:30 one which means I don't need to get up too early. She cooked a bowl of rice noodles in the morning for me and gave me 2 oxygen cylinders and a bottle of water. I just took one oxygen cylinder just in case the high-altitude sickness. It turns out I should prepare more. By the way, she owns another hotel called Manty House, which has the greatest location and you are able to see the panoramic view of the ancient city from the window. In general, her kindness and hospitality make my Lijiang tour almost perfect. I am so willing to go there and live in her hotel again.

• Tips: You can see the panoramic view of the ancient city if you book your hostel on Lion Hill. Many House locates the top of Lion Hill and the local person calls it the Lion Hill Observation Platform. The hostel I lived in is right opposite Manty House and call Lang Fei Yi Sheng Hostel.

Lion Hill (Including WanguTower)

After a short welcome tea time with Yang, I go straight down the street for 100 meters and get in the Lion Mountain Scenic Spot on the right hand. The viewing platform on the left of the entrance door can overlook the ancient city of Lijiang.

Overlooks Lijiang Ancient City

There are a few tables and chairs on the third floor of Wangu Tower. You can sit by the window and watch the scenery leisurely. You can also order something from the small stand next. You can charge your phone here also.
Entrance Ticket: CNY 35 per person.
Opening hours: 08:30-18:30.
Ticket sales stop at 18:00.Duration of the tour: 30-40 mins.

Wangu Tower

If you live at the foot of the mountain, it would be the last place to visit. The order of the tour can be Sifang Street-Mufu Palace-Lion Hills incudes Wangu Tower. There is a small back door in Mufu Palace which can directly go to Wangu Tower. It's not open when I was there. May be will open during peak season.

• Tips:1) There are 2 routes in Lion Hill. One is flat but winding. One is shorter but steep with many stairs. 2) You can only climb stairs when you want to go to the top of Wangu Tower.

Wangu Tower

Mufu Palace

After that, I went to Sifang Street and ate the "Nagging Fang" pork ribs hot pot recommended by the proprietress. You can navigate it on Baidu Map. After the meal, I went to Mufu Palace along the street. There is a self-service ticket vending machine on the right of the entrance. Tickets can be bought with CNY40 with a Chinese ID card. Senior tickets or discount tickets can be bought at the ticket window with staff next to the self-service machine.

Mufu Palace

When you enter the gate, there will be a guide to ask you to wait for more people and give you a free guide service from the square in Chinese. Each main building has a free guide. The entire tour lasts 40-50 mins. It will be longer with children or the elderly. You can follow the guide or visit on your own. As it's cultural relics, it would be more meaningful with the historical background instead of seeing only buildings.

Mufu Palace

Black Dragon Pool Park

After visit Mufu Palace, I took a 20 minutes' walk from Sifang Street to the park. The south gate is closed, so I turn to the west gate with more than 10 minutes. You can see the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain far from a viewing platform that is on the mountain and need 30 minutes around to climb up. It's not allowed for people to climb up after 16:00.

You can also visit with Dongba Culture Museum, which is at one of the park exits. During the epidemic, the museum opening hours are from 09:00-16:30 and the museum is closed on the first and third Mondays of each month.
Tickets: Free. Tour time: 40min.

Black Dragon Pool Park

Shuhe Ancient Town

Then I take 15 minutes of Didi to Shuhe Ancient Town. When I get there, it's about 17:30. The ticket center, museum, and show all shut down. The town is still open for visitors. This town has fewer people than Dayan and some of the shops have been closed. The most beautiful part is in the middle of the town called 'Fei Hua Chu Shui' which means flying flowers touch the water gently. It comes at dinner time. I went to the No. 1 rank restaurant on Dianping.com which is called Wen granny's Kitchen. Nice clean environment. Their specialty tofu dish has a special discount with CNY 9.9. So lucky!

Tickets for Shuhe Ancient Town are CNY30 per person. Including all Sifang Quartet's performances and 2 museums.Performance Schedule: Every 9:00, 14:00: "Naxi Ancient Music Performance" 10:30, 15:10: "Song and Dance Performance of Sands Dancing" 20:00: "Bonfire Party".

