Travel Information

Below is some important information you should know before you tour to Yunnan.

Get into Yunnan and Away

Flight to Yunnan

Kunming, the provincial capital of Yunnan province, is the transportation hub of the province, with direct flights to and from major cities. At present, the old Wujiaba Airpot has been closed, but all flights in and out from the new Kunming Changshui International Airport that is located 24 km at the urban area of Kunming. There are 319 air routes connecting Kunming and other 118 cities, including 275 China internal airlines, 38 international airlines and 6 regional airlines, flying to 89 Chinese cities, 3 regional cities and 26 international cities respectively.

International destinations include but are by no means limited to Hongkong, Hanoi, Vientiane, Chiang Mai/Bangkok, Kathmandu, Rangoon, Osaka and Seoul. For internal airlines, Kunming is served by all Chinese airlines and has daily flights to most cities. Domestic airport is almost all corners of Yunnan province are served by daily flights from Kunming and some other major Chinese cities. In main tourists city or towns, such as Dali, Lijiang, Shangri-la and Xishuangbanna, the direct daily flights often connect bigger cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and flights for provincial towns in Yunnan. Please check with us the exactly air ticket and flights information.

Train to Yunnan

Taking the train to Yunnan is an easily accessible transportation. The biggest train terminal here is Kunming. There are trains to and from Chengdu, Guiyang, Xi’an or Nanning and on to various cities throughout the country. There is also an international train for Vietnam. Within Yunnan, some of the tourist destinations are also linked with railway, for instance, Dali and the Stone forest, or Dalia and Lijiang are both reachable with train. The latter will be extended to Shangri-la and further ahead to connect the railway to Lhasa, Tibet.

Travel Yunnan by Road

You can enter into Yunnan by road from Laos and Vietnam. Within the province itself, one of the way to travel to all destinations is by bus. Yunnan has a well-established public transportation system. Some express buses are also available linking the major tourist destinations such as Dali, Lijiang, and Shangri-La.

By Boat

You can think about entering/leaving Yunnan by boat that is a speedboat running three times a week on the Mekong River between Jinghong in southern Yunnan and Chiang Saen in Thailand.

High Altitude Sickness

Generally, you won’t be affected a lot from the high altitude sickness when you are traveling in Yunnan, as the most of the places in Yunnan is in moderate or lower altitude. The average elevation of the province is 1,980 metres. But if you are travelling the north Yunnan, the altitude may increase to around 3,000 meters above the sea level, some mountain peaks could reach more than 5,000 m if you are going for trekking. In such areas, such as Lijiang (2500 m), Shangri-la (3,300 m) or Meili Snow Mountain region (about 3,000 m in town), people may suffer from the high altitude sickness.

Altitude sickness, also known as acute mountain sickness (AMS), is the reaction of the body adjusting to decreasing amounts of oxygen. Normally, the higher the altitude, the less oxygen available for the body to carry on normal functions. It commonly occurs above 2,400 metres (8,000 feet) but this is different for everyone. One may experience the symptoms of headache, Loss of appetite, disturbed sleep or drowsiness, irritability, fatigue, nausea/vomiting, dizziness, swelling of hands, feet & face and such before adjusts to altitude. In most cases, the symptoms are mild and will subside in several hours to several days as the body acclimatizes. So the proper acclimatization is very important before you continue to go higher, and below methods may be helpful to better avoid the symptoms of the altitude sickness.

Have a body check or take your doctor's advice before travelling high altitude areas in Yunnan
Avoid catching cold or respiratory problems before or during the travelling
Prepare AMS medication with your doctor's advice
Don’t increase psychological burden to yourself. Be relax!
Drinking plenty of water - at least 4 litres per day on top of other forms of fluids such as tea or soups
Avoiding eat too much at the beginning of your arrival to highland
Taking it easy or have a regular break and walk at a slower pace to avoid over-exertion
Avoiding alcohol, tobacco and substances that can interfere with good delivery of oxygen to the body or cause dehydration
Eating high-carbohydrate food

If the symptoms increase, please let our guide to know immediately!

