Southwest China
A well-restored old town from the Naxi and Tibetan cultures, in the shadow of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. Lijiang can be crowded; a short distance outside it, the villages are not.
The case for going
The water channels, the stone lanes and the Naxi wooden architecture.
The 5,600-metre peak, with the cable car to the 4,500-metre viewing platform.
The older village, with the Dongba pictographs and the Naxi embroidery houses.
A short drive above the old town, with the snowmelt lake under the peak.
A two-day trek between the Jade Dragon and Haba ranges.
A lakeside plateau north of Lijiang, and the Mosuo culture around it.
Practical
Highland, mild. Cold and clear in winter, cool in the rainy season.
Lijiang Sanyi (LJG) is 30 minutes from the old town. High-speed rail from Kunming takes about 3 hours; there is also a night train.
Airport. Lijiang Sanyi International Airport (LJG)
Rail. Lijiang station is 20 minutes by taxi from the old town.
In pictures
Questions travellers ask
Three days: the old town and Lion Hill, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain with Blue Moon Valley, and a village day at Baisha or the Yulong river. Four with Tiger Leaping Gorge.
Inside the old town for the canals at night — it empties beautifully after the day visitors leave — or Shuhe for the quieter version. Both are 30 to 40 minutes from Jade Dragon.
Fly into Lijiang Sanyi (LJG) or the high-speed rail from Kunming via Dali, about 3 hours total. The old town is 30 minutes from both stations.
Yes — Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and the Naxi old town are Yunnan's signature pairing, and Lijiang is the practical base for Shangri-La and the gorge to the north.
Routes through here
Southwest China
9days
The full Yunnan traverse, done in the right direction: fly into Kunming, climb slowly through the Erhai lakeside and the Naxi old town, and finish on the Tibetan plateau at Shangri-La. Nine days, three cultures, one altitude curve that actually works.
From US$2,450per person
Southwest China
4days
The most photogenic short route in China, and the one that works hardest for it. Four days is enough if you are willing to start early every morning — the karst landscape is at its best in the first two hours of daylight and in the mist after rain.
From US$1,050per person
Combine it with
Where to eat
Where to stay
Aman · Ultra Luxury
Two hundred-year-old Ming-dynasty dwellings rebuilt as a village above old Lijiang, with a spa and a private cinema. The single most distinctive stay in the region.
From US$1,050 per night
Valid to 2026-12-31
Banyan Tree · Luxury
Naxi-style villas with pool villas at the quieter Ren’an outpost, an hour from old town. Better value than the Aman if you want a private pool.
Rate on request
Valid to 2027-01-24