You can also visit Harry Valley Cultural Park, Tea Horse Road Museum (opening hours 7:30-17:30). If you are more interested in culture, it is recommended to visit the ancient town during business hours, and you can also ride horses.In the evening, we go to the bar at the mountain foot in Dayan. Here is one suggestion. If you don't have dinner, you can go to a restaurant on the mountain with food and a singer. You can have a casual talk also appreciate the night view of the ancient city.

Shuhe Ancient Town

Jade Dragon Snow Mountain

At 08:30, the driver picked me up at the foot of the Lion Hill. After 40 minutes of driving, we arrived at the snow mountain parking lot. he gives us one down jacket and a bottle of oxygen and also suggests us bring another one with extra pay. If you don't use it, you can return it without extra pay. The tourist center near the cable car station also sells each oxygen bottle from CNY30-60. From the tourist center, we take the shuttle bus and go to the big tramway. After 30 minutes queue, we finally get up and directly go up to the 4000 meters high platform. In here, I felt dizzy and breathless. After taking 15 minutes rest, we 8 people group start to climb up the mountain. On the day we went, the weather was too bad to see anything around. Everywhere are covered with fog, only can see the mountain for a few seconds when a blow of wind come.

• Tips:1) There are 3 tramways in Jade Snow Dragon Mountain. Spruce tramway is suggested if you have a high possibility to have high-altitude sickness instead of Glacier tramway.
2) The maintenance fee of the ancient city: CNY 50 per person. When you go to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, it should be included in the entrance tickets fee if you haven't pay it in Lijiang ancient city. There are signs in Dayan and Shuhe everywhere. But when I went into the town, there was no one selling Lijiang entrance tickets. Only people registering and checking body temperature. The Jade Dragon Snow Mountain also did not let me pay for this. Maybe because of the epidemic, it's not very clear.
3) There is a time limit range when you book the Glacier tramway. For example, our enter time is 08:30-09:30. When we get there, time passed. Probably because of what we offered by local people, the ticket checking staff directly used his card scan for each of us and let us passed. I saw a family nearby, and they were told need to rebook the ticket.
4) The best time to visit the snow-capped mountains is in March, the sky is blue and clear.
5) The whole Glacier tour time is about 2-3 hours. There are only a few snacks offer on the mountain, so it would be better you bring some favorite beverages and sandwiches or chicken rolls for lunch.

Jade Dragon Snow Mountain

After back to the mountain foot, there will be two shuttle bus directions. One is to go to Blue Moon Valley, the other is to Ganhaizi which near the parking lot. We went to Blue Moon Valley. But didn't take the CNY 50 battery car. We took 300 meters to walk from Blue Moon Valley to White Water River. The scenery along the way is amazing. You can take pictures of yaks to ask CNY 20 per person.

After back to the parking lot, it was almost 15:00. This is the main reason why I suggest you bring some food on your own. Even the tour package includes lunch, it would be very late. There is one Snow Mountain Chef restaurant (Open from 10:00-14:00) near the parking lot. If you want to have lunch here, you need to take the shuttle bus back to GanHaizi first after finishing the tramway, then go to Blue Moon Valley again. It will take more time, but it is more convenient. The Impression Lijiang Show is worth to add to enrich your tour plan. But sadly, on the day I went there, it was still closed.

Blue Moon Valley

Baisha Ancient Town

As I counted I would be back to the hostel at about 16:00, which was too early, so I told the driver to let me get off at the entrance of Baisha Ancient Town. Then I walk 2km to see the Baisha Mural Painting and the ancient street.

The Baisha Mural Museum closed at 17:00. I entered at 16:30. Because the main building Liuli Temple and Dabaoji Palace were under repair, the ticket sales staff confirmed with me several times whether I want to go or not. I mainly just saw an exhibition of the history of rock paintings and some small original murals on the walls. The security guard intimately guides and explains the origin of these murals to me. So friendly and kind. After leaving the museum, the old street of Baisha Ancient Town is right on the hand. I saw old ladies sit around and chat with others. Very lifelike scene. Then I took Didi back to my hotel and had a nice talk with the young Didi driver.

