You’ll be planning with Joy.
Joy Liu was born in Yunnan and plans from Kunming. You speak with him from the first enquiry through the trip.
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FIRST ENCOUNTER
6-Day Private Yunnan Tour
A private Kunming-to-Lijiang route, with Jade Dragon as a day of its own.From US$680 per person for the complete 6 days- Private party · no shopping stops
- Muslim-friendly as standard
- A full day on Jade Dragon, not on the day you leave
- 20% after the contract · 80% after pickup
- Starts in Kunming (high-speed train to Dali)
- Ends in Lijiang
- Breakfast from Day 2
- Lunch and dinner are not included
Get a quote for your dates.
After you sign, the deposit is 20%. The other 80% is due after your first pickup.
- ✓Personalized itinerary
- ✓Handpicked hotels
- ✓Private driver-guide
- ✓Flexible travel dates
Or send the same details by email.
GUESTS ON THIS ROUTE
A private party on Day 5: the 4,506 m platform and Blue Moon Valley.
Why travel with us?
Private party
- Your own driver-guide and vehicle
- No shopping stops
- Arranged around your dates
Planned with Joy
- Joy Liu plans from Kunming
- You speak with him from the first enquiry through the trip
- He was born in Yunnan
Licensed agency
- Yunnan Meizhen International Travel Agency
- Permit L-YN-1017500
- The contract and payments are with this agency
Guest notes
- From private Yunnan journeys
- Your driver-guide is named in writing
- Read them further down this page
Planned with Joy. Contracted with a licensed Kunming agency.
Licensed agency
Yunnan Meizhen International Travel Agency Co., Ltd. (云南美珍国际旅行社有限公司). Permit L-YN-1017500. Office: Room 1915, Floor 19, Building 4, Dadu Motian Shopping Center, Xiaobanqiao Subdistrict, Guandu District, Kunming, Yunnan. The contract and payments are with this agency: 20% after you sign, 80% after your first pickup.
Liability insurance →
At a glance.
6 days / 5 nights
- Starts Kunming (HSR to Dali)
- Dali 2 nights
- Shaxi 1 night
- Ends Lijiang 2 nights
Your journey
- Private party
- Driver-guide
- No shopping stops
Meals
- Hotel breakfast from Day 2
- No meals on the Day 1 train
- Lunch and dinner are not included
Guide price
- From US$680 per person
- Two adults, Premium hotels
- The complete 6-day journey
Couples, friends and small private groups on a first Yunnan trip who would rather give Jade Dragon a full day than pack the glacier onto a departure.
March–May and September–November are the most comfortable. Summer is lush and busier; winter is quieter, with a colder mountain day.
Signature experiences
The moments this route is built around: Erhai’s west shore, indigo in Zhoucheng, one night in Shaxi, and a full day on Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.
Wake up beside Erhai Lake
Cycle or walk the Panxi S-bend on the west-shore ecological corridor. You stay with one stretch of lake and mountain, not a full-day circuit of Erhai.
Meet Dali's living traditions
Walk Xizhou’s Bai courtyards, then step into a Zhoucheng workshop and try indigo tie-dye with people who still make it for a living.
An evening in Shaxi
One night on the Tea Horse Road. Sideng Square after the coaches leave, then Shibaoshan in the morning before the drive to Lijiang.
Stand beneath Jade Dragon Snow Mountain
The core of the six days: a full mountain day for the sightseeing train, a cable car and Blue Moon Valley, with a night in Lijiang before it and after it. It is not squeezed onto the day you leave.
YOUR 6 DAYS IN YUNNAN
Give Jade Dragon Snow Mountain a full day of its own.
Two nights in Dali, one night in Shaxi, two nights in Lijiang. Day 5 is the mountain, with a night in Lijiang before it and after it. Hotel breakfast is included from Day 2. Lunch and dinner are not.Day 1High-speed train to Dali Ancient Town
About 2 hours by rail · First night in Dali
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High-speed train to Dali Ancient Town
About 2 hours by rail · First night in Dali
Leave Kunming on a second-class high-speed train and reach Dali in about two hours. Your driver-guide meets you at Dali station and drives you to the hotel, usually 30–40 minutes. The evening is an easy walk in the old town, past Wenxian Tower, Foreigner Street and Renmin Road. There is no drive around the lake today. If your flight lands late, add a Kunming night before this day.
MEALS No meals on the train day. You sleep in Dali.
Day 2Erhai’s west shore, Xizhou and Zhoucheng indigo
Panxi S-bend · Bai courtyards · Tie-dye workshop
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Erhai’s west shore, Xizhou and Zhoucheng indigo
Panxi S-bend · Bai courtyards · Tie-dye workshop
After breakfast, drive about 20 minutes up Erhai’s west shore to the Panxi S-bend. Spend about an hour there on foot or by bike, Cangshan on one side and the water on the other. You do not circle the lake. Then Xizhou, for Bai courtyards and the old Tea Horse Road streets. The Bai three-course tea can be added at lunch if you want it. It is not included. In the afternoon, try indigo tie-dye at a working workshop in Zhoucheng.
