Yunnan Province, referred to as Yunnan,"South of Caiyun" is one of the explanations for the origin of Yunnan place names. Yunnan Province is located in the southwest border of my country. It is one of the provinces with the longest border line in my country, bordering Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam. There are 56 ethnic groups in my country, and Yunnan has 25. It is the province with the largest number of ethnic minorities in my country. I once visited Yunnan with my colleagues in 2010. The comfortable climate, beautiful and picturesque scenery, colorful ethnic customs, and tempting food have left me with deep memories. If you focus on Kunming City, the capital of Yunnan, there are good places to visit in eastern, southern, western and northern Yunnan, so how is it enough to go to Yunnan once? At a class reunion in 2019, an old classmate suggested going to western Yunnan to play, and immediately responded and planned to set off after the Spring Festival of the following year. Unexpectedly, a sudden epidemic that swept the world during the Spring Festival in 2020 disrupted our plans and delayed our journey again and again until this year, we finally made our trip in May 2021. We will complete the trip by renting a car and driving. The journey starts in Kunming and ends in Kunming via Mojiang, Lincang, Tengchong, Dali, Shangri-La, Lijiang and Yuanmou. The total journey is 18 days.

D1: On May 3, 2021, the four of us (my mother, aunt, my wife and I) flew from Shanghai Hongqiao Airport to Kunming on China Eastern Airlines 'latest wide-body passenger aircraft Boeing 787. The seats and spacing were wider than other aircraft types. Make the 3-hour journey more comfortable. Instead of using light shades, the technology-sensitive color changing porthole also provides more fun to relieve boredom. At about 4 p.m., we arrived at Kunming Changshui Airport on time, and were immediately taken to the parking lot of the car rental center near the airport by the staff of the car rental company. After completing the car rental procedures there, we drove straight to the Dianchi Haigeng Dam. The time was controlled just right. Although there are no red-billed gulls in the sky in May in Dianchi Lake, it is a different taste to enjoy the warm breeze by the lake, enjoy the sunset, and leisurely wait for the sunset. After sunset, the sky is getting darker. After dinner at the Laodian Village, which has Yunnan ethnic characteristics, we checked into the Aduo Hotel, Chunrong Street, Kunming City Government.

D2: After breakfast, we set off for Fuxian Lake Luchong Scenic Area, 50 kilometers away from Kunming City and belonging to Yuxi City. Since that day was during the May 1st holiday, I felt that Fuxian Lake was still a relatively small scenic spot among many classic scenic spots in Yunnan. I originally expected that I would not encounter large passenger flows, but in the end, it turned out that I still underestimated the people's enthusiasm for tourism. Affected by the global epidemic, when overseas tourism is not yet open, all scenic spots for domestic tourism during the short holiday are crowded. There are long queues of vehicles at the entrance of the parking lot of the scenic spot, making it difficult to find a parking space. After a period of patient queuing and searching, I finally found a parking space in a remote corner.

The endless lake water and the waves hit the beach. It really feels like being at the beach

Unique fishing tools have now been transformed into unique photo backgrounds

After lunch, we drove along the highway for more than 3 hours and traveled 250 kilometers to Mojiang County, the only Hani Autonomous County in my country. Before entering the city, I visited the Tropic of Cancer Sign Park.

Standing at the commanding heights of the park, you can clearly see the Tropic of Cancer passing through the city.

It is also the famous hometown of twins. There are thousands of pairs of twins in Mojiang County. The International Twin Festival and Hani Sun Festival are held here every year. After entering the city and staying at the Mojiang Twin Star Hotel, I tasted a dinner with Hani characteristics at the Hani Family Hotel in Mojiang.

D3: After breakfast, we set off for Lincang and drove 250 kilometers along the newly built Tianhou Expressway that had just opened to traffic. The journey was 3 hours. At noon, we arrived at Wende Yutang in Lincang City. This is a hotel that amazes us. I didn't expect such a restaurant with online beauty in a small county town.

The decoration style is as literary as the name of the store. There was a light rain during the meal, and the misty rain gave me a hint of Jiangnan flavor.