Best Time to Travel Yunnan

Due to the complex topography, the weather in Yunnan is diverse that makes the different travel seasons to different areas. Generally, Yunnan has mild climate with pleasant and fair weather, so the suitable time to visit Yunnan is from March to October. The north areas are cold in the winter season, Shangri-la and Dechen or around areas are freeze that does not recommend the visiting. In the tropical south, including Xishuangbanna and Yuanyang areas, the best season is considered from November to April, which is the season for Nujiang Canyon too, but the Dulongjiang area only could be entered after April due to the snowing and tough road.

Things to Bring for Yunnan Tour

The personal items listed below are general main stuffs recommended to keep with you when you are travelling to Yunnan:

‘Layered’ clothing for flexibility or Strong and quick-drying outdoor clothing
T-shirts or long and short sleeved shirts/sweaters
Comfortable walking shoes, Sandals
Long loose fitting pants
Sun hat, sunglasses, suntan lotion, lipsticks, umbrella, day pack etc.
Mosquito repellent
The hotel facility is lower rate in the remote areas, it is suggested you to bring an inner sheet or a light sleeping bag incase any use.

The above list is the regular things to pack, we will provide a list of appropriate travel stuffs depending on your travel types, itineraries and travel areas.

Transportation for Yunnan Tour

The vehicles we provide for our clients are available for varied group size. Generally, a car is provided for a group of 2 persons, a business van for a group of 5 persons, a medium bus for a group of over 10 persons. We provide a larger vehicle with more seats than the number of people on the tour, to make sure you are comfortable and have space for all your baggage. The road condition in Yunnan is fairly good, but in a few time we will offer 4WD jeep for the areas involve tough road driving and off road excursions.

Hotels, Guest Houses and Lodges in Yunnan

Main Cities like Kunming, Dali, Lijiang, Shangri-La and Xishuangbanna have the reputed or new opened hotels ranging from budget to luxury. In other lesser cities in Yuanyang, Dechen and Nujiang Canyon have average hotels with 2 or 3 star categories. In smaller towns, the hotels are more basic. Further in remote towns such as Bingzhongluo and Weixi, the accommodation is rudimentary or the guest house with dorm bed and outhouse toilet. Sometimes you have to spend night in local family for an experience or limited conditions.

Food & Cuisine

The food in Yunnan is interesting and tasty that can generally be divided into two categories. In the northeastern part of the province, where is inhabited largely by Han Chinese, food is commonly similar to Sichuan cuisine due to the fact that it is close to Sichuan and thus has many contacts with this spicy province. In the western and southwestern areas, the dining is more influenced by various ethnic groups as well as neighboring Vietnam and Laos. The most representative are those in the southern part of Yunnan, where the mild climate has helped the growth of many rare fruits and vegetables. The most famous or typical Yunnan food are chicken steamed in a pot (qiguo ji), crossing-the-bridge rice noodles (guoqiao mixian), and regional mushrooms/fungi which is one of Yunnan’s characters with infinite varieties, many are endemic, rare in other places, and hard to call out the names.

Featured Commodities

Yunnan is famed for Chinese herbal materials, tobacco leaves, Pu’er tea, mushroom, Dali marble products, Naxi cultural souvenirs, jewelry, and the variety of ethnic handicrafts available here is vast.

Money & Exchange

Foreign currencies cannot be used directly in Yunnan, but you can exchange your money at the many Bank of China outlets throughout the province. Most major hotels in Yunnan's larger cities will accept major credit cards. Your hotels also can change money for you and ATMs are easy to find. But if you are travelling for lessor-visited, smaller or lessor-visited areas, remember to bring sufficient cash incase there is no bank to withdraw money.

Tipping

Guides and Drivers are generally expected and pleased to receive a tip if you are satisfied with their services and hard works, though it is not compulsory.