Yunnan Travel Guide: Where to Go, When, Trains and How Many Days

Yunnan is worth it for a first trip to China if you have at least a week and want something other than big cities: old towns, snow mountains, Tibetan monasteries and a tropical south, all in one province. Fly into Kunming, then take the train northwest to Dali and Lijiang. With ten days, add Shangri-La or Tiger Leaping Gorge. With twelve or more, add Xishuangbanna in the far south. The trains do most of the work now: Kunming to Dali takes about two hours on the fastest trains, Lijiang to Shangri-La about 70 minutes, and Kunming to Xishuangbanna a little over three hours. This guide shows how the parts fit together, when to go, how to get around, and how many days each place needs. Then it points you to the detailed guides.

Is Yunnan worth it, and how does the province fit together?

For most first-time visitors, yes. Yunnan gives you a different China from Beijing, Shanghai and Xi'an. The cities are smaller, the air is cleaner, the weather is milder for much of the year, and the people you meet are not only Han Chinese. Bai, Naxi, Tibetan and Dai communities each have their own houses, food and festivals, and you notice the change as you move from one region to the next. The trade-off is distance and altitude. Yunnan is big, the best parts are spread out, and some of them sit high enough that you need to plan your pace.

The simplest way to picture the province is as a hub with two branches.

• Kunming (昆明, Kūnmíng) is the capital and the hub, in the east-central part of the province. Almost every trip starts here, because it has the main international airport and the main railway stations.
• The northwest line runs from Kunming to Dali, then Lijiang, then Shangri-La. Each stop is higher than the last. Tiger Leaping Gorge sits between Lijiang and Shangri-La. This is the classic route, and most people only do this branch.
• Xishuangbanna (西双版纳, Xīshuāngbǎnnà) is in the far south, near the border with Laos and Myanmar. It is low, hot and green. It is in the opposite direction from the northwest line, so adding it costs extra days.

The rail times show the scale. From Kunming, Dali is about two hours away. Dali to Lijiang takes one and a half to two and a half hours on most trains. Lijiang to Shangri-La is about one to two hours. Going south, Kunming to Xishuangbanna is three to five and a half hours depending on the train. Xishuangbanna station to Mohan, the last stop before Laos, is about an hour more.

Which part suits which traveler

• Kunming suits a soft landing: one or two days to get over the flight, eat well and see the Stone Forest. It is a normal modern city, not the reason to come.
• Dali suits people who want to slow down. It has a walled old town, a big lake (Erhai) and the Cangshan mountains behind it. It is the place to cycle, sit in cafés and visit Bai villages.
• Lijiang suits people who want the classic old-town-and-snow-mountain view: a Naxi old town of canals and wooden houses, with Jade Dragon Snow Mountain above it. It is busier and more commercial than Dali.
• Tiger Leaping Gorge suits hikers. It is a deep river gorge with a well-known two-day trail along the upper wall.
• Shangri-La suits people who want Tibetan culture, grassland and monasteries, and who are fine with cold nights and high altitude. The town sits at about 3,300 meters.
• Xishuangbanna suits people who want warmth, rainforest, Dai temples and a different food style. It is also the way into Laos by train.

Who might skip Yunnan? If you only have five days for all of China, or if you have heart or lung conditions that make high altitude unsafe, the northwest line is hard to do well. You can still visit Kunming and Xishuangbanna, which are both low enough that altitude is not a concern for most people.

When to go: dry season, rainy season and Shangri-La in winter

The short answer: October to April is the easiest time for most of Yunnan, with spring and autumn the most comfortable. Summer is the rainy season but still a good time to visit if you accept afternoon showers and some disruption in the mountains. Winter is fine in Kunming, Dali and Xishuangbanna, and properly cold in Shangri-La.

