Day 1- Lijiang. Arrival in Lijiang by express bus from Dali. Upon arrival, check-in to International Youth Hostel Lijiang. In the afternoon, I went sightseeing in Black Dragon Pool, and spent the remainder of my evening at Lijiang Old Town. Overnight in Lijiang
Day 2- Lijiang. Went on a day trip to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, visiting the Spruce Meadow and Blue Moon Valley. Overnight in Lijiang
Day 3- Lijiang. Went on another day trip, this time to Baisha Village and Yuhu village. On the way back, the remainder of my afternoon was spent in Shuhe ancient town. Overnight in Lijiang
Day 4- Lijiang to Qiaotou. Check-out from the hostel and took a shuttle to Qiaotou
12.00 pm - Arrive in Lijiang (dropped off at Lijiang Express Bus Terminal). Not to be confused with Lijiang Bus Terminal in the south, this one is located north of Lijiang Old Town
Walked from Lijiang Express Bus Terminal to my accommodation in Lijiang (under 30 minutes)
12.45 pm - Checked in to International Youth Hostel Lijiang - 29 yuan per night. Stayed for 3 nights (total cost - 87 yuan). Great place to base yourself in Lijiang, but here's the best part - it's also part of YHA China, and that means it has link-ups with other hostels which makes travelling around China all that much more convenient. For instance, if you were to book a shuttle transfer to Qiaotou, they also offer the free option to take your baggage and store it at Tina's Guesthouse (another YHA Hostel in Middle Tiger Leaping Gorge) while you go on your hike! However, its location is sadly a bit far off from center of Lijiang old town (roughly 15 minutes walking distance each way, not good if you intend to spend a lot of time in old town).
Arrival in Lijiang. The bus dropped me off at the Lijiang Express Bus Station
Leisurely walk to my accommodation in Lijiang
International Youth Hostel Lijiang, the place I will be staying for the next few days
The courtyard inside the hostel
The dorm I got at the hostel
The reception area at the hostel. This is where I spent most of time when I'm not out and about
Black Dragon Pool
2.00 pm - Rode bus #3 from a bus stop nearby the hostel to Guchengkou (the bus stop closest to the Lijiang water wheel) - 1 yuan
Public transport in Lijiang is convenient enough, there are frequent buses and they often get you where you need to go. I never found myself in a situation where I needed to take a taxi, though keep in mind that the last bus anywhere is by 9pm, so plan ahead! There are audio cues if you need to figure out where to hop off and the fare is only like 1-2 yuan per ride, so cheap!
2.05 pm - Hopped off at Guchengkou bus stop
Walked from Guchengkou bus stop to the Lijiang Old Town water wheel (under 5 minutes)
2.15 pm -2.35 pm - Quick photo stop at the Lijiang Old Town water wheel
2.40 pm - Walked from Lijiang water wheel to Black Dragon Pool (under 10 minutes)
3.00 pm - 5.00 pm - Sightseeing around Black Dragon Pool. Paid the Lijiang Old Town Protection Fee in order to gain entry - 80 yuan
Additionally, the protection fee is also to gain entry into Lijiang Old Town. Do note however, that you can easily avoid paying this by not entering Black Dragon Pool and only by visiting the old town area after 8-9pm (ticket checks are less stringent during after hours)
As a handy note, try to be here before 5pm because after that, the park will close and they will not let any more visitors in after that
Taking bus #3 to Guchengkou
Lijiang Old Town Water Wheel, one of the old town's more prominent landmarks
Walked below this underpass to get to Black Dragon Pool
South entrance to Black Dragon Pool
Lijiang Old Town Protection Fee receipt. Don't lose it, bring it everywhere with you!
Quaint area inside Black Dragon Pool
Naxi folk performing a traditional dance in the park
The real reason why people flock to Black Dragon Pool - this view!