After the meal, we drank tea leisurely for a while in this comfortable environment before embarking on the journey to Shuangjiang Yunding Nest Tea Manor Hotel. The hotel is located on a tea mountain in Shuangjiang County, 90 kilometers away from Lincang City. After passing the G214 National Highway and turning into a 10-kilometer Panshan Highway, we arrived at the hotel around 3:30 p.m. This is also the meeting place agreed upon by my classmates. After flying from Shanghai to Pu 'er, a group of four of them arrived here this afternoon via Jinggu to join us, officially starting our journey to western Yunnan. The first group photo after the successful rendezvous.

The hotel is located among the misty and mountainous tea gardens, full of green and like a fairyland.

Spacious and atmospheric room with a large balcony with excellent views

Stroll along the mountain plank road in the tea garden and stand among the layers of tea trees like green waves. The air is fresh and it feels like you are in a paradise.

D4: In the early morning, wake up to the crowing of cocks and the crisp sound of birds, and the morning glow fills the sky.

After breakfast, we went to Cangyuan to play according to the original itinerary. Unexpectedly, halfway through the road checkpoint entering Cangyuan, I was stopped at the highway checkpoint that entered Cangyuan. The Mengding Port on the China-Myanmar border was originally located in Cangyuan County. Due to epidemic prevention and control reasons, a pass was needed to enter and exit Cangyuan County. There was no choice but to turn back. It was nearly noon when I returned to Shuangjiang, and I found a restaurant with Wa characteristics-Walai Manor for lunch.

After discussing with my friends during the meal, I decided to visit the Shuangjiang 10,000-acre wild ancient tea tree garden in the afternoon. After passing through the last 20-kilometer section of rugged winding dirt roads with unpaved roads, we finally arrived at the tea garden located in the mountains. However, the tea garden is not a scenic spot open to the outside world, but a protected area. After a period of hard work with us and the management staff, and handed in all the kindling, the management staff finally agreed to our request to enter. After entering the checkpoint, we continued on the rugged winding dirt road. After driving long, we reached the watchtower. To visit the thousand-year-old ancient tea trees, we still had to walk about 3 kilometers in the virgin forest. Considering safety and physical problems, we finally decided to give up. Then climb the watchtower and climb high into the distance. The scenery is picturesque and the trip is worthwhile.

Come and have a group tour here, haha!

Go down the mountain and go back to the hotel after dinner at Jinshuilou Restaurant in Mengku Town.

D5: After breakfast, we leave the Yunding Nest Tea Manor Hotel and head to Tengchong. The journey is 466 kilometers. Since the Tianhou Expressway has not yet been fully opened to traffic, we can only alternate between the expressway and the national highway. We are approaching Tengchong and passing through Baoteng Expressway. The super project on the expressway-Longjiang Bridge.

The bottomless Grand Canyon under the bridge

Arrive at our destination, Tengchong, Heshun Ancient Town, at around 6 p.m., and check into Xiangzhu·Tingyunshu Lake View Inn.

Antique decoration style, large floor-to-ceiling windows allow the beautiful scenery to be presented at any time

The sky is getting dark, and the restaurant next to the inn has dinner

D6: In the early morning, the ancient town in the morning light is quiet and gentle, making people feel comfortable and comfortable.

In the morning, go to Simola Wa Village, Zhongzhai, Qingshui, Tengchong. The whole village is surrounded by green mountains, gurgling springs, and fresh air. It is exactly what Simola means in the Wa language: a happy place.

In the afternoon, we came to Tengchong's most famous scenic spot: Tengchong Rehai Scenic Area.

As soon as we entered the scenic area, the smell of sulfur came to our nostrils, and the steaming hot springs were displayed in various forms before our eyes.

Follow the trail where you can feel the heat through your shoes and feel the magic of nature all the way.

The most famous spectacular big rolling pan, boiling eggs next to the big rolling pan

Finally, take a comfortable soak in the hot spring in the bathing valley in the scenic area.

