Yunnan guide
A Naxi old town under a 5,600 m snow mountain, and the easiest big win in Yunnan after Dali.
Lijiang Old Town became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997 for good reason: a coherent Naxi townscape of stone lanes, water channels running beside the lanes, and timber-frame houses with tiled roofs. It is busy, and it is worth it, but the interesting part is what lies just outside the walls.
Shuhe Old Town, 8 km north, is smaller, cheaper and much calmer, with the same architecture and a fraction of the crowd. Black Dragon Pool park at the southern end of the old town is a genuine Naxi garden with an old museum and the Dongba culture collection, and it is free. Lion Hill behind the old town has the best view over the rooftops, and a cableway that runs over the canopy.
Jade Dragon Snow Mountain rises to 5,596 m about 30 km north of the old town, and the park entrance is where most visitors start. From there a cableway climbs to about 4,500 m, where there is a boardwalk across the snow line and the altitude is noticeable if you have come straight from sea level.
At the base, Blue Moon Valley is a glacial valley with milky turquoise lakes and a forest walk. The Impression Lijiang show, staged outdoors against the mountain, is the other thing most people book. Both are weather dependent, so leave a spare day rather than cramming them into a half day.
The high-speed train from Kunming to Lijiang takes roughly 3 hours, with the station about 8 km from the old town, so allow for the transfer. Flying Kunming to Lijiang takes about an hour and is the option to consider if you are short on time.
Stay 2 nights minimum. One night is a checklist, two nights lets you do the mountain properly, and Baisha, 20 km north, is worth a half day for its Naxi murals and the old Tea Horse Road trail head if you are walking.