China - Travel Question Yunnan

Hi!

We will be travelling to Yunnan this august.
Does anyone have some tipps wheter we should go to Shangrila (Zhongdian) or Nuodeng. I can only visit one of them. Lijiang is on our itinerary for sure.
If I'd go to Nuodeng - are there buses directly do Lijiang area from there or de we had to head back to Dali?

Thx for your advice

Looking at the map, I doubt you'll find direct buses from Lijiang to Nuodeng (or the county seat of Yunlong). Yunlong is WNW of Dali, and is not on the main highway to Lijiang (NNE of Dali). And Yunlong is part of the Dali autonomous perfecture and not Lijiang.

Unless you are an experienced China backwoods independent traveler, I would advise against Nuodeng. The bus + minibus connections to get you there would be a bit torturous and out of Dali (you wouldn't do this from Lijiang), would probably take you at least a half-day of travel each way. Maybe more, as usually by the time you get to Yunlong, it might be too late to catch a public minibus and you'd have to flag down a car or truck and then communicate where you want to go. Additionally, you are going during August rainy season, which means conditions on those little roads once you get off the G56 motorway west of Dali (esp the last part of the way out of Yunlong town) could get a bit treacherous. If you want to see an ancient town where few tourists go, Shaxi might fit your needs a bit better, as it's "off the beaten path" but much more straightforward and less time-consuming to get to from either Dali or Lijiang. Check out my "Excellent Sichuan and Yunnan Adventure" thread on this forum for the details on Shaxi. Roads to get there would be OK even in rain, and accommodation, while simple, is somewhat better and more comfortable than Nuodeng. If you are willing to spend money for a Dali travel agent to set you up with a car all the way to Nuodeng, the logistics become more manageable but I fear will be very expensive, maybe transportation (only) in the RMB 1000 range for a two day round trip ex-Dali.

If you are more of a hotel type of person and/or need better travel infrastructure, then Shangri-La might be a better choice. Four hours by road from Lijiang, or in one direction, take the road that goes through Tiger Leaping Gorge and around the back side to Baishuitan, on your way up. If you go up that far, planning to spend at least 2 days excluding travel would make it most worth your while. Shangri-La has the advantage of a convenient airport located near the city, so it's possible to save time and fly out of there rather than retrace a road trip back down.

Finally, don't underestimate the havoc that rain can play with plans for a summer Yunnan trip. Since most of the good stuff is done outdoors, July and August are notorious for having great ideas washed out. But you might get lucky during your time there. Best plan is try not to set too many daily details in stone until you get there and know what the weather will be doing.

It sounds like you might not have any extra room in your itinerary, but if you do I suggest you consider a visit to Lugu Hu. It's a beautiful place, off the beaten path (for foreign travelers -- not for Chinese travelers), and can be quite relaxing if you stay on the right side of the lake!

It sounds like you might not have any extra room in your itinerary, but if you do I suggest you consider a visit to Lugu Hu. It's a beautiful place, off the beaten path (for foreign travelers -- not for Chinese travelers), and can be quite relaxing if you stay on the right side of the lake!


I forgot to mention...if no one in your group speaks Chinese, Lugu Hu might not be the best idea.

Lugu takes an 8-hour bus trip on less-than-ideal roads from Lijiang. Same in reverse. So two days of rather arduous travel for one day of Lake? Probably not a good idea for this traveler on this particular trip.

I do have two further ideas for you to look into on the internet, may depend on time you have. Several cuts above the average Yunnan experience.
1) Dali--the Linden Centre. http://www.linden-centre.com/
2) Songstam Circuit, based out of Shangri-La but go further than that. Can be customized to fit your time. http://songtsam.com/

I know about #1 from friends, but have not stayed there yet myself. #2 I have personal experience with at their Shangri-la flagship location, and am hoping to return with a few more days to do part of the circuit at one or two of their other locations. Very special people and experiences.

Hi all!

Thx so much for your detailed answers!
I think as it is our first trip in this region and we don't speak chinese maybe we head to more "easier" places. Maybe Shaxi or Shuhe might be good alternatives. If we like the region we can always come back (maybe in a better season than august...) and travel to some more remote places.

Thx again!