Sightseeing Around Lijiang Old Town
5.10 pm - Walked from Black Dragon Pool back to Lijiang Old Town (under 10 minutes)
5.30 pm - 10.30 pm - Sightseeing around Lijiang Old Town. Really loved walking around the place in the evenings, there's just so much to see, eat and do. Food and beverage here are really pricey though, I paid 20 freaking yuan for a small plate of fried rice! Make sure you're keeping tabs on where you're going though, as it's quite easy to get lost here due to its confusing layout
Dinner at a food court - Fried rice (20 yuan) & soft drink (7 yuan)
10.35 pm - Walked from Lijiang Old Town back to the hostel (under 15 minutes)
Back in Guchengkou
Lijiang Old Town Water Wheel at night
Quaint shops along a network of ancient canals that run through the old town area
The night scene isn't too shabby here, there's plenty to do
Baisui bridge in the heart of Lijiang Old Town
Visitors releasing floating lanterns into the canals for good luck and prosperity
7.35 am - Rode bus #3 from a bus stop near the hostel to Hongtaiyang Square - 1 yuan. Alternatively, you can also ride bus #4 or #8 to Hongtaiyang
7.45 am - Hopped off at Hongtaiyang Square (near the Mao Zedong statue)
Minivans heading to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (usually in blue color and sometimes sport the "7" sign) are parked across the road from this statue. Keep in mind that they only leave when there are enough passengers. Waited around for a bit for more passengers to show up
8.25 am - Rode minivan #7 to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain - 20 yuan
Along the way, the minivan dropped me off at some shops to purchase oxygen bottles and thermal wear. My advice is don't buy anything from these shops as the prices are a total ripoff! Bring your own thermal wear and you can get oxygen bottles for a much, much cheaper price from local pharmacies
The minivan makes a few more stops after that, it's all pretty confusing but the first place they usually stop at is the main ticket office for Glacier Park ropeway. It seems that the ropeway is managed by a different company, hence why the main ticket office is here rather than inside of the park. Next is the park entrance (where you pay the park entrance fees), and finally the ropeway terminus, which is where you should get off.
Hongtaiyang Square at daybreak
Here is where you can get a ride to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain
Not mine, this was another passenger's who got conned into buying an overpriced oxygen bottle
Sightseeing around Jade Dragon Snow Mountain
9.20 am - Arrive at Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. There's a park entrance fee you need to pay prior to entry - 130 yuan
9.30 am - Dropped off at the ropeway terminus, located at the foot of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. Due to heavy snowfall, the ropeway to Glacier Park & Yak Meadow were unfortunately closed that day, hence I opted for Spruce Meadow instead. A roundtrip ticket for the ropeway to Spruce Meadow costs 55 yuan. Just for reference purposes, the roundtrip ticket for the other ropeways are as follows - 60 yuan for Yak Meadow and 200 yuan for Glacier Park
To get to the ropeway stations from the terminus, you need to take a tourist bus, which costs an additional 20 yuan (round trip)
10.00 am - Boarded tourist bus heading to the Spruce Meadow ropeway station and from there, rode a cable car uphill to Spruce Meadow. All in all, the entire journey took me a little under two hours, but it really depends on how long the queue is. The queue I got at the ropeway station was excruciatingly long, and thus took far longer than it should. What's more surprising was that this was during off-season!
11.45 pm - 1.45 pm - Sightseeing around Spruce Meadow. From the ropeway station at the top, you have the option of riding a tourist car to the meadow for 20 yuan (round trip), but I opted to walk instead. It takes roughly 10 minutes to walk to the meadow and is a scenic one, passing through a beautiful pine forest along the way. At the meadow area itself, there's a mesmerizing view of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, provided there's clear weather of course
Light lunch at a food stall in Spruce Meadow - Yak meat on a stick (10 yuan)
Arrival at the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain tourist centre / ropeway terminus
Just to illustrate how crowded the whole place can be, and this isn't even during peak season!
