Nature & outdoors
Snow peaks, lakes, gorges, hikes and seasonal landscapes.
From the Meili range and Tiger Leaping Gorge to rice terraces, karst valleys and rainforest. These notes say when to go, where the free viewpoints are and which walks are worth the effort.
Notes
81 notes
Green Lake before 9 am: dancers, choirs and winter gulls
Green Lake, Kunming
Walk Cangshan's Jade Belt Road for lake views without a climb
Cangshan, above Dali Old Town
Snow peaks without the cable car: Baisha, Hutuwo and Yuhu in one day
Foot of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Lijiang
Meili sunrise at Feilaisi: book two or three nights, not one
Feilaisi, Deqin
Tropical Botanical Garden in Menglun: arrive at opening, ride the carts
Menglun, about 1.5 h from Jinghong
Time Yuanyang for the flooded months: November to April
Yuanyang rice terraces
Climb Bijia Hill at Luchong for the classic view along Fuxian
Luchong, Fuxian Lake
Sleep in Heshun, not Tengchong city, and give it two or three nights
Heshun, Tengchong
Jinji Peaks at sunrise from the Laojianshan viewpoint
Jinji village, Luoping County
Yuanmou Earth Forest after 4 p.m., when the pillars turn gold
Yuanmou county, northern Chuxiong
Free dawn cloud sea from the slope behind Manghong's octagonal pagoda
Manghong, Jingmai Mountain
Take a boat through Puzhehei's lotus, early or late, never at noon
Puzhehei lakes, Qiubei
Moli Rainforest: a shaded morning walk to a 60 m waterfall near Ruili
Moli gorge, northeast of Ruili
Dahaizi: watch Dashanbao's black-necked cranes from the hide, Nov–Mar
Dahaizi, Dashanbao
Coffee above the canyon at the Yangpo village bookstore
Yangpo village, Lushui, near Liuku
Haigeng Dam gulls: be there by 9 am, and take Line 5 to Yinghai Road
Dianchi Lake, Kunming
Winter cherry blossom over tea terraces at Wuliang Mountain
Nanjian county, south of Xiaguan
Black Dragon Pool at 8 a.m. for Jade Dragon's reflection
North of Lijiang Old Town
Benzilan, Yunnan: a night here breaks the Shangri-La to Deqin drive
Benzilan, Deqin County
Guided rainforest walk on Jinuo Mountain: long sleeves and rain boots
Jinuo Mountain, between Jinghong and Menglun
Duoyishu at sunrise, watched from your guesthouse roof
Duoyishu, Yuanyang
Steamed stone-pot fish on a lake-view terrace in Xiaowan village
Xiaowan village, Chengjiang
Heshun's west walk: five giant camphor trees and the Cun Clan Hall
West side of Heshun, Tengchong
Niujie spiral fields, then the quieter Majie terraces: Luoping by car
Niujie, Luoping County
World Dinosaur Valley in Lufeng: real fossil beds, theme-park prices
Lufeng, Chuxiong
Walk under the old tea trees of Dapingzhang
Jingmai Mountain
Climb Qinglong Mountain for the view over Puzhehei
Near Puzhehei village
Heihe Laopo: Mangshi's highest ridge, meadow on one side, forest on the other
Zhongshan township, Mangshi
Jigong Mountain loop: walkway, reservoir, then the clifftop
Jigong Mountain, Dashanbao
The First Bend of the Nujiang from the Gongdang Mountain viewpoint
Bingzhongluo, Gongshan county
Golden Temple Park: a bronze hall in the forest on Mingfeng Hill
Northeast Kunming
Sunrise at Longkan Wharf, an old ferry landing on Erhai's west shore
Longkan village, Dali town, west shore of Erhai
Free sunrise on Jade Dragon from Qingxi Reservoir, north of town
Northern outskirts, Gucheng district, Lijiang
Mingyong Glacier: a forest boardwalk to the ice, if it's open
Mingyong village, across the Lancang valley from Feilaisi
Wangtianshu near Mengla: a swaying walkway through the rainforest canopy
Northeast of Mengla town, Mengla County
Bada at sunset: Yuanyang's biggest terraces, and two lookouts nearby
Bada, Yuanyang
Moon Bay Wetland Park, where the entry fee comes back as credit
North shore of Fuxian Lake, Chengjiang
Rehai: walk past the Big Boiling Pot, then book a hot-spring soak
Rehai, Tengchong
Jiulong Waterfalls: walk in from the west gate, ride back from the east
Luoping County
Mangjing's bee trees: giant old trees hung with wild honeycombs
Mangjing, Jingmai Mountain
Bamei: reach a Zhuang valley by boat through a cave
Bamei, Guangnan county
Huanglianhe: 47 waterfalls in one valley near Daguan
Huanglianhe, Daguan County
Walk into Wuli village on the Tea Horse Road from Chaohong Bridge
Near Bingzhongluo, Gongshan county
Stone Forest at opening time, then quieter Naigu 8 km north
Shilin County, Kunming
Ximatan cable car to over 3,900 m on Cangshan: only on a clear morning
Cangshan, above Dali Old Town
Go to Lashi Lake in winter for the birds, not just the horse rides
Lashi, Yulong county, Lijiang
Yubeng is its own trip: plan three or four days, don't tack it on
Yubeng, Meili Snow Mountain
Double Dragon Bridge at sunset, with light pouring through 17 arches
Baijiaying, Xizhuang, about 5 km west of Jianshui old town
