Hello Fodorites. I am a new member as of today!

We are traveling to Taiwan at Christmas time for a wedding, and are considering continuing to China.

Would you recommend traveling to Lijiang area in December/January, or would you wait till the spring?

Are the roads hard to travel in the winter?

Is the altitude more of a problem in the winter?

We would appreciate any recommendations.

Thank you. Carol

Lijiang itself won't be a problem. But I think going to the Jade Dragon Mountain, Tiger Leaping Gorge, or Shangri-La may be. No difference in altitude issues relating to weather, and the town of Lijiang is only at 8,000ft.

I was in Lijiang this past January. The weather was great- cool and clear skies. We had no trouble with the altitude. As we were there a few days before Chinese New years there were many less tourists making the city a delight.

We were in Lijiang and Shangri La last October and had perfect weather. Pleasant warm days with very chilly nights.

For road travel I believe you will only have a problem if you intend to explore the higher altitudes around Lijiang, above the snow line, but I wouldn't worry as there are a lot to see and do in Lijiang itself.

As other have said no problem around Lijiang with altitude sickness but in Shangri La we had problems.

If you would like to see some photo of our trip click on the link below and go to the Lijiang, Shangri La and Banyan Tree(the best hotel around there) gallery.

http://khun-pook.smugmug.com/

Hanuman, we're planning a visit to Yunnan in October & would like your advice on how we should plan our days we have 5 nights & will be arriving from Xi'an. should we fly to Kumning & then fly directly to Lijang or should we stay the night in Kumning & take the train to Lijang. We would also like to include a night in Dali. Are we doing to much in so little time? Should we skip yunnan altogether?I would be grateful for any help you can give me.

Clark,

I would fly in to Kunming and transit immediately on to the next flight to Lijiang. Kunming itself is a typical industrial town and your time will be better spent in Lijiang.

When we went we spent 3 nights in Lijiang and 2 nights in Shangri La. If I were to do it again I would spend the whole 5 nights in Lijiang as I felt that Shangri La was a let down for me although many do find Shangri La as a worthwhile place to visit.

I think Yunnan is big contrast to other part of China, especially Xian. 5 nights would be perfect IMO so it's a definite must. Off to dinner now and I'll continue this later.

Just want to point out that there's no trains to Lijiang. It only goes from Kunming to Dali. You need to fly to Lijiang, or bus from Dali.

Thanks Hanuman & rkkwan I'm tryng to get as much info as possible before Idecide if it's worth it or
not.

Just go Clark I think you'll enjoy it. Look at my pictures, research Fodors and see if it's something you and your travel companion would like before you make a decision.

To help make the right suggestions - what's your budget for hotels and food? Are you looking for 5 stars or just a comfy place?

We're staying in 5* hotels in Beijing & Shanghai but are looking for more authentic & comfy places in between. We don't have any budget for food and will eat at places recommended here on Fodors. We like to eat in nice restaurants but we're also quite happy to eat street food.

I highly recommend the Banyan Tree hotel in Lijiang and Shangri La(if you decide to visit there). There are authentic "inns" around the old town in Lijiang but most likely you will not get a good night sleep at these places. Street noises are very loud and you'll be able to hear everything. One couple I met from NJ who decided to stay at an Inn said that his wife cried a lot because she was cold or couldn't sleep well!

If you decide on the Banyan Tree stay in a Jacuzzi villa as the pool in the pool villa are too cold. The Chinese restaurant there is pretty good too but the Western restaurant need a lot of help.

A guide and driver will be very useful but you could do everything on your own if you want. We hired a guide and did not regret it and saw many interesting places that we would have not found by ourselves.

I stayed at the Zen Garden Nov. 2004 and loved it. I had a regular room, but they also had rooms with "period" furniture. This place is in the old town, but far enough from the center to be quiet and have good views over the roofs.

To bluechip
When you traveled to Lijiang, did you also go to Shangri-La and,drive to the other sites outside Lijiang? Were there any problems because of the time of year and weather?

How did you travel to Lijiang, and around that area? Did you have a guide that you would recommend?

We flew from Kunming to Lijiang. The weather was clear and brisk our entire stay. We had no problem with temperatures except for the evening we went to hear the "old orchestra" perform. The wind went through that building and I felt as if we were back in Harbin for the Ice and Snow festival.

We did not go to Shangri-la but did take day trips to Baisha and Shue. We had a lovely young woman as our guide. You can email her at lijiang [email protected]. Tell her Marsha and Joan say hello.

Sorry. That should be [email protected]