Lijiang Travel Tips

1. Lijiang’s elevation is 2,410 meters, tourists will seldom suffer not suffer altitude sickness there.

2. The development of tourism in Lijiang brought lots of business opportunities to the ancient town so that the tourists could purchase handicrafts here even better and cheaper than the origins. Besides, because of the the fierce competition, hostels in Lijiang have better services and more reasonable prices than other places. For tourists who like aboriginal natural sceneries and ethnic customs, the Shuhe ancient town, Shangri-la, the Yubeng Village, Lashihai and Lugu Lake are better choice.

3. Lijiang is in plateau climate all the year round, the temperature varies greatly between day time and night. Thick coat or down garment are needed in the early morning and in the night. T-shirt and miniskirts are okay in daytime-sunshine. Don’t forget your overcoat with you in case of the weather changing.

4. Lijiang ancient town has been a trading bazaar of silverware and jade. Accessories are in new fashion and low price-10~20 RMB each one. Double or even a great many times of the price will be needed in others cities where the content of silver can not reach 99.9 percent.
5. The main scenic spots in Lijiang are the Dayan Ancient Town, the Dark dragon lake, the Shuhe Ancient Town, the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain( including the Glacial Park, the Picea Meadow and the Yak Meadow) the Old residence of Rock, the Baisha murals, the Lugu lake, the Lashi Sea and so on.

The Jade Dragon Snow Mountain（including the Glacial Park, the Picea Meadow and the Yak Meadow）, the Old residence of Rock and the Baisha murals are on the tourist Line 1. You could choose some of the scenic spots to visit.

The Dayan Ancient Town, the Dark Dragon Lake（Yuquan Park）are in the city of Lijiang. It’ll take you one or two hours to go to the Dark Dragon Lake. Night sightseeing in Dayan is okay but the Mu's Mansion and the Wangu Building are suitable for daytime visiting since there are few people in the night. One thing need to be mentioned is that the Shuhe Ancient Town is suitable for inhabitation since it is rather quiet than Dayan.
The Tiger-Leaping Gorge tour will take you one day for round-trip, no matter entering it from Lijiang or Zhongdian. If you choose trekking, you could visit from the upper section to the middle one, which needs two days. You could also keep your trekking until the Haba Snow Mountain via the Under Tiger-Leaping. For more information, please contact the “Lijiang Tours”.

6. Almost all of the most beautiful sceneries of Lijiang are on the way（from Kunming to Dali、Dali to Lijiang、Lijiang to shangri-la）. Car renting is necessary if you choose to travel by yourself. Bicycle and private tour guide will be suitable for you if you travel with your friends or your family. Independent travel could give you free time and speed, so that you could enjoy your time without any worry in the ancient city.

7. Different attractions are suitable for different seasons. Winter is not good time for you to feel the soul-stirring manner of the Tiger-Leaping Gorge since it’s a low water season. But it’s good time to see sunshine spreading on the Golden Mountain in Meili; In mid May，the azaleas will be in blooming, but if you want to see the mountain arbor-azaleas, you need to wait for one more month；The meadow will be beautiful in June and July，but rainy season comes at the same time which makes the condition of the road to Lugu bad. While Grass and flower growing during the whole spring and summer in Lashihai, good time for riding and experiencing the Ancient Tea and Horse Caravan Rout is coming. Autumn and winter are best season to see the migratory birds——So, it is impossible to see all sceneries of Lijiang one time.

8. Tourist who like photography need to avoid taking pictures at midday since the solar radiation is strong on the Plateau. UV is necessary here. Taking a polarizer with you is indispensable（it can make you represent the blue sky and white clouds of Ljiang better）. You may often need a piece of gradual color-changing lens because of the high contrast.