MEALS Breakfast included. Lunch and dinner on your own. You sleep in Dali.
Day 3Three Pagodas, then the mountain road into Shaxi
Chongsheng Temple · About 2.5 hours by road · The night in Shaxi
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Three Pagodas, then the mountain road into Shaxi
Chongsheng Temple · About 2.5 hours by road · The night in Shaxi
The Three Pagodas at Chongsheng Temple, about an hour at the foot of Cangshan. Then the mountain road to Shaxi, a little over two hours. Cars stop at the edge of town. You walk in over Yujin Bridge to Sideng Square and stay after the day visitors have gone. This is your only night in Shaxi.
MEALS Breakfast included. Lunch and dinner on your own. You sleep in Shaxi.
Day 4Shibaoshan in the morning, then the road into Lijiang
Grottoes in the hills · About 2 hours by road · First night in Lijiang
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Shibaoshan in the morning, then the road into Lijiang
Grottoes in the hills · About 2 hours by road · First night in Lijiang
A morning at the Shibaoshan grottoes, about 30 minutes up from Shaxi, then a two-hour drive to Lijiang. In the afternoon, Black Dragon Pool: the view toward Jade Dragon when the sky is clear, and a first look at tomorrow’s mountain. A short walk in the old town after that, not a full circuit. Lijiang sits at about 2,400 meters.
MEALS Breakfast included. Lunch and dinner on your own. You sleep in Lijiang.
Day 5Jade Dragon Snow Mountain: the core of the journey
Sightseeing train · Cable car · Blue Moon Valley · Second night in Lijiang
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Jade Dragon Snow Mountain: the core of the journey
Sightseeing train · Cable car · Blue Moon Valley · Second night in Lijiang
The day this route is built around. After breakfast, drive to Baisha and take the sightseeing train, about 35 minutes, toward Ganhaizi. Then the park bus and the Glacier Park cable car, with time at the 4,506–4,680 m platforms when tickets, weather and your health allow. If that car cannot run, the replacement is Yunshanping, not a walk in town. Blue Moon Valley comes after the mountain. Oxygen and a cold-weather jacket are arranged when the glacier car is in the plan. This route does not put a high-speed train back to Kunming on the same day as the cable car.
MEALS Breakfast included. Lunch near the mountain, dinner back in town, both on your own. You sleep in Lijiang.
Day 6Shuhe, Lijiang Old Town, then departure
Canals and night-before lanes · Leave from Lijiang
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Shuhe, Lijiang Old Town, then departure
Canals and night-before lanes · Leave from Lijiang
A slower morning in town, then the drive to Lijiang airport or the railway station. Shuhe comes first, about an hour among the canals and Qinglong Bridge, then Lijiang Old Town: Sifang Street and the water lanes. A later departure leaves time for a wild-mushroom hotpot. That meal is not included. A morning flight shortens this walk. The mountain day stays on Day 5.
MEALS Breakfast included. Lunch and dinner on your own.
TRAVELER STORIES
What Travelers Remember
Notes from guests on private Yunnan journeys. The driver-guide for your dates is the person named in the proposal.
Names may be shortened. Some notes were translated and edited for clarity.
Get a quote for your dates.
After you sign, the deposit is 20%. The other 80% is due after your first pickup.
THE DETAILS
What’s included
✓A private five- or seven-seat vehicle from Dali station until you leave Lijiang, confirmed in your proposal
✓A Chinese- or English-speaking driver-guide from Dali station until you leave Lijiang
✓Premium hotels, with the property in each place named in your proposal
✓Hotel breakfast each morning from Day 2 through Day 6
✓Muslim-friendly arrangements: breakfast choice, help finding halal meals along the route, and prayer-time reminders. Confirmed in your proposal.
✓Second-class high-speed train from Kunming to Dali, unless you request another seat
✓Attraction tickets named in your quotation, including Chongsheng Three Pagodas, Shibaoshan, Black Dragon Pool, Jade Dragon mountain entry, the park bus, the sightseeing train and the cable car named in that quotation
✓Oxygen and a cold-weather jacket when the Glacier Park cable car is in the confirmed plan
GOOD TO KNOW
What’s not included
—Lunch and dinner. They are not included. You choose where to eat. Your driver-guide can suggest places, including a courtyard lunch in Xizhou and mushroom hotpot in Lijiang.
—The extra electric cart inside Blue Moon Valley, unless it is added in the quotation
—Kunming hotel night, airport pickup and Kunming city visits before Day 1, unless written into the proposal
—Your own international travel insurance. Buy medical and evacuation cover before you travel.
—Flights to and from Yunnan
—Personal expenses, including tips
—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
YOUR PRIVATE JOURNEY
A driver-guide, a private vehicle, and hotels named in writing.
You travel as your own party. No shopping stops. The person, the car and the hotels below are examples from the team we use; the assignment for your dates is confirmed in the proposal.
01 / YOUR DRIVER-GUIDE
A person who knows the route
A Chinese- or English-speaking driver-guide is included throughout. One local host drives, coordinates the route and offers context. This is not a separate attraction lecturer inside every site. A specialist site guide can be added in your proposal. These profiles are examples from the team. The final assignment depends on your dates and is confirmed in writing.