Entry Tickets: CNY 20. Tour time: 30mins -1 h.

• Tips: The original Baisha mural Painting is not allowed to be photographed.

Baisha Ancient Town

Tiger Leaping Gorge

As I plan to go back to Chengdu from Shangri-La, I joined one day Lijiang Shangri-la Lijiang tour with a driver only. Shared with another 6 strangers. After finished the Shangri-La part itinerary, I left the group and check into the hotel by myself. From Lijiang to Shangri-La takes about 3.5-4 hours driving. Flat road but no expressway. Hearing from the driver that one expressway is under construction and may be finished within 2023. It will only take 2 hours by then.We Depart at 06:30 in the morning and plan to return to Lijiang at about 20:00. My tour would finish at 17:00 around. Shangri-La has only one flight to Chengdu by then. Lijiang has more choices and cheaper prices. If you have more time, you can choose 2 days Lijiang Shangri-La Lijiang tour.

From Lijiang, it takes about 2 hours to Upper Tiger Leaping Gorge. It takes about 1 hour to go down from the visitor center to the riverside and then back. There is a human-lifting seat charge of CNY 200 per person for round way and CNY150 per person for a single way. The river is very spectacular, but it will be even more shocking in Aug to Sep flood season.

Tiger Leaping Gorge

The scenery along the way to Shangri-La

The most beautiful scenery in Shangri-La is not in the scenic area, but trees, grasslands, minority houses, alpine flower meadows along the way. Haba Snow Mountain Observation Deck, a great place to see the fields with mountains and clouds. There are pear blossoms in March. Rhododendrons in May,. And chamomile flowers in September and October. Each season has its own beauty.

The scenery along the way to Shangri-La

Songzanlin Monastery

Entrance Tickets: For the scenic spot are 55 yuan, including 15 yuan per person with a Chinese tour guide and shuttle bus. It took about 10 minutes' drive from the gate to Songzanlin Monastery. This Monastery locates in a Tibetan village. You can see many residential buildings along the shuttle bus road. There would be a guide ask you to wait and offer free Chinese speaking guide service.

• Tips:1) Shangri-La is about 3,600 meters above sea level. Don't climb the stairs too fast or may get high-altitude sickness. 2) Tibetan temples must be visited in a clockwise direction. Looking at the three temples from left to right. Each temple can only stay for 10 minutes or less. Because there are no windows and many butter lamps inside. Long time stay may cause dizziness and nausea. 3) No camera allowed inside.

Songzanlin Monastery

Ramyangcuo Lake is right in front of the temple. There are plank roads around the lake. People who like to hike can walk on their own. Taking pictures of the temple on the opposite lakeside should be a wonderful choice for photography.

As Songzanlin Monastery is next to Napa Lake, there will be many local drivers promote you with CNY30 to go there. Be careful with it, they may drive you directly to a horse-riding farm without seeing the real lake. There is no problem with riding a horse, but it may be uneconomical to not see the lake.

After the tour, you can directly return to the entrance by shuttle bus.

• Tips: Entering the middle temple, there would be a respectful Tibetan Monk sit there and pat your head with a traditional implement, and then give you a bracelet. You can take the bracelet. The Tibetan Buddhists didn't ask people to give any money but all voluntary. It's okay to not give any money but have to show politeness and respect.

Ramyangcuo Lake

Guishan Hill Park and Dukezong Ancient City

There are few temples in Guishan Hill Park and it also needs to visit in clockwise order. When you came in, one monk will give you 3 incense for free to light in front of the temple. It's ok to give some money or not, but need to show respect and kindness.

After the temple, you can go to the world's largest prayer wheel. Pure gold and symbolize the Tibetan people's devotion to their buddha.The Dukezong ancient town is located at the foot of the mountain. You can live in a hostel in the ancient city. Recommendation: Blossom Hill Inn. The environment is very good and the food is delicious. Curry beef is CNY48 per dish for your reference. The overall feeling is similar to the Lijiang ancient town but much smaller. On the edge of Dukezong Ancient City, there is also a Red Army Long March Memorial Museum, which is free of charge and you can go for a walk.

