A Week in Yunnan Province (Kunming, Lijiang, Shangri La)

Recently (2024-2025) China opened it’s borders to international tourism with relaxed entry requirements for various countries. This includes British and Irish citizens and being both (Northern Ireland) makes travel to China a whole lot easier for me. For Irish passports we now have visa-free travel in China for up to 30-days and for British Passports we can transit visa-free through China for up to 10-days (with an onward flight to a 3rd country necessary).

So next stop is Yunnan province, a mountainous region in southern China, famous for its Tibetan autonomous region Shangri La. Our first visit to China in near 10-years, and, mostly due to apps, things really have changed when it comes to ease of travel.

So this will likely be the first of three visits to China this year, travelling first on my Irish passport with return flights from Bangkok. Then, later this month, I will be testing the free transit visa on my British passport flying to Shanghai and onwards to Hong Kong (outside of mainland china). Finally I will be travelling to China across the land borders of Laos on the new Boten–Vientiane railway.

I have also set up an Instagram (10 years too late) to share all these exciting adventures in real time. Can find it here. This article contains affiliate links.

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Visa-Free Travel in China (30 Days)

This would only be our 3rd visit to China (7th counting Hong Kong and Macau) but we have covered a fair few destinations and attractions during our previous action packed visits to China. Otherwise we would have visited more often but before now it always required lengthy visa applications in Bangkok, and… let’s just hop on a flight to Bali or Japan instead.

 Again, for Irish passports we now have visa-free travel in China for up to 30-days and for British Passports we can transit visa-free through China for up to 10-days (with an onward flight to a 3rd country necessary). The process is simple on arrival just filling in a quick arrival card before getting stamped through at immigration. That’s it. No preparation needed or hassles along the way.

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Travelling During Low Season in China (Nov-March)

I’m not sure if it’s bad luck or bad timing with our travels in China as we normally travel off-season and always experience bad weather and closures at tourist attraction.

The cable cars at the Great Wall (Badaling) were closed in Beijing, half the attractions of Zhangjiejie National Park were closed for maintenance, the “stairway to heaven” at Tianmen Mountain was closed, the majestic river of Fenghung Phoenix Ancient City was emptied and being dredged… we’ve not had much luck.

So this is partly due to us visiting China in low season which again is our plan for Yunnan province in mid-February (2025) travelling on the shoulder of the chaos of the Chinese New Year (early February).

So I was hoping we didn’t have the same luck as previous travels. Then, just days before flying to China, we are told the cable cars of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Yulong National Park have been cancelled due to maintenance. Fortunately this was just one attraction as everything else continued relatively smoothly throughout our travels in China.

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Essential Apps for Travel in China

While I say essential apps, we have travelled in China before without even mobile phones. It’s tough but apps no doubt make things much easier and more convenient. They are also becoming more essential as the preferred method for many businesses.

Anyway, here are the apps for China that we downloaded and set up beforehand. Note, you may want a VPN if planning to use your usual social media/websites as many are blocked by the Great Firewall of China.

Trip.com: Like Agoda in Southeast and Booking in Europe and UK. We used this to book all our hotels and trains online in advance. We also used it for Chinese eSIMs which we activated before travelling to China. Website here.

Alipay: Digital payments have mostly replaced cash in China. Alipay is the preferred method and it also connects with other Apps including Trip.com and DiDi rideshare (be sure to still bring/withdraw some cash).

WeChat: The Chinese version of WhatsApp. This comes in handy for contacting hotels and travel companies with easy translation options. It can also be used for payments like Alipay.

Google Translate (VPN): Before approaching anyone with potential queries I’d translate in advance to make the whole lost in translation thing much easier. There’s also a translation app on Alipay.

Amaps: The Chinese alternative to Google maps. While Google works with a VPN, Amaps is so accurate locally it literally counts down the traffic lights. It also connects through Trip.com for directions to hotels etc.

DiDi Ride-hailing: The Chinese alternative to Uber. We were unable to use DiDi, unfortunately (it may require a local phone number) but were otherwise okay with metered taxis in Yunnan.

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Hotels in China

Hotels are comparatively cheaper than what we’re used to in Asia these days. At least on par. On average we were paying around £60-£70 per night for 2 persons for 3* plus hotels with amazing views at each destination (Fanfan’s no.1 search criteria). For us the hotels are the destination with window views over the surrounding cities and attractions. All for similar price to your local roadside travel lodge. I’ll link to each as we go along.