Return to the ancient town for dinner in the evening: Cunda official's private cuisine, a stunning dinner! Delicious food that must be booked in advance to eat! There is no menu to order, and it is all up to the hostess to arrange the dishes based on the ingredients and the number of people dining for the day. We all support the wall in the door (hungry) and then support the wall out (supporting). There is no one of the best delicious food on this trip!

D7: Inn where you stay: Want to stay at Tingyunshu Lake View Inn

The beautiful wild duck lake next to the inn

After breakfast, at the invitation of tea factory friends from our friends, our party visited the tea gardens and tea factories located in the mountains, as well as thousands of years and century-old ancient tea trees in the tea gardens. At noon, Tengchong friends who were traveling with friends served as hosts and had lunch at Xidong Courtyard.

The entire building complex of Xidong Courtyard covers an area of 18 acres, and the owner is the famous Dong family in Tengchong. The Dong family was enthusiastic and generous. During the Anti-Japanese War, he donated three fighter jets to help build the Dian-Myanmar Highway and other righteous initiatives, and donated money and materials to support the Chinese Expeditionary Force's participation in the Anti-Japanese War. After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, donations were made to build a national war cemetery to commemorate the soldiers of the Chinese Expeditionary Force who died during the Anti-Japanese War. Today's Xidong Courtyard has become a free tourist attraction integrating emerald management, food and ancient village protection.

After lunch, visit the Western Yunnan Anti-Japanese War Memorial Hall and the War Cemetery

Natural waterfall located in Tengchong City: Dieshuihe Waterfall

Strolling around the ancient town before and after dinner

D8: Today, we will leave Heshun Ancient Town. Early in the morning, the sky began to drizzle, and the misty and misty ancient town was particularly fresh, allowing us to experience a different style of the ancient town. According to the scheduled itinerary, we set out in the rain and headed for Qihualing, our hometown. Entering the scenic area, the rain stopped, lucky us! The purple verbena sea of flowers is so beautiful!

Large tracts of roses exude pleasant fragrance. The rose cake made on site has a strong aroma and delicious taste. It is the best rose cake I have ever eaten, no one!

Climb to the high observation deck and overlook the volcanic columnar joints known as the divine pillars along the Ruili River.

At noon, relying on the powerful Internet, I found a restaurant on the roadside to the Beihai Wetland for lunch: Beihai Yipinyuan farmhouse dishes, the fragrant and delicious copper pot rice. After a full meal, we came to the Beihai Wetland.

Large tracts of meadow float on the water.

Grading a meadow in the lake

Swarms of waterbirds sometimes fly high with wings and sometimes play in the water, creating a natural and harmonious scenery.

Tonight is the last night in Tengchong. We stayed at the Bodu Hot Spring Hotel for a luxurious time. We stayed in the hot spring pool in the balcony of the guest room and looked out at the volcano in the sunset. There are only two words that can describe it: comfortable!

D9: After enjoying a rich buffet breakfast at the hotel, we drove away from Tengchong and headed for our next destination: Dali Ancient City. After more than 5 hours of travel, in the afternoon, we arrived at the hotel near the Erhai Gate in the ancient city of Dali: the Manflower Shop in the Ancient City of Dali, the Ancient City of Snow and Snow. After checking in, visit the ancient city, taste snacks, buy specialties, and relax!

I dare not eat, I dare not eat, I dare not eat!

D10: Cangshan Snow in the Wind, Snow and Moon, Erhai Moon, Dali's two landmark attractions. In the morning, I took the Ximatan cableway to climb Cangshan. The cableway stood at an altitude of 3900 meters. After getting off the cableway, we still had to walk about 1300 meters of upper and lower steps to the Ximatan Observation Deck. When we were panting hard and walked for a while, we had to rest. When we walked on the difficult journey, I heard from the returning tourists that there was no water in Ximatan, and the alpine rhododendrons had not yet bloomed. I really wanted to give up and forget about the return trip, but in my opinion, the significance of the trip was not just about how much unknown beauty we could see. It lies in this journey and keep it all in your memory forever!

