A long time ago, 20+ years, I had the opportunity to travel and planned a route (backpacking) for maybe 6 weeks in China, with main portion being between Kunming and Chengdu.
Kunming-Dali-Lijiang-Tiger Leaping Gorge-Zhongdian-Litang-Kangding-Chengdu
Alas, circumstances changed, and the trip got canned.
The other day, something reminded me of my old plans, and now it’s on my bucket list again (but cycle touring).
Has anyone here cycled in this region and hopefully have some sort of blog/youtube I can look at? (I looked at crazyguyonabike but couldn’t see anything close)
by kiwirazz
1 Comment
I’ve cycled Kunming to Lijiang, Nanning to Kunming (along the Vietnamese border) and Guangzhou to Guiyang; as well as travelling extensively in the region.
The route you’ve highlighted is beautiful, but it’s VERY touristy. Dali, Lijiang and Kangding are all highly developed tourist towns/cities with the respective traffic, volumes of people, etc.
If you want to do big mountains I’d say focus more on the Ganze area, but this has altitude and weather to consider.
If you’re looking for rolling hills with the occasional big climbing day, Nanning to Kunming (or Xishuangbanna if you had more time) is fabulous with huge waterfalls, kharst landforms in abundance and a more off-the-beaten-track vibe.