Yunnan 云南Yúnnán

About Yunnan

Yunnan climbs from tropical forest on the borders of Laos and Myanmar to glaciers at the edge of the Tibetan Plateau, and around half of China's officially recognised ethnic groups make their home here. Old towns such as Dali, Lijiang and Shaxi grew up along caravan routes that carried tea and horses between Yunnan and Tibet. Farther north, Tiger Leaping Gorge and the Meili Snow Mountains frame Tibetan villages and monasteries around Shangri-La.

Yunnan at a glance

Area

394,100 km²

Population

47.2 million 2020

Highest point

Kawagarbo 卡瓦格博6,740 m

Borders

Guangxi, Guizhou, Sichuan, Tibet, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam

Area, population and highest point from Wikidata; the population is the latest census or official estimate there.

What to eat in Yunnan

• Crossing-the-bridge rice noodles (过桥米线)
• Wild mushroom hot pot (野生菌火锅)
• Pu'er tea (普洱茶)

Places to visit in Yunnan

• 

  Lijiang Old Town 丽江古城

  Cobbled lanes, rushing canals and Naxi courtyards beneath a snow-capped peak

  Best time: Mar–May, Sep–Nov · Time needed: 1–2 days · 5A scenic area · UNESCO World Heritage

• 

  Xishuangbanna & Jinghong 西双版纳与景洪

  Gilded Dai temples, a Mekong-side night market and April's Water-Splashing Festival

  Best time: Nov–Apr; Water-Splashing Festival around 13–15 April · Time needed: 1–2 days · 4A scenic area

• 

  Yuanyang Rice Terraces 元阳梯田

  Thousands of flooded paddies mirroring the sunrise across southern Yunnan's hills

  Best time: Dec–Mar (flooded terraces) · Time needed: 2 days · 4A scenic area · National heritage site · UNESCO World Heritage

• 

  Dali Old Town & Erhai Lake 大理古城与洱海

  Bai courtyards, old stone gates and lakeside bike rides beneath the Cangshan peaks

  Best time: Mar–May, Sep–Nov · Time needed: 2 days · 5A scenic area · 4A scenic area · National heritage site

• 

  Meili Snow Mountain & Yubeng 梅里雪山与雨崩

  Yunnan's highest peak, sacred and unclimbed, with a trek to a village beneath its glaciers

  Best time: Oct–Nov, May–Jun · Time needed: 2 days; 3–4 with Yubeng · 4A scenic area · UNESCO World Heritage

• 

  Shangri-La & Songzanlin Monastery 香格里拉松赞林寺

  A golden-roofed Tibetan monastery stacked up a hillside, nicknamed 'Little Potala'

  Best time: May–Oct · Time needed: 1–2 days · 4A scenic area · National heritage site

• 

  Tiger Leaping Gorge 虎跳峡

  A classic two-day trail high above one of the world's deepest gorges

  Best time: Mar–May, Oct–Nov · Time needed: 1–2 days · 4A scenic area

• 

  Lugu Lake 泸沽湖

  A clear alpine lake on the Yunnan–Sichuan border, home to the matrilineal Mosuo

  Best time: Mar–May, Sep–Oct · Time needed: 2–3 days · 4A scenic area

• 

  Stone Forest 石林

  A maze of limestone blades and towers you can lose yourself in

  Best time: Mar–Jun, Sep–Nov · Time needed: Half a day on site · 5A scenic area · 4A scenic area · UNESCO World Heritage

• 

  Jade Dragon Snow Mountain 玉龙雪山

  A glacier-hung massif on Lijiang's doorstep, with a cable car to over 4,500 metres

  Best time: Mar–May, Oct–Dec · Time needed: 1 day · 5A scenic area

• 

  Jianshui Ancient Town 建水古城

  A Ming gate tower, a great Confucian temple and grilled tofu on the way to Yuanyang

  Best time: Oct–Apr · Time needed: 1–2 days · 4A scenic area · National heritage site

• 

  Tengchong Volcanoes & Rehai Hot Springs 腾冲火山与热海

  Climb a dormant volcano's crater, then watch a boiling spring cook your eggs

  Best time: Oct–Apr; winter is best for soaking · Time needed: 1 day · 5A scenic area

• 

  Chengjiang Fossil Site & Fuxian Lake 澄江化石地与抚仙湖

  Half-billion-year-old fossils of early animals beside one of China's deepest lakes

  Best time: Mar–May, Sep–Nov · Time needed: 1 day · 4A scenic area · UNESCO World Heritage

• 

  Dongchuan Red Land 东川红土地

  Hills of brick-red soil patched with green, gold and white crops like a giant quilt

  Best time: May–Jun, Sep–Dec · Time needed: 1–2 days

• 

  Luoping Rapeseed Fields 罗平油菜花海

  Seas of golden rapeseed flowers swirling around karst peaks and spiral terraces

  Best time: Late Feb–mid-Mar · Time needed: 1–2 days · 4A scenic area

• 

  Nujiang Grand Canyon & Bingzhongluo 怒江大峡谷与丙中洛

  A deep, remote river canyon of Lisu and Nu villages, mission churches and a horseshoe bend