Finally arrived at the highest observation deck

Dry Xima Tan without water

Overlooking the ancient city of Dali and Erhai Lake from the cableway

After lunch down the mountain, visit Dali's famous Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple.

The reflection of the three towers of the oil-painting Juying Pond

The main tower in the center: Chihiro Tower

Chongsheng Temple backed by Cangshan Mountain

At dinner, I suddenly found that the entire Cangshan Mountain was covered with white clouds, like a snowy mountain. It was so beautiful that it was shocking!

D11: I visited Cangshan yesterday, so today must be Erhai Lake. After breakfast, we headed north along the west bank of the Erhai Lake. The first stop was Qianxi Village. This is an Internet celebrity attraction full of photographers with long guns and short cannons and subjects in brightly dressed clothes and various POSE displays. The Erhai Lake is sparkling under the blue sky and white clouds. It is so beautiful!

At noon, in Xizhou Ancient Town, lunch was held at Hanlin Restaurant, a restaurant opened in an old Bai family house.

After lunch, take a carriage and truly experience visiting the ancient town.

In the afternoon, arrive at Shanshui Seaview Inn in Shuanglang Ancient Town on the east bank of Erhai Lake. The inn is built next to the sea (lake). Sitting on the super beautiful balcony of the guest room, listening to the sound of the waves of Erhai Lake, looking at Cangshan under the blue sky and white clouds on the other side, and enjoying it!

The light of Jesus is rare for me living in a city. Due to the limitations of photography technology and equipment, the light of Jesus I witnessed with my own eyes was even more shocking!

Due to the thick clouds, I didn't enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Western Hills at sunset, but the white clouds at sunset were also very beautiful, heh!

D12: Today is the 12th day of our trip. Tomorrow, our friends will end their trip and return to Magic City first. The four of us will continue to travel westward to Yunnan. Target: Shangri-La! Today, we focus on resting. We can sleep comfortably in the morning and wake up naturally. After breakfast, we can enjoy tea on the balcony, crack melon seeds, chat, and be in a daze. While foraging in Shuanglang Ancient Town at noon, I stopped by the well-known Yang Liping Sun Palace located in the ancient town. Although I don't need to buy a ticket, I have to spend to visit it. Give up decisively. After lunch, we headed south along the east bank of the Erhai Lake to continue our tour around the Erhai Lake.

Does it feel like being at the beach?

Various brigade vehicles that can be seen everywhere along the way automatically form a fleet.

Check-in is known as Dali's "Santorini". This is actually a hotel + business complex. The official name is Dali·Ideal Gang, a place for Internet celebrities to check in. It's not bad to take pictures, but I don't like this kind of artificial attraction.

On my return journey, I met Jesus again

In the evening, we had dinner at the landlord's house in Shuanglang Ancient Town and had the last meal of our trip with our friends.

D13: Early in the morning, we got up early and bid farewell to our friends. The four of us set off on the journey to Shangri-La. On the way, I first went to the First Bay of the Yangtze River in Shigu Town. To be honest, standing on the riverside observation deck, I didn't feel shocked at all.

The drone takes off, God's perspective is here! The shocking "hairpin bend" of the Yangtze River!

Along the G214 National Highway, shortly after passing Tiger Leaping Gorge Town, we drove on the newly built Lixiang Expressway, which had not yet been fully opened to traffic, to Shangri-La. After the Lixiang Expressway is fully opened to traffic, the drive from Lijiang to Shangri-La will be shortened from the original 5 or 6 hours to about 2 hours, and the road conditions will also make a qualitative leap. By then, going to Shangri-La will no longer be a difficult task! Due to the traffic of the highway, we successfully arrived at the ancient city of Dukezong in advance. Stay at a very Tibetan-style hotel in the ancient city: Feifan Hotel.

After a short rest, we went to Songzanlin Temple, which is the largest Tibetan Buddhist temple in Yunnan Province and is known as the Little Potala Palace.

The entire temple is built against a mountain, and the stairs to the main temple hall are steep and high.

