Northwest Yunnan

The plateau old towns and snow mountains along the Dali–Lijiang–Shangri-La line, one of China's most established classic tourist regions.

Northwest Yunnan refers to the prefectures and cities of Dali, Lijiang and Diqing in the northwest of Yunnan, home to the classic Dali–Lijiang–Shangri-La route. From Dali's Cangshan Mountain, Erhai Lake, Old Town and Xizhou, to Lijiang's Old Town, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and Shuhe, and further north to Shangri-La's Dukezong Old Town, Pudacuo, Meili Snow Mountain and the Lancang River valley at Weixi, the landscape shifts from plateau lakes to the deep gorges and snow peaks of the Three Parallel Rivers. The cultures of the Bai, Naxi, Mosuo, Tibetan, Lisu and other peoples are diverse (the Nujiang Grand Canyon and Bingzhongluo to the west belong to the Western Yunnan Borderland and can be reached as an extension from here), and old towns such as Shaxi, Nuodeng and Weishan retain the look of the Tea Horse Road. A classic itinerary takes 7–10 days: Kunming → Dali (2–3 days) → Lijiang (2–3 days; add 2 days to include Lugu Lake) → Shangri-La (2 days) → Meili (2 days). High-speed trains now run from Kunming to Dali, Lijiang and Shangri-La, and each of these places also has an airport. In the dry season the sun is strong and temperatures swing widely between morning and night, and north of Shangri-La the altitude exceeds 3,000 m, so watch for altitude sickness. In recent years, new activities have become popular, such as cycling Dali's Erhai Lake eco-corridor, longer stays in Lijiang's Baisha Old Town and Shangri-La's Songtsam hotels, and "slow travel plus extended stays" has become the signature way to travel in Northwest Yunnan, perfect for staying a week or two.

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