If it was "open" then the "wild animals" whould be gone, so no it is all fenced in.

Hi Christian,

In general your itinerary is the old fashion tourist trail. Once up on a time that was the thing to do. Now it is a slow moving cue of tourist. Things have changed enormously and they keep on changing.

Shangri-La: Even the name was invented to attack tourists.
Songzanlin Lamasery. Is interesting but sometimes the place is deserted and has a strange atmosphere.

Shangri-La old town: Burned down some years ago and has been rebuild in Han style.

Baishuitai: Apart from the locals that try to rip you off quite OK.

Tiger Leaping Gorge: Up to 5000 tourists every day on a day trip from Lijiang.
Hiking. Takes days and not a few hours.

First bend of the Yangtze: Not worth the effort. Chinese look from a distance from the watch towers build at tourist stops on the route between TLG and Lijiang.

Lijiang: Overpriced and overrated. The last Naxi has gone and is now run like a giant shopping centre by some Han tourist corporations.

Shaxi: Go there before it is too late. Recently build Landscape hotel will attract hoards of western tourist. They are enlarging the road to it to accommodate tour busses.

Shibaoshan: Spend a week there ;-)

The only place really worse going.

Yangbi: Forgotten by the tourist. Visit the old iron chain bridge and the old mosque.

Dali: Main streets are one big shopping experience. Go off the main road and it is worth it. Do try the Bad Monkey beer.

Shaping: Is history. Once this place was only accessible by boat across the lake and on foot from the surrounding mountains. Now there is a big new road shocked with thousands of tourist. The market was old fashion; farmers bringing in their products and traders exchanging them for industrial goods. Now only tourist crab for sale.

Shilin: 4,000,000 visitors per year That is 11,000 a day. If you really have to go then go to the Naigu Stone Forest which sees only a hand full.

Yuanyang Hani terraces: Great but the wrong time of the year.

Yuanshui: No problem but not that special.

Red Earth: Great but again the wrong time of the year.

Again your itinerary looks like a bucket list to tick off. Well if that is what you want go ahead. If you want to see Yunnan do something else.

Good luck!

Normally over 60 years 50% over 70 years free. Depends on the place. Bring passport always as proof of age.

See as well tinyadventurestours.com/Eng/Cost/EntryFees.html

Hi Christian,

Your itinerary is the old well trotten tourist trail through Yunnan. Join the thousands of tourist doing exactly the same thing. And like all others you plan to do it all too fast. Typically one of these "been there, seen that" tick it of your bucket list tours.
Is it doable? Yes with luck and if you speak a bit Chinese (Needed to go with public transport).
Is it stressful? Very much so.

PS:
Shigu (Yangste gulf). You seem to have copied this from Google maps or so which has more funny translations. The place is called "The first bend of the Yangtze" (Which is called Jinsha here). Only Chinese are interested in bends in rivers and will go there. There is absolutely nothing to see but indeed a bend in a river.

The border crossing Mae Sot Mae Hong brought you in an area not controlled by the Government of Myanmar. It is the same all over the border area between Thailand and Myanmar. Putao is however way beyond that and you have to pass government controlled area. Getting into area controlled by rebel groups is way easier than getting into area controlled by the GoM.