3-Day Lijiang Tour
Located at the foot of the sacred Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Lijiang is a magical town, attracting people with its ancient town atmosphere, mysterious minority cultures, and great views of the snowcapped mountains. Discover the best of Lijiang in our 3-day Lijiang Tour. Reward yourself with a relaxing and time-smart vacation. Lose yourself and find your soul.
Tour 'Wow' Points
Slow Down to Feel an 800-Year-Old Town's Leisurely Lifestyle
Visit the former residence of a Naxi chieftain —Mufu Mansion.
Stroll through Lijiang Ancient Town and bargain for trinkets.
Try the most famous Yunnan food — over-the-bridge rice noodles.
Climb to the roof of a well-placed restaurant and overlook Lijiang Old Town.
Talk with a Local Expert to Unveil the Mysterious Dongba Culture
Discover the mysterious Naxi culture by visiting a shaman's house.
Learn to make Naxi pancakes from a Naxi lady in Baisha village.
Walk Among Some of Yunnan's Most Magnificent Natural Scenery
Take a cable car up holy Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.
Capture a postcard-perfect photo at the Black Dragon Pool Park.
Discover real reviews of Highlights Travel Family's best-rated service across trusted platforms.
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Excellent first trip to Lijiang
Excellent first trip to Lijiang. Our guide Alice was very kind and patient and also very accommodating with last minute changes and itinerary change given one of the places we were supposed to go to was shut for maintenance work. She explained everything to us and also answered our many many random questions! more
Jan 2024, Customer
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Li Jiang is amazingly pretty
Li Jiang is amazingly pretty. Very scenic and unforgettable. Our guide Alice has done wonderful job explaining the history and culture. She is also very service minded. We love our hotel that China Highlights arranged. The old town preserved well the Chinese culture and is a must place to visit. more
Jan 2024, Khim Boo
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Professional
Professional, caring and well spoken tourguide Alice! She is able to adapt well to customer’s requests. Keep up the good work! more
Jan 2024, Woan Na Ng
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Awesome 1st trip to Lijiang
Alice is super helpful, knowledgeable and flexible with changes. She and Mr Huang took very good care of us during our stay in Lijiang. We are grateful to have them as our guides. Hope we can come back to explore more next time. more
Dec 2023, SYW
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Best China Tour
We had the most remarkable tour with China Highlights. Not only everything was perfect, but we felt, in every instance,that Leeky, our tour organizer and all the guides (Bree, Alice, Sophia and Nixon) truly cared about us and did their best to make the trip memorable. more
Dec 2023, SL
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Amazing Lijiang
It was our first time in Lijiang and the trip was absolutely incredible. We had a blast and made unforgettable memories. Alice was thoughtful, patient and took beautiful photographs. more
Dec 2023, Slim
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Lijiang Tour with Alice
My husband and I arrived in Lijiang after Dali. We met Alice, our new tour guide for the next two days. Alice is a compassionate person with a heart full of love and care. She makes sure we dress warmly before taking our tours to the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and the Tiger Leaping Gorge.Alice is well-spoken about the culture of local people in Lijiang. During our visit to the Naxi ethnic community, we learned how to make and sample the Naxi pancake and tea with Yak butter. We felt it was a rewarding experience to learn about the livelihood of people as we tour.Many thanks to China Highlights for arranging our traveling itinerary in Lijiang. more
Nov 2023, AL
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Our trip to Yunnan
Alice is very personable, warm, friendly and shared with us many of their cultures and stories. Pema is very energetic and accompany us for the half day hike in the tiger leaping gorge.We would definitely recommend China Highlights to anyone for their holiday in China! more
Nov 2023, TAN YIDA
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Our trip to Li Jiang and Shaxi Yunnan
We arrived at Lijiang on 9/8. We enjoyed the time in Lijiang a lot with good hotel selection and a well planned program. We went onto Shaxi for the local singing festival of the local minority groups. It was a fantastic experience. What makes the trip most memorable is our guide Alice. She took excellent care of us, anticipating our every need. She was personable, warm and very knowledgeable. We shared many laughters and traded stories. She brought smiles to us during the entire trip. We will specifically ask for her again when we come back to Yunnan. Five star service. more
Sep 2023, Consumer
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Lijiang, Tiger Leaping Gorge and Shangri-la
We would like to thank China Highlights Travel for planning and organizing our China hiking trip. Roger Li (Trip Planner) was really prompt in all correspondences and helped us to fine tune our travel details. We are a party of 4 and had multiple hiking destinations in mind in the beginning. Roger gave us details of each option and we finally decided to go hiking in the famous Tiger Leaping Gorge. In addition, Roger helped us to add itinerary in Lijiang and Shangri-la after the hiking. Really looking forward to our China hiking trip in October! more
Sep 2023, Joyce Lee
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We love China
From the beginning we had a trustfull knowlegeable base of communication, started with Lukas the tour advisor and guide around Guilin and continued with the other guides in the other locations. Shanghai FU, Zhangjiajie Emili, Xián Juanli, Kunmimg Nen ,Lijiang Luzhuoying, Chongqing ??, Yangtze, Haikou ?? and Beijing Chengang. We were totaly positivly impressed about the overall service during our time in China. We felt save and wellcomed at any time. We had every day our individual highlight. For example, breathless nature, extraordinary hotels, historical buildings and places, well tasting food and social contacts on the streets. All our tour guides and drivers made a professional customer orientated job and supported us in the best possible way. Even if we want to make changes on short notice they made it happen. We spent a remarkable and unforgetable time in China and been very thankful to China Highlights to create this moments in time for us. more
Jun 2023, Karlheinz Potuznik
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Unforgettable Yunnan!
