Yunnan Province, referred to as Dian, "South of Colorful Clouds" is one of the sayings about the origin of Yunnan's place name. Yunnan Province is located in the southwestern border of my country and is one of the provinces with the longest border in my country, bordering Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam. There are 56 ethnic groups in my country, and Yunnan has 25 of them, making it the province with the most types of ethnic minorities in my country. I once traveled to Yunnan with my colleagues in 2010. The comfortable climate, picturesque scenery, colorful ethnic customs, and attractive food all left deep memories on me. If you take Kunming, the capital of Yunnan, as the center, there are good places to visit in the east, south, west, and north of Yunnan, so one trip to Yunnan is not enough. At a class reunion in 2019, some old classmates proposed to go to West Yunnan for fun, and they responded immediately, and planned to leave after the Spring Festival of the next year. Unexpectedly, during the Spring Festival of 2020, a sudden epidemic that swept the world disrupted our plans, and the itinerary was delayed again and again, until this year, in May 2021, we finally made the trip. We will complete this trip by renting a car and driving by ourselves. The itinerary starts from Kunming and ends in Kunming after passing through Mojiang, Lincang, Tengchong, Dali, Shangri-La, Lijiang and Yuanmou. The total itinerary is 18 days.
D1: On May 3, 2021, a group of four of us (mother, aunt, and my wife and I) flew from Shanghai Hongqiao Airport to Kunming on the latest wide-body Boeing 787 of China Eastern Airlines. The seats are wider than other models. And the spacing makes the 3-hour trip more comfortable. Instead of sun visors, the color-changing portholes with a sense of technology also provide more boredom-relieving fun. At about 4:00 p.m., we arrived at Kunming Changshui Airport on time, and then we were picked up by the staff of the car rental company to the parking lot of the car rental center near the airport. After completing the car rental procedures there, we drove straight to the Haigeng Dam in Dianchi Lake. Time control just right. Although there are no red-billed gulls in the sky in Dianchi Lake in May, it is also a special feeling to enjoy the warm breeze blowing by the lake, enjoy the sunset, and wait leisurely for the arrival of the sunset. After sunset, the sky is getting darker. After dinner in the old Dian cottage with Yunnan ethnic characteristics, we will stay at Atour Hotel, Chunrong Street, Kunming Municipal Government.
D2: After breakfast, we set off for the Fuxian Lake Luchong Scenic Area, which is 50 kilometers away from Kunming City and belongs to Yuxi City. Since it was during the 5.1 small holiday, I think Fuxian Lake is still a relatively small scenic spot for many classic scenic spots in Yunnan. I originally expected that there would be no large passenger flow, but in the end it turned out that I still underestimated it. The tourism enthusiasm of the broad masses of the people. Due to the impact of the global epidemic, when overseas travel is not yet open, the scenic spots for domestic travel during the small and long holidays are overcrowded. There is a long queue of vehicles at the entrance of the parking lot of the scenic spot, and it is difficult to find a parking space. After a period of queuing and searching that tested patience , Finally found a parking space in a remote corner.
The endless lake, the waves hitting the beach, really feel like being at the seaside
Unique fishing gear has now been transformed into a unique photo background
After lunch, we drove along the highway for more than 3 hours, with a journey of 250 kilometers, and arrived at the only Hani Autonomous County in my country - Mojiang County. Before entering the city, we visited the Tropic of Cancer Sign Park.
Standing at the commanding heights in the park, you can clearly see the Tropic of Cancer passing through the city.
It is also a well-known hometown of twins. There are thousands of pairs of twins in Mojiang County. The International Twins Festival and Hani Sun Festival are held here every year. After entering the city and staying at the Gemini Hotel in Mojiang, I tasted a Hani-style dinner at the Hani Family Restaurant in Mojiang.
D3: After breakfast, we set off to Lincang, and drove 250 kilometers along the newly built Tianhou Expressway, which was just opened to traffic. The journey took 3 hours. At noon, we arrived at Wendeyutang in Lincang City. This is an amazing hotel. I didn't expect there to be such a restaurant with an online reputation in a small county town.
