Trip Overview
When: January (winter)
Duration: 3 days
Travelers: Solo
Budget: ~2,500 RMB (~$350 USD)
Transportation: Self-drive (WEY VV5)
Essential Foreigner Info
Getting There: Fly to Lijiang (丽江) Sanyi International Airport. Car rental available in Lijiang—having your own vehicle is essential for exploring Northwest Yunnan at your own pace.
Money Matters: Most places accept mobile payment (Alipay/WeChat Pay), but carry 500 RMB cash for toll roads and remote areas.
Language: English is limited outside tourist areas. Download offline maps and learn basic Mandarin phrases.
Driving: Mountain roads can be challenging—some sections have low visibility due to fog. Drive carefully, especially on G355 and G214 national highways between Lijiang and Shangri-La.
Day 1: Jade Dragon Snow Mountain & Baisha Ancient Town
The journey begins at Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (玉龙雪山). To be honest, I'd always dismissed Lijiang as just another touristy ancient town filled with noisy bars—definitely not my vibe. But a business trip in April changed my mind entirely. I glimpsed Lijiang beyond the old town, and the surrounding natural scenery was absolutely stunning. Time was tight back then, but I knew I had to return for a proper self-driving adventure. And here I am at last.
Since I came specifically for Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, I stayed at a hotel in Dongba Valley (东巴谷) along the tourist route instead of the old town—closer to the mountain and easier on the wallet. Dongba Valley is a tourist circuit stop, but honestly? Not worth recommending. It feels overrun by package tour groups, and the facilities are underwhelming.
However, the hotel itself was beautifully decorated in ancient town style, and from my room, I had a direct view of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. Unfortunately, the weather during my first few days in Lijiang was absolutely terrible—overcast and rainy, barely a glimpse of the snow mountain. I could only take photos from the hotel and wait.
Pro tip: Since drone flying is prohibited in Lijiang Old Town, the architecture here satisfied my aerial photography cravings. The buildings look especially magical when illuminated at dusk—straight out of a TV drama.
Bored at the hotel, I decided to drive out and explore. Ten minutes away lies Baisha Ancient Town (白沙古镇)—the only ancient town I visited in Lijiang this trip.
Located about 10 kilometers north of Lijiang, Baisha faces Jade Dragon Snow Mountain to the north, borders Longquan to the south, and leans against Zhishan to the west. It's the ancient capital of the Naxi people and the birthplace of the木氏土司 (Moshi Tusi) regime—truly the most preserved Naxi village with authentic Naxi heritage remaining.
As one of the important birthplaces of Naxi culture, the木氏土司 (Moshi Tusi) accumulated experience planning the town here. This is the most authentic Naxi ancient town—genuinely primitive, not commercialized like Lijiang Old Town.
Foreigner tip: Baisha古镇 is my favorite among Lijiang's three ancient towns. Virtually no tourists, free parking outside—during my gloomy weather days, I practically had the whole place to myself. The main street has elderly local women selling mountain products—pinecones bigger than my palm filled with pine nuts, only 10 RMB each! Various snacks like rice noodles and chicken tofu are much cheaper than other ancient towns.
Vehicles are prohibited in the old town from 9 AM to 5 PM, which keeps things wonderfully peaceful. I found an open spot and launched my drone—the town is actually quite large, with distinctive local buildings scattered around. Absolutely stunning from above.
Reality check: Sometimes you can catch a glimpse of the snow mountain through the clouds. I can only imagine how happy locals must be seeing that mountain every day.
By evening, the clouds began to scatter—but shy Jade Dragon Snow Mountain still wouldn't show its face. Thick clouds sat atop like a hat it refused to take off for me. I went back to the hotel, took a shower, and hoped for a surprise the next day.
Day 2: Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Revealed
The next day, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain finally revealed itself to me! I went straight to the scenic area, transferred to a shuttle bus, then took the cable car to the mid-mountain to appreciate the snow mountain up close. Honestly, seeing it close-up isn't as impressive as viewing it from afar—and it's quite cold up there. Watching large groups of tourists in rented red down jackets clutching oxygen cans posing for photos at the monument, I realized this isn't my preferred style of travel. So I decided to head back down and enjoy it from a distance instead.
The cable car reaches a point where you can continue hiking further up, but I'm not a fan of climbing, so I gave it a pass.
Clouds rushed back at the foot of the mountain—and I spotted my first rainbow in Yunnan! Rainbows are actually quite common here, but I was still excited to capture it.
I parked in an open area, sat on the grass watching cattle and sheep graze leisurely, felt the light shifting with the wind through the clouds, basked comfortably in the sun—skipping the crowds—this is the travel style I love. This is why I enjoy self-driving trips: the freedom to enjoy travel on my own terms. I selected a favorite playlist from the car screen, reclined the seat, and lay down comfortably.
Pro tip: The 2021 WEY VV5's intelligent connected system is perfect for younger users—stylish interface, young and dynamic themes, with mainstream apps like iQiyi pre-installed. Entertainment is noticeably enhanced.
After experiencing Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, I decided to head toward Shangri-La (香格里拉) to see that "place in the heart."
Those differently-sized lakes below Jade Dragon Snow Mountain are quite interesting—I've always wondered if they're natural or man-made. A local told me they're artificial, created to regulate Lijiang's climate. Impressive engineering!
