My favorite time to travel in Yunnan is March - June because the weather is dry and the skies are blue without many clouds - makes for great pictures.

You have many places you want to visit so here are some suggestions.

Erhai Lake - www.gokunming.com/[...]

I would begin with a bus ride along the lake so you can see the entire place in one day and then make a decision as to what is next. No need for hotel reservations as there are hotels and guesthouses everywhere and this is not peak travel season.

YuanYang, Honghe - www.gokunming.com/en/forums/thread/9948/unesco_sites_in_china

I have been to Yuan Yang 6 times over the last 12 years BUT I have not visited since it was added to the UNESCO list 2 years ago.

Yuan Yang is like the Red Soil in Dongchuan - it is NOT one specific place but rather a large area where you must drive from place to place to see the rice terraces or the red soil fields. This is what makes these places either a curse or a blessing. Unless you have a car, you will have to hire a driver so you must be very clear and specific as to the price and the time they will drive you around. I find the drivers are vague and make promises that they do not keep once they get you in their car. For both these places you need a car although some tuk tuks will offer to take you around - Do not take a tuk tuk.

I know many people who are in a hurry and take a long direct bus from Kunming to Yuan Yang. I prefer to stop halfway and shorten my time on a bus and stop at Jian Shui Old Town which offers a lot.

www.gokunming.com/[...]

Weather - Yunnan is mountain country so weather changes quickly if you go to the mountains. You can go as far as Lijiang with the same set of clothes but if you venture north into ShanGriLa you will need a heavy coat as April is still cold.

Lijiang - You do not have to pay any fees to go into Lijiang Old Town - The Protection fee (80 RMB) is required when you try to go inside any of the scenic spots. For example, when you go to Black Dragon Pool, it is actually free admission but you must present the protection Fee receipt which will cost you 80 RMB.

I prefer to stay in hotels in Shu He rather than in Old Town (hotels are newer and cheaper) because it is much more quiet. However, you must pay a 50 RMB fee to go inside but it is well worth it.

No fees to go in Dali Old Town.

Thanx Hfcampo for these informations... So I would have to go to JianShui, too... Too many places to visit !! It seems I won't have time enought to to to Deqin and Yubeng...
Is it possible to come back from Shangri-La to Kunming with a night train ? I know there are no railways in Shangri-La but perhaps is it possible to catch a train not far from there ?
Do you recommend that I go first to Yuanyang at the end of march ? or a few days later will perhaps not change anything ?

You mentioned you wanted to avoid the cold weather so I suggest you skip YuBeng/Meili Snow Mountain area in Diqing. If you stay only as far as SGL I think you can survive the cold then take a bus back to Lijiang and a train to Kunming.

The new highway from Lijiang can take you to Jian Chuan where you can visit the 1000 Lion Mountain, Jian Chuan Old Town, Shaxi Old Town, and Stone Treasure Mount (Shi Bao Shan).

www.gokunming.com/[...]

www.gokunming.com/[...]

www.gokunming.com/[...]

www.gokunming.com/[...]

You can rent a taxi from Jianchuan for 200 Yuan. The taxi will take you to all 3 temples and bring you back to Jianchuan. - You can also do the entire loop for 250 Yuan. Jianchuan to Shi Bao Shan then on to Shaxi and then back to Jianchuan. - I recommend you stay an extra day and climb 1000 Lion Mountain. I really like this place.

From Jianchuan it is a 2 hour bus ride back to Dali and then take a bus back to Kunming and head towards Honghe to visit Jian Shui and Yuan Yang.

Yuan Yang looks very different during different times of the season. March/April you can still see some of the terraces flooded with water which makes for some spectacular pictures.

Send me a PM if you need any more info.

Hello, planning my trip to Yunnan (3-4 weeks) I'd like to go where e-bikes / e-scooters are avalaible to explore the surroundings by yourself. I read that there are some places in Lijiang and Dali but I dont know about other destinations, for instance, could it be possible to do visit Yuangyang terraces by ebike, Lugu Lake, Luoping surroundings or Dongchuang? Are the bikes rented for longer than a day, for instance to do a loop in Erhai Lake and spend a night in other village. Is the battery autonomy enough or are there recharge places to do the whole Erhai or go to villages as Weibo or Weishan near Dali?. What about the price?

Thank you very much in advance ;)

Hi,
it is easy to rent a ebike in Dali, probably also lijiang, but: you should make not more than 50km a day, otherwise you loose time in reloading. There are a few professional loading stations - which are good - if you load it just in a restaurant, if you stay there for 1-2 h it is mostly enough for only a few km... . It is also too far to go around the erhai lake in 2 days in my opinion....prices are cheap, just bargain...

I haven't seen any ebike rental places in Lijiang. ebikes there are registered to a (Chinese) ID and bikes without the correct registration plates aren't legally allowed anywhere in the city. in addition, ebikes aren't allowed in any of the 'old town' areas in Lijiang.