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Like the name of the store, the decoration style is very literary and artistic. There was a light rain during the meal, and the misty rain made me feel a little taste of Jiangnan.
After the meal, we drank tea leisurely for a while in this pleasant environment, and then embarked on the journey to Shuangjiang Yunding Nest Tea Manor Hotel. The hotel is located on a tea mountain in Shuangjiang County, 90 kilometers away from Lincang City. We arrived at the hotel at around 3:30 pm after turning into a section of winding mountain road about 10 kilometers away from G214 National Highway. This is also the meeting point agreed by my classmates and me. After flying to Pu'er from Shanghai, a group of 4 of them arrived here to meet us this afternoon via Jinggu, officially starting our trip to the west of Yunnan. The first group photo after the victory meeting.
The hotel is located among the high mountain tea gardens shrouded in clouds and mist, full of green, like a fairyland.
Spacious and atmospheric rooms, large balcony with excellent view
Walking along the mountain plank road in the tea garden, standing among the layers of tea trees like green waves, the air is fresh, as if you are in a paradise.
D4: In the early morning, wake up to the crowing of roosters and crisp birdsong, and the sky is full of sunrise.
After breakfast, I went to Cangyuan to play according to the original itinerary. Unexpectedly, I was stopped at the road checkpoint entering Cangyuan halfway. It turns out that the Mengding Port on the China-Myanmar border is located in Cangyuan County. Due to epidemic prevention and control reasons, a pass is required to enter and exit In Cangyuan County, there is no choice but to turn back. It was almost noon when we returned to Shuangjiang, and we found a Wa Lai Manor restaurant for lunch.
After discussing with my friends during the meal, I decided to visit the 10,000-acre wild ancient tea tree garden in Shuangjiang in the afternoon. After going through the last 20 kilometers of unpaved and rugged winding dirt roads, we finally arrived at the tea garden in the deep mountains. However, the tea garden is not a scenic spot open to the outside world, but a protected area. After we and the management staff had a hard time and handed in all the fire, the management staff finally agreed to our request to enter. After entering the checkpoint, continue the rugged winding dirt road. After a short drive, we arrive at the watchtower. To visit the thousand-year-old tea tree, we still need to walk about 3 kilometers in the virgin forest. Considering safety and physical issues, we finally decided to give up. Then climb up to the watchtower, climb up and overlook, the beautiful scenery is picturesque, and the trip is worthwhile.
Let's take a group tour here, huh, huh!
Down the mountain, the dusty winding mountain road, after dinner at the Jinshuilou Restaurant in Mengku Town, return to the hotel.
D5: After breakfast, leave Yunding Nest Tea Manor Hotel and go to Tengchong. The whole journey is 466 kilometers. Since the Tianhou Expressway has not yet been fully opened to traffic, we can only drive alternately between the expressway and the national highway. Before Tengchong, pass Baoteng Expressway. The super project - Longjiang Bridge.
The bottomless Grand Canyon under the bridge
Arrive at our destination Tengchong Heshun Ancient Town at around 6:00 in the evening, and stay at Want to Live Tingyunshu Guanhu Inn.
Antique decoration style, floor-to-ceiling windows let the beautiful scenery appear in front of you at any time
The sky is getting dark, dinner at the restaurant next to the inn
D6: In the early morning, the ancient town in the morning light is quiet and soft, making people feel at ease and comfortable.
In the morning, go to Tengchong Qingshuizhai Simola Wa Village. The whole village is surrounded by green hills, gurgling springs, and fresh air. It is exactly the meaning of Simola in the Wa language: a happy place.
In the afternoon, we came to the most famous scenic spot in Tengchong: Tengchong Hot Sea Scenic Area.
As soon as we entered the scenic spot, the smell of sulfur came to our nostrils, and the steaming hot springs were displayed in various forms before our eyes.
Walk along the trail where you can feel the heat through your shoes, and feel the magic of nature along the way
The most famous and spectacular boiling pot, on which eggs are boiled
Finally, take a comfortable hot spring in Yugu in the scenic area.