Jack Li , our tour guide at LiJiang, took great care of us when we climbed Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and suffered high altitude issues. At Dali, our tour guide Nancy Li doubled up as our photographer and speaks excellent English and entertained us with her rich knowledge of Chinese history. We had a wonderful time. more
Apr 2023, April Lee
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Thank you for such a wonderful traveling experience!
We have Jack Lee in our Lijiang trip he was such a considerate and kind tour guide. He is very knowledgeable and he accommodated all our requirement. We were fortunate to have such a nice local tour guide. I had altitude sickness and he really cared. Our private driver Mr Tang is very safe and patient. He is compliant and cares for our safety all the time. He is very humorous and gave us so much laughter. He was also very caring towards me. more
Apr 2023, Hazel T
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Cultural and scenic beauty second to none!
I would highly recommend this tour to Lugu Lake to everyone and anyone! The tour guide Jack taught me more in two days about minority cultures, Chinese history, and the amazing natural history and geography of Yunnan and the Lijiang area. As well, the drive to Lugu Lake requires an expert - and Mr Wang is an expert! (From someone who has crossed the Rockies at least 20 times) As a single woman travel who still doesn’t have great Chinese it was a flawless experience - from the communications, accommodation and breathtaking scenery and cultural experiences. Please book and go! more
Feb 2023, Connie VH
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We have been travelling around Yunnan…
We have been travelling around Yunnan Province for 8 days and it’s been amazing. The culture, the food, the people’s kindness, all these things made our trip unforgettable. Especially our guide Nancy! The most helpful and friendly guide we could have. We really appreciate her knowledge about the local history and the culture. She’s really amazing and we strongly recommend her services. more
Mar 2022, Danielle Toledo
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Awesome Yunnan trip with Nancy
We had a 6-day tour with guide Nancy around Dali, Lijiang and Shangri-La in Yunnan. She’s very professional and experienced guide that made our tour far exceed expectations. It was a pleasure to have her as our tour guide. We strongly recommend her. Thank you! more
Mar 2022, Rodrigo
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One of the best things I’ve done in China
One of the best things I’ve done in China. Being that I am pretty well traveled in China this Experience was so different from the others. Each city provided a different aspect of the culture, local traditions and beauty that China has to offer. Our Tour guide Nancy was amazing as she made our itinerary very well constructed and organized. She was there to make sure we were comfortable and happy. Her hyper energy and cheerfulness made us feel enthusiastic for the day. We are very satisfied with this trip and Nancy’s services that we will be sure to book again. more
Feb 2022, RoshR
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Lijiang Trip July 2021
Kudos to Alisa Liu from the agency who I must say was on hand almost 24/7 for requests and queries. Even though our trip was marred with the onset of the Typhoon In Fa with various flight and train cancellations but Alisa was quick to arrange for alternative solutions under the circumstances and made the most effort to make our journey as comfortable as possible whilst we made our way back to Shanghai. As for the itinerary, Alisa understands her clientele’s different needs very well and for the most part my expectations were met. I love private tours with a very relaxed itinerary and comfortable accommodation and some of us prefer more exclusive accommodation vs a packed itinerary trying to go to a hundred location type of tour. more
Aug 2021, Ida Suriani
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Summer holiday in Yunnan
After spending 5 nights in Dali visiting sights in our own time, Alice who was very friendly and helpful, accompanied us on our drive from Dali to Lijiang. She shared interesting facts about the local area and the things we had done. In Lijiang, we met our guide Peter. Peter did an amazing job taking care of us and showing us the beautiful sights for our 3 days. He was so kind, providing us with snacks each morning and always ensuring the food met my dietary requirements. He even picked up our last minute NAT results that we did before our departure late at night! His passion and dedication to his job was very impressive, and we would highly recommend him to our friends. more
Aug 2021, O6866ZGlaurag
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Amazing experience in Yunnan
Please bear in mind that booking tickets and actually getting to the sightseeing point is very challenging, especially during peak season. But with the help of our guides everything went smooth and silky. Thank you, China Highlights, for making our first trip to Yunnan an unforgettable and carefree adventure. It was a true relaxation without any headache or stress. We had nothing to worry about, except enjoying breathtaking beauty of Yunnan. more
Jul 2021, olya84
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Suggested Itinerary
Your private tour guide, driver, and car will be waiting at the arrival hall. Transfer to your hotel in the ancient town and start the tour.
