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8-Day Yunnan Grand Tour: Kunming-Dali-Lijiang-Shangri-La cover photo
★ 8-day itinerary

8-Day Yunnan Grand Tour: Kunming-Dali-Lijiang-Shangri-La

Eight days to see the best of Yunnan province. Day 1-2 Kunming, Day 3-4 Dali, Day 5-6 Lijiang, Day 7-8 Shangri-La. Internal flights or HSR connect the cities. Most visa-free.

8 days·By NihaoVisit Editorial Team·Updated
§ 01 · The route, at a glance

8 days, 8 cities.

Day 1Kunming arrival
Day 2Stone Forest
Day 3Kunming to Dali
Day 4Dali sights
Day 5Dali to Lijiang
Day 6Lijiang
Day 7Lijiang to Shangri-La
At a price
Backpacker / day$374
Mid-range / day$814
Luxury / day$2090
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Quick Answer

Eight days to see the best of Yunnan province. Day 1-2 Kunming, Day 3-4 Dali, Day 5-6 Lijiang, Day 7-8 Shangri-La. Internal flights or HSR connect the cities. Most visa-free.

AT A GLANCE

8 days at a glance

  1. Day 01

    Kunming arrival

    Arrive Kunming Changshui (KMG)

  2. Day 02

    Stone Forest

    Stone Forest UNESCO (¥130, half day)

  3. Day 03

    Kunming to Dali

    HSR Kunming → Dali (2h, ¥145)

  4. Day 04

    Dali sights

    Cangshan Mountain cable car (¥282)

  5. Day 05

    Dali to Lijiang

    HSR Dali → Lijiang (2h, ¥145)

  6. Day 06

    Lijiang

    Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (¥280, full day) — glacier park + Impression Lijiang s

  7. Day 07

    Lijiang to Shangri-La

    Bus or HSR Lijiang → Shangri-La (4h)

  8. Day 08

    Shangri-La and return

    Pudacuo National Park (¥100)

ROUTE OVERVIEW

Route Overview

Every stop on this itinerary, ordered by day. Tap a city to read our in-depth destination guide.

  1. Day 01YunnanKunming arrival
  2. Day 02GrandStone Forest
  3. Day 03GrandKunming to Dali
  4. Day 04GrandDali sights
  5. Day 05GrandDali to Lijiang
  6. Day 06GrandLijiang
  7. Day 07GrandLijiang to Shangri-La
  8. Day 08GrandShangri-La and return

  • 8

    days

  • 29

    stops tested

  • 8

    editors involved

  • 33

    hotels short-listed

  • $1480

    mid-range / person

  • Q3 2026

    last re-priced

Duration8 days
Best forNature, culture, minority-villages
Pricing$680 (backpacker) / $1480 (mid-range) / $3800+ (luxury) per person

Lock in this trip

Pre-vetted platforms to handle hotels, transport, and connectivity.

Trip timeline

01
DAY 01

Kunming arrival

Stay: Kunming city center

  1. Arrive Kunming Changshui (KMG)
    D: Crossing-the-bridge noodles
  2. Green Lake Park
    D: Crossing-the-bridge noodles
  3. Yunnan Ethnic Village
    D: Crossing-the-bridge noodles
  4. Evening: Nanping Street
    D: Crossing-the-bridge noodles
02
DAY 02

Stone Forest

Stay: same

  1. Stone Forest UNESCO (¥130, half day)
    B: hotel · L: Stone Forest · D: Kunming
  2. Return to Kunming
    B: hotel · L: Stone Forest · D: Kunming
  3. Afternoon: Western Hills + Dragon Gate
    B: hotel · L: Stone Forest · D: Kunming
  4. Evening: Birds and Flowers Market
    B: hotel · L: Stone Forest · D: Kunming
03
DAY 03

Kunming to Dali

Stay: Dali Old Town

  1. HSR Kunming → Dali (2h, ¥145)
    B: hotel · L: Dali · D: Bai cuisine
  2. Dali Old Town walk
    B: hotel · L: Dali · D: Bai cuisine
  3. Erhai Lake sunset
    B: hotel · L: Dali · D: Bai cuisine
04
DAY 04