Return to the ancient town for dinner in the evening: Cun Daguan’s private kitchen dishes, amazing dinner! Delicious food that must be ordered in advance! There is no menu to order, and the proprietress will make the side dishes according to the ingredients and the number of diners of the day. All of us walked in against the wall (hungry) and walked out against the wall (supported). The best delicacy of this trip, there is no one!
D7: Accommodation inn: I want to live in Tingyunshu Guanhu Inn
The beautiful wild duck lake beside the inn
After breakfast, at the invitation of our fellow tea factory friends, our group visited the tea gardens and tea factories in the deep mountains, as well as the ancient tea trees in the tea gardens of thousands of years and centuries old. At noon, a friend from Tengchong who was traveling with me was the host and had lunch in the Xidong compound.
The entire building complex of Xidong Courtyard covers an area of 18 mu, and the owner is the famous Dong family in Tengchong. During the war of resistance against Japan, the Dong family donated three fighter jets, assisted in the construction of the Burma Road and other charitable acts, and donated money and materials to support the Chinese Expeditionary Force to participate in the war of resistance. After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, it also donated to build the National Memorial Cemetery to commemorate the soldiers of the Chinese Expeditionary Army who died in the Anti-Japanese War. Today's Xidong Compound has become a free tourist attraction integrating emerald, food, and ancient village protection.
After lunch, visit the Anti-Japanese War Memorial Hall and National Cemetery in Western Yunnan
A natural waterfall in Tengchong City: Dieshuihe Waterfall
Stroll around the ancient town before and after dinner
D8: Today, we will leave Heshun Ancient Town. Early in the morning, there was a light rain in the sky, and the misty and rainy ancient town was exceptionally fresh, allowing us to experience a different style of the ancient town. According to the established itinerary, we set off in the rain and went to Qihualing, the original hometown. Entering the scenic spot, the rain stops, lucky us! The sea of purple verbena flowers is so beautiful!
There are large pieces of roses exuding a pleasant fragrance. The rose cakes made on site are fragrant and delicious. They are the best rose cakes I have ever eaten, bar none!
Climb to the viewing platform at a high place, overlooking the volcanic columnar joints known as the pillars of the Ruili River.
At noon, relying on the strong network, I found a restaurant for lunch on the roadside to Beihai Wetland: Beihai Yipin Yuan farm food, fragrant and delicious copper pot rice. After a full meal, we came to Beihai Wetland.
Large expanses of meadows float on the water.
meadow in the lake
Flocks of water birds sometimes spread their wings and play in the water, creating a natural and harmonious scene.
Tonight is the last night in Tengchong. We stayed at Bodu Hot Spring Hotel for a luxurious time. We soaked in the hot spring pool on the balcony of the guest room and overlooked the volcano in the sunset. There are only two words to describe it: cozy!
D9: After enjoying a rich buffet breakfast at the hotel, we drove away from Tengchong and headed to our next destination: Dali Ancient City. After more than 5 hours of travel, in the afternoon, we arrived at the hotel near the Erhai Gate in Dali Ancient City: Manhuadian in Dali Ancient City, the ancient city of wind and snow. After checking in, stroll around the ancient city, taste snacks, buy special products, leisurely and leisurely!
Don't dare to eat, don't dare to eat, don't dare to eat!
D10: Snow in Cangshan Mountain, Moon in Erhai Lake, two major landmarks of Dali. In the morning, take the Ximatan cableway to climb Cangshan Mountain. The upper station of the cableway is 3,900 meters above sea level. After getting off the cableway to the Ximatan viewing platform, we need to walk about 1,300 meters uphill and downhill. When we are panting heavily, we must rest for a while. During the difficult journey for a while, I heard from returning tourists that there was no water in Ximatan, and the alpine rhododendrons had not yet bloomed. I really wanted to give up and forget about the return journey. How many unknown beauty to see, but in this travel process, and keep all this in your memory forever!