Then I went to the Napa Sea. I didn't know whether to call it a lake or a grassland, because it is a seasonal natural lake. In late summer and early autumn every year, due to rain and melted ice and snow, the lake surface increases, making it a lake; From late autumn to early summer of the following year, the lake water falls back, exposing large tracts of meadows and turning into grasslands, magical nature!

Walking along the road around the lake, half of the lake and half of the grassland.

Flocks of sheep, yaks and horses on the grassland

Back to the ancient city for dinner: Tibetan yak meat hot pot

On the top of Dagui Mountain next to Moonlight Square in the ancient city, there is the world's largest prayer wheel recorded in the Guinness Book of Records.

The ancient city of Dukezong is 3300 meters above sea level. It is now mid-May. However, after the sun goes down, the cold winds are blowing and it is extremely cold. In the morning, we still wore short sleeves when we set out in Shuanglang Ancient Town. When we arrived here, we changed into long sleeves. In addition, we still couldn't withstand the cold. After shopping for a while, we couldn't hold it, so we had to escape back to the hotel. The floor heating in the room was too warm. Tibetan compatriots who are not afraid of the cold and sing and dance in the square.

D14: There is an old scenic spot in Shangri-La: Pudacuo National Park. Just by the name, you can feel old. However, when planning the itinerary before traveling, many of the reviews we reviewed were not friendly to this old national park, and we only had one day in Shangri-La., so in the end, we chose a newly developed scenic spot: Balagzong Scenic Area, because the story of this scenic spot deeply attracted me and finally confirmed our correct choice. The establishment of Balagzong Scenic Area originated from building roads. Bala Village, an isolated peach garden deep in the mountains, was a place that could not be found on the map before 2008. Because an ordinary villager in the village named Sinadingzhu had his left eye injured by iron filings when he was 8 years old. At that time, there was no road in Bala Village, and it took 5 days to reach the nearest Shangri-La County Hospital. Due to the delay in treatment time, Sinadingzhu's left eye became blind. Seven years later, 15-year-old Sna Dingzhu decided to get out of the mountains. With his hard work and hard work, after more than ten years of hard work, he finally accumulated tens of millions of assets. However, he did not seek comfort and enjoyment and resolutely returned to his impoverished and isolated hometown. He did not hesitate to turn from a multimillionaire to a billionaire. It took more than ten years to build a 60-kilometer-long sky road for his hometown, and used this road to develop the tourism industry and drive his hometown to get rid of poverty and become rich. The road is known as the foolish contemporary Tibetan man. The scenic area has built many viewing facilities such as sightseeing plank roads and glass observation platforms, as well as many buildings that reflect Tibetan religion and culture. The entire scenic area integrates snow-capped mountains, canyons, rivers, grasslands and forests. This is a super beautiful scenic spot that is absolutely worth visiting.

panshan highway

A reinforced concrete shed built on the winding mountain road to prevent falling rocks.

The sacred Badala Pagoda

Looking up at Gezong Snow Mountain

Overlooking the Shangri-La Grand Canyon

Historic Bala Village

From the balcony of the residential houses in Bala Village, look up at the holy Gezong Snow Mountain.

A plank road built on the cliff leading to the sightseeing platform.

A suspended glass viewing platform

Shangri-La Grand Canyon

On the cliff near the entrance of the scenic spot, there is a thousand-year-old Bodhi tree growing. The most amazing thing is that this tree actually grows a hand-shaped branch and tightly grasps the rock wall on the side. It is magical of nature!

D15: Today we will embark on the journey back to Kunming. It was originally planned to start from the ancient city of Dukezong, take the East Ring Road via Baishuitai to the Tiger Leaping Gorge, and then to the ancient city of Lijiang, without taking the same path as you came. However, after hearing about it, the hotel staff said that many sections of this route are now under maintenance, which is very bumpy and prone to traffic jams. After careful consideration, they finally decided to give up this route. It was still a journey that was passed on while walking. The newly built Lixiang Expressway, which has not yet been fully opened to traffic, goes directly to the Shangghu Leaping Gorge Scenic Area. Before entering the scenic spot, a huge roar has filled my ears. We took the escalator and went down to the riverside viewing platform. The tiger leaping stone in the center of the river divides the river in two. The surging river water is like a rainbow, and the shocking waves shake the sky.