Foreigner tip: The lake reflections here are truly beautiful, but you can only capture them in the morning. Wind picks up throughout the day and destroys the reflections.
Journey to Shangri-La
Currently, you can only reach Shangri-La from Lijiang via national highways. I heard the Lijiang-Shangri-La expressway will open by year's end, so those winding, nerve-wracking national highway drives will be a thing of the past. Departing from Lijiang: G355 to G214, about 4 hours to Diqing city center. Since this is the only route, there's considerable traffic—especially on the first half of G355 going up the mountain, then descending. Don't speed or make reckless lane changes! Once on G214, the road widens significantly. But during rainy weather, several mountain sections have heavy fog with very poor visibility—drive extremely carefully.
On this stretch, I encountered heavy fog myself—and witnessed a car in front of me skid off the road into the embankment. Luckily it was the inner side; if it had been the cliff side, the consequences would have been unimaginable. Given the extremely poor visibility, I parked safely and launched my drone instead. Fog drifted through the mountains, autumn's colorful foliage (五花山) appeared and disappeared in the clouds—a living Chinese landscape painting unfolded before my eyes.
When the fog lightened, I kept driving—and another surprise appeared: a full rainbow spanning right in front of me! I pulled over to capture it.
Initially I tried shooting the rainbow through the car window with my camera, but rain was still falling and the interior got soaked. I had to close the window and send the drone out instead.
Day 3: Songzanlin Monastery & Napa Lake
After reaching Shangri-La, the must-visit is Songzanlin Monastery (松赞林寺)—the largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Yunnan Province, also one of the famous temples in the Kang region, and a Yellow Hat (黄教) center throughout the Tibetan area. It's called the "Little Potala Palace." The monastery is built on a mountain, resembling an ancient fortress, known as the " Tibetan Art Museum" for集藏族造型艺术之大成.
The Songzanlin Hotel behind the monastery.
The golden roof of Songzanlin Monastery.
The monastery is surrounded by an elliptical wall. The main hall is majestic and splendid, with vivid-colored murals and delicate brushwork inside—depicting historical stories and promoting Buddhist teachings. The Zhaxiang and Jikang main temples sit at the highest point, central to the entire monastery. The main hall faces south, a five-story Tibetan-style building. The top floor is gilded copper瓦, with beast-mouthed flying eaves, combining Han temple architectural style below. The main hall has 108 pillars representing the Buddhist auspicious number, accommodating 1,600 people.
Shooting Songzanlin Monastery from the Songzanlin Hotel direction.
Pro tip: Although you can't drone here now (it's in the Diqing Airport no-fly zone), I have the best viewpoint secret: there's a construction site on the road from Diqing toward Napa Lake—a high vantage point that's the best spot to photograph Songzanlin Monastery.
Reality check: While the view is amazing, the smell is... not great. Not sure if it's cow dung or what—some strange odor. But I stayed in my car. The 2021 WEY VV5 has a CN95-level air conditioning filter that can filter 99% of pathogens, creating a clean in-car environment for safe breathing. After getting out to shoot, I also used WEY's APP for remote control to activate the cabin cleaning function before getting back in—so I could enjoy fresh air after tolerating that weird smell outside.
The steering wheel size of the 2021 VV5 is just right—very comfortable to grip and turn during driving.
Continuing forward from this viewpoint for about ten minutes brings you to Napa Lake (纳帕海).
The coastal road of Napa Lake.
Napa Lake is the largest grassland in Diqing County. Due to the protected area's humid climate, grass grows faster here than in similar regions. Every May, when grass just begins sprouting elsewhere, Napa grassland is already lush. Starting June, various wildflowers bloom compete beautifully—vast grasslands, clusters of cattle and sheep floating with the grass like in an ocean. The western side has three snow-capped mountains—石卡, 时卡, and 辛雅拉—standing quietly and elegantly. Snow mountains, grassland, cattle and sheep together form the northwestern frontier scenery of Southwest China. Right now in this season, the mountains are colorful, the grassland has turned golden, yet still brilliant. And this season has few visitors! Driving along the ring-lake road, rolling down the window, letting the cool autumn wind hit my face—absolutely heavenly.
Scattered red autumn leaves and Tibetan-style folk houses complement each other perfectly.
This is completely different from Erhai Lake in Dali. Here, cattle and horses leisurely graze on the grassland. You can also accept local herders' invitations to ride horses toward the lake—it's paid, of course, but a great experience for those who've never ridden. In off-season, you can bargain—herders will often let you experience it for a reasonable price.
There's also a road toward the botanical garden above Napa Lake that's very scenic, with a viewing platform overlooking Napa Lake.
I really like the 2021 VV5's grille—electro-plated paint, looks more shiny and youthful.
The gear shift design of the 2021 VV5—while the gear stick feels comfortable to operate, I'm really not used to the P-gear being a separate button. Many times when parking, I mistook R for P. Thankfully the rearview camera on the central screen及时 showed me the error quickly.
This road leads to a village on the mountain top—winding several kilometers, completely built along the mountainside.
The self-drive journey through Northwest Yunnan is only halfway done. In the next chapter, I'll tell you a legendary story and show you a breathtaking secret spot—stay tuned!