Most of Yunnan has a wet summer and a dry winter. Xishuangbanna has the clearest split: the rainy season runs from May to October, and the dry season from November to April is cool, dry and misty in the mornings, which is the best time to travel there. Kunming follows a similar pattern. July is one of its wettest months, with about 217 mm of rain on average. Rain in the mountains is what causes real problems: rockfalls in Tiger Leaping Gorge, and cable car stops on Jade Dragon Snow Mountain in strong wind or heavy rain.

Temperatures depend more on altitude than on the month. The table shows the long-term average daily high and low for January and July, from the China Meteorological Administration's 1981–2010 averages. Use it to decide what to pack.

Three things stand out. Kunming is mild all year, which is why it is called the Spring City (春城, Chūnchéng); its January average is about 9°C. The northwest line has big swings between day and night, so a sunny 15°C afternoon in Lijiang in January can drop close to freezing after dark. And Shangri-La in winter is much colder than anywhere else on the route: average January nights are around -10°C, and even July nights are cool. Xishuangbanna, by contrast, is warm in January and hot and humid in July.

Season by season

• March to May: warm days, mostly dry, flowers in the old towns. A very good time for the whole province. Late May can bring the first rain.
• June to September: the rainy season. Mornings are often clear, afternoons wet. Everything is green and the high meadows around Shangri-La are at their best. Expect occasional road and trail closures in the mountains, especially at Tiger Leaping Gorge. This is also wild mushroom season (more on that in the food section).
• October and November: clear skies and comfortable temperatures. The best all-round months, apart from the first week of October.
• December to February: sunny and dry, cold at night in Dali and Lijiang, very cold in Shangri-La. Kunming and Xishuangbanna are pleasant. The China Meteorological Administration's 2026 Spring Festival travel-season weather tips flagged rain, snow and ice in the southwest that can affect transport, so leave some slack if you plan to go up to Shangri-La.

Avoid the two big national holidays if you can. During the October Golden Week, trains and old towns fill up with domestic travelers. Chinese New Year is the other one. In 2027 the first day of the lunar new year falls on 6 February. In 2026 the official break ran for nine days, from 15 to 23 February; the 2027 dates are set by a State Council notice that is usually published in November, so check it before you book. Our Golden Week survival guide and Chinese New Year travel guide explain how to work around both. For how Yunnan compares with the rest of the country, see the best time to visit China.

Getting to Yunnan and getting around (plus entry rules)

Most international visitors fly into Kunming Changshui International Airport, either directly or with one change in a big Chinese hub. From there, trains cover the whole classic route and the run south to Xishuangbanna. Domestic flights are useful for the long jumps, especially if you want to see both the northwest and the south without going back through Kunming.

From Kunming airport into the city

Metro Line 6 runs from the airport (Airport Center station) to Tangziyang station in the city. The first train from the airport is at 6:20 and the last one leaves at about 23:00, with later trains added on some holidays; check the Kunming Metro app for the current times. From Tangziyang you can change to other lines or take a taxi. If you land late or have heavy bags, a taxi or a DiDi ride is easier; our DiDi guide covers setting it up with a foreign phone number.

Coming by high-speed train instead

You can reach Kunming by high-speed rail from the east, but it takes a while. On a sample day there were 16 trains from Guangzhou South to Kunming South, the fastest taking 6 hours 40 minutes, and only 4 from Shanghai Hongqiao, the fastest taking 9 hours 35 minutes. From Guangzhou or Guilin the train is a reasonable choice. From Shanghai or Beijing most people fly, which is quicker and often not much more expensive; our domestic flights guide explains booking, baggage and delays.

Kunming's two stations: which one you need

This catches many visitors out. Kunming has two main stations. Kunming South (昆明南站, in Chenggong district, south of the center) is the main station for high-speed trains from the rest of China and for the international train to Laos. Kunming Station (昆明站, in the city) is where most direct trains to Lijiang and all direct trains to Shangri-La start. Trains to Dali and Xishuangbanna leave from both. Always read the station name on your ticket.

If you arrive at Kunming South by high-speed train, you can walk from arrival exits 1, 2 and 3 straight into the Metro Line 1 and Line 4 transfer area without going through security again.