Finally reached the highest viewing platform
Dry and waterless Ximatan
Overlook the ancient city of Dali and the Erhai Lake on the cableway
After going down the mountain for lunch, visit the famous Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple in Dali.
The oil painting-like reflection of the Three Towers of the Juying Pool
The main tower in the center: Chihiro Tower
Chongsheng Temple with Cangshan Mountain as its back
During dinner, I suddenly found that the entire Cangshan Mountain was covered with white clouds, like a snow mountain, so beautiful!
D11: I visited Cangshan Mountain yesterday, so today must be Erhai Lake. After breakfast, we headed north along the west bank of the Erhai Lake. The first stop was Fenxi Village. This is an Internet celebrity attraction, full of photographers with long guns and short cannons and subjects in bright clothes and various poses. The Erhai Lake is sparkling under the blue sky and white clouds, and it is a blockbuster if you take a casual photo, it is so beautiful!
At noon, Xizhou Ancient Town, a restaurant opened in an old house of the Bai people: Hanlin Restaurant for lunch.
After lunch, take a horse-drawn carriage and experience the real experience of "walking around the ancient town".
In the afternoon, arrive at Shanshui Seaview Inn in Shuanglang Ancient Town on the east coast of Erhai Lake. The inn is built by the sea (lake). Sitting on the balcony with a beautiful view in the guest room, listening to the waves of the Erhai Lake, and looking at the Cangshan Mountain under the blue sky and white clouds on the other side, enjoy!
The light of Jesus is rare for me who lives in the city. Due to the limitations of photographic technology and equipment, the light of Jesus witnessed with our own eyes is even more shocking!
Due to the thick clouds, I didn't enjoy the beautiful scenery of the sunset on the west mountain, but the sunset and white clouds are also very beautiful, hey!
D12: Today is the 12th day of our trip. Tomorrow, our companions will end their trip and return to Shanghai, and the four of us will continue our trip to the west of Yunnan. Our goal: Shangri-La! Today I mainly rest and recuperate. I wake up naturally after a comfortable sleep in the morning. After breakfast, I drink tea comfortably on the balcony, eat sunflower seeds, chat and be in a daze. When I was looking for food in Shuanglang Ancient Town at noon, I stopped by Yang Liping Sun Palace, which has long been famous and is located in the ancient town. Although you don’t need to buy a ticket, you must spend money to enter the tour, pit! Give up decisively. After lunch, we headed south along the east coast of Erhai Lake and continued our tour around Erhai Lake.
Is there a feeling of being by the sea?
All kinds of travel photography vehicles that can be seen everywhere along the way automatically form a convoy.
Punch in the so-called "Santorini" of Dali. This is actually a hotel + business complex, the official name: Dali Ideal Gang, a place where Internet celebrities check in, and the photos are not bad, but I don’t call this kind of man-made attractions.
On the way back, passing through Little Putuo, I met Jesus again
In the evening, I had dinner at the Landlord's house in Shuanglang Ancient Town and had the last meal of this trip with my friends.
D13: Early in the morning, get up early, bid farewell to my friends, and the four of us embarked on the journey to Shangri-La. On the way, I went to the First Bay of the Yangtze River in Shigu Town. To be honest, standing on the viewing platform by the river, I didn’t feel shocked at all.
The drone takes off, God's perspective is here! Shocking "Hairpin Bend" of the Yangtze River!
Along the G214 National Highway, shortly after passing Tiger Leaping Gorge Town, we drove onto the newly built Lixiang Expressway, which has not yet been fully opened to traffic, to Shangri-La. After the Lixiang Expressway opens to traffic, the journey from Lijiang to Shangri-La will be shortened from the original 5 or 6 hours to about 2 hours, and the road conditions will also undergo a qualitative leap. By then, going to Shangri-La will no longer be a one-off. A tough job! Due to the passage of the expressway, we arrived at the ancient city of Dukezong smoothly in advance. Stay in a very Tibetan-style hotel in the ancient city: Feifan Hotel.
