A PRIVATE YUNNAN JOURNEY
A clear starting point for the route, with the details confirmed around your dates and group.
Morning light on Erhai Lake. A quiet lane in Lijiang. Two nights to settle into the slower pace beside Lugu Lake.
The best memories are rarely made in a hurry.✓Experiences over checklists
✓Local culture and daily life
✓A comfortable, unhurried pace
✓Stories worth bringing home
—The maximum number of sights
—A fast-paced coach tour
—The lowest-cost package
—A rigid, minute-by-minute schedule
Not additions made to fill an itinerary—moments chosen to give you more time with a place.
Start with the open water, mountain views and Bai villages around Dali, leaving enough room to take in the everyday rhythm of the lake.
Take in Erhai from the eastern shore, where the lake, village lanes and mountain horizon come together.
Move from Lijiang’s old-town atmosphere into a high-mountain landscape shaped by weather, water and altitude.
Give the lakeshore enough time to settle in: a boat on the water, a slower afternoon and a sunrise before the return drive.
YOUR 6 DAYS IN YUNNAN
Arrival transfer · Two nights in Dali
Meet your local driver at Dali Airport for a private arrival transfer. Visit the Three Pagodas at Chongsheng Temple and wander Dali Old Town at your own pace. Sightseeing and meals on arrival day are timed around your flight. Stay at 大理五彩云酒店 in Dali.
MEALS Hotel breakfast is generally included. Lunch and dinner are not; a local suggestion is Yi-style lunch and Bai Eight Bowls, as flight timing allows.
Mountain views · Lakeside villages
Ride the Ximatan cable car on Cangshan Mountain when conditions allow; the partner proposes the Gantong cable car as a weather alternative. Cross Erhai Lake by boat toward Shuanglang, then explore the Erhai Ecological Corridor by included shuttle. The boat route and cable car are checked against operating conditions before departure. A second night at 大理五彩云酒店.
MEALS Hotel breakfast is generally included. Lunch and dinner are not; a local suggestion is Bai-style lunch and Erhai fish.
Private road transfer · One night in Lijiang
Travel to Lijiang by private vehicle. After a local cured-pork-rib hotpot lunch, explore Black Dragon Pool and Lijiang Old Town, leaving time for its lanes and canals. Stay at 丽江国际酒店.
MEALS Hotel breakfast is generally included. Lunch and dinner are not; a local suggestion is Lijiang cured-pork-rib hotpot and a Naxi-style dinner.
Snow mountain · Long onward drive
Visit Jade Dragon Snow Mountain by the Glacier Park cable car, then Blue Moon Valley by shuttle and the Impression Lijiang performance. An oxygen bottle and cold-weather jacket are provided for mountain use. Continue by road to Lugu Lake, with a possible stop at the Lining Eighteen Bends viewpoint. This is the longest day: mountain tickets, performance timing and the onward drive are checked together before booking. Stay at 女儿国酒店 by Lugu Lake.
MEALS Hotel breakfast is generally included. Lunch and dinner are not; a local suggestion is a snow-mountain lunch box and stone-pot fish.
Lake excursion · Second night by the water
Take a traditional pig-trough boat from Daluoshui toward Liwubi Island when boats operate. Continue to Luyuan Cliff, the Caohai wetlands and Walking Marriage Bridge, then reach Lige Peninsula for the sunset viewpoint. The partner itinerary ends with a Mosuo bonfire gathering, subject to the local schedule. A second night at 女儿国酒店.
MEALS Hotel breakfast is generally included. Lunch and dinner are not; a local suggestion is Ninglang lunch and a Mosuo-style dinner.
Mountain road transfer · Departure
Enjoy the lakeshore at sunrise if you wish, then return by private vehicle to Lijiang. The partner itinerary includes a transfer to Lijiang Airport according to your flight time. Choose a late flight or discuss an additional night if the mountain-road transfer would make departure too tight.
MEALS Hotel breakfast is generally included. Lunch and dinner are not; a local suggestion is wild-mushroom hotpot.
MAKE THE ROUTE YOURS
Words from guests who explored Yunnan with Joy and our local partners.
Guest names may be shortened. Some reviews were translated from Chinese for clarity.
PRIVATE TRAVEL, LOCAL SUPPORT
Share your dates, group size and pace.
Review the hotels, guide and private transport in a written proposal.
The licensed partner handles the contract and operates your journey.
Joy shapes the plan with you. Yunnan Tengran International Travel Agency Co., Ltd. confirms the proposal, handles the travel contract and operates the journey. The guide and vehicle are confirmed in writing.
A local guide is included throughout the journey. Choose Chinese or English, and ask Joy about another language in advance. These profiles are examples from the guide team supporting these journeys. The final assignment depends on your dates and is confirmed in writing.
A profile from the local guide team. Final assignment depends on your dates.
A seven-seat vehicle gives more room for people and luggage. A five-seat vehicle suits a smaller party. These are examples from the private-vehicle catalog, not a promise of one exact model. The final vehicle is confirmed in your written proposal.
Exterior, captain seats and rear seating.