  Best time: Mar–Apr, Oct–Nov · Time needed: 3–4 days from Liuku · 4A scenic area

• 

  Old Tea Forests of Jingmai Mountain 景迈山古茶林

  Ancient tea trees grown beneath the forest canopy around Blang and Dai villages

  Best time: Mar–Apr (spring tea picking), Oct–Nov · Time needed: 1–2 days · 4A scenic area · National heritage site · UNESCO World Heritage

• 

  Shaxi Ancient Town 沙溪古镇

  A caravan town on the old Tea Horse Road, with a village market every Friday

  Best time: Mar–May, Sep–Nov · Time needed: 1–2 days · 4A scenic area · National heritage site

• 

  Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden 中国科学院西双版纳热带植物园

  China's largest botanical garden, with giant banyans, palms and true primary rainforest

  Best time: Year-round; Nov–Apr is drier, May–Jun for fireflies · Time needed: Half a day to 1 day · 5A scenic area

• 

  Green Lake Park 翠湖公园

  Kunming's favourite park, where wintering gulls wheel over willow-lined causeways

  Best time: Year-round; gulls roughly Nov–Mar · Time needed: 2–3 hours · 4A scenic area

• 

  Heshun Ancient Town 和顺古镇

  A hillside village of courtyard homes built on the fortunes of traders in Burma

  Best time: Oct–Apr · Time needed: Half a day to 1 day · 5A scenic area · National heritage site

• 

  Puzhehei 普者黑

  Lotus-filled lakes winding between hundreds of green karst hills, explored by boat

  Best time: Jul–Aug (lotus); also Sep–Oct · Time needed: 1–2 days · 5A scenic area

• 

  Baishuitai 白水台

  Milk-white travertine terraces below Haba Snow Mountain, sacred to the Naxi Dongba faith

  Best time: Mar–Apr, Sep–Nov · Time needed: 1 day · 4A scenic area

• 

  Weishan Ancient Town 巍山古城

  An unhurried Ming grid town south of Dali, where the Nanzhao kingdom was born

  Best time: Mar–May, Sep–Nov · Time needed: 1 day · 4A scenic area · National heritage site

• 

  Western Hills & Dragon Gate 西山龙门

  Taoist grottoes and a single-file ledge path cut into a cliff high above Dianchi Lake

  Best time: Oct–Apr · Time needed: Half a day · 4A scenic area · National heritage site

• 

  Yuanmou Earth Forest 元谋土林

  Ochre clay pillars carved by rain in a hot, dry valley, glowing at sunrise and sunset

  Best time: Nov–Apr · Time needed: 1 day · 4A scenic area

Listed sites in Yunnan

233 sites in Yunnan are on the official lists, 2 of them rated 5A and 114 protected as national heritage. They are listed by city, with what each is and how to get there.

Cities and prefectures of Yunnan

• Baoshan 保山 City
  Volcanoes, hot springs and jade traders on the old road to Burma
• Chuxiong 楚雄 Yi Autonomous Prefecture
  Dinosaur bones, eroded earth pillars and bonfire dances in Yi country
• Dali 大理 Bai Autonomous Prefecture
  Bai villages, lakeside cycling and caravan towns on the Tea Horse Road
• Dehong 德宏 Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture · Mangshi
  Golden pagodas, Jingpo dances and a village split by the Myanmar border
• Diqing 迪庆 Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture · Shangri-La
  Sacred snow peaks, a golden-roofed monastery and the gorge a tiger leapt
• Honghe 红河 Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture · Mengzi
  French railway stations, Confucian old towns and the noodles that cross a bridge
• Kunming 昆明 City
  Wintering gulls, a vast flower market and the railway south to Laos
• Lijiang 丽江 City
  Spring-fed canals, a glacier-hung peak and the Mosuo of Lugu Lake
• Lincang 临沧 City
  Black-tea hills, ancient rock art and a Wa face-smearing carnival by the border
• Nujiang 怒江 Lisu Autonomous Prefecture · Liuku
  Mission churches and Tibetan temples in a canyon walled by 4,000-metre ranges
• Pu'er 普洱 City
  Ancient tea forests in hill country bordering Laos, Vietnam and Myanmar
• Qujing 曲靖 City
  Golden rapeseed, 1,600-year-old calligraphy and one of China's great hams
• Wenshan 文山 Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture
  Lotus lakes, a village reached through a cave, and the home of notoginseng
• Xishuangbanna 西双版纳 Dai Autonomous Prefecture · Jinghong
  Rainforest, gilded Theravada temples and most of China's wild elephants
• Yuxi 玉溪 City
  A deep, clear lake beside fossils from the dawn of animal life
• Zhaotong 昭通 City
  Apple orchards, wintering cranes and cliffs hung with ancient coffins

Before you go

• Visas and visa-free entry Can I visit China without a visa?
• Paying for things How do I pay for things in China without a Chinese bank account?
• Internet and apps Will Google and my other apps work in China?
• Trains and 12306 How do I book train tickets in China with a foreign passport?
• Book popular sights early Which sights in China need booking in advance, and how?
• When to go When is the best time to visit China?

On the map

Open Yunnan on the illustrated map to see where its places sit, how far apart they are, and to add them to a trip.

Learn more

• Wikipedia
• Official website
• Wikipedia (Chinese)