The northwest line by train

• Kunming to Dali: the busiest leg, with about 56 trains on a sample day. From Kunming Station the fastest take 1 hour 55 minutes; from Kunming South they take 2 hours 18 minutes or more, because the same trains stop at Kunming South first. On that sample day a second-class seat cost about 110 to 145 yuan depending on the train; check 12306 for your date. Dali Station is in Xiaguan, the newer city, not in the old town. City buses 4 and 8 and a tourist express bus run from the station to Dali Old Town.
• Dali to Lijiang: far fewer trains, about 9 or 10 a day on a sample date, the fastest in 1 hour 36 minutes. Book this leg early in busy seasons.
• Kunming to Lijiang direct: about 10 trains a day, the fastest in 3 hours 29 minutes and most around 4 hours, nearly all from Kunming Station. Only take this if you are skipping Dali.
• Lijiang to Shangri-La: this is the big change of recent years. The Lijiang–Shangri-La railway opened on 26 November 2023 and runs about 139 km between the two cities. On a sample day there were 10 trains, the fastest taking 1 hour 10 minutes, and a second-class seat on that train cost 70 yuan; fares on this line vary by train and date, so check 12306. The train has replaced the four-hour mountain bus as the easy option. Ask your hotel how to get from the station to the old town.
• Kunming to Shangri-La direct: a few trains a day run straight through from Kunming Station, the fastest in about 4 hours 45 minutes, and about 4 hours 39 minutes in the other direction. This is useful for getting back to Kunming at the end of a trip without changing trains.

Train tickets in China are real-name: you buy with a passport and show the same passport at the station. The official 12306 website and app accept foreign passports, and tickets go on sale 15 days before departure, including the travel day. You can check times and fares on 12306 directly. With a passport you use the staffed gate at the station, not the automatic ones. Our guide to booking China train tickets with a foreign passport walks through the account setup.

South to Xishuangbanna and on to Laos

The China–Laos Railway has made Xishuangbanna easy to reach. On a sample day there were about 42 trains from Kunming to Xishuangbanna station (in Jinghong): 25 from Kunming South, the fastest in 3 hours 8 minutes, and 17 from Kunming Station, the fastest in 3 hours 31 minutes. A second-class seat was about 220 to 240 yuan that day, depending on the train; check 12306 for your date.

If you want to continue into Laos, international trains run from Kunming South to Vientiane. Recent reports put the service at 4 trains a day, with the fastest journey 9 hours 36 minutes including border formalities. Cross-border tickets are sold on 12306 or at the ticket windows of five stations (Kunming, Kunming South, Pu'er, Xishuangbanna and Mohan), you must use your passport, and if you buy online you still need to collect a paper ticket at one of those five stations before you travel. At the border you get off twice with all your luggage: once at Mohan for Chinese exit checks and once at Boten for Lao entry checks. Lao visa and entry rules for your nationality are set by Laos, so confirm them with the Lao embassy or official Lao sources before you go.

Domestic flights inside Yunnan

Lijiang Sanyi International Airport is the second-largest in the province, with flights to more than 100 cities. It is about 28 km from the city, and you get in by taxi or airport bus. Yunnan also has direct flights between its own regions: Xishuangbanna to Lijiang and Dali to Xishuangbanna are among the main routes. These are the flights that make a north-plus-south trip work, because you can fly from the northwest straight to the south instead of going back through Kunming. Shangri-La and Xishuangbanna also have airports; check current routes on a booking site, as schedules change by season.

Entry: visa-free options and where they let you go

Many nationalities can now visit China without a visa. Citizens of 50 countries with ordinary passports can enter visa-free for up to 30 days for tourism, business or family visits. For most of those countries this policy currently runs until 31 December 2026; check whether it has been extended before you book a trip for 2027. Our visa check by nationality shows where you stand.

