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When is the best time to visit Lijiang?

Wednesday, March 14th, 2018
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Plan your Lijiang Tour? Lijiang, located in the northwest of Yunnan Province, is a place blessed with fresh air, clear streams and breathtaking snow mountains. Lijiang sits at an average elevation of 2,400 meters. Many visitors both home and abroad come to visit Lijiang every year.

Lijiang enjoys a temperate climate year around. Lijiang’s rainy season begins in May and ends in October, with the heaviest and most recurrent rainfall periods occurring during July and August.

Autumn is regarded as the best season to visit Lijiang. In fact, any time during the year is suitable for traveling, depending on the kind of traveling experience and sites you want to see.

Whatever time of year, Lijiang is said to experience “four seasons in one day”, so be sure to pack accordingly. Check out below to have some information on each season:

Lijiang in Spring
Spring in Lijiang, which lasts from March to May, is a comfortable season for visitors to come. Neither cold nor hot, average temperature is about 17℃. The sky is blue and clear every day.

Jade Dragon Snow Mountain can be seen from every where of the city, and flowers are in blossom. What’s more, there are fewer tourists in spring than other seasons.

Lijiang in Summer
Summer is also a good season for traveling to Lijiang. But there are heave rains, very often too foggy to see the snow Mountain actually.

There are very little snow in the mountain in Summer. Much more expensive to come, as everything double the price. The usual cloud cover makes summer less than ideal for sightseeing.

 

Lijiang In Summer

Lijiang In Summer

 Lijiang in Autumn
Autumn is the most beautiful season in Lijiang with comfortable temperature, clear and crisp days, prismy trees and flowers.

The rains are almost completely gone by mid-October.There’s little rain in the fall and the local alpine wildflowers and grasses are at their best. Nights in autumn are crisp and chilly, take a coat with you is necessary.

Lijiang in Winter
Winter in Lijiang is also very nice season for traveling. The Jade Dragon Snow mountain is the good place to go in winter. It is clean with blue sky between November to January.It’s very warm in the daytime, temperature usually above 12℃, up to 25゜C, but it could be -7℃ at night. Very few tourists come to Lijiang in Winter. It’s also the cheapest season to come.

Tip:  Hassle-free Lijiang Guided Tours
If you don’t want to go the do-it-yourself route and prefer the hassle-free escorted tours,  here are some options for Lijiang guided tours:

12 Days Beijing – Xian – Guilin – Kunming – Lijiang

8-Day Beijing – Lijiang – Dali – Kunming – Beijing Private Tour

6-Day Lijiang – Tiger Leaping Gorge – Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Trekking Tour

Further Readings

Top Things to Do in Lijiang
Top 10 Places in Yunnan
Top Things to Do in Kunming

Any questions, just drop line.

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Posted in Lijiang Travel | 8 Comments »

Tiger Leaping Gorge: the Trekking Delight of Yunnan

Monday, April 9th, 2012
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Tiger Leaping Gorge Promises an Extraordinary Trekking Adventure 

 There are many places in China that are known for their natural beauty. But the sense of adventure that the Tiger Leaping Gorge instills in the trekkers is unlike any other place in the country. The gorge is flanked by some of the highest cliffs and it takes one to some of the most exotic mountains on the way downriver. However the latest decisions of the government in trying to develop the area have threatened its natural ambience and resources.  

The Beauty of Tiger Leaping Gorge 

Tiger Leaping Gorge has been so exotically named because of its location and looks. This phenomenal site is a part of the World Heritage plan. It has been a popular destination for tourists and students alike. All those who visit China to learn Chinese or to do gap year jobs in the country always take time out from their work to visit this site. The Tiger Leaping Gorge is known for its natural beauty, and the opportunity to indulge in the lap of nature here bypasses the beauty of some of the biggest heritage sights in the world.
The gorge itself is one of the most precarious places. The river at the bottom is not navigable. Both sides of the gorge are flanked by cliffs and mountains which rise up to a height of almost five and a half kilometers. The river is said to have category six rapids and non-navigable areas. In the early 1980s, four rafters first attempted to raft down the river but they were never seen again. It was not until 1986 that the first expedition successfully managed to sail down the river. The name of the gorge itself has been derived from a legend which talks of a tiger leaping across the river (at its narrowest point) to escape a hunter. This was a remarkable feat that impressed everyone who ever heard of it. As a result, this adventurous site earned its name. If you are in Yunnan on Chinese language programs or just to learn Mandarin, you will be able to visit this stupendous place very easily.  

