Yunnan Itinerary

Yunnan Itinerary

This was our first time travelling to China with the kids, and we chose Yunnan. We were very lucky to have a family friend who drove us around, which made the trip much smoother. That said, travelling independently is very doable: trains connect most cities, it’s easy to rent a car with a driver, and Didi ride-hailing is widely available within cities.

We travelled to Yunnan in December, which is considered non-peak season. It was sunny almost every day, but there’s a big temperature difference between day and night, so make sure to dress in layers.

Coming straight from Japan to China, we did find Yunnan a little more challenging with kids.

  • Attractions are often very spread out, and many require internal shuttle buggy or long walks, which can easily eat into meal times and energy levels.
  • It’s also not very stroller-friendly - even ancient towns have cobblestone roads retained from the past, and many attractions meant for families (like farms and theme parks) still involve lots of steps.
  • Family bathrooms are limited. While things were cleaner than expected, squat toilets are common, which meant holding my toddler to pee.
  • Food was another adjustment - generally oilier, sometimes spicy, and we often had to double-confirm “no chili” as it’s commonly added. Included only the restaurants we thought were nice below.
  • High altitude can be tricky, especially for younger kids who may not be able to express discomfort or refuse taking oxygen.

That said, we made so many core memories as a family.

What we would’ve done differently:

  • Skip Jiaozi Snow Mountain.
  • In Dali, split stays into two accommodations: one in the west near the Old Town (more attractions), one in the east near Shuanglang (more relaxing and better views). Erhai Lake is huge and attractions are spread out; getting from east to west can take over an hour.
  • Skip Yulong Glacier Park with our toddler and go to Spruce Plateau instead.
    • Plan: head to Dongba Valley early to catch 日照金山 (golden light on mountain) - check the weather the night before - if it’s cloudy, skip. Then continue to Yulong Spruce Plateau and Blue Moon Valley.

Yunnan travel tips:

  • Use Amap (高德地图) for navigation.
  • Dianping is great for finding restaurants and attractions.
  • WeChat & Alipay are essential: payments, reading menus, ordering food.
  • We booked all accomms from Trip.com.
  • We went Kunming → Dali → Lijiang → Shangri-La to acclimatize slowly and didn’t experience altitude sickness.
  • UV is very strong - bring sunscreen and hats.
  • Oxygen tanks are helpful in Yulong Snow Mountain and Shangri-la. Buy them from pharmacies - reasonably priced and legit.

🗺 Trip Map

Kunming → Jiaozi Snow Mountain → Heijing → Dali → Shaxi → Lijiang → Shangri-la

📅 Itinerary Overview

Day 0 – Arrival

  • Arrive at midnight and check-in hotel

🏨 Novotel Living Yunnan Dianchi Times

Day 1 – Kunming

  • Haigeng Dam (海埂大坝)
    • Seagull season at Haigeng Dam – thousands of seagulls migrate from Siberia and gather here
    • Very crowded and overwhelming
    • Many vendors selling cakes and biscuits to feed the seagulls. It didn’t feel quite right personally
  • Yunnan Ethnic Village (云南民族村)
    • a huge cultural theme park, great to visit at the start of the trip to learn about the ethnic groups in Yunnan, which makes other visits more meaningful
    • Get a tour guide to see the highlights, as the park is too big to explore alone
    • Cultural performances are worth watching
  • Kunming Old Street (昆明老街)
    • Quite a chill town without much touting

🍽 Meals:
Dinner: 芸南道·过桥米线(昆明老街旗舰店)

🏨 Novotel Living Yunnan Dianchi Times

Day 2 - Kunming → Jiaozi Snow Mountain

  • Stone Forest （石林）
    • UNESCO site with tall limestone formations
  • Drive to Jiaozi Snow Mountain

Day 3 - Jiaozi Snow Mountain

  • Planned to let the kids try skiing and snowboarding, but the skii centre was permanently closed due to low crowd
  • Went up expecting snow, but no snow - dry weather lately and no reliable way to check in advance

Day 3 - Jiaozi Snow Mountain → Red Land (1hr) → Heijing (2hr)

  • Red Land (红土地）
    • vivid red soil and patchwork farmland
    • not many tourists
    • easy & relaxing trail
  • Drive to Heijing (黑井古镇）
    • Real authentic old town – less commercialised, with rich history as a salt trading town

🍽 Meals:
Dinner: 会友堂

🏨 Yue Heng Hotel

Day 4 - Heijing → Dali (3hr)

  • Wu Family Courtyard
  • Take the authentic horse carriage (10 yuan per pax and only cash is accepted) to the Ancient Salt Workshop to learn about salt-making history and try a DIY salt activity
  • Drive to Dali
  • Shuanglang Old Town

🏨 Dali Shuanglang Xinhaiyuan Seaview Inn

Day 5 - Dali → Wuliangshan (2hr)

  • Day trip to Wuliangshan Cherry Blossom Valley (无量山樱花谷）
    • Winter cherry blossoms blooming among tea plantations
    • Only blossom for a month from Nov - Dec

