Northwest Yunnan is one of the most remote and spectacular regions of southern China. It borders Sichuan Province, Tibet and Burma and is one of towering mountains and tough travel.
Many people visit Northwest Yunnan for a taste of Tibet without the actual hassle of visiting that restricted area. The northwest region is inhabited mostly by Tibetans and other ethic monitories, bringing with it bags of tradition and culture. The land here ranges from tropical rainforests to ragged, snowy peaks and there are also some chilled towns and cities.
The most popular centers in Northwest Yunnan include: the UNESCO World Heritage listed Lijiang; the backpacker haven of Dali to the south; the pretty mountain town of Zhongdian (Shangri-La); nearby Tibetan-oriented Deqin; and the border town of Ruili, next to Burma.
Northwest Yunnan is mainly about the countryside and the UNESCO Northwest Yunnan Nujiang Valley, running down near the Burma border, is a fantastic part of Yunnan. It is time-consuming to get to however and only really accessible for part of the year. Snow Mountain (Mount Kawa Karpo) is another popular area with fantastic hiking opportunities.
Getting There & Away
The main airport in Northwest Yunnan is that of Dali Airport in the south. It receives flights from Kunming’s Wujiaba Airport in under an hour. There is also an airport in Zhongdian (Diqing Airport) for access to Mount Kawa Karpo, as well as down in Baoshan for the Nujiang Valley. Buses run to Dali from Kunming in 5 hours, in 8 hours to Lijiang, in 12 hours to Zhongdian and in 18 hours to Gongshan in the Nujiang Valley.
Onward Travel
- Baima Xueshan National Nature Reserve
- Baisha
- Birang Xiagu
- Dali
- Deqin
- Erhai Lake
- Jianchuan
- Jizu Shan
- Lige
- Lijiang
- Lugu Hu
- Mount Kawa Karpo
- Nujiang Valley
- Nuodeng
- Shangri-La
- Shaxi
- Shibaoshan
- Shitoucheng
- Tiger Leaping Gorge
- Weibao Shan
- Weishan
- Weixi Lisu Autonomous County
- Xiaguan
- Xizhou
- Yulong Xueshan
- Yunlong