Taking a high speed train from Changsha to Kunming took around 6.5 hours. If you are going there from Hong Kong, there is only one train schedule available. I advise going from Shenzhen which have 4 train schedules to Kunming. Both set off points take around 7.5 hours journey.
Day 1: Changsha South
Day 2: Kunming (Altitude : around 1850m)
Day 3 – 4: Dali
Day 5 – 7: Lijiang
Day 8 : back to Kunming
Day 9: Return
I was thinking of skipping Kunming at first as it does not seem to have many things to get around. After staying for a night, there are only two places worth to go. If you are going to Kunming for the very first time, I still suggest staying for one night and go for the place that I will talk about later in the article.
The first of the journey starts with a disappointment. I rented Deepal S07 for this journey but it got knocked off by a third party and needed to rent for another model. Do not rent the big 4×4 vehicle even though it’s brand new. The parking places in some areas are not big enough for it to go through.
Altitude 1850m normally won’t have acute mountain sickness.
Accommodation – Dianyiyuan Homestay (Kunming Dianchi Lake Haigeng Dam)
It is actually a mansion revamp as guesthouse. There is no convenient store so you will need to purchase any necessities, drinks, snacks before going back to guesthouse.
The guesthouse provides free breakfast with limited varieties – eggs, congee, dumplings and a few more. There is no coffee machine available so the owner actually gave me extra coffee powder bag. Washing machine and a drying machine available at the rooftop. I suggest chilling at the rooftop at night. The air is unbelievably fresh.
Check-in counter is at the basement where car park is located. The owner said that a lot of Hong Kong people book this guesthouse for their trip.
I also suggest to eat dinner nearby. There are a few restaurants located just few minutes ride away from the guesthouse. Just because we went to Kunming Ancient Street and we get very disappointed with food over there.
Kunming Ancient Street
My advice: Avoid going to the Ancient Street.
The place is seriously congested. From guest house to Ancient Street took ONE hour. The only thing I can see is a sea of faces. There are not many things to see and I thought I can get some good food from there but I am wrong.
Dinner @ 德胜桥豆花米线(文明街店) (no English name available)
I always wanted to try out Yunnan Rice Noodles with Tofu (Douhua Mixian) and I thought this store with a high score review on the map might give me a surprise. And it “did”.
Except for its spiciness, I don’t taste anything good from anything that we ordered. It’s the worst food experience that we had in the journey. We wasted 2 hours in the area and decided to get back.
I also don’t recommend buying Flower Cake from there. Although Flower Cake is the only souvenir that you can get in Yunnan, the product is expensive over there due to its product packaging appearance. It’s sold for around RMB5x for one box in average. However, I get just RMB1 for one cake in Daili. There are a few stores that also sell Flower Cake for about RMB6/one.
Even the meat on the street doesn’t taste good.
Halal food should be easy to find in Kunming. To those who may not know, Muslim meals provided by restaurant needs to be certified to provide Halal food. In addition, Muslim normally do not touch dog due to their religious practice.
IF you still decide to go there, there is one famous photo taking place around 5 – 10 minutes walk from the main street – 吾young傲城青春商业中心. A circular building that people go inside the middle point to take image with the sky. (got to stay around the area as it got really jam in traffic)
Flower Field Viewing 石林天外天云海花田 (no English name available)
The following day, we depart Kunming for Dali. Before heading there, we stop along the way to visit the flower fields.
This place is easy to go but difficult to get back without renting/booking a vehicle. I planned to stay for photo taking for an hour, but it took me 2 hours and still not enough. Picture depicts million words. Highly recommended place for visiting. (This period is in end of July)
Entrance ticket fee: below 150m kid free of charge. Adult: RMB30. Pre purchase ticket at Douyin RMB20/one.
We leave at around 2.30pm and go straight to Dali.
Important note: Remember to apply sunscreen. I got burn under the sun for 2 hours.
There is another sightseeing place a number of visitors actually suggest to go – 牛恋小渔村 (for sunset viewing). The place is located on the right side of the lake. If you are staying near Kunmin South, you can go there to have a look.
If you arrive Kunming South station, I suggest staying another accommodation which I will talk about in another article.
Another note: Jul – Aug is visitor peak period as well as rainy season.
April in Kunming is the period of Jacaranda blooming in the city. This is the time you REALLY need to stay at Kunming for a day.
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Other related article:
-> Yunnan Tour – One night at Changsha
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