The other option is 240-hour visa-free transit. Citizens of 57 countries can stay up to 240 hours (10 days) if they arrive with a confirmed onward ticket to a third country. Yunnan has three entry ports for this: Kunming Changshui airport, Lijiang Sanyi airport and the Mohan railway port on the Laos border. The important limit is the area you may visit. In Yunnan it covers nine prefectures and cities, not the whole province: Kunming, Yuxi, Chuxiong, Honghe, Wenshan, Pu'er, Xishuangbanna, Dali and Lijiang. Shangri-La is in Diqing prefecture, which is not on that list, so a Shangri-La trip on transit rules is out. The National Immigration Administration publishes the current rules, and our 240-hour visa-free transit guide explains who qualifies and how the clock is counted.

Two practical limits follow from this. A 240-hour stay is 10 days, so it cannot cover a 12-day-plus trip that adds Xishuangbanna; for that you need the 30-day visa-free entry or a visa. And a transit trip must end with you leaving China for a third country, not returning to the country you flew in from.

Choosing your regions: Kunming, Dali, Lijiang, Tiger Leaping Gorge, Shangri-La and Xishuangbanna

Here is what each place offers, how long to give it, and the one or two practical facts that affect planning. For the full detail on Dali and Lijiang, read our Dali and Lijiang guide. For a day-by-day version of the classic route, see the Kunming–Dali–Lijiang–Shangri-La circuit.

Kunming: one or two days

Kunming sits at about 1,891 meters, high enough to feel the sun but low enough that few people notice the altitude. It is a good place to start: you get over the jet lag, try your first bowl of rice noodles and sort out your phone and payments before heading into smaller towns.

• Stone Forest (石林, Shílín): a field of tall gray limestone pillars east of the city, and the main day trip from Kunming. The fastest train from Kunming South to Shilin West station takes 24 minutes. The official ticket price, set in 2018, is 130 yuan and includes the Greater and Lesser Stone Forest and the geology museum; confirm the current price on the scenic area's official ticket channel. Allow half a day including the transfer from the station, which you arrange locally.
• Yunnan Provincial Museum: a good introduction to the province's peoples and history. Entry is free, it opens 9:00–17:00 with last entry at 16:30, and it is closed on Mondays except public holidays; check its official WeChat account in case advance booking is required.
• Green Lake and Dianchi Lake: Green Lake (翠湖, Cuìhú) is a city-center park for an easy evening walk. Dianchi (滇池, Diānchí) is the large lake on the city's southern edge, with the Western Hills above it.

One day is enough if you are keen to move on. Two days lets you do the Stone Forest without rushing.

Dali: two to three days

Dali (大理, Dàlǐ) is where most people slow down. The old town sits between Erhai Lake (洱海, Ěrhǎi) and the Cangshan mountains (苍山, Cāngshān), and it is the heartland of the Bai (白族, Báizú) people, known for white-walled houses with painted trim.

• Dali Old Town: walkable stone streets between the north and south gates, with cafés, guesthouses and craft shops. Stay inside or near the walls for your first visit.
• Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple: three old pagodas just north of the old town, at the foot of Cangshan. Opening hours are listed as 7:30–18:30; confirm on the official account before you go. Check the scenic area's official account for how tickets are sold; some sites need real-name booking in advance.
• Cangshan: the range rises to 4,122 meters at its highest peak. The Ximatan cable car, about 5.5 km long, climbs to a lake at 3,966 meters, so treat it as a high-altitude outing. Prices and hours are posted at the lower station.
• Erhai Lake: cycle or walk part of the shore, or stay in Shuanglang, an old fishing village on the northeast side. The ecological corridor along the western shore is for walking and cycling. Camping, fishing and barbecues are banned there, and cars and e-bikes are not allowed to ride into it at will, so follow the signs.

Where you sleep in Dali changes the trip. The old town is best for a first visit, because you can walk to food and transport. The lakeside villages such as Shuanglang have the views and the quiet, but you will rely on taxis. Compare guesthouses in both areas on Booking.com before you decide.