Otherwise the typical Chinese hotel goes a bit overboard on the gadgets. As much as I love robotoilets in Japan, when you walk into a hotel room in China, the lights switch on, the curtains open, you’re greeted in Chinese (I guess) from the intercom.

But many are tricky to figure out. You try to open the window blinds and the curtains close elsewhere. You try to lower the TV projector screen and music starts blaring in the bathroom. I’m still clueless with the underfloor heating. Then the room service robot steals your lift when you try to leave.

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High-Speed Trains in China

Like the bullet trains of Europe or the Shinkansen of Japan etc. China have their own high-speed rail system which is great for travelling long distances at high speeds and are a godsend in the remote mountainous terrains of Yunnan.

The longest distance during our visit was between Kunming and Shangri La (return journey) covering roughly 620km in 5+hours. We otherwise break up the journey to Shangri La with a stop at Lijiang. I’ll share all below.

For train bookings we again sorted these in advance through Trip.com with no need for any physical ticket as details are connected to your passport. It is also possible to get QR tickets which make it quicker to pass at the self-service gates.

Otherwise (at least for Yunnan) the bookings were connected to our passports which we then presented at the manual check counter (found at the far left gate.

There will also be a baggage check and scan before boarding. Note, oxygen canisters, for altitude sickness, are not allowed through and we had 3 dumped at the baggage check in Lijiang.

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Welcome to Yunnan Province (China)

So this visit is specific to Yunnan province in southwest China, a region known for its diverse landscapes, rich ethnic culture, and mild climate… It is also the nearest Chinese province to Thailand near the Golden Triangle area where it connects to both neighbouring countries of Laos and Myanmar.

I do plan to follow a similar route this year taking a train through Laos to Yunnan but for now we arrive by flight to Kunming the capital city of Yunnan province. From here we will take the high-speed trains to the mountains of Yunnan exploring the main tourist attractions of Lijiang and the autonomous Tibetan region of Shangri La.

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Eating in Yunnan Province

Again we are fairly familiar with Yunnan food from the hill-tribe and border regions of Northern Thailand. To be honest it’s not overly exciting and this maybe why Sichuan food is the more prominent in cities and tourist areas where it’s hard to go 10 metres without grabbing a spicy nose of malatang.

Otherwise there are some unique staple in Yunnan including their famous mushrooms and yak meat which is a bit like beef only tougher. My teeth were sore for days after a yak hot pot. I definitely preferred the famous Yunnanese “Crossing-the-bridge noodles”. It’s also worth checking out Naxi cuisine which is prominent in Lijiang. I may do a specific food post eventually.

Breakfasts (when complimentary) normally included steamed veg, local bread/buns, noodles maybe, and some warm soy or yak’s milk. While culturally connected to the Tibetan region of the Himalayas, the same, (more Indian influenced) staples of Himalayan foods are not found in Yunnan province.

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The Local/Tourist Scene in Yunnan

While Chinese tourists generally have a bad reputation in Asia, this is partly due to travelling in large groups, and being a bit clueless with local customs and etiquette. In China they’re not like this and in Yunnan the Chinese tourists are fairly amiable, well-heeled, middle-class folk.

The locals are also relatively friendly folk, pricing was normal, we encountered no scams, and all taxis use metres. In general I find mountain folk tend to be happy folk, similar in contrast with the laidback life in Chiang Mai compared to the chaos of Bangkok etc. The only issue would be cigarette smoke and sucking down feg fumes when breathing is already hard at these altitudes. 

Otherwise non-domestic tourists tend to be youthful couples or small groups from wider Asia then the novelty white folk (like myself) popping up on average once a day.

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Travelling at High Altitudes (Altitude Sickness)

I honestly thought this was a non-issue after comparing to previous travels in elevated destinations in Europe (Mont Blanc: 4,000m+, Jungfrau: 3,000m+, Matterhorn: 4,000m+) and Asia (Doi Inthanon: 2,500+, Lake Tsomgo in the Himalaya 3,500+). Yet I was feeling the effects of the altitude as soon as I landed to Kunming airport (1,900 metres).

In Kunming I felt a bit tight chested, my breathing was a bit off, and I was struggling with luggage, and more so after eating when I felt oddly bloated. Kunming was also the lowest point of our travel as elevation increased with each destination.

The worst then hit me in Lijiang (2,400m) although I feel this was more a mix of jet lag, elevation sickness, and just severe exhaustion. This was after 5 days transiting through the UK, Ireland, Jordan, Thailand, China… hopping between timezones, changing diet, routine, and my internal body clock. “I think I have COVID!”

Unfortunately I had to cancel a Lijiang cable car excursion leaving Fanfan to go alone.

