5-Days in Lijiang (What to Do & How)

If you’re thinking of visiting Lijiang but you don’t know what to do or where to start, I got you because we were in the same boat! We really only booked our day trips around 1-2 days before. Luckily, it’s low season so it’s easier to book things on the go. We took our time in Lijiang and I’m so glad we did because it’s such a beautiful and quaint town.

📅 5-Day Itinerary in Lijiang & a day trip to Shangri-la

Day 1: Explore Lijiang Old Town
- we arrived the night before and was so tired so we really spent the morning lounging around our guesthouse which had an amazing view of the mountain as well as the whole of the old town (with an aesthetic rooftop for photos)
- we walked around and the town is much bigger than expected!
- lots of touristy chain shops around so would recommend going down less touristy alleyways to explore
- ate nearby our guesthouse at a hidden gem! Great taste and reasonable prices called 云之滇·民族风味餐厅(观景店).

Day 2: Black Dragon Lake & Photoshoot in Tibetan costumes nearby a meadow with a view of the Jade Dragon Mountain
- woke up late, had a slow breakfast provided by our guesthouse and went to check out the black dragon lake which is nearby by 15 mins drive or so
- Our guesthouse staff recommended a photoshoot place and so we went with them as their photos were nice. We chose to take photos by the meadow with horses in Tibetan costumes (did not get the horse that jumps as that costs way more), paid $1200 rmb for 2 people. Transport included and photos came out to be 100+ photos and 12 edited pics.
- had mushroom hotpot dinner - well-known in Yunnan for this that you have to wait for the mushrooms to cook for 20mins before eating (as some might be hallucinogenic?)

Day 3: Jade Dragon Mountain, Blue Moon Valley, and Impressions of Lijiang Performance Day Trip
- make sure to book this at least 2 days in advance because tickets get sold out for the mountain.
- We bought 3 days in advance and luckily it was delayed because we got time to acclimatize to the altitude.
- we booked it on trip.com and paid $240 sgd for a private tour ride for 2 people and it was exactly what we wanted. I say tour ride because he just helped to get us to places and got us tickets but did not guide us or share much. We were ok with this though.
- we still got altitude sickness though so bring a lot of oxygen, we did NOT buy the medicine to drink beforehand.

Day 4: Shangri-la Day Trip (Tiger Leaping Gorge, Dukezong, Sonzalin Temple)
- Booked on the Lijiang Tourism WeChat mini app the day before ($350 rmb pp) and called the number provided to confirm.
- originally wanted to goto the white water terrace but they grouped us with the tour going to Dukezong and Sonzalin which we were fine with!

Day 5:
- slow morning, pressed pu’er tea in a 100 year old tea house, shopped before heading to the train station for Kunming!

🏨 Accommodation
- Highly recommend our Guesthouse

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