China - Jiuzhaigou to Yunnan (shangri-la)


liquidforce

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Planning a trip to Jiuzhaigou and Yunnan this coming Nov.

Was wondering if anyone has experience with getting across to Shangri-la from Jiuzhaigou. Seems like the most direct route but there seems to be a lack of options for travelling that way.

If not, what other options are there to get from JZG to yunnan other than flying from JZG-chengdu-kunming?

My rough plan is like that:
day 1: sin-chengdu-JZG
day 2: JZG
day 3: JZG
day 4: JZG to shangri-la (if possible)
day 5-6: shangri-la
day 7-8: tiger leaping gouge
day 9-10: lijiang
day 11: dali
day 12: kunming (shilin)
day 13: yuanyang
day 14: yuanyang
day 15: kunming - sin
 

I have not been there yet, but in the midst of doing some reading up for a future trip in that area.

I am not aware if there is a direct JJG to Shangri-la route, but there is a Chengu-Kangding-Litang-Xiangcheng-Shangrila route.
 

In Nov.? Good luck. Please expect snow, in JZG at least. But it can be unique scenery in winter. Transportation might be an issue though.
 

In Nov.? Good luck. Please expect snow, in JZG at least. But it can be unique scenery in winter. Transportation might be an issue though.

yeah i heard. If I go over in early nov, what are the chances of catching the autumn colors?

If it's dicey, i might save myself the trouble and go to yunnan only. Save JZG for another year :p
 

Why not go to Yading/Daocheng, it is Sichuan's version of Shangrila? I think it better to cover Yunnan and Sichuan separately as there are many things to see. For instance, from JZG, you can consider travel north to GanNan (southern part of Gansu).

FYI, I read in the inflight magazines that JZG has recently opened direct flights to Beijing and Shanghai apart from what used to be Chengdu only. This mean it is even more accessible and will be crowded.

Your travel plan seems too packed and trying to squeeze too many things. Maybe can give up some places. Also, the weather in Nov can be unpredictable in mountain area.
 

yeah, i think i'll not pack it too tight and stick to one region. So it'll be Yunnan only!

Anyone has a list of must see sights there? I was thinking of doing the usual tourist route and go like that: Kumming - Yuanyang - Dali - Lijiang - shangri-la - Kunming..

Also, anyone been to xishuangbanna? worth visiting?
 

If you are going in November, I am not sure if YuanYang has much to offer, IMO that place is only beautiful when the farmers start to flood their fields.

For the rest

Kunming - Shilin / Cui Hu and largely a commercialised city. If you want, can visit Xi Shan, but IMO nothing much

Dali - 3 Pagodas, Gu Cheng. I went up Chang Shan, not worth the time IMO.

Lijiang - Yulong / Gu Cheng / Bottom of Yulong quite a few attractions (Impression Lijiang)

Shangrila - PuDuoCuo Reserve, Songzanzilin, Tiger Leapin Gorge.

If weather permits(nov may have snow issues) can go to DeQin for Meili Xueshan
 

If you are going in November, I am not sure if YuanYang has much to offer, IMO that place is only beautiful when the farmers start to flood their fields.

For the rest

Kunming - Shilin / Cui Hu and largely a commercialised city. If you want, can visit Xi Shan, but IMO nothing much

Dali - 3 Pagodas, Gu Cheng. I went up Chang Shan, not worth the time IMO.

Lijiang - Yulong / Gu Cheng / Bottom of Yulong quite a few attractions (Impression Lijiang)

Shangrila - PuDuoCuo Reserve, Songzanzilin, Tiger Leapin Gorge.

If weather permits(nov may have snow issues) can go to DeQin for Meili Xueshan

hmmmmm.....my opinion?

Kunming- skip it. Yawns. the shilin etc...aiya..forget it la. Overhyped and boring.
Dali- skip it again. Yawns. what chang bai shan etc...aiyo.
Lijiang- old town , fakey as it is, still deserve a stop over. yulong mountain is well..maybe good for a few pics.
Shangrila is actually called deqing- rusty little town. Forget tiger leapin gorge, it's bukit gomak quarry X100 times. Yawns. Songzanlin is worth a visit. Forget bai shui tai ( limestone terrance) etc...
 

hmmmmm.....my opinion?

Dali- skip it again. Yawns. what chang bai shan etc...aiyo.

It should be Chang Sha. Chang Bai Shan is in Jilin, diagonally on the opposite side of China!
 

hmmmmm.....my opinion?

Kunming- skip it. Yawns. the shilin etc...aiya..forget it la. Overhyped and boring.
Dali- skip it again. Yawns. what chang bai shan etc...aiyo.
Lijiang- old town , fakey as it is, still deserve a stop over. yulong mountain is well..maybe good for a few pics.
Shangrila is actually called deqing- rusty little town. Forget tiger leapin gorge, it's bukit gomak quarry X100 times. Yawns. Songzanlin is worth a visit. Forget bai shui tai ( limestone terrance) etc...

hahaha.. luckily for me, my standards probably not as high as yours.

but yeah, a lot of stuff in china kinda over-rated, over-hyped and over-marketed.. but still.. good for a few pic!! :bsmilie:
 

东川红土地;Dongchuan. This is of the same fame with Yuanyang's rice terrace and Luoping's youcai hua (yellow rape seed flower)

You can take a bus up from Kunming to the north and can easily spend 2-3 days there.