Lijiang: two to three days

Lijiang (丽江, Lìjiāng) sits at about 2,400 meters. Its old town is a maze of canals, stone lanes and wooden Naxi (纳西族, Nàxīzú) houses. It is crowded in the middle of the day and loud on the bar streets at night; early mornings are the best time to walk it.

• Old town fee: Lijiang charges an Old Town maintenance fee of 50 yuan per person. Since 1 August 2025 one payment is valid for 365 days with unlimited entries, and it covers Dayan Old Town (including Black Dragon Pool), Baisha and Shuhe. Our Dali and Lijiang guide explains who is exempt.
• Shuhe and Baisha: smaller Naxi villages north of the city, quieter than the main old town and covered by the same fee.
• Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (玉龙雪山, Yùlóng Xuěshān): the main peak reaches 5,596 meters. Everyone pays a 100-yuan entry ticket plus a 20-yuan eco-bus ticket, and you need to buy ahead. The Glacier Park cable car costs another 120 yuan and climbs to 4,506 meters. The Yak Meadow cable car has been closed since 4 March 2026 for rebuilding, with a new one expected around 2028. Booking runs through Chinese-language WeChat mini-programs, with limits on how often one ID can buy cable car tickets, so read the booking section in our Dali and Lijiang guide before you go.

Give Lijiang two days if you just want the old town and the mountain. Give it three if you want a quiet day in Shuhe or Baisha as well.

Tiger Leaping Gorge: one or two days

Tiger Leaping Gorge (虎跳峡, Hǔtiào Xiá) is a deep gorge on the Jinsha River (the upper Yangtze) between Lijiang and Shangri-La. There are two ways to see it. The lower road has viewing platforms you can reach by car or tour bus, which takes half a day. The High Trail is a two-day trek along the upper wall, with simple guesthouses on the way and steep climbs in places. It is real mountain walking: wear proper shoes, carry water, and do not start in heavy rain. Check the scenic area's official account for how tickets are sold; some sites need real-name booking in advance.

The rainy season brings rockfalls, and the Shangri-La-side scenic area closes when the slopes are unsafe. In 2026 it closed on 31 July after a night of heavy rain, rockfalls hit areas outside the visitor zone on 30 July and 1 September, and it was open as normal again in early September. If you plan to go between June and September, check the day before. The Shangri-La-side scenic area's phone lines are +86 887 880 6980 and +86 887 880 6982 (Chinese); your guesthouse can also call for you.

Shangri-La: two days

Shangri-La (香格里拉, Xiānggélǐlā) is the first Tibetan town on the route. The town, built around the old quarter of Dukezong (独克宗, Dúkèzōng), sits at 3,300 meters, which is high enough that most people feel it on the first day.

• Songzanlin Monastery (松赞林寺, Sōngzànlín Sì): a large Tibetan Buddhist monastery with gold-roofed halls on a hillside just north of town. Check the scenic area's official account for how tickets are sold; some sites need real-name booking in advance.
• Dukezong Old Town: the old Tibetan quarter, with a large prayer wheel on the hill above it. It is small enough to walk around in an hour or two, which makes it a good first-afternoon outing while you get used to the altitude.
• Pudacuo National Park (普达措, Pǔdácuò): lakes, forest and meadows about 22 km east of the town, between 3,200 and 4,159 meters. You walk boardwalks and ride the park's buses between sections. Check the park's official channel for the current ticket and bus price and opening times.

Two days covers the town, the monastery and Pudacuo. Do not plan anything strenuous for your first afternoon. If you are visiting in winter, check that your hotel has proper heating; it is not a given in small guesthouses.

Xishuangbanna: two to three days

Xishuangbanna feels very different from the northwest. Its main town, Jinghong (景洪, Jǐnghóng), is only about 553 meters above sea level, so altitude is not an issue. This is the home of the Dai (傣族, Dǎizú) people, with Buddhist temples, rainforest, and food closer to Thailand and Laos than to Kunming.

• Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden: run by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, about 60 km from Jinghong. The west gate opens 8:00–18:00, and the park's electric carts cost extra: 50 yuan for the west or east section, or 100 yuan for the whole garden. An adult ticket is 80 yuan, valid on the day of use, sold real-name through the garden's official mini-program and partner platforms. The garden's own site mentions Chinese ID cards at the gate, so book with your passport and confirm at the ticket office. Allow a full day.
• Gaozhuang (告庄, Gàozhuāng): a large Dai-style night market and riverside district in Jinghong, the place most visitors spend their evenings.
• Wild Elephant Valley (野象谷, Yěxiàng Gǔ): a forest park outside Jinghong with walkways and a chance of seeing wild elephants. Sightings are not guaranteed. Check the scenic area's official account for how tickets are sold; some sites need real-name booking in advance.

How to combine them: 7, 10 and 12-plus days

These are outlines, not fixed plans. The day-by-day version, with train times between each stop, is in our Yunnan circuit itinerary. One rule applies to all of them: go up gradually. Kunming, then Dali, then Lijiang, then Shangri-La lets your body adjust to the altitude one step at a time. Flying straight from sea level to Shangri-La is the version most likely to make you ill.

7 days: Kunming, Dali, Lijiang

• Day 1: arrive in Kunming.
• Day 2: Stone Forest or the museum, then the afternoon train to Dali.
• Days 3–4: Dali Old Town, Erhai Lake, the Three Pagodas, Cangshan.
• Day 5: train to Lijiang, afternoon in the old town.
• Day 6: Jade Dragon Snow Mountain or Shuhe and Baisha.
• Day 7: fly out of Lijiang or take the train back to Kunming.

This is the right length for a first visit if you also want to see other parts of China. It is comfortable, and the highest point you sleep at is Lijiang.

10 days: add Shangri-La or Tiger Leaping Gorge

Keep the 7-day core and add three days. You have two choices:

• Shangri-La: take the train from Lijiang, spend two nights, then take the direct train back to Kunming or fly out. Best for culture and scenery, with the most altitude.
• Tiger Leaping Gorge: two days on the High Trail plus a rest day. Best for hikers. In the rainy season keep a backup plan in case the trail is closed.

Fitting in both in ten days is possible, but it means long days and no rest. If you can, make it eleven or twelve days.

12 days and more: add Xishuangbanna

Xishuangbanna is in the opposite direction, so the question is how to get there without wasting a day going back to Kunming. Two ways work. You can do the northwest line first and then fly from Lijiang or Dali straight to Xishuangbanna on one of the in-province routes. Or you can go south first from Kunming by train, come back to Kunming, and then head northwest. Either way, give Xishuangbanna at least three days including travel. If you plan to cross into Laos at the end, Xishuangbanna is the natural last stop.

Book the busy legs as soon as tickets open, especially Dali to Lijiang and anything around Chinese holidays. 12306 is the official channel; if you prefer an English booking site that also sells flights, Trip.com lists the same trains. For hotels, book the old towns first, because the well-located guesthouses in Dali and Lijiang go early in spring and October. Our guide to booking hotels and registration rules explains why some small guesthouses cannot take foreign guests. If you want to pair Yunnan with Sichuan, Chengdu is the usual next stop; see our Chengdu guide.

Altitude sickness: what to expect and what to do

Yunnan's main stops form a ladder. Knowing the heights helps you decide where to rest:

• Jinghong (Xishuangbanna): about 553 m
• Kunming: about 1,891 m
• Lijiang: about 2,400 m
• Shangri-La town: about 3,300 m
• Pudacuo National Park: 3,200 to 4,159 m
• Cangshan Ximatan cable car, top: 3,966 m
• Jade Dragon Glacier Park cable car, top: 4,506 m

Health guidance from the Sichuan Provincial Health Commission says altitude sickness mainly affects people above 2,500 meters, and mild symptoms often start within a few hours of arriving: chest tightness, shortness of breath, headache, dizziness, poor sleep, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea. Fluid on the lungs (high-altitude pulmonary edema) is more common above 4,000 meters and in the first one to four days. The same guidance lists warning signs of swelling of the brain: a severe headache, forceful vomiting, or losing your balance and walking unsteadily. If you have any of these, stop going higher and get medical help as soon as possible. It also advises people with severe COPD, asthma, interstitial lung disease, congenital heart disease or pulmonary hypertension not to travel to high altitude.

