Lijiang Old Town & Jade Dragon Snow Mountain

The Naxi old town and Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Sifang Street bars and Shuhe Ancient Town, plus Lugu Lake: the classic hub of Yunnan travel.

Lijiang lies in northwestern Yunnan, in the Hengduan Mountains where Yunnan, Sichuan and Tibet meet. The city sits at about 2,400 m and is the cultural center of the Naxi people. The Old Town of Lijiang (Dayan, Shuhe and Baisha) was inscribed as a World Cultural Heritage Site in 1997. To the north, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (main peak 5,596 m) holds the southernmost modern glaciers in the Northern Hemisphere; to the northwest, Tiger Leaping Gorge is a world-class trekking canyon; west of the city, Lashi Lake is a migratory-bird wetland; and in Shigu town to the west you can see the “First Bend of the Yangtze” on the Jinsha River. The climate is a plateau monsoon type with distinct dry and wet seasons. November to April is the dry season, with plenty of sunshine and good visibility of the snow mountain; the snow line is lowest and the mountain whitest in December–February, though mornings and evenings are cold, and from February to April thousands of camellias bloom at Yufeng Temple. May–October is the rainy season, most intense in July–August, when clouds often hide the mountain, but the meadows are greenest and wild mushrooms are most abundant in the markets. Overall, March–May and September–November are the most comfortable. The area can be divided into four zones. First, the old town area (Dayan Old Town, Mu Palace, Wangu Pavilion on Lion Hill, Black Dragon Pool and the Zhongyi Market, with Naxi ancient music in the evening), plus Shuhe and Baisha: 1–2 days. Second, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (the Glacier Park cable car, the Spruce Meadow or Yak Meadow cable car, Ganhaizi, Blue Moon Valley and the show Impression Lijiang): 1 day. Third, the line along the southern foot of the mountain from Baisha to Yuhu Village, Yushui Zhai and Yufeng Temple, plus Lashi Lake west of the city: 1 day. Fourth, the western route to the First Bend of the Yangtze at Shigu and Tiger Leaping Gorge: 1 day, or 2 days on the High Trail; you can continue on to Shangri-La. Getting there: Lijiang Sanyi Airport is about 28 km from the old town, with an airport shuttle bus; Lijiang station has high-speed trains to Kunming (about 3 hours) and Dali (about 1.5–2 hours). Cars cannot enter the old town; if you have a lot of luggage, arrange pickup from your inn at the old town entrance. We suggest 4–5 days. Tips: at 2,400 m altitude sickness is generally not a problem, but Glacier Park reaches 4,506 m, so bring an oxygen canister and move slowly. UV is very strong, so sun protection is essential. In the dry season the day–night temperature difference can reach 15°C. Beware of forced spending on horse rides at Lashi Lake and on cheap-package tours. The Dayan Old Town maintenance fee has been adjusted several times in recent years and is currently waived in most cases; check on site. Signature foods include Naxi grilled fish, cured-rib hot pot, chickpea jelly noodles and Lijiang baba flatbread. Lugu Lake is about 200 km from the city; see the “Lugu Lake” destination.

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