Half-billion-year-old fossils at the Chengjiang museum, free with booking
Chengjiang, near Fuxian Lake
Tengchong volcano park: climb a crater, and catch the balloons in the morning
Volcano Geopark, north of Tengchong
Luoping canola: book early for late Feb to mid-Mar, recheck the week before
Luoping County
Babao: tribute-rice fields, old stone bridges and Sanla waterfall in Guangnan
Babao town, Guangnan County
The Stone Moon: a hole through the Gaoligong ridge, seen from Zuoluodi
Zuoluodi, Shiyueliang township, Fugong county
Haiyan: stay the night in an old fishing village on Dianchi's east shore
Dayu, Chenggong District, Kunming
Sunrise from Jizu Mountain's Golden Summit Temple: sleep at the top
Jizu Mountain, Binchuan county, about 1.5 hours' drive from Dali Old Town
Circle Napa Lake by e-bike in two to three hours
Northwest of Shangri-La town
Read above the terraces at the new Avant-Garde bookstore in Hani Town
Hani Town (哈尼小镇), near Qingkou, Xinjie, Yuanyang
Tengchong's WWII museum and Guoshang Cemetery, on the old China–Burma front
Tengchong city
Luliang Colorful Sand Forest: weathered sand cliffs in red, yellow and white
Duqibao village, Majie town, Luliang County
Winter at Puzhehei: black-necked cranes, herons and misty lakes
Swan Lake and Puzhehei wetland, Qiubei
Cross the Nujiang on a village zipline below the Stone Moon
Zuoluodi, Shiyueliang township, Fugong county
Yu Garden roses: a Republican-era garden in Daguan Park, late April–mid-May
South Garden, Daguan Park, Xishan District, Kunming
Erhai's winter gulls, November to March: watch them, don't feed them
Erhai Park, Xiaguan, and the east-shore waterfronts
Take the old road over Baima Pass (4,292 m) on a clear autumn day
Old G214 over Baima Snow Mountain, Deqin County
Walk the stone path from Qingkou to Bada through the terraces
Qingkou to Bada via Quanfuzhuang, Xinjie, Yuanyang
Jiangdong Ginkgo Village: gold for a couple of weeks around late November
Gudong, north of Tengchong
Dahai Caoshan: a high meadow above 3,500 m in Huize County
Dahai township, Huize County
Western Hills: cable car over Dianchi, then the cliff path to Dragon Gate
Western Hills, Xishan District, Kunming
Stop at the Nujiang's Tiger Leap, the canyon's wildest rapid, north of Liuku
Chenggan township, Lushui, about 50 km north of Liuku
Dongchuan Red Land: Damakan at sunrise, Luoxiagou at sunset
Huashitou, Dongchuan District, Kunming
Baishuitai: white travertine terraces at a Naxi holy site below Haba
Baidi village, Sanba Naxi township, Shangri-La
Baihualing: sit in the bird hides on Gaoligong's slopes, October–May
Baihualing village, Mangkuan, Longyang District
Kunming's Black Dragon Pool in plum season: old trees and Daoist halls, Jan–Feb
Northern suburbs, Panlong District, Kunming
- StaySleep in an old muleteers' inn in LushiLushi, Fengqing County→
- Photo spotBangdong at dawn: a sea of clouds above the Lancang, October to MarchBangdong township, Linxiang District→
- SeeZhefang: the 'tribute rice' plain turns gold in autumnZhefang town, Mangshi→
- SeeMengyuan Fairyland: limestone caves and rainforest near MenglaMengyuan, Mengla County→
- DoSoak in tea and coffee pools at Heyuan hot spring by Xima LakeSiting Road, by Xima Lake, Simao District→
- SeeThrough the tunnel to the Dulong valley and the jade-green Pukawang riverDulongjiang township, Gongshan county→
- DoTianshengqiao: soak in a locals' hot spring beside a natural stone bridgeTianshengqiao, 11 km east of town, Shangri-La→
- Photo spotDongshan Grassland: high pasture above Tengchong for evening lightQincaitang pasture, east of Tengchong city→
Local experiences
Experiences →
Food & markets · Hills around Kunming · Half day, roughly June–September
Wild-mushroom walk with a local picker
After the summer rains start, Yunnan families head into the pine forests early to look for boletes (porcini's local cousins), chanterelles, termite mushrooms (jizong) and more.
Ask to arrange this →
Wellness · Tengchong (Baoshan) · Half day to full day
A hot-spring day in Tengchong or Anning
Tengchong sits on a volcanic field, and at Rehai ("Hot Sea") you walk past steaming vents and the Big Boiling Pot, a pool that bubbles at about 97 °C, eat eggs cooked in the spring, then soak in pools of different temperatures.
Ask to arrange this →
Routes that fit
All routes →
Classic route · 8 days · Kunming
Classic Yunnan in 8 days
The classic first-timer's route, climbing step by step from 1,900 m in Kunming to 3,200 m in Shangri-La.
Free · Mar–May, Oct–Nov
Classic route · 6 days · Kunming
Southeast Yunnan: terraces and old towns in 6 days
A walled town where dinner is grilled tofu counted in corn kernels, then sunrise over the Hani terraces, far from the Dali–Lijiang crowds.
Free · Nov–Apr; best Jan–Mar