When I first came to Yunnan ten years ago, I once visited the Tiger Leaping Gorge and went to the scenic spot belonging to Lijiang on the other side of the river. Now that scenic spot is closed.

On the way to Dali, two newly built bridges span the canyon. The blue one in front is the railway bridge under construction, and the red one behind is the Jinsha River Bridge on the Lixiang Expressway.

In the afternoon, we arrived at the ancient city of Lijiang. Stay at Lijiang Chengyi Fun Inn in the south gate of the ancient city. While driving, the Yulong Snow Mountain in the distance is always looming and accompanying you. It is very spectacular. Unfortunately, I have to drive a car and I can't stop on the highway to take photos. It's a pity. Since I visited Lijiang the last time I came to Yunnan, I only used Lijiang as a passing point this time.

Visit Mu Wang Mansion in the ancient city.

The landmark attraction of the ancient city: the big waterwheel.

D16: Today we returned to Kunming from Lijiang, which was the longest driving distance (550KM) on our trip. Passing through Huaping County, fruit trees in white bags were hanging all over the mountains and fields. When I took a closer look, I realized that it was mangoes! There are many sheds built by fruit farmers along the road to sell mangoes. We stopped to taste various varieties of mangoes. They are fragrant, sweet and super delicious! Before evening, we arrived at Yuanmou's lush soil forest. This is a very small scenic spot. The scenic area is large, but there are almost no people. Standing on the highest observation deck in the scenic area and overlooking the entire soil forest is very spectacular! However, if you go down the stairs, you can see it up close, like a huge group of sculptures with different shapes. If you use your imagination, you have to marvel at the incredible craftsmanship of nature. This is an excellent scenic spot for taking photos. All photos are taken at random are large pieces. I don't know if there are too few people who know about it or other reasons, but there is no one in such a good scenic spot. It's a pity that this beautiful scenery is so beautiful.

D17: It was already past 8 o'clock in the evening when I arrived in Kunming last night. I simply had the famous Yunnan snack-crossing the bridge rice noodles for dinner, and then checked into Meihao Lizhi Kunming High-tech Store. At noon today, I had lunch at the popular restaurant Xixilou by Cuihu. Before lunch, I visited the Yunnan Army Martial Arts Lecture Hall. Marshal Zhu De and Marshal Ye Jianying both graduated here. This was the earliest new army military academy in my country at that time.

In the afternoon, I went to the last attraction of the trip, the famous Stone Forest Tour, to find a trip to Ashima.

In the evening, we enjoyed the last dinner of our trip to Yunnan at the Ai Ruochun Hotel near Jinma Biji Square. We once again tasted the steaming pot chicken that I couldn't forget about after eating here for the first time in Yunnan ten years ago. The delicious food is as good as ever!

D18: At about 3 o'clock this afternoon, we landed safely at Hongqiao Airport on a China Eastern Airlines flight, and our journey to the south and west of Yunnan ended perfectly.

On this trip, we flew to Kunming, Yunnan from May 3, rented a car and drove back to Kunming through Mojiang, Shuangjiang, Lincang, Tengchong, Dali, Shangri-La, and Lijiang. The total journey was 3100 kilometers and lasted 18 days. We left our footprints in mountains and canyons, snowy mountains and grasslands, rivers and lakes, Cangshan Yunding, and the banks of Erhai Lake. I tasted the special delicacies of many ethnic minorities such as Hani, Wa, Dai, Tibetan, and Naxi. I stayed in Heshun Ancient Town of Tengchong, Dali Ancient Town, Shuanglang Ancient Town of Erhai, Dukezong Ancient City of Shangri-La, and Dayan Town Ancient City of Lijiang. I experienced the local customs and customs of various ethnic minorities, and I laughed and laughed with my family and friends all the way, and I was full of memories.