After a short rest, we went to Songzanlin Temple, which is the largest Tibetan Buddhist temple in Yunnan Province and is known as the Little Potala Palace.
The entire temple is built on the mountain, and the steps leading to the main hall of the main temple are steep and high.
Then I went to Napa Sea. I don’t know whether it should be called a lake or a grassland, because it is a seasonal natural lake. Every year in late summer and early autumn, due to the rain and melting ice and snow, the lake increases and it is a lake; In the early summer of the following year, the water of the lake receded, revealing a large meadow, which turned into a prairie again, a magical nature!
Stop and go all the way along the road around the lake, half of the lake, half of the grassland.
Herds of sheep, yaks and horses on the grassland
Back to the ancient city for dinner: Tibetan Yak Meat Hot Pot
On the Dagui Mountain next to the Moonlight Square in the ancient city, there is the world's largest prayer wheel recorded in the Guinness Book of Records on the top of the mountain.
The ancient city of Dukezong is 3,300 meters above sea level, and it is now mid-May, but after the sun goes down, the wind blows and it is extremely cold. When we set off in Shuanglang Ancient Town in the morning, we were still wearing short sleeves. Even though I wore a jacket, I still couldn't resist the cold. After walking around for a while, I couldn't stand it anymore, so I had to escape back to the hotel. The floor heater in the room was too warm. Tibetan compatriots who are not afraid of the severe cold, singing and dancing in the square.
D14: There is an old-fashioned scenic spot in Shangri-La: Pudacuo National Park. You can feel it is old-fashioned just by looking at the name, but when planning the itinerary before the trip, the many reviews I consulted are not friendly to this old-fashioned national park, and we only have it in Shangri-La. One day, so in the end we chose a newly developed scenic spot: Balagezong Scenic Spot, because the story of this scenic spot deeply attracted me, and finally confirmed our correct choice. The establishment of Balagezong Scenic Area originated from road construction. Bala Village, an isolated paradise deep in the mountains, this place could not be found on the map before 2008, because an ordinary villager named Sina Dingzhu in the village was beaten with an iron in his left eye when he was 8 years old There was no road in Bala Village at that time, and it took five days to get to the nearest Shangri-La County Hospital. Due to the delay in treatment, Sina Dingzhu became blind in his left eye. Seven years later, the 15-year-old Sina Dingzhu decided to walk out of the mountains. With his hard work and hard work, after more than ten years of hard work, he finally accumulated tens of millions of assets. In his hometown, he did not hesitate to change from a multi-millionaire to a billionaire. It took more than ten years to build a 60-kilometer-long sky road for his hometown, and use this road to develop the tourism industry, driving his hometown to embark on The road to getting rid of poverty and becoming rich is known as the contemporary Tibetan Foolish Old Man. The scenic spot has built many viewing facilities such as sightseeing plank roads and glass viewing platforms, and there are many buildings that reflect Tibetan religion and culture. The entire scenic spot integrates snow mountains, canyons, rivers, grasslands and forests. This is definitely worth a visit. Super beautiful area.
Winding road
A reinforced concrete shed built on the Panshan Highway to prevent falling rocks.
The sacred Badalayam Pagoda
Looking up at Gezong Snow Mountain
Overlooking the Shangri-La Grand Canyon
Historic Barra Village
Looking up at the holy Gezong Snow Mountain from the balcony of the houses in Bala Village.
The plank road leading to the sightseeing platform built on the cliff.
Glass viewing platform built in the air
Shangri-La Grand Canyon
On the edge of the cliff near the entrance of the scenic spot, there is a thousand-year-old bodhi tree growing. The most amazing thing is that this tree actually grows a hand-shaped branch, tightly grasping the rock wall next to it, amazing nature!