 Backpackers and trekkers have found this to be one of the most wonderful places to spend their time. There is the hiking path or the “high road” that has been marked clearly which exceeds the length of 14 miles. The trail takes the trekkers to variegated places which include micro-ecosystems, waterfalls and guest houses. The longer trail which goes through the lower portion of the gorge extends to 121 miles in length and is used by expert trekkers. There is a point where the high road descends to meet the lower road and this is near the point where the tiger is said to have leapt across the gorge. However, officially, the trekking trail was closed for construction work in 2010, but despite this closure, a lot of professionals and trekking enthusiasts are still known to take the trail.  

Tiger Leaping Trail Sketch

 

Tiger Leaping Gorge Sketch Map ( from ayican.com)

 

 

Tiger Leaping Gorge 1

 

Tiger Leaping Gorge 1

 

 

Tiger Leaping Gorge 2

 

Tiger Leaping Gorge 2

 

 

Arrving at Half Way

 

Arriving at Half Way

 

 

Continue to walk along the walking path in the Tiger Leaping Gorge.

Continue to Walk in the along the Tiger Leaping Gorge trail.

 

Tiger Leaping Gorge also shows the downside of development taking place in China. All those who are visiting China on study abroad programs will know of the dam project that was planned by the central government was scrapped by Yunnan Province. This was done to prevent the destruction of natural resources in the process, but despite the cancellation of plans, there are other projects which have continued in the periphery of the gorge, devastating the area in the process.

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What Makes Lijiang so Attractive

Saturday, February 18th, 2012
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Lijiang Captures the Essence and Beauty of China

Lying in the northwestern part of the Yunnan province is the sleepy town of Lijiang which was a discovery in the late eighties and was brought to the forefront by the devastating earthquake that hit China in1996. The city has preserved a history of more than 800 years and even today is a town that is a perfect place to relive the lifestyle that has remained untouched throughout centuries. It is a cultural hub of many ethnicities and marked by the scenic natural beauty and ancient buildings telling tales of bygone eras.  

What Makes Lijiang so Attractive? 

Lijiang is a small city in Yunnan Province of China. It has become an integral part of the itinerary of summer programs for high school students and gap year programs alike. It is one of the most beautiful places to visit when one is in Yunnan for gap year jobs or Chinese language programs.  

The city has an 800-year-old history which incorporates the life and times of the late Song dynasty. It has been included in the World Heritage list because of the history that it incorporates. It also is resplendent with Naxi culture. The city is marked by its ancient buildings which picture a serene lifestyle and make one want to stop and ruminate just the way countless philosophers would have done while passing through over centuries that have gone by. Lijiang first drew the attention of the Western countries when it was mentioned in a book written by a commissioner.  He traveled to the city in the late eighties when China’s liberal policies allowed foreigners to travel deeper into China. The city was discussed along with Shangri-La and became famous.  

The Old Town of Lijiang City, Yunnan, China

 

The city was a lost town which was stuck in time for centuries. Its residents lived the lifestyle of their ancestors and were almost oblivious of the things happening outside. It is a well-known fact that the city was hitherto unknown even by most of the Chinese people. Apart from the book, what brought it to the forefront was a disaster. In 1996, the city was severely affected by an earthquake and the media coverage as a result of which revealed it to the nation and the world.  

It is a place that is comprised of gorgeous landscapes and scenic beauty. With its low latitudinal position and high elevation, Lijiang has an average temperature of almost 55 degrees Fahrenheit throughout the year with dry sunny summers, cold winters and rainfall for almost four months. This has helped the stunning natural beauty it is marked by.  

The city of Lijiang sits at the sea-level of about 2400 meters. The Jade Dragon Mountain is an half hour’s drive and about 14 km from the downtown Lijiang. The Jade Dragon Mountain is the one of the warmest snow mountains in the world. It has four seasons for a day. It is also one of the snow mountians closest to the living place. There are three cable-car stations on the mountain.  

Jade Dragon Snow Mountain in Lijiang Yunnan

 Apart from the natural beauty and pristine history that has been sealed in time in Lijiang, the city is also one of the primary cultural hubs for the Dongba culture which has been passed down for generations. The town itself is an orderly place that has waterways and bridges throughout. This town was a landmark site on the trade route comprised of the Old Tea Horse Road and linking Western Yunnan and Tibet more than 800 years back! 

                 The Naxi Dongba scripts Dongba culture                 The Naxi Dongba scripts Dongba culture

One of the highlights of the city is the Mu Mansion which has been the residence of the Mu clan which reigned over Lijiang for more than 400 years. This mansion has been renovated by World Bank funding after the 1996 earthquake. Not far from the city lies the ancient town of Shuhe, which in Naxi language means “the village at the foot of the mountain”. This town is a heritage site as well as one of the country’s “Key protection units of cultural relics”.  

Mu Mansion, the residence of the Mu clan which reigned over Lijiang for more than 400 years.

If you go to study abroad in China, Lijiang is a site that must not be missed.

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