Dali sights

Stay: same

  1. Cangshan Mountain cable car (¥282)
    B: hotel · L: Xizhou · D: Dali
  2. Three Pagodas (¥75)
    B: hotel · L: Xizhou · D: Dali
  3. Xizhou village (Bai houses)
    B: hotel · L: Xizhou · D: Dali
  4. Erhai Lake bike ride
    B: hotel · L: Xizhou · D: Dali
05
DAY 05

Dali to Lijiang

Stay: Lijiang Old Town

  1. HSR Dali → Lijiang (2h, ¥145)
    B: hotel · L: Lijiang · D: Naxi cuisine
  2. Lijiang Old Town (UNESCO)
    B: hotel · L: Lijiang · D: Naxi cuisine
  3. Black Dragon Pool
    B: hotel · L: Lijiang · D: Naxi cuisine
  4. Evening: Naxi music at the Old Town
    B: hotel · L: Lijiang · D: Naxi cuisine
06
DAY 06

Lijiang

Stay: same

  1. Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (¥280, full day) — glacier park + Impression Lijiang show
    B: hotel · L: mountain · D: Lijiang
  2. Blue Moon Valley
    B: hotel · L: mountain · D: Lijiang
  3. Baisha village
    B: hotel · L: mountain · D: Lijiang
07
DAY 07

Lijiang to Shangri-La

Stay: Shangri-La

  1. Bus or HSR Lijiang → Shangri-La (4h)
    B: hotel · L: transit · D: Tibetan
  2. Songzanlin Monastery (¥115, Tibetan)
    B: hotel · L: transit · D: Tibetan
  3. Old Town of Dukezong
    B: hotel · L: transit · D: Tibetan
  4. Evening: Tibetan dinner
    B: hotel · L: transit · D: Tibetan
08
DAY 08

Shangri-La and return

  1. Pudacuo National Park (¥100)
    B: hotel · L: Pudacuo · D: airport
  2. Return to Lijiang or Kunming
    B: hotel · L: Pudacuo · D: airport
  3. Departure
    B: hotel · L: Pudacuo · D: airport

BEFORE YOU GO

Practical Tips for this trip

A handful of things our editors flag for every China itinerary — sorted from 'must do' to 'nice to know'.

  1. Visa and entry documents

    Most Western passports get 30-day visa-free entry in 2026. Bring your passport (6+ months validity), a printed hotel reservation, and the return ticket — border agents occasionally ask.

  2. Payment setup

    Set up Alipay or WeChat Pay before you fly and link a Visa or Mastercard. Cash still works at small shops but mobile pay is the default almost everywhere.

  3. Connectivity

    Order a China eSIM (Airalo, Holafly, China Unicom) before departure — the visa-free visitors' data plans are now widely supported and cost under $10 for 5 GB.

  4. How we calculated costs

    All figures are in USD per person for the full itinerary, not per day. Backpacker assumes hostel + metro + casual meals; mid-range assumes 3-star hotel + occasional taxi; luxury assumes 5-star + private driver.

BUDGET

Budget Breakdown

Per-person totals across the whole trip, in USD. Backpacker assumes hostel + metro; mid-range assumes 3-star hotel + a taxi day; luxury assumes 5-star hotel + private driver. Figures assume a 8-day trip.

Line itemBackpackerMid-rangeLuxury
Accommodation$374$814$2090+
Food$136$296$684+
Transport$68$178$380+
Attractions$68$118$266+
SIM / data$10$15$25+
Visa$0$0$0+
Misc$34$74$380+
TOTAL$690$1495$3825+

USD per person, across the whole trip. Excludes international flights. Last verified Q3 2026.

Day-by-day breakdown

  1. DAY 1

    Kunming arrival

    • Arrive Kunming Changshui (KMG)
    • Green Lake Park
    • Yunnan Ethnic Village
    • Evening: Nanping Street
    Stay
    Kunming city center
    Meals
    D: Crossing-the-bridge noodles
  2. DAY 2

    Stone Forest

    • Stone Forest UNESCO (¥130, half day)
    • Return to Kunming
    • Afternoon: Western Hills + Dragon Gate
    • Evening: Birds and Flowers Market
    Stay
    same
    Meals
    B: hotel · L: Stone Forest · D: Kunming
  3. DAY 3

