Li Jiang is a city that travelers around the world yearn to go to. This is one of the most popular destination of not only Yunnan Province but also all of China. Li Jiang is in the northern section of Yunnan Province surrounded by a couple of different mountain ranges that make the city look like something out of a painting. The mountains become snow capped around November (depending on when the first snowfall is on top of the mountain occurs), making the scenery look even more beautiful.
The climate of Li Jiang is very unique. It rests at an altitude of approximately 7,900ft above sea level. In the winter the temperature varies widely. In the winter months it can go from the high 30s (Fahrenheit) in the morning to the 70s in the afternoon and then right back down to the 30s by the evening. In the summer Li Jiang is usually much warmer though. So, if you go in the winter prepare to pack accordingly.
Helpful tip: It should be noted that flying into Li Jiang is very expensive. If time is sufficient it might be a good idea to fly into Kun Ming and then take a train from Kun Ming to Li Jiang. This would be a much cheaper way to travel to Li Jiang and give you more money to spend during the trip.
The Old Town of Li Jiang 丽江古城 Lì Jiāng Gǔ Chéng
The Old Town of Li Jiang looks very impressive. It resembles how China may have looked in the past and it could only be compared to Beijing’s Hutong(s) or Shanghai’s Lilong(s). One of the great things about the Old Town is that it is very scenic. You could spend all day just wandering around and it would not be a wasted day. The Old Town is also very lively. There are restaurants, bars and night clubs all throughout the Old Town. I will say that the Old Town is very commercialized and has shops all over. The biggest take away from the Old Town (besides the scenery) is to experience some of the minority ethnic culture.
I would definitely recommend staying in a hostel or hotel in the Old Town. The main reason behind staying in the Old Town is that regardless of which sight you’d like to see you can get to all of them from the Old Town. Pick up and drop off points are either within the Old Town or adjacent to it.
The Black Dragon Pond Park 黑龙潭公园 Hēi Lóng Tán Gōng Yuán
A visit to Hei Long Tan Park is highly recommended. This park is like something out of a painting. At the time that I went the price of an entrance ticket was 80RMB. In the background of Hei Long Tan Park are Jade Dragon SnowyMountains, which gives the overall scenery an added aspect of beauty. The park is not particularly large and the path has a circular shape. So, you could walk one way and as long as you stay on the path you can continue walking and see the entire park.
How to get there?
Hei Long Tan Park is relatively easy to get to, it is only about a 10 minute drive from the old town. Taking an Uber or cab would be a quick and easy way to get to the park.
How much time should be allotted to be spent here?
Given that the park is not that big and that it does not take a lot of time to get there I would say that you allotting 2 – 2 1/2 hours time to visit the park should be sufficient. The truth is that 1 hour would be sufficient if time was being crunched, however, if you really enjoy the scenery and would like to take your time and view the park 2- 2 1/2 hours would be a great amount of time to take plenty of pictures and enjoy a stroll in Hei Long Tan Park.
The Jade Dragon Snowy Mountains 玉龙雪山 Yù Lóng Xuě Shān
The Jade Dragon Snowy Mountain is an incredible place to visit and highly recommended. The altitude is very high and the scenery is extraordinary. The altitude at the top if the mountain as you can see from the picture above is 4,680 meters above sea level, which equates to 15,444 feet above sea level.
Be aware that there is no direct (or safe) hiking route to the peak of the Jade Dragon Snowy Mountain. This mountain can only be climbed if you have very professional hiking equipment, knowledge and a significant amount of time. Even with the resources and the know how it could still take a day or days to reach the top. The only way to the top is to take the cable car.
At the top of the mountain there is also a glacier. Regardless of what the season is or ground temperature the glacier will remain frozen. That being said it should be obvious from the snow on the ground and picture of a glacier that the temperature on top of the Jade Dragon Snowy Mountain is drastically different from the ground temperature. I would even go so far as to say that it is frigid up there. So, pack a thick jacket and warm pants.
The next thing that will become immediately apparent to you once you’re at the peak of the mountain is the altitude. You will be very high up and your body may not be used to such a high altitude. It will be harder to breathe and take more energy to do even seemingly effortless activities such as walking or climbing stairs. Me personally, I am prone to altitude sickness, I was stricken with altitude sickness when I was there but it didn’t become that much of a nuisance until it was time to leave.
Once you’ve reached the top of the chairlift that does not mean that you have reached the highest point on the mountain (or highest visitable point). You will still need to climb the wooden staircase seen in the picture above. Due to the altitude this could be quite the difficult task. Be sure to have water with you and take breaks. Do not try to get up to the top in one shot, while it is possible you will find that catching your breath afterwards will not be easy. Slow and steady wins the race in this instance.
How to get to the Jade Dragon Snowy Mountains
You can get to the Jade Dragon Snowy Mountains from the old town pretty easily. There are vans that operate from just outside the old town that head to the mountains. The best way to figure out the closest pick up location to your place of lodging is to speak with the employees hostel/hotel/guesthouse. It is likely that the staff at your place of lodging will be able to arrange for you to be transported by the van service.
Taking the vans to the mountain is the cheapest way to make it to the mountain. You could also take a cab, but the ride is approximately 30 minutes, which would make the cab ride a bit expensive (depending on your budget). If you take a cab, you will also have to worry about the return trip from the mountain. The van will take you to and from the mountain and the cost is only about 20RMB.
On the journey there you will need to stop at the ticket office and purchase your ticket both for the mountain and for the cable car. In total I think the two tickets will be around 200RMB.
Tips for going to the Jade Dragon Snowy Mountain
There will be several places in route the mountain to buy bottles of oxygen. If you know that you are prone to altitude sickness I highly recommend that you take the opportunity to purchase some oxygen. It is not very expensive, anywhere from 25-50RMB depending on the size of the bottle. Even if you are unsure about whether or not you will have altitude sickness, I would still recommend that you buy a bottle of oxygen. It is better to stay on the side of safety and if you don’t need to use the oxygen while on top of the mountain then you’ll know that you’re less prone to altitude sickness.
A Brief FYI About Altitude Sickness
It may be important to know that altitude sickness affects everybody differently. It is said that altitude sickness is all in your head and that if you don’t think about it you won’t be affected as severely. My personal opinion is that claim is true to an extent. I believe that you can resist altitude sickness in a similar way that one can resist seasickness. However, once you’re starting to feel the effects of the sickness it is too late and it will only get worse if nothing is done.
There is also a claim that healthy people or people with a lower Body Mass Index (BMI) will be affected more by altitude sickness. In short the claim is that is you are a more muscular person and have less fat, then you be affected more. The reason I think that this claim has merit is because muscles need more oxygen than fat. If you have ever watched a competition/boxing match or UFC fight, you’ll see this for yourself. Often times the more muscular opponent will lead to muscle fatigue because the muscles lack oxygen. Once the muscles are low on oxygen it makes the simplest of moves difficult. In an area of high elevation there is less oxygen in the air. So, the muscles will fatigue faster. There is also less oxygen going to the brain as well, this leads to one of the symptoms of altitude sickness which is the sudden onset of a headache.
I furthermore believes this claim to have merit because every time I have gone to a location that is above 3,000 meters high I have difficulty coping with altitude sickness. My Body Mass Index is relatively low as well. However as stated previously, this is not a universal rule, everyone is different and will be affected differently by the altitude. I included this section to inform, anyone who may not have been to an area of high elevation before, of some of the precautions that could be taken.
The Blue Moon Lake 蓝月湖 Lán Yuè Hú
On the way down the Jade Dragon Snowy Mountain there is the option to visit another site called the Blue Moon Lake. This lake is absolutely breathtaking. Unfortunately for me, I didn’t know about it until I was on the ride back from the mountain (someone else showed me pictures of the lake). I definitely regret not going there and given the chance to do things differently I would unquestionably go to that lake. I wouldn’t want anyone reading this blog to make the same mistake I made and overlook going to the Blue Moon Lake.
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