I will be travelling in China August 5-20. Can anyone suggest an itinerary in the southwest region that includes travel from Beijing and back, and possibly a visit to Xian on the way? I am particularly interested in visiting ethnic minorities.

I was planning to travel mostly by train (overnight), with perhaps one longer flight (e.g. to get from Kumming to Beijing on my way back).

I am a (young) woman travelling on my own; is safety an issue?

Many thanks for any help!

I don't have a lot of information about Yunnan, but here are some info that you may find useful.

- There's a daily direct train from Beijing to Kunming. It's pretty fast, taking about 40 hours (two nights), but it goes straight south before turning west; so it doens't go through Xi'an.

If you want to do Xi'an, you can take the overnight "Z" train from Beijing to there, and then the direct train from Xi'an to Kunming will still take 36 hours (also two nights). So, you'll be on the train for 3 nights. But the mountainous route it take is considered engineering marvel, and should be quite scenic.

- From Kunming, you can take a train to Dali (about 7 hours; there are 3 overnight and a day train, each day). But then to get to Lijiang, Shangri-La, or Xishuanbanna, you'll need to go by coach. Or you can fly from Kunming to Lijiang.

You have like 15 days, so you should be able to see quite a bit, even after all the train travel times.

Hi Laura:

If your interests are in seeing the minorities you could add a few days in the isolated area around Lugu Lake. The Mosou matriarchal society who reside in this area were fascinating and the scenery was spectacular too.
The trip up and back took us through some small towns and over mountain passes. It is not an easy drive and you should search out someone who has made the trip before to be your driver. Rock slides apparently occur but we had a great driver and a good guide as well.
As a woman traveller you will find the Mosou culture fascinating. Perhaps you can find a tour going up to Lugu from Lijiang. This way you would not be the only person.
I think safety is always an issue when travelling alone but in China I don't know that it is a particularly dangerous place.
You will love Yunnan.
regards,

Hi guys, thanks for your help.

rkkwan: I thought that stopping in Xian on my way to Kumming would be a clever way to split the journey. Obviously not however! I might leave Xian for another trip to China then, and focus on Yunnan.

keldar: thanks for the hint, this is exactly the kind of thing I am looking for! I will look for a tour once I reach Lijiang.

One question about packing: I expect the weather in August to be hot and humid, however I expect the mountain areas in Yunnan to be cold...What kind of clothing is appropriate this time of the year?

Thanks again!