Taking a tourist bus to Spruce Meadow
Spruce Meadow ropeway station
Cable cars going up and down Spruce Meadow
Cloudy views of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain from the top of Spruce Meadow
If you're too lazy to walk, you can also pay for a tourist car to get to the meadow
The reason why I didn't opt for the tourist car. Walking through this beautiful snowy forest on the way to the meadow is REASON enough
Food stalls at the meadow
Views of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain from the Spruce Meadow, just wished the weather was a bit better though
Sightseeing around Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (continued)
2.00 pm - Rode cable car back down
2.15 pm - 3.45 pm - Sightseeing around Blue Moon Valley nearby. You can definitely walk it given enough time. However due to time constraints, I opted for the tourist car to get around faster. This costs an additional 50 yuan per complete trip. There are a three stations along the river you can hop off at
4.00 pm - Rode tourist bus from the nearest bus stop back to the ropeway terminus
After being dropped off at the ropeway terminus, it took me quite a while to find a minivan that will take me back to Lijiang. Got lucky and managed to find a few at the parking lot in front of the Impression Lijiang theater
4.30 pm - Rode minivan #7 back to Lijiang - 25 yuan
The ticket with tear-outs I got for the tourist car that will get me around Blue Moon Valley
Hopping onboard the tourist car to begin my exploration of Blue Moon Valley
Peculiar looking white water terraces at the first lake I came across
Continued walking down to the second and third lakes using these purpose built walkways
The fourth and final lake
Back in Jade Dragon Snow Mountain ropeway terminus after a long day
Back in Lijiang
5.10 pm - Back in Lijiang (dropped off at Hongtaiyang Square)
5.45 pm - Rode bus #8 from Hongtaiyang Square back to the hostel - 1 yuan
5.55 pm - Hopped off at a bus stop nearby the hostel. Walked from the bus stop to the hostel (under 5 minutes)
7.00 pm - Dinner at Yunnan Crossing Bridge Noodles restaurant (a signature delicacy of Yunnan recommended by the hostel staff, located only 5 minutes walk away from where I stayed) - Crossing bridge noodles (28 yuan)
8.30 pm - Back to hostel
Crossing bridge noodles, a signature delicacy of Yunnan
8.00 am - Wake up. Breakfast at the hostel - Meat dumplings (6 yuan), youtiao (2 yuan) & yunnan coffee (18 yuan)
Initially, I planned to rent a bicycle from the hostel for 30 yuan for the whole day to cycle to Baisha village, however I learnt that you could also take a local bus there
9.55 am - Rode bus #3 from a bus stop nearby the hostel to Guchengkou - 1 yuan
10.00 am - Hopped off at Guchengkou. From there, I rode bus #6 to Baisha village - 1 yuan
10.30 am - Hopped off at Baisha village
10.35 am - 11.35 am - Did some sightseeing around Baisha village. It's a very picturesque village with the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain range in the backdrop. Among the things you can see here are the Baisha murals, however I didn't go in as there was an entrance fee of 30 yuan plus proof or receipt of your Lijiang Old Town Protection Fee
Took bus #6 to Baisha village
One fine morning in Baisha village
Entrance to the Baisha Murals gallery
Yuhu village
11.40 am - Rode bus #6 from Baisha and continued on until Yuhu village, the last stop for this bus - 1 yuan
12.00 pm - Dropped off at Yuhu village. Right next to the bus stop is Jade Water Village, which looked somewhat interesting, but I didn't enter as it costs 50 yuan to enter
12.05 pm - 2.05 pm - Sightseeing around Yuhu village. The scenery here is breathtaking as the village is a lot closer to the mountains. There's also a pretty nice viewpoint nearby where you can see the whole valley, if you don't mind trespassing and treading on someone's farmland
2.10 pm - Walked downhill to Ten Thousand Camelia (under 10 minutes) to do some more sightseeing. There's a nice little temple here, but I was more interested in walking further downhill to get some more views of the valley
3.00 pm - Rode bus #6 from Ten Thousand Camelia back to Baisha village - 1 yuan
3.10 pm - Hopped off just two bus stops away from the Baisha village bus stop to continue exploring the surroundings
4.00 pm - Decided to call it a day and rode bus #6 back to Lijiang - 1 yuan
The final stop of bus #6, Jade Water Village in Yuhu village
A picturesque road flanked by greenery near Yuhu village
If you don't mind trespassing into someone's farmland, you can reach this viewpoint with amazing views of the surrounding valley
After seeing how steep the incline is going uphill, bravo guys! Bravo!
Walking downhill from Ten Thousand Camelia, and the views - omg!
