Lijiang

Lijiang Old Town is one of the best-preserved ancient towns in China and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The core of the old town — a dense network of cobblestone lanes, wooden Naxi architecture, and mountain-fed waterways — has survived largely intact since the Ming Dynasty. At 2,400 metres altitude, backed by the snow-capped Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, it is one of the most visually striking towns in Asia.

The Naxi people, Lijiang's indigenous inhabitants, have a unique culture that includes Dongba — one of the world's last pictographic writing systems still in active use. Naxi music, architecture, and religion all distinguish this town from the rest of China. The ancient Dongba culture is centred here, and performances of traditional Naxi music (using instruments unchanged for centuries) take place nightly in the old town.

Lijiang has become very popular with domestic tourists, and the old town can be crowded during peak season. The trick is to stay inside the old town (many beautiful courtyard guesthouses exist within the lanes) and explore early morning and evening when day-trippers have gone. The streets at 6am, with mist rising from the waterways and locals going about their daily routines, are genuinely magical.

Lijiang Sanyi International Airport (LJG) has direct flights from Kunming (45 minutes), Chengdu, Guangzhou, Beijing, and Shanghai. The airport is about 25 kilometres from the old town (40–50 minutes by taxi, ¥60–80). High-speed train from Kunming takes 3 hours to Lijiang Railway Station, from where taxis reach the old town in 15 minutes.

Stay inside Lijiang Old Town — the experience of waking up inside the ancient lanes, before the day-trippers arrive, is the defining Lijiang experience. Dozens of courtyard guesthouses (known locally as kezi) have been converted into boutique hotels with traditional wooden architecture, interior courtyards, and rooftop views of the Snow Mountain. Book well in advance for peak seasons (Chinese national holidays, summer).

Altitude: Lijiang sits at 2,400 metres. Take it easy on your first day, drink plenty of water, and avoid alcohol initially. Most visitors adapt within 24–48 hours. Symptoms of altitude sickness (headache, breathlessness, nausea) usually pass quickly at this elevation.

Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (entrance ¥230 including cable car) rises to 5,596 metres above Lijiang. The cable car to the glacier at 4,506 metres is the most accessible high-altitude experience in the region. Warm clothing is essential even in summer — temperatures at the top are near freezing year-round.

Tiger Leaping Gorge is a 2-day hiking trail 100 kilometres north of Lijiang — one of the finest hikes in Asia. The gorge is 3,900 metres deep at its most dramatic point. Most hikers walk the high trail from Qiaotou to Walnut Grove, staying overnight at a guesthouse along the trail.