Yunnan Sheng Travel Forum

With the recent earthquake and aftershocks in Sichuan, will it be safe to visit Lijiang & Kunming in end May/June 08?

Hello
I am looking for information in regards to the Dragon Boat Festival held in Lijiang. I am researching for an Australian Television Program that will be visiting the area in June and they would like to film the festival.
Any information regarding whether this even is going to take place would be very much appreciated,
Thank you,
Aleisha McCormack

Hello VTers
I'm planned for Kunming from Shanghai on late night of April 16. And next two days (April 17, Thursday& 18, Friday) I want to utilize for sightseeing at Kunming.

I booked the hotel at Royal Garden, very near (about 400 meter) from Kunming airport.

Would you pls suggest me any itinerary for those 2 days. I don't want to miss any must seeing places, communities and enjoyable areas. Also suggest me very nearby electronic market from where I can buy an LCD TV.

I would be grateful for your any tips and plans.
Thank you.

Has anyone flown with Lucky Air? I am looking for a ticket from Lijiang to Kunming and they have something really cheap 60% off. Should I steer clear or go for it?
thanks

Hi all

Hoping someone can help me with a trip here. I'm planning to go at end of December as this is the time I have available. I want to see the main places in 16 days (Kunming, Lijiang, Dali, Tiger Leaping Gorge, Zhongdian). I would also like to fit in 3 days in Guilin/Yangshuo and think that I can do this on the way as I will be flying to Guangzhou.

1. Is December a decent time to go? I heard that the Li river doesn't do boat rides all the way to Yangshao (I know this is not in Yunnan).

2. Will there be enough time to see the places listed (14 days in total as 1 day each way to fly to China)?

3. Is it possible to fly from Zhongdian back to Guangzhou? Or maybe from Zhongdian to Guilin?

Thanks for any help!

best regards
mike

are there any locals in kunming that can give me some travel tips please? I am a photographer covering an international football match on wed ,so time is precious.hope someone can help.

looking for local knowledge re shopping and eating out in kunming next week.

There is now a china holiday the first weekend of june... should i avoid going to lijiang at that time? how many days enough before heading to tiger leaping gorge and zhongdian? i have 6-7 nites to spend all together. thank you!

I have reserved 3 nights to spend in Lijiang off my upcoming trip to China in Oct 08, and wonder whether I can use Lijiang as the base for a day trip to Zhongdian (hiring a private tour guide - leaving Lijiang early in the morning, and coming back to Lijiang the same day late evening). I understand the road condition has been improved. Is the area safe for late evening driving? And how much would it cost? Thanks in advance for any advices.

I'm planning to travel to Lijiang, then Dali and onwards to Kunming. I'll bring my paraglider along and hope for some flying opportunities.

for Kunming I'm all set....but for Lijing and Dali I have no info!

Does anyone have information or hints for these 2 places?

In order to fly, all I need is a mountain slope, grassy patch of the size of half a tennis court and then a place to land.... a bit larger than a tennis court would be easier..

Your advise would be great,

Markus

I have heard that getting the vietnamese visa in Kunming works quite well. So I'm planning to do that.

Does anyone know how long it takes? Is there a chance to apply one day and get it the next day? Anything else than pp picture needed? And how much is it?

After I got the visa I try to get the bus down to Hekou at the border. Any suggestions to stop and have a look on the way?

Many thanks for your comments and / or hints

Rgs,
Markus

hi,

i am trying to get to lijiang to chengdu, but flights seem quite expensive; unless i fly to kunming. flight is about 880yuan when i checked. is that the price?

anyone knows if there are any overnight bus and how much is the cost ?

thanks

Hi,

I am planning to go to Lijiang and Lugu Lake later this year and was just curious if the Naxi people or Mosuo minority expect any money for allowing you to take their picture. If not, is it acceptable to offer them money for taking their picture?

Thanks.

1) How long does the Lijiang -- Panzhihua bus take, in particular the evening departure? What time would it arrive in Panzhihua... in the middle of the night, in the wee morning hours or at daybreak?

2) If anyone has gone by this route recently, what time is the latest departure from Lijiang?

3) Does anyone have any recommendations or experiences for Panzhihua accommodation? Looking for clean and safe triple room near train station, max budget 300 RMB, though not hoping to spend all of that!

Have done a complete search for "Panzhihua" on the forum, nothing that could answer those questions! :( Thanks in advance for any replies.

Hi - I plan to go to Yunnan Luoping rapeseed flower field & Yuanyang rice terrace in Feb 08. I am travelling alone and arriving in Kunming in the 4th week of Feb for a bout 7-8 days.

I've heard that accomodation and transport will be a problem in these 2 places. Do I need to book ahead or will I be able to find them while in Kunming?
Can I get return train or bus tickets from Kunming?

Are there any recommended tour agency with reasonable pricing?

Thks in advance.

Does anyone have contact info for the Moon Inn Lijiang? the email I found
mooninn@163.com does not work and I cant find any website...
thank you

Is the only way to get to Guilin to fly from Lijiang to Kunming and then from KM to Guilin? it seems to be pretty complicated. Has anyone done this trip? thank you

I am looking for a reliable company renting out a vehicle to go overland to Lhasa (with driver of course). Any idea?
Thanks!

Which bus station in Kunming has buses to Zhongdian/Shangri-La?

