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- Olivia's Australia backpacker route: 10 days
Olivia's Australia backpacker route: 10 days
A 10-day backpacker trip through Chengdu, Lijiang, Kunming, Dali, budgeted at $720 (≈ $72/day).
real-trip-budgets2026-10-27
At a glance
- Traveler
- Olivia
- Nationality
- Australia
- Travel style
- backpacker
- Month of travel
- November 2025
- Total cost
- $720
- Per day
- $72
- Days
- 10
Visa note
Australian citizens are 30-day visa-free. Olivia used the full 30-day window by adding 5 days in Vietnam after China.
Paying your way
Alipay Tour Card loaded with AUD 200 worked almost everywhere in Yunnan. Rural Lijiang still wanted cash for some guesthouses.
Highlights
- Chengdu panda base at 7am — empty cages by 8:30
- Slow travel: 2 nights each in Lijiang, Dali, Kunming
- Tiger Leaping Gorge day hike (the lower trail, 14 km)
- ¥15 hostels, ¥25 streetside rice bowls, ¥3 metro rides
Cost breakdown
| Flights | $240 |
|---|---|
| Accommodation | $130 |
| Meals | $180 |
| Transit | $110 |
| Attractions | $40 |
| Misc | $20 |
Day by day
Day 1 — Chengdu
≈ $72- Arrived in Chengdu
- Chengdu panda base at 7am — empty cages by 8:30
Day 2 — Chengdu
≈ $72- People's Park teahouse afternoon
Day 3 — Chengdu
≈ $72- Jinli Street evening walk
Day 4 — Lijiang
≈ $72- HSR/transit from Chengdu to Lijiang
- ¥15 hostels, ¥25 streetside rice bowls, ¥3 metro rides
Day 5 — Lijiang
≈ $72- Tiger Leaping Gorge day hike (the lower trail, 14 km)
Day 6 — Lijiang
≈ $72- Slow travel: 2 nights each in Lijiang, Dali, Kunming
Day 7 — Kunming
≈ $72- HSR/transit from Lijiang to Kunming
- Green Lake Park morning walk
Day 8 — Kunming
≈ $72- Stone Forest day trip
Day 9 — Kunming
≈ $72- Flower and bird market stroll
Day 10 — Dali
≈ $72- HSR/transit from Kunming to Dali
- Dali Old Town afternoon
- Departed Dali