D15: Today we will embark on the journey back to Kunming. Originally planned to start from Dukezong Ancient City, take the East Ring Road, pass Baishuitai to Tiger Leaping Gorge, and then to Lijiang Ancient City, instead of taking the same route as when we came. But the hotel staff heard about it and said that many sections of this route are currently under maintenance. It is very bumpy and prone to traffic jams. After careful consideration, they finally decided to abandon this route. Xiang Expressway goes directly to Shanghu Leaping Gorge Scenic Area. Before entering the scenic spot, the huge roar has already filled the ears. We took the escalator down to the riverside viewing platform. The Tiger Leaping Stone in the middle of the river divides the river into two, and the surging river is as powerful as a rainbow, and the waves shake the sky.
I came to Yunnan for the first time ten years ago. I once came to Tiger Leaping Gorge, and I went to the scenic spot on the other side of the river that belongs to Lijiang. Now that scenic spot has been closed.
On the way to Dali, two newly built bridges span the canyon. The blue one in the front is the railway bridge under construction, and the red cable in the back is the Jinsha River Bridge of the Lixiang Expressway.
In the afternoon, we arrived at the Old Town of Lijiang. Stay at Lijiang Chengyi Funying Inn inside the south gate of the ancient city. During the driving, the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain in the distance is always looming and accompanying, which is very spectacular. It is a pity that I have to drive a vehicle and cannot stop on the expressway to take pictures. It is a pity. Since the last time I came to Yunnan, I had visited Lijiang, so this time I just took Lijiang as a passing point.
Visit the Muwang Mansion in the ancient city.
The landmark scenic spot of the ancient city: the big waterwheel.
D16: Today we return to Kunming from Lijiang, which is the longest day of our trip (550KM). Passing through Huaping County, there are fruit trees with white bags hanging all over the mountains and plains. When I got closer, I found out that they were mangoes! Along the road, there are many sheds built by fruit farmers to sell mangoes. We stopped and tasted various varieties of mangoes. They were fragrant and sweet, super delicious! Before the evening, we arrived at Yuanmou Wumao Til Forest, which is a very small scenic spot. The scenic spot is very large, but there are almost no people. Standing on the viewing platform at the highest point in the scenic area overlooking the entire soil forest, it is very spectacular! However, walking down the stairs and looking closely, it is like a huge sculpture group with different shapes. You can use your imagination to marvel at the uncanny workmanship of nature. This is an excellent scenic spot for taking pictures. It is a big movie to take casually. I don’t know if there are too few people who know about it or other reasons. There are no people in such a good scenic spot. It’s a pity that this large and beautiful scenery.
D17: Arrived in Kunming last night after 8:00 p.m., we simply had the famous Yunnan snack—Guoqiao Rice Noodles for dinner, and then checked into Meihao Lizhi Kunming High-tech Store. At noon today, I had lunch at the Internet celebrity restaurant Huixiangxilou by the green lake. Before lunch, I visited the Yunnan Army Lecture Hall. Marshal Zhu De and Marshal Ye Jianying both graduated from this. This was the earliest new army military academy in my country at that time.
In the afternoon, I went to the last scenic spot of this itinerary, the famous stone forest tour, looking for a trip to Ashima.
In the evening, we had the last dinner of our trip to Yunnan at the Airuochun Restaurant near the Golden Horse and Jade Rooster Square. I tasted the steam pot chicken that I never forgot after eating here when I was on my first trip to Yunnan ten years ago. It was delicious. still!
D18: At about 3:00 this afternoon, we took a flight of China Eastern Airlines and landed safely at Hongqiao Airport.
For this trip, we flew to Kunming, Yunnan from 5/3. We rented a car and drove through Mojiang, Shuangjiang, Lincang, Tengchong, Dali, Shangri-La, Lijiang and then returned to Kunming. The total journey was 3100 kilometers and lasted 18 days. Great rivers and lakes, Cangshan Yunding, and the shores of Erhai Lake have all left our footprints. Tasted the specialties of Hani, Wa, Dai, Tibetan, Naxi and many other ethnic minorities, stayed in Tengchong Heshun Ancient Town, Dali Ancient Town, Erhai Shuanglang Ancient Town, Shangri-La Dukezong Ancient Town, Lijiang Dayan Town Ancient Town, experienced various The customs of ethnic minorities, laughter and laughter with family and friends, full of memories.