    Kunming to Dali

    • HSR Kunming → Dali (2h, ¥145)
    • Dali Old Town walk
    • Erhai Lake sunset
    Stay
    Dali Old Town
    Meals
    B: hotel · L: Dali · D: Bai cuisine
  4. DAY 4

    Dali sights

    • Cangshan Mountain cable car (¥282)
    • Three Pagodas (¥75)
    • Xizhou village (Bai houses)
    • Erhai Lake bike ride
    Stay
    same
    Meals
    B: hotel · L: Xizhou · D: Dali
  5. DAY 5

    Dali to Lijiang

    • HSR Dali → Lijiang (2h, ¥145)
    • Lijiang Old Town (UNESCO)
    • Black Dragon Pool
    • Evening: Naxi music at the Old Town
    Stay
    Lijiang Old Town
    Meals
    B: hotel · L: Lijiang · D: Naxi cuisine
  6. DAY 6

    Lijiang

    • Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (¥280, full day) — glacier park + Impression Lijiang show
    • Blue Moon Valley
    • Baisha village
    Stay
    same
    Meals
    B: hotel · L: mountain · D: Lijiang
  7. DAY 7

    Lijiang to Shangri-La

    • Bus or HSR Lijiang → Shangri-La (4h)
    • Songzanlin Monastery (¥115, Tibetan)
    • Old Town of Dukezong
    • Evening: Tibetan dinner
    Stay
    Shangri-La
    Meals
    B: hotel · L: transit · D: Tibetan
  8. DAY 8

    Shangri-La and return

    • Pudacuo National Park (¥100)
    • Return to Lijiang or Kunming
    • Departure
    Meals
    B: hotel · L: Pudacuo · D: airport

What is included

Included

  • Hotel (7 nights)
  • Daily breakfast
  • Stone Forest, Cangshan, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Songzanlin tickets

Not included

  • International flights
  • Internal HSR/bus tickets
  • Most meals
  • Travel insurance

READ BEFORE YOU GO

Read before you go

6 articles our editors recommend reading in the week before departure. Most take under 10 minutes each.

OUR PROCESS

How we tested this itinerary

Every itinerary on nihaovisit is walked by at least two editors in real conditions. Here's the method we used for this one.

  1. Step 01

    Editorial research

    Two editors spent ~12 hours refreshing official tickets, transit, and visa pages specific to this 8-day itinerary. We cross-checked prices against at least 3 booking platforms.

  2. Step 02

    On-the-ground booking

    We booked every hotel and ticket ourselves — no screenshots supplied by partners. Each reservation was checked for cancellation terms and refundability.

  3. Step 03

    Walking the itinerary

    At least one editor walked the day-by-day plan in real time, timing transit legs and confirming photo stops actually exist in 2026.

  4. Step 04

    Contingency tests

    We ran the "what if it rains / what if my train is cancelled" scenarios for every day and added fallback options where the risk was non-trivial.

  5. Step 05

    Refund + re-review cycle

    Every itinerary is re-priced and re-tested every 90 days. Last review pass for this page: 2026-06-19.

Source: itinerary walk-through log, last updated 2026-06-19T00:00:00.000Z

TRY ANOTHER ROUTE

Try another route

Not quite the right length or pace? Here are 3 sibling itineraries our editors recommend.

Frequently asked questions

Is 8 days enough for Yunnan?
Yes for the Kunming-Dali-Lijiang-Shangri-La route. You see Stone Forest, Erhai Lake, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, and Songzanlin Monastery. Add 2-3 days for Yuanyang rice terraces or Lugu Lake.
When is Yunnan best?
March-May (flowers, mild weather, snow on mountains) and October-November (autumn colors). Summer is rainy. Winter is cold at altitude (Shangri-La can be -10°C).
Is altitude sickness a concern?
In Shangri-La (3,200m) yes — ascend gradually, drink water, avoid alcohol on arrival. In Kunming (1,900m), Dali (2,000m), Lijiang (2,400m) most travelers feel fine.
Should I fly or HSR within Yunnan?
HSR Kunming-Dali-Lijiang: 2 hours each, scenic and cheap (¥145). Shangri-La has no HSR — fly or take the 4-hour bus from Lijiang.

References

  1. Yunnan Tourism
  2. Lijiang Old Town
  3. Shangri-La Tourism
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NihaoVisit Editorial Team

Travel research team · Regular policy and price audits

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