Originally Posted by
mkindc
Thanks again. TFU is the only option for inbound on the CA flights from LAX. I'll check if I can exit Chengdu via CTU-DLU.
To my surprise, the addition of the DLU leg barely moved pricing. One of those inexplicable quirks of airline pricing (to me at least). Alternate routing through Kunming instead of Dali is much more expensive.I've never been to either place, but my friends who have say Dali is a beautiful destination, while Kunming is best primarily as a base to reach surrounding attractions, like the Stone Forest and Dongchuan.
Having just been to both, both Dali and Kunming are worth a visit.
Yunnan is probably the most underrated province in China
You have everything from the tropics in Xishuangbanna to Kunming and Dali with everlasting spring, to Lijiang with its Naxi minority and traditions as well as wonderful mountains + tiger leaping gorge and further up you have Shangri-La with its Tibetan monasteries. Weather also varies from warm tropical in the south to winter cold up in the mountains.