You can see my posting #009 in (can't post directly here due to chinese character in the weblink) http://lestwe4getphotos.blogspot.com/

Yuanyang season starts Dec to March; Luoping is Feb-March.

Try to concentrate on a few places and stay longer to immerse in the local culture. Otherwise, no different from rush and hush of package tour.
 

It should be Chang Sha. Chang Bai Shan is in Jilin, diagonally on the opposite side of China!

hmmmmm.....my opinion?

Dali- skip it again. Yawns. what chang bai shan etc...aiyo.

Dali - 3 Pagodas, Gu Cheng. I went up Chang Shan, not worth the time IMO.

The place is 大理苍山, Dali Cang Shan ;)
 

东川红土地;Dongchuan. This is of the same fame with Yuanyang's rice terrace and Luoping's youcai hua (yellow rape seed flower)

You can take a bus up from Kunming to the north and can easily spend 2-3 days there.

You can see my posting #009 in (can't post directly here due to chinese character in the weblink) http://lestwe4getphotos.blogspot.com/

Yuanyang season starts Dec to March; Luoping is Feb-March.

Try to concentrate on a few places and stay longer to immerse in the local culture. Otherwise, no different from rush and hush of package tour.

Hmm.. very nice scenery at those places. A bit out the way for me though. Wish I could stay way longer.. but the sad fact is it's hard to get so many days off, and it's hard to quit work to travel..

*gasp* I'm in the rat race!!!! :cry:

anyway, I'm planning to do about 2-3 days in each area this time.. trying to prioritize :bsmilie::bsmilie:
 

Planning a trip to Jiuzhaigou and Yunnan this coming Nov.

Was wondering if anyone has experience with getting across to Shangri-la from Jiuzhaigou. Seems like the most direct route but there seems to be a lack of options for travelling that way.

If not, what other options are there to get from JZG to yunnan other than flying from JZG-chengdu-kunming?

My rough plan is like that:
day 1: sin-chengdu-JZG
day 2: JZG
day 3: JZG
day 4: JZG to shangri-la (if possible)
day 5-6: shangri-la
day 7-8: tiger leaping gouge
day 9-10: lijiang
day 11: dali
day 12: kunming (shilin)
day 13: yuanyang
day 14: yuanyang
day 15: kunming - sin

i would skip tiger leaping gouge. lijiang u should spend 3 days 2 nights. there is another old town 10 mins away from lijiang. u may want to spend half a day there. also if people ask you to go for horse ride, don't bother unless you have lots of time. it takes about 2 hours.
 

a) If you wanna see the fall colors in JiuZhaiGou, you should aim for October. Avoid 1-7 Oct (Golden Week Holidays) 'cos it'll be super pack everywhere. Try to arrive shortly after that. If you arrive in JiuZhaiGou in November, all the leaves will have fallen by then.

b) I traveled there last year. Highlights included:

ShiLin
694557905_jn9zt-M-1.jpg


LiJiang (Impression LiJiang performance and Black Dragon Pool)
694558026_kAjDf-M-1.jpg


DaoCheng Red Grassland (ONLY if your timing is perfect)
694560433_4pZhd-M-2.jpg


YaDing (the TRUE Shangri-La... ZhongDian is rather boring in comparison)
694558752_mUztj-M-1.jpg


JiuZhaiGou
694560891_kioy8-L-1.jpg


c) You can fly from KangDing <-> ChengDu <-> JiuZhaiGou. The first leg is very beautiful.

d) If you wanna visit YuanYang, it should be some time between January and March when the fields are covered with water.

e) If you want my detailed itinerary (2 weeks), you may PM me with your email address. But I've got to warn you, it won't be cheap 'cos I try to fly whenever I can.

Hope this helps.
 

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The best autumn color in Jiuzhaigou happen around between last week of Oct and 1st week of Nov. Last year, the leave start to fall in 2nd week of Nov.

If you don't want to fly back to Chengdu, you want to consider this route; Jiuzhaigou - Hongyuan - Maerkang - Xinduqiao - Litang - Daocheng - Derong - Shangri'la. But this route will takes you around 3 days to travel.

If I'm you, I'll give Yuanyang a miss. Rapeseed season in March.

You can consider this route traveled by many Chinese in China. Chengdu - Jiuzhaigou - Xinduqiao - Daocheng - Derong -Shangri'la - Lijiang - Lugu Lake - Chengdu (or Kuming).
 

hi guys..

i am also in the midst of planning to Chengdu after the first week of Oct..

i'll like to seek some detailed itineraries from any travelers who had been there before..

my email address is wenbin0215@yahoo.com.sg

thank u in advance..
 

hi,

am planning a back packing trip to Jiu Zhai Gou in mid Oct . anyone keen to join me can email me at litechaser@hotmail.com :)
 

I recommend YaDing any time over JiuZhaiGou. :D
 

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