Yunnan Tengran International Travel Agency Co., Ltd. (云南腾然国际旅行社有限公司) is the licensed operator for these journeys. It confirms the services, handles the travel contract and operates the trip. Its travel agency permit number is L-YN-101846.
“Living abroad taught me how different a place feels when you have someone local you can trust.”
Joy Liu was born and raised in Yunnan. He helps you shape the route around what matters to you, then connects you with licensed local partners who arrange and operate the journey.
MEET JOY →Five hotel nights and guiding are included. Vehicle, room types and exact inclusions are confirmed in a written proposal after we know your dates and group size.
Final pricing depends on travel dates, group size, hotel availability and any route customizations. Your licensed local travel partner will provide the final proposal and contract.
A group size, a month and a budget are enough. You will get a route sketch and a range before anyone asks you to book. Prefer a chat? Use WhatsApp and send the same three facts.
✓A spacious, comfortable private vehicle for the whole journey. You choose gasoline or electric, with five or seven seats.
✓A Chinese- or English-speaking guide throughout
✓24-hour private concierge support, from your first enquiry until the journey ends
✓A 4- or 5-diamond hotel, chosen around your budget
✓Breakfast, which the hotel generally includes
✓Entrance tickets, mountain entry fees and similar charges for the places on your itinerary
✓High-speed train tickets where the route uses the train, in second class unless you request another seat
—Lunch and dinner. They are not part of the journey, so you arrange them yourself. Your guide can suggest restaurants if you want.
—Personal spending during the journey
—Extra costs caused by traffic delays, strikes, weather, aircraft or mechanical failure, or flights that are cancelled or rescheduled — and anything not listed as included
Check these practical points as you choose your dates and pace.
The local partner describes this as a pure sightseeing small-group journey with no compulsory shopping. Its brochure states a double tour-fee compensation policy if shopping is imposed; check the final contract for the exact terms.
Yunnan is a mountain plateau. Lijiang is about 2,400 meters (7,900 feet), and Jade Dragon Snow Mountain is higher still. The partner advises travelers with serious heart, blood-pressure or breathing conditions against the mountain visit and asks guests aged 70 or above to travel with family and provide a health certificate. Tell Joy about any concerns before booking and consult your clinician about high-elevation travel.
The elevation makes the ultraviolet light strong in every season. Bring a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen. Temperatures can swing sharply, sometimes through several seasons in a single day, and mornings and evenings stay cool even in summer. Dress in layers, with a warm layer for the mountain. Lijiang Old Town's stone paths can be slippery, so comfortable flat shoes are useful; keep valuables close in busy areas.
Yunnan is home to more ethnic groups than any other province in China, and customs differ from place to place. During visits, follow local practice and treat people's homes, temples, and ceremonies with respect.
The cooking changes with the region. Dishes worth seeking out include crossing-the-bridge rice noodles, Xuanwei ham, flower cakes, Dai-style rice eaten by hand, and steam-pot chicken.
Cable cars, boats, mountain access and outdoor performances depend on weather, tickets and local operation. The local partner may adjust the visiting order for weather or traffic; any replacement for an unavailable service will be explained in your written proposal.
Day 4 combines the snow-mountain visit with the onward drive to Lugu Lake, and Day 6 returns by mountain road to Lijiang Airport. Share your flight times before booking so the operator can check both transfers and propose a gentler schedule if needed.
For medical questions about high-elevation travel, consult your clinician and the CDC high-altitude guidance ↗.
Use these guides to understand the places, choose your pace and arrive with more useful context.
Yes. The route is designed for your own party, with transport arranged for the group size in the final proposal.
The route starts with pickup at Dali Airport and ends with a transfer to Lijiang Airport. Share your flight times so the operator can check arrival-day sightseeing and the Day 6 mountain-road return.
Five nights are included in this six-day journey: two in Dali, one in Lijiang and two by Lugu Lake.
A local guide is included throughout. Choose Chinese or English according to your group's language preference. Contact Joy to discuss any other language before booking.
The itinerary names 大理五彩云酒店 for two nights, 丽江国际酒店 for one night and 女儿国酒店 by Lugu Lake for two nights, described by the partner as five-diamond-class stays. The PDF does not specify twin, double or other room types; your chosen room arrangement will be written into the booking proposal.
It combines Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Blue Moon Valley and Impression Lijiang with the onward drive to Lugu Lake. We will check cable car and show times, road conditions and your preferred pace before confirming it. An additional Lijiang night is an option if you prefer a gentler schedule.
The partner itinerary includes the Ximatan and Glacier Park cable cars, the Blue Moon Valley shuttle and Impression Lijiang performance. Weather, tickets and operating schedules can affect the day; the confirmed proposal will list the included services and any alternative or refund terms.
The proposed route has no mandatory shopping stops. Any optional purchases remain your choice.
Yunnan Tengran International Travel Agency Co., Ltd. is the licensed local operator. It confirms the services, handles the contract and operates the trip. The written proposal sets out the exact arrangements.
Different dates, more time, or somewhere else in mind? Start with your own plans and we’ll discuss a route shaped around you.
EXPLORE TAILOR-MADE JOURNEYS →LIKE THIS ROUTE, BUT WANT TO MAKE IT YOURS?