There are of course measures to prevent and treat altitude sickness, including tablets (Diamox) as well as personal oxygen canisters at convenience stores. Some hotels also have oxygen tanks with disposable mouthpieces in guest rooms.

Note, you cannot travel with oxygen canisters between destinations on high-speed trains.

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Kunming: Capital of Yunnan Province (1900 metres)

We arrive to Kunming airport with directions for the metro lines into the city centre, a relatively simple journey, hopping between a couple of metro lines.

However, when starting out with Alipay, we were unable to use the app because the vendor was not compatible with international banks (we tried 4 cards).

The one place Alipay did not work was at the busiest international tourist port in the province. So it’s best to grab cash on arrival before leaving the terminal.

Next we’re through the baggage scan and security check (even metro stations have airport-like security), and it’s around 30-40 minutes to reach Kunming city centre.

In Kunming we stayed in two different areas of the city; the Green Lake area for the first night, then Nanping Pedestrian Street on the return journey.

The Green Lake area (above) is a more serene stay with celebratory baubles still found around the parks and lake on the tail end of Chinese New Year. We also had a hotel with amazing city views (Raddison Red Kunming Green Lake).

In contrast, the Nanjing Pedestrian Street (below) is a modern vibrant commercial district just a short walk from the lively Kunming Old Street which is a hub for great food and restaurants.

I’d happily (and likely will) stay in both areas again. Both are convenient as well for travel to and from the metro then to and from the train station and airport.

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The Old Town of Lijiang (2,500 metres)

It’s a 3h30min high speed train journey from Kunming to Lijiang (booking here). One direct line with no stops along the way and some nice scenery in between. The best views are on the left side (seats D/F in 2nd class) but we are on the right.

A quick metered taxi from the railway station then drops us to our hotel which overlooks the north gate of the Old City of Lijiang (UNESCO).

Taxis are easy to find in tourist areas and every taxi was metered throughout our stay in Yunnan accepting either cash or Alipay. It is really easy to get around even in the earlier morning hours in Lijiang.

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Lijiang Old Town (UNESCO)

Our hotel overlooks the north gate of the Old City of Lijiang with some fantastic views of the traditional Chinese rooftops and mountains in the distance (Echo Hotel B&B: Booking here). A quick walk then finds the ancient streets of Lijiang.

I do love these old city areas, having been to a bunch before, but these days they do feel overly commercial, almost like themed resorts, bringing together all the cultures and trades of surrounding regions. Tourists dressing up for photoshoots in traditional garb etc.

They remind me a bit of Europe’s Christmas markets, fascinating at first, but they eventually lose authenticity and appeal. They’re still great to visit but don’t forget to explore elsewhere.

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Yulong Snow Mountain and Yunshanping Cableway

Fanfan had to go solo for this trip on the cable cars as I felt sore all over, headache, ringing ears, spotty vision, proper flu symptoms, like absolute ****. But I don’t want to blame altitude sickness solely given it was a combination of exhaustion and 5-days non stop travel from the UK.

We originally paid for this trip via Trip.com (booking here) who gave us a full refund on my last-minute cancellation (minus the booking fee). They also refunded the cancellation for the show without the additional fee. Go Trip.com!

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Tours vs Independent Travel in Lijiang

At the same time these pre-booked tours are not overly necessary and are a bit annoying for independent travellers. The tour includes all the transfer, entrance fees to the Yulong National Park, the cablecar, lunch, and other transit fees. But these can also be paid independently and no priority is given to tour groups.

At the same time, Fanfan had to bumble through a 7:30AM taxi transit to find the coach location and it would have made more sense to pay the £15 taxi fare directly to the National Park and the rest along the way. Fanfan also missed the paid lunch buffet due to her schedule for the (13:20PM) Impressions of Lijiang Performance (booking here).

So going solo will give the freedom from a rushed itinerary and won’t actually cost much more than pre-booked tours.

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Shangri La (3,000 metres)

From grey skies in Northern Ireland, to 30′ heats in Bangkok, to snow in Shangri-La. It’s been a weird week.

When planning this trip people kept telling me “Shangri La is a fictional place”, and apparently it is. A fictional utopia created by author James Hilton in his 1933 novel Lost Horizon. It wasn’t until 2014 that the Chinese county of Zhongdian in Yunnan province adopted its name as Shangri La. Even the hotel chain is much older being established in 1971.

So the city of Shangri La is a bit like a Chinese knock-off. At the same time it is utopian in feel, and like the fictional city it is a Tibetan mountain region with Tibetan monasteries home to active Tibetan monks (part of the Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture).

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The Train to Shangri La

Travel from Lijiang to Shangri La feels fairly routine by now, taking a metered taxi to the train station, paying with Alipay, then it’s a 1 hour 15 minute journey on the high-speed train to Shangri La (booking here). The only real inconvenience is at the Lijiang security check where we had to ditch our air canisters.

We then arrived in Shangri La to the remnants of snow as we are now in the colder climes of Yunnan with an elevation of 3,000 metres. Normally it is relatively dry in the region at this time of year, so we didn’t expect any snow during our visit. It was a nice surprise.

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Dukezong Ancient Town

From the train station we had to reach our hotel in Dukezong, and, while there are plenty of metered taxi and ride share options, Fanfan decides “let’s get the bus”. Definitely not the most convenient option but thanks to the Amaps App we found our hotel near the East Gate of the city following a fair bit of walking.

Dukezong Ancient Town is one of the best preserved and largest Tibetan old towns in China. A 1,300-year-old settlement with traditional Tibetan homes, ancient pagodas and temples, and winding alleyways.

It’s also a busy tourist spot, similar to the Old Town of Lijiang, only more rustic, rural, and Tibetan. Our hotel (Shangri-la Danaman Moonlight City View) overlooks the ancient Guishan Temple, a Tibetan monastery with a rather massive 80-foot high prayer wheel. It’s also a short walk to explore it

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Balagezong Scenic Area

The next morning we wake for an early tour of Balagezong Scenic Area and Balagezong Grand Canyon (booking here). We also wake to a blanket of snow and breathtaking views over Guishan Temple.

The tour leaves at 9:00AM so we check out of the hotel at 8:00AM, leaving our bags at reception, as we head to board the bus at the East Gate car park.

No bus. We search the area for other car parks or potential boarding points and nothing. We try asking locals but it is extremely hard to communicate in China.

Until now we have more or less relied solely on apps. I tried phoning the number provided but again communication is impossible. After 09:15AM we just gave up and left the area.

I’m really not sure what happened here, but I’m guessing the tour was cancelled due to the snow, only no contact was actually made to let us know. So I messaged Trip.com again and we received a full refund. Unfortunately we never got to do this trip.

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Ganden Sumtseling Monastery

Having already completed check out at our Dukezong hotel, we decided to just continue with our itinerary, and grabbed a metered taxi to our next hotel (Shangri-La Xiangbai Tibetan Art Academy). Another great pick by Fanfan overlooking the Ganden Sumtseling Monastery. This would be the main tourist destination in Shangri La.

There was a slight issue here when taxiing to our hotel as we are pulled over at a police checkpoint asking why we are travelling to the monastery.

Security is always tight in China and more so when it comes to religious areas, so the issue was that we didn’t take our free hotel transfer from the station (we stayed in Dukezong the previous night) and the police needed confirmation by phone from the hotel before letting us go.

Otherwise our plans are less rushed now, and it was handy that our hotel also doubled as a costume shop, as Fanfan is soon kitted out with make up and (I’m guessing) traditional Tibetan garb. I too had the opportunity but had already invested in a rather awesome red panda hat in Lijiang.

It’s then just a short walk to the front doors of Ganden Sumtseling Monastery.

We have been to Tibetan monasteries before, most notably in the Indian Sikkim Region of the Himalayas. But none quite as large. It’s a fair climb to the top.

We have also never been to one quite so busy with tourists posing in costume at every step of the compound. It kind of ruins the whole calm, laidback vibes of Tibetan Buddhism.

Otherwise we find a more serene experience the following morning, with the ceremonial horns and booming drums heard from our balcony, smoke rising from fires lit in and around the monastery. All before the chaos of tourism arrives later in the day.

There are very few hotels in this area as most tourists just bus in for day tours.

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Napa Lake Grasslands

After a relaxed morning with a traditional Tibetan breakfast, we check out en route to our next hotel and destination. However there are few taxi options in this area, so we accept our free return transfer to Shangri La train station from the hotel. From the train station we then redeem our free collection from our next hotel. It just means 40-minutes or so wasted in between.

Along the way we are dropped off at a scenic cafe (Heidou Cafe) then the hotel transfer drops our luggage off to the room. FanFan buys an expensive £7 coffee only to have it stolen by a goat. With the help of the cafe, we then take a rideshare car on to the hotel.

Our hotel is far from anywhere this time (Shangri-La Runjing Muqi B&B), situated on the doorstep of a rural Tibetan village, with no shops or anything within walking distance. Throughout our travels we have always brought essential snacks and drinks (baiju), which we had again stocked up on at the railway station. Then there is an on-site restaurant for dinner with mostly fiery Sichuan dishes.

