By air
Lijiang Sanyi (LJG), ~30 km
East Asia · China
Lijiang, China
A Naxi old town below a snow mountain
Getting there
Best time to visit
March to May and September to November — dry and clear
Don't miss
Lijiang Old Town
Jade Dragon Snow Mountain
Black Dragon Pool
Tiger Leaping Gorge
Things to do
The old town's lanes and canals
Jade Dragon Snow Mountain
The Tiger Leaping Gorge trek
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: Colegota · CC BY-SA 2.1 es
What to pack
Warm layers, sun protection (it is high altitude)
A quieter corner
Baisha village's murals and quiet lanes
Questions travellers ask
When is the weather clearest in Lijiang?
March to May and September to November, when it's dry and clear.
What should I pack for Lijiang's altitude?
Warm layers and sun protection — it is high altitude.
What's worth doing around Lijiang?
Wander the old town's lanes and canals, see Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and Black Dragon Pool, and take on the Tiger Leaping Gorge trek.
Where can I escape to near Lijiang?
Baisha village, with its murals and quiet lanes.
About Lijiang
- Mountains
Where it is
Lijiang lies in the north-west of Yunnan Province in south-west China, on a plateau at about 2,400 m below the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, with the Jinsha River, the upper Yangtze, cutting Tiger Leaping Gorge to the north.
History
Lijiang was for centuries the seat of the Mu family, hereditary Naxi rulers under the Ming and Qing emperors, and a trading post on the Tea Horse Road between Yunnan and Tibet. Its Old Town of canals and stone bridges was partly rebuilt after a strong earthquake in 1996 and became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.
People
Lijiang is the heartland of the Naxi people, whose Dongba priests kept a pictographic script for religious texts and whose orchestras still play Naxi ancient music. Bai, Yi and Tibetan communities also live in the region, and Mandarin is widely spoken alongside Naxi.
Known for
- The Old Town's canals and lanes
- Jade Dragon Snow Mountain
- The Tiger Leaping Gorge trek
- Naxi Dongba script and ancient music
- Baisha village and its murals
Did you know?
Dongba, the pictographic script in which the Naxi people's priests wrote their religious texts, is often described as the only living pictographic script in the world.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.