So far, I've managed to find buses for this route departing from Nanyao, Huangtupo, train station and West long-distance bus stations. Does anyone know of any more? I've been spending too much money on long-distance phone calls just to find this out!

Hi fellow VTers,
Will be making my way to Kunming early next year and would appreciate if you can help me on the following :-

I will be in Hanoi and would like to get to Kunming either by train or bus. Is there one ? I know that there's a train running from Hanoi to Lao Cai near to the border of Vietnam and the province of Yunnan. Do I take another train upon arrival at LaoCai? Any details of the transport - the time and how many hours and the fare?

Thanks lots!

:0) feejin

Hi,

Can some one advise me Where is Zheng Kang?? which part of Yuannan Sheng it located? How is the whether there in Dec '

We'll be doing a community work in one of the village in Zheng Kang? but we have little idea of this place..

Looking forward for your advise...


Thank you and have a nice week end...


kim

Hi,

I'll be going to Lijiang next week and would like to go up the mountain. Would appreciate if anyone could advice me what and how much are the charges to get up the mountain? Also what are the ways of going up? Much thanks!

Cheers,

Hi. I will be going to Kunming in Dec for a overseas community project in a village in Yunnan. How is life in the villages of Yunnan? What are the things I will need to take note of? Packing list?

Thanks
JT

Has anyone been to the Yuanmou Earth Forest near Chuxiong?

Looking for recentish trip reviews and any helpful logistical information ie transport, length of time needed and accommodation (120-200 RMB for twin or triple with ensuite).

1) If someone has already visited Xining (and around) and/or Xiahe, would it be alright to skip Zhongdian, due to time constraints? Or is Zhongdian something sooooooo unmissable? If so, why?

2) How much time and money should we allow for a round-trip Zhongdian -- Feilai Si (the place to watch Meilixueshan sunrise) by vehicle hire? Or what if we do the round-trip from Deqin instead of Zhongdian? We only need to spend 1 night at Feilai Si. Driver and accommodation recommendations would be welcome.

If it makes any difference, we would be going in a group of 2-3 of us, in the 2nd half of January. We're native speakers of Mandarin Chinese.

1) What does Lugu Lake look like in January? Looking for opinions from people who've been there... either in January or any other time of the year, actually.

2) Is the journey from/to Lijiang still 10 hours by bus each way? Apart from Lijiang, will Lugu Lake or Ninglang have bus connections to anywhere else, eg Dali or Kunming?

3) We're planning to stay at Old Xie's IYH in Lige village. Would welcome reviews, or other recommendations for accommodation. Or, is it better to stay at Luoshui, or somewhere else?

4) How cold would it get? We're not ultra-afraid of being cold, what clothes should we be wearing?

Who has been to Tengchong? Or even better, both Tengchong and Yuanyang? And best, both these places in January. ;)

Would like opinions and reviews from travellers who've been. :)

We're wondering if we can fit it in Tengchong on our trip. Currently planning on about 15 days in Yunnan, flying in and out of Kunming.

We haven't seen volcanoes before, but we've been to hot springs before. So volcanoes would be the main draw, not so much the hot springs. How much time should we allow, if we do go?

My travel companion had enough of Fenghuang after spending a day there. IMHO Fenghuang feels like a slightly less-developed and less-touristy version of Lijiang, though not by much. Interested in hearing comments on that viewpoint.

Taking that into consideration, what would be the absolute least amount of time for us to spend at Lijiang? We want to see Impressions Lijiang, Xuan Ke's Naxi music concert, do a little bit of chilling out and hanging around in a nice cafe. Also want to see Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. Not going to Tiger Leaping Gorge at all -- I've already been there 1 year ago.

Is Impressions Lijiang still held on Jade Dragon Snow Mountain?

I posted this question a little while (an hour?) ago, but somehow it got deleted, or there's a bug somewhere. Hope I'm not double-posting.

Will be going with a friend or two to Yunnan province in the 2nd half of January.

They will be on their 1st visit there. I will be on my 2nd. Previously I've already seen Kunming (including Stone Forest), Dali, Lijiang, Tiger Leaping Gorge, Zhongdian and the Meilixueshan sunrise at Feilai Si.

We're interested in covering the "usual tourist sights" at each place. Not into trekking and hiking. We travel and sightsee relatively quickly, on a somewhat mid-range budget -- about 400 RMB/day per person. We should be flying round-trip Shanghai -- Kunming.

How much time should we allow for each of the following destinations?
- Xishuangbanna --> What are the main spots to see, if I'm estimating a max of 3 days?
- Lugu Lake
- Lijiang --> No need to hike Tiger Leaping Gorge.
- Kunming --> Want to see the Black Stone Forest, but not the Stone Forest.
- Tengchong
- round-trip from Zhongdian to Feilai Si --> I estimate 2 days.
- Zhongdian --> No priority to see all the Tibetan culture here, we've been to other Tibetan regions before.
- Chuxiong --> Want to see Yuanmou Earth Forest.
- Yuanyang --> How would the rice terraces look in January? Dry and brown?

Also, if anyone has accommodation recommendations -- roughly 120-200 RMB/night for twin/triple with ensuite -- I'd be grateful to hear them.

Thanks in advance!

Hi all,

Needs some advice.

I will arrive at Kunming airport at 6:10am on China Eastern. Is it advisable to buy tickets to Lijiang on the spot? Are the ticketing booths open that early?

Thanks in advance.