In practice, for this route:

• Lijiang is just under the 2,500-meter line. Most people are fine there, but some feel a mild headache on the first night.
• Shangri-La is above it. Take the first afternoon easy, drink water, skip alcohol the first night, and walk slowly on stairs.
• The Glacier Park cable car takes you from about 3,356 meters to 4,506 meters in one ride. You only stay up for a short time, but move slowly at the top and come down if you feel unwell. The scenic area offers free hot drinks and blood pressure and blood-oxygen checks at the main stations, and sells small oxygen cans from vending machines at 9.9 to 19.9 yuan.
• If symptoms get worse instead of better, go down. Descending is the most reliable treatment. If you feel very unwell, call 120 or ask your hotel to take you to a hospital.

If you have a heart or lung condition, talk to your doctor before booking Shangri-La or the glacier cable car. Our health and medical care guide explains how hospitals and payment work in China, and travel insurance for China covers what to check in your policy.

What to eat in Yunnan

Yunnan food is fresher and more sour than the fiery Sichuan style many people expect from the southwest. Start with crossing-the-bridge noodles (过桥米线, guòqiáo mǐxiàn), where you add raw meat, vegetables and rice noodles to a bowl of very hot broth at the table. Try steam-pot chicken (汽锅鸡, qìguō jī), flower cakes (鲜花饼, xiānhuā bǐng) filled with rose petals, and rushan (乳扇, rǔshàn), a grilled sheet of milk cheese found around Dali. Shangri-La means yak meat and butter tea, and Xishuangbanna has Dai food with lemongrass, lime and chili.

Wild mushrooms are a summer highlight, and also a real risk. The Yunnan Provincial Health Commission issues a warning every May: do not pick, buy or eat wild mushrooms you do not know, and go to the nearest hospital straight away if you get dizziness, nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, diarrhea or hallucinations after eating them. You can read the commission's mushroom poisoning warning (in Chinese). Eat them only at established restaurants where they are cooked through, and never forage. For ordering help, see how to order food with zero Chinese; for allergies and diets, see our food safety guide.

Money and internet

Set up mobile payment before you arrive: even small noodle shops and guesthouses in Yunnan take QR codes. Alipay lets you link Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Diners Club and Discover cards, though whether your own card goes through depends on the issuer, so check in the app. WeChat Pay accepts a passport for verification and does not require a Chinese phone number. Cash is legal tender and businesses are not allowed to refuse it, so carry some for rural guesthouses and gate tickets. Many scenic-area tickets, such as Jade Dragon and the botanical garden, are sold through WeChat mini-programs. The Jade Dragon mini-programs do not say whether a foreign passport can be used for their real-name booking, so ask your hotel to help or follow the booking steps in our Dali and Lijiang guide; our Alipay setup guide and WeChat setup guide cover both apps.

For data, an eSIM bought before departure is the easiest option, and Airalo sells China eSIMs. See our SIM and eSIM guide and internet and VPN guide for the details.

FAQ

Who to call in an emergency

Call 110 for police and 120 for an ambulance; both work from any phone without an area code and are free to call. After a traffic accident, call 122 or 110. For non-urgent complaints, such as a dispute with a shop or tour, call 12345. Your country's consulate for Yunnan may not be in Beijing: for example, the US consulate in Guangzhou covers Yunnan, and the UK consulate in Chongqing does too. Our emergency numbers guide and embassy contacts list the rest.

Last updated: October 2026