Hello,

I am travelling to Yunnan in beginning of July and would like to spend around 8 days visiting Kunming, Dali and Lijiang (any other places to recommend?). I was wondering if it is best to join a tour group or to travel on my own? If to join a tour group, is it possible to book it when I arrive in Kunming or should I book it in advance? I am a 21 year old female and know limited Chinese Mandarin, and I heard that it can be quite rough to travel alone in Yunnan - is this true? If anyone else will be in Yunnan around that time and looking for a travel buddy, please feel free to contact me.

Thanks

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/29/2011 02:08AM by Olive.

I would recomend finding a local who can speak both languages to travel with you. They can assist in travel arrangements, buying and reading. Just be sure to take care of this person and be more than fair with your payment to them as they will be able to save you a ton of money.

As a foreigner the merchants will try to charge you 400-500% above what they would sell the same thing to a chinese person for, you will literally get raped in the marketplace.

while street shopping my wife stays behind me 20-30 feet, if i touch something then she will buy it, usually i will ask the price and then ask her what she bought it for. I do not fault them for trying to maximize profits but damn dont take advantage.

@Piggerman That's an interesting strategy hehehe. Being part of a tour grup won't help me out either I think. Now, I just need a chinese husband to help me when shopping.

Joining a tour group means you will be brought to stupid tourist shops and encouraged to buy. Tour guides get a commission from group sales.

As a 21-yr old, I would advise u to stay in the international youth hostels (guo ji qing nian lv she) which are catching on in popularity all over China. When you are there, just hook up with fellow travelers and split the costs. Lots of Chinese girls nowadays travel alone or in pairs and would be glad to team up with you.

Kunming is the gateway to Yunnan but don't spend too much time there. Head straight to Lijiang. Lijiang old town (called Dayan) is crowded and commercial but worth checking out. The quieter part of town is called Shuhe, where less tourists go to. Spend a few days to acclimatize and head up north to places like Shangri-La Feilaisi to catch Meili snow mountain etc. Most people bypass Dali and think it's a waste of time.

I know a good and honest local driver in Lijiang if you want the contact. If you can get a group of 6, it makes sense to rent his MPV to discover the towns outside of Lijiang. The driver only speaks Chinese.


Endsplist Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hello,
>
> I am travelling to Yunnan in beginning of July and
> would like to spend around 8 days visiting
> Kunming, Dali and Lijiang (any other places to
> recommend?). I was wondering if it is best to join
> a tour group or to travel on my own?

how much is a nignt in a youth hostel in Yunnuan ?