Zhang Zihang (Jason)
A profile from the local team. The person on your journey is confirmed in writing.
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BEFORE YOU GO
Questions, grouped.
Start in Kunming, finish in Lijiang
Day 1 is the high-speed train from Kunming to Dali. The first hotel night is in Dali, not Kunming. The journey ends in Lijiang on Day 6 after Shuhe and the old town. Add a Kunming hotel night and airport pickup before Day 1 if your flight lands in the afternoon or evening.
No shopping stops
There are no mandatory shopping stops, tourist factories or commission-led detours. Xizhou, Zhoucheng, Shaxi and the Lijiang markets are visits, not shopping stops. Anything you buy is your choice.
Sun, clothing and walking
Ultraviolet light is strong at this elevation in every season. Bring a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen. Dress in layers; Lijiang mornings can be cold even in summer, and the mountain is colder still. Old-town lanes in Dali, Shaxi and Lijiang are stone and can be slippery. Comfortable walking shoes matter more than new ones.
Itinerary changes
Trains, road conditions, attraction opening hours and cable cars can move the visiting order. Reasonable changes will be discussed before they are made. Extra transport, tickets or overtime from added or cancelled visits will be explained first.
Is this a private tour or a group tour?
This is a private journey for your own party: a couple, friends, a family or a small group traveling together. You will not be combined with travelers from another booking.
Can the itinerary be customized?
Yes. This route is a starting point, not a rigid package. You can add a Kunming night before Day 1, spend a second night in Shaxi, keep more of Day 6 in Lijiang, choose Yunshanping instead of the glacier cable car, or continue to Shangri-La on extra days.
Jade Dragon Snow Mountain
Day 5 is the high-altitude day and the core of the route. You sleep in Lijiang the night before and the night after. Lijiang sits around 2,400 meters (7,900 feet); the Glacier Park platforms are about 4,506–4,680 meters (14,780–15,350 feet). Travelers with heart, blood-pressure or breathing conditions, a current cold, or similar concerns should tell Joy before booking and use Yunshanping instead. Cable cars, the sightseeing train and park buses depend on weather, tickets and local operation. If the glacier cable car cannot run, the usual replacement is Yunshanping, with any fare difference explained in writing.
Day 6 departure time
Day 6 is a town day, so a morning flight or train from Lijiang is usually possible; it shortens Shuhe and the old town. An afternoon departure leaves more of the lanes. This route does not put the glacier cable car on the same day as a high-speed train back to Kunming.
How you pay
After you confirm the written itinerary and travel contract, pay a 20% deposit to Yunnan Meizhen International Travel Agency Co., Ltd.’s corporate account by Alipay, WeChat, or bank transfer. The account name matches the company on the contract. We then book hotels, tickets and the vehicle. The remaining 80% is due after your first pickup, when the journey starts.
If plans change
Cancel more than 7 days before the journey starts and the deposit is refunded, minus hotel or ticket costs that have already been booked and cannot be recovered. Cancellations 7 days or fewer before departure keep the deposit.
Insurance
The agency holds 2026 travel-agency liability insurance with China Pacific Property Insurance, policy AKUM0AC10625QAAA1R9T, up to RMB 1.8 million per person for injury it is legally responsible for. It applies to you only after your name and passport number are registered. Buy your own international medical and evacuation insurance. It is not included.
Is US$680 the price per day?
No. US$680 is the starting price per person for the complete 6-day journey, for two adults sharing one room in a Premium hotel. It is not a price per day.
Are meals included?
Hotel breakfast is included each morning from Day 2 through Day 6. Day 1, the train from Kunming to Dali, has no meal included. Lunch and dinner are not included. Your driver-guide can suggest places to eat, including a courtyard lunch in Xizhou and mushroom hotpot in Lijiang.
Tell Joy when you enquire. We write what we can arrange into the proposal. We do not claim a certified-halal kitchen in every hotel.
Breakfast you can choose
Hotel breakfast is generally included. We note your dietary needs so you can select suitable items, or skip breakfast and we help you find a nearby option.
Halal meals on the route
When lunch or dinner is in your quote, we arrange a halal restaurant or packed meal, or refund that meal if a suitable option cannot be confirmed. When meals are not in the quote, the driver-guide helps you find a restaurant or takeaway along the day’s route.
Prayer-time reminders
The driver-guide can remind you of prayer times and help find a quiet place or a mosque when the day’s route allows.
Who you contract with
The travel contract and all payments are with Yunnan Meizhen International Travel Agency Co., Ltd. (云南美珍国际旅行社有限公司). Its travel agency permit number is L-YN-1017500.
For medical questions about high-elevation travel, consult your clinician and the CDC high-altitude guidance ↗. Read the full booking and service note →
Your plans don’t have to fit a set itinerary.
A family trip, a slower pace, or more time in a place you love. Let’s shape your Yunnan journey around it.Chat on WhatsAppOr send the same details by email. Joy replies to the note. Nothing is booked from it.
A different date or route? Explore tailor-made Yunnan →