As a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Lijiang Ancient Town's history dates back to over 800 years ago. Besides its unique architecture and local ethnic culture, it is also known for its orderly arrangement of bridges and waterways. Walk along the winding cobbled paths - it is said that you won't get lost as long as you follow the water.
Appreciate the Naxi people's brilliant skills in architecture and fine arts at Mufu Mansion, the 'Forbidden City' of Lijiang. You can also climb up to Lion Hill to have a bird's-eye view of the whole town.
Then pay a visit to Black Dragon Pool Park, where the view of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain is one the most famous postcard-perfect sceneries in southwest China. Stay overnight in Lijiang Ancient Town.
Hotel options:
Ivy Garden Resort Hotel (4-star)
Banyan Tree Lijiang (5-star)
Find yourself in a real paradise far away from the hustle and bustle of cities, as you take a cable car up to the Spruce Meadow at over 3,000 meters altitude on the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, the holy mountain for the Naxi people.
Enjoy lunch at a popular local restaurant in Baisha Village. You will have a chance to learn to make Naxi pancakes for the main dish of your lunch.
Baisha village is the original settlement and earliest political center of the Naxi people. Painted over 1,000 years ago, the murals combine the cultures of the Han, Tibetan, and Naxi people, and display stories of Tibetan Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. Have a relaxing walking int he Baisha Village and get to know about the local life and culture.
Understand more about the mysterious Naxi culture by visiting a shaman's house in the village. Learn some Naxi characters and enjoy a piece of old Naxi music. You will be impressed by the local people's passion for their culture and homeland.
After the tour, transfer back to Lijiang for another peaceful night.
Enjoy breakfast in the hotel. Your private tour guide, car, and driver will pick you up from your hotel and transfer you to the airport for your departure flight.
Trip Notes
1. Tailoring Your Tour
This tour is very flexible. You can alter the itinerary, and extend or shorten it to suit your price, interest, and schedule. Feel free to tell us your requirements, and we will be happy to help you arrange a tour using our professional knowledge and experience. We promise a "No Shopping Policy".
Lijiang Ancient Town attracts more tourists than the Forbidden City in Beijing during peak season. Here are some tips to escape the hordes of tourists:
1. Stay overnight in Lijiang Ancient Town and start early: 80% of the tourists will be in 20% of the places. Get up early and find the best spots with the help of your guide.
2. Stay overnight in Shuhe Ancient Town: 20-minutes away from Lijiang by car, Shuhe ancient town is less touristic and quieter.
2. Optional Extension:
Tiger Leaping Gorge
As one of the deepest and most marvelous gorges, Tiger Leaping Gorge is about two hours away from Lijiang by car. It is a paradise for hiking enthusiasts. You can extend the tour by one day to visit the upper gorge, or extend it by 2–3 days to hike through the whole gorge.
Lugu Lake
The lake area is best known as home to the unique Mosuo culture. The Mosuo, a subgroup of the Naxi, is a matrilineal society whose members engage in traditional "walking marriages", in which the husband and wife remain in their respective maternal homes and often have more than one partner. The picturesque scenery there is also impressive. The drive from Lijiang takes over six hours and 3–5 days are required to extend the tour.
3. Getting There and Traveling Away
There are over 20 flights between Lijiang and Kunming every day. There are also flights connecting Lijiang with Beijing, Shanghai, Xi'an, Chengdu, Chongqing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou,and Hong Kong, with a stopover in Kunming.
4. Hotel
Hotel with a convenient location, regional features and good reviews are recommended in the itinerary. If you prefer other hotel options (luxuty hotels, boutique hotels, or economical choices) or would like to book the hotels on your own, please feel free to inform us and we will be happy to adjust the details. Here are some alternatives for your reference:
City | Luxury & Special | Boutique | Economical |
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Lijiang | Indigo® Lijiang Ancient Town | Blossom Hill Inn Lijiang | Manxin Hotels & Resorts |
Shuhe | Banyan Tree Lijiang | The Bivou Hotel |
Note: The boutique hostels in Yunnan offer good value for money: a decent environment, local-style decoration, and a convenient location, but most of them only have 10–20 rooms and there may not be any English-speaking staff. Early booking is highly recommended.
Price includes: