Yunnan, Guizhou & the Southwest Travel Guide 2026
Hill-tribe villages, karst gorges, terraced rice fields, and the world’s deepest sinkholes. Slow travel capital of China.
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Quick Answer
What are the top destinations in Yunnan, Guizhou & the Southwest?
Kunming, Dali, Lijiang, Shangri-La (Zhongdian) on the Edge of the Tibetan Plateau, Xishuangbanna, Jingpohu, Langmusi, Yunnan, Guiyang, Wulong, Emeishan.
Source: NihaoVisit
Destinations in this region
- Kunming
Yunnan's eternal spring capital. Stone Forest karst labyrinths, Green Lake at dawn with red-beaked seagulls, 1,200-year-old Buddhist temples, and the mild year-…
- Dali
Yunnan's lakeside sanctuary. Erhai Lake at dawn, the Cangshan Mountains, Bai ethnic courtyard inns, and a walled old town that has drawn backpackers and dreamer…
- Lijiang
Lijiang (丽江) is a UNESCO-listed ancient town in northwest Yunnan — cobblestone canals, Naxi minority culture, and the gateway to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (玉龙雪山…
- Shangri-La (Zhongdian) on the Edge of the Tibetan Plateau
A Tibetan town at high altitude in northwest Yunnan — Songzanlin Monastery, alpine meadows, and a gateway to the Three Parallel Rivers region. Best visited Apri…
- Xishuangbanna
Tropical Yunnan at its most vivid — Dai Buddhist temples, wild elephants in the rainforest, the Mekong River at night, and a culture closer to Southeast Asia th…
- Jingpohu
China's largest alpine barrier lake, Mirror Lake reflects volcanic cliffs, a rare lava-rock waterfall thunders year-round, and an underground forest grows insid…
- Langmusi
A Tibetan Buddhist town split in two by a river and a provincial border — Gansu's monastery on one bank, Sichuan's on the other, and a canyon that locals call a…
- Yunnan
China's most diverse province — 25 of China's 56 ethnic minorities, three UNESCO sites, and landscapes ranging from snow mountains to tropical jungle.…
- Guiyang
Capital of Guizhou Province, a high-altitude city in southwest China famed as the country's 'summer capital' for its cool climate, and the gateway to the dramat…
- Wulong
The Three Natural Bridges used in 'Transformers: Age of Extinction.' A UNESCO karst landscape with sinkholes, gorges, and a stunning 1,200-year-old Tibetan vill…
- Emeishan
UNESCO-listed sacred Buddhist mountain in Sichuan, home to the Golden Summit at 3,079m, a Sea of Clouds that stretches to the horizon, and monasteries where mon…