Guishan Hill Park

Dukezong Ancient City

Napa Lake

Maybe because of the high altitude here, I woke up very early in the morning. Took into account that Pudacuo hasn't opened yet, so I decided to go to Napa Lake for a look. I take a Didi and the driver drove me directly to the horse-riding farm. It took CNY290 to ride for an hour. The experience is interesting and the grassland view is good but I didn't see any lake. Also, there is no Didi I can order since the location is far away from the city. So, I called the Didi driver again to pick me up and drive me directly to Pudacuo National Park. It took around 40 minutes. The driver was very unkind and told me that there was no public bus from Pudacuo to the city downtown and wanted me to call him again. When I finished my tour, I asked the staff there whether they have a shuttle bus to the city downtown. They sold me one ticket with only CNY 20 and depart at 14:00.In the afternoon, I went back to the ancient city for lunch. The owner of Blossom Hill Inn told me that the best way to go to Napa Lake is to rent a battery car and drive it around by the lake by myself. Napa lake is an open lake like Lugu Lake. In a normal case, you can join a group with 7-8 persons. And each person would be charged around CNY 150-200.Much Chinese use Didi and this driver already take 20,000 order from Didi. So, you can imagine how many people have been cheated on and all those bad feedbacks would influence hundreds of people who plan to come to Shangri-La. That's why when we operate as a travel agency, we must be responsible for our customers and ensure the tour quality and make a positive difference to the world.

• Tips: 1) Horse riding has three price tags 180/290/340 with different times and routes. CNY 340 one is recommended. All the workers in the horse-riding farm are local villagers. They do a different job in turns every day and get a profit share from the government at end of the year. It's important to not make strange noises when riding. Villagers say that horses are very timid, but if you are a group and walk with several horses in line. They would be better. And archery is very interesting with CNY 1 per shot. It will be very funny when you go with friends or families.

Horse Riding Field

Pudacuo National Park

Tickets for the scenic spot: 80 yuan (includes shuttle bus fee). Because only Shudu Lake is open during the epidemic, the itinerary is very simple.Take the shuttle bus to Shudu Lake, walk 3KM plank road to the end then take the shuttle bus back. The tour takes about 2 hours around. On June 1, 2020, I saw another hiking route is open. You can follow the WeChat Official Account: Pudacuo National Park. To get the newest information. Shudu Lake can take a boat CNY 50 yuan per person. There are 4 piers. No. 1 and 3 can get on foot. Only No. 4 locates the opposite to the end of the plank road. It is an alpine grassland. Except for rhododendrons and rare plants, there is a rare kind of fish with no scale and one scar line in their tummy. I accidentally photographed it when I was standing by the lake enjoying the wind and lake waves. Lucky me!

• Tips: 1) There is no restaurant and snacks stand in Pudacuo National Park. Only in the tourist center have one small supermarket. It is suggested to bring some food. 2) The tourist service center can store luggage and offer many services like a wheelchair. If you put Pudacuo National Park on the last day of the trip like me, you can bring your luggage and store it in the tourist service center.3) Transportation: There is a cheap bus to Pudacuo in the ancient city of Dukezong bus station. I came back from Pudacuo National Park around 14:00 in the afternoon. Then It took about 40 minutes. Charge CNY 20 per person. 4) Opening hours: April-June: 07:30-16:00; November-March: 08:30-16:00.

Pudacuo National Park

Shangri-La Airport

I take a taxi for 10 minutes from the hotel to Shangri-La Airport. This city is very small and the airport is near the county center. There was a super funny thing here. Because there was only one plane that flew around 17:50 that day, the airport staff came to work around 16:00. And for there was maintenance in the airport bathroom, the maintenance staff locked the airport gate. Some people came early like me, waited at the gate with many airport staff in uniforms. So funny. Fortunately, it was resolved quickly, but it was really a very special experience I ever had.

In general, this trip to Lijiang and Shangri-La is still wonderful and excellent, except that there is no preplan to bars and Napa Lake The most beautiful thing is not only the scenery along the way but also the kind people I met. Wish you all health and wealth.