Hopped off two bus stops away from Baisha village to get this view!
Beautiful symmetry
Decided to call it a day and took bus #6 back to Lijiang
Shuhe Ancient Town
4.15 pm - Hopped off near Shuhe old town. Walked from the bus stop to Shuhe (under 10 minutes). There's supposed to be an entrance fee (around 40 yuan on top of the Lijiang Old Town Protection Fee), but I wasn't asked for this
4.30 pm - 7.00 pm - Sightseeing around Shuhe ancient town. Unbeknownst to many, Lijiang actually has a couple of ancient towns, and Shuhe is one of them. In the old days, it was an important trading town along the Tea Horse Road, and as such, horse carts are a common sight along its streets. Similar to Lijiang Old Town, there's a collection of guesthouses, restaurants and shops here. There's also a lovely little pool here
Tea at DingDing & DangDang - Large yogurt (25 yuan) & coffee bread (10 yuan)
Hopped off at the bus stop nearest to Shuhe
From the bus stop, it's another short walk along this shaded road to Shuhe
As an important town on the Tea Horse road, horse carts are still in use to this day and is a major highlight of Shuhe
Waltzing around Shuhe cobbled streets, and trying to find hidden nooks and crannies is a delight for the senses
Qinglong bridge in Shuhe
Overlooking the river that flows through Shuhe from Qinglong bridge
A traditional Chinese wedding taking place in Shuhe
Horses and more horses
This beautiful pool in Shuhe was a definite highlight of my short visit to Shuhe. I spent more time here than I should've
Back to Lijiang Old Town
7.05 pm - Walked back to the bus stop nearby Shuhe (under 10 minutes)
7.30 pm - Rode bus #6 back to Guchengkou - 1 yuan
7.40 pm - Hopped off at Guchengkou
7.50 pm - 9.50 pm - Spent the remainder of my evening just walking around Lijiang Old Town before heading back to the hostel
At the hostel, I booked my shuttle transfer to Qiaotou for my Tiger Leaping Gorge hike, departing at 7.40am the next day - 40 yuan
If you're not too into hiking but still want to experience Tiger Leaping Gorge, you can also book shuttle transfers to go directly to Middle Tiger Leaping Gorge for 55 yuan
Hi! Thanks to this article, I got hope that Yunnan can be traveled independently at a cheaper cost than group tours. I am just curious if you can speak Mandarin. I don't and I wanted to gauge whether I can do this on my own despite the language barrier.
Hi,not a mandarin speaker but had little problem travelling the region. Signs are in english and some locals can converse in english. That being said, it wouldn't hurt to have a phrasebook or translator with you
hi geria, i am curious about the TGL part of your trip. did you manage to see the high mountains, and not just the valley? I was wondering if i could do tgl as a day trip.
Lijiang North Bus Station [丽江高快客运站] - Located: 26.881360, 100.220876
ReplyDeleteLijiang South Bus Station [丽江客运站] - Located: 26.859114, 100.234481
Hi,
DeleteThanks, but if I remember correctly south bus station is at 26.862476, 100.233797, judging from satellite :)
Google Map are not accurate in China. Have to used Baidu Map.
DeleteSouth Bus Station was on Main Rd [Xianghe Rd]
Hi RegentCid,
DeleteAh, I see. Thanks :)
im glad i found your travel blog.. it is very detail and informative...
ReplyDeleteHi! Thanks to this article, I got hope that Yunnan can be traveled independently at a cheaper cost than group tours. I am just curious if you can speak Mandarin. I don't and I wanted to gauge whether I can do this on my own despite the language barrier.
ReplyDeleteHi,not a mandarin speaker but had little problem travelling the region. Signs are in english and some locals can converse in english. That being said, it wouldn't hurt to have a phrasebook or translator with you
DeleteHope that helps :)
hi geria, i am curious about the TGL part of your trip. did you manage to see the high mountains, and not just the valley? I was wondering if i could do tgl as a day trip.
ReplyDeleteHi,
DeleteVarious points of the trek, is accessible by road vehicles, it's not entirely impossible to do it as a day trip if you charter a private vehicle
Hope it helps