Again we have amazing views over the surrounding grasslands, wetlands and a backdrop of snow-capped mountains. With a standalone bathtub overlooking it all, there was no real reason to leave the room. Through the day we watched the fields in front of us, the horses, the cows, and planned to go out to get a closer look.

Then at around 04:00PMish they just started walking back on their own into the village, causing havoc with passing cars. We follow along as they each return to their own homes. It was really quite surreal given we saw no more than 3 humans in the village then all these animals just standing watching over these old rustic homes.

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The Return Journey

It’s another relaxed morning before the return journey to Kunming, frolicking in new fallen snow, filling up with a hearty breakfast of boiled veg and mala-laced noodle soup, a bubble bath with views. We will miss the mountains. At 09:00AM, while the cattle make their way back down to the grasslands, we hop into our complimentary shuttle service to travel back to the train station.

Shangri La would be the furthest point from our starting point in Kunming meaning this would be the longest stretch of our travels. From Shangri La it is a 6-hour train journey, stopping this time at various stations along the way. So to make the whole experience more comfortable we go with the first class option which is still relatively cheap at £50pp (booking here).

From Kunming train station we hop onto the metro and within half an hour we arrive to the Nanping commercial district where we stay in the My Neighbor Totoro Elf Hotel (booking here). Because everybody loves Totoro.

Problem is the hotel also doubles as a love hotel. “I was wondering why we could book for 3-hours”. There was a sex toy vending machine in the room, it was a bit noisy… and it just wasn’t very family friendly.

After a night out eating in Nanping we take the metro back to the airport in the morning.

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How Much Does it Cost to Travel in Yunnan?

Travelling in February 2025. I’ll not include the flights here given there are so many travel alternatives to Kunming and Yunnan province (we just flew in from Bangkok and will be travelling up from Laos in the coming months).

Otherwise we found hotels, travel, and everything to be rather cheap. The only expensive thing was wine (we had to go a week without wine). So here’s the breakdown below for 2 persons travelling.

Hotels Prices in Yunnan

• Kunming (£86)
• 2 nights Lijiang (£130)
• Shangri La: Dukezong (£71)
• Sumtseling Monastery (£84)
• Napa Lake (£65)
• Kunming £33

Total Hotel Expenditure: £469 for 7 nights (£66 per night)

I’d say we averaged around £70+ per night, given our final Kunming hotel was half this. But we were in comfortable hotels, often with free transfers and breakfasts, with incredible views of surrounding attractions. All perfect for independent travellers.

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Travel Expenditure in Yunnan

We travelled by train throughout Yunnan, although there was the cablecar tour Fanfan joined alone. Otherwise things like taxis, metros, and that one bus come under general expenditure paid via AliPay.

• Kunming to Lijiang: £47 (2nd class 2 people)
• Lijiang to Shangri La: £18 (2nd class 2 people)
• Shangri La to Kunming: £100 (1st class 2 people)
• Cablecar Tour in Lijiang: £41 (1 person)

Total Travel Expenses: £216

High speed train travel is competitively cheap in China even with the upgrade to first class for the longer return journey. 2nd class was fine but I would definitely recommend 1st class if you have the budget. I did suffer a bit on the Kunming Lijiang journey before I fell ill.

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Daily Spending (Cash and Alipay)

This covers all the money taken from cash machines (once on arrival) and our spending through AliPay connected to our international bank cards. We only did take out £100 in cash at the airport arrivals and left with £50 remaining for our return later this year. This general expenditure more or less covers taxis, snacks, alcohol, food, restaurants, souvenirs….

• Cash Spent: £50 (£100 withdrawal – £50 remaining)
• Allan’s Alipay: £164 (1500 Yuan)
• Fanfan’s Alipay: £136 (1250 Yuan)

Total Daily Spending: £350

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How Much Did We Spend in 7 Days in Yunnan?

We never really set a budget meaning there was no real constraints on spending. At the same time we are fairly frugal in travel and always prioritize value for money.

• Hotels: £469
• Travel: £216
• General Spending: £350

Total Spending: £1,035 (£147 per day)

Minus the overpriced hot pot in Lijiang Old Town (£39) and that’s £1000 for 7 days travel in Yunnan. An exciting one week travel itinerary in China. Manage to bag return flights for £500 then that’s £2000 for a rather fascinating holiday or adventure for 2. I’ve likely spent more on a UK city break these days.

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