Day 6 - Dali

  • Xizhou (喜洲)
    • Wheat field miniature train - even with few crowds, the waiting time can be long as there is no fixed timetable
    • Walk around the old town
  • Yunshang Caoyuan 云上草原
    • A mini theme park with rides, activities, and a farm for feeding animals
    • Entrance fee 10 yuan, plus charges for rides and feeding
    • Sheep roam freely but can be aggressive
    • The farm offers a nice scenic vantage point with views of the city
  • Erhai Ecological Corridor (洱海生态廊道）
    • Navigate to 渔海饭店 and start the trail towards 富美邑 - much less crowded than the popular S湾
    • Features beautiful lake views with mountains in the background, red-leaved trees, greenery, and open fields etc
    • Stop at 牙生咖啡空间 for aesthetic cafe interior with great view

🍽 Meals:
Lunch: 四季云野·云南野生菌火锅·围炉烤肉(喜洲店)
Dinner: 雲禾壹伴山海景庄园餐厅 (with a big play area)

Day 7 - Dali

  • Little Putuo Island (小普陀)
    • surrounded by seagulls with the temple on the island as a backdrop
  • Wenbicun (文笔村)
    • Rainbow Road (彩虹公路)
    • spent lots of time chilling at Hong Shi Ka Fei (红石咖啡), a cafe at the top of Wenbicun
    • Super nice views and a big compound to relax in
  • Experience Dali tie-dying
    • Did it at 文杏蓝坊 - we just picked somewhere that's convenient and reasonably priced (less than 200yuan for a T-shirt and a dress)

🍽 Meals:
Lunch: 枕丘·私厨

Day 8 - Dali → Shaxi

  • A charming and relaxing old town that’s somewhat touristy but with minimal touting and soliciting
  • Has many original design shops, giving it a different vibe from other ancient towns
  • We arrived on a Friday and got to experience the local market day (集市)
  • Xianfeng book store (先锋书局）

🍽 Meals:
Lunch: 一麓有山

🏨 Shaxi Ancient Town Xiyuan Boutique Homestay

Day 9 - Shaxi → Lijiang

  • Yujin Bridge (visit between 8-9am for the best view)
  • Lijiang Ancient Town (丽江古城）
    • We entered from the North entrance which was near to the water wheel and Sifang square
  • Shuhe Ancient Town (束河古镇)
  • Baisha Ancient Town (白沙古镇)
    • We stayed here, and it felt lively with unique, quaint shops
    • Many cafes and restaurants offer nice mountain views, with some featuring rooftop seating

🍽 Meals:
Dinner: 梁厨餐厅(白沙店)

🏨 LiShanLiShui

Day 10 - Yulong Snow Mountain (Lijiang)

  • Day tour to Yulong Snow Mountain (玉龙雪山）
    • Yulong Glacier Park (冰川公园)
    • Blue Moon Valley (蓝月谷)
    • We went to Yulong Glacier Park to make up for missing snow at Jiaozi Snow Mountain. Getting tickets for the ropeway for Glacier Park was quite tricky and competitive - they sell out fast, and you have to use WeChat mini program and purchase through the official agency. We joined their tour, but it wasn’t the best experience. We woke up early for a detour, had to go through a 15-minute briefing at the oxygen center, which felt like a push to buy altitude sickness remedies. It was stressful bringing the kids, especially worrying about altitude sickness. We had to use oxygen cans before ascending, but my toddler refused. If you don't plan to visit Glacier Park, getting ropeway tickets for the other attractions (Yunshanping, Maoniuping) in Yulong is much more straightforward.

🍽 Meals:
Dinner: 云雪丽·白沙雪山观景餐厅

Day 11 - Lijiang → Shangri-la (2hr)

  • 寶芝林·咖啡酒馆 for coffee and 烧饼, with a rooftop offering mountain views
  • Drive to Shangri-la
  • Songzanlin Monastery (松赞林寺)
  • Dukezong Ancient Town (独克宗古镇) & Guishan Park (龟山公园）
    • Largest prayer wheel (250 steps up)

🏨Yunye Fengwan

Day 12 - Shangri-la

  • Rent Tibetan costumes and do makeup (望望山) – during this period, just outside the ancient town, most shops offer 78 yuan for full makeup and all-day rental, and 50 yuan for kids. Inside the town, it’s 88 yuan. We just picked a shop near our homestay. The shops are all connected anyway, and I was referred to another shop for makeup to save time. Overall, we had a great experience.
  • Tour around Napa Lake and take photos
    • Ride horses - I heard there are a lot of traps around this. I forgot the exact place we rode, but for reference, it was 160 yuan for 2 horses for the 4 of us for a 45-minute ride. Make sure to confirm the price and watch out for any hidden charges beforehand.
    • 天空之门·观海咖啡屋
    • 十里黑豆咖啡屋 - a big compound café with sheep and alpacas roaming freely, and plenty of nice photo spots overlooking Napa Lake.
  • Dukezong Ancient Town

Day 13 - Shangri-la → Kunming → Singapore

  • Drive to Kunming and depart from there

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