Lijiang Yunnan Travel Vlog: Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Blue Moon Valley & Baisha
Episode 2 of our 8D7N Yunnan trip takes us from the ancient streets of Lijiang all the way up to 4,680 metres on Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (玉龙雪山).
This part of Yunnan was probably one of the most memorable sections of the entire trip.
We explored Lijiang Ancient City, stayed high above the old town with views towards Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, reached the 4,680m viewpoint, visited the turquoise waters of Blue Moon Valley, tried traditional ethnic clothing and spent the following day exploring Baisha Ancient Town.
If you're planning a trip to Lijiang, Yunnan, this vlog shows what you can realistically fit into around two to three days.
Watch Our Lijiang Yunnan Vlog
【云南 8D7N EP.2】丽江古城、玉龙雪山、白沙古镇
In this episode:
Lijiang Ancient City 丽江古城
→ SANYEL 在山也
→ Jade Dragon Snow Mountain 玉龙雪山
→ Blue Moon Valley 蓝月谷
→ Traditional costume experience
→ Baisha Ancient Town 白沙古镇
→ Dongba blessing experience 东巴祈福
→ Luckin Coffee photo spot
→ Yunti'an 云提岸
Where We Stayed in Lijiang — SANYEL 在山也
One of my favourite things about our stay in Lijiang was actually our hotel.
We stayed at 在山也 SANYEL, located high above Lijiang Ancient City.
Our room overlooked Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.
So instead of needing to travel somewhere every morning just to see the mountain, we could literally look towards it from where we were staying.
If you're choosing accommodation in Lijiang, I think staying somewhere with a mountain view is worth considering.
→ Read: SANYEL Lijiang Hotel Review
Lijiang Ancient City 丽江古城
Lijiang Ancient City is one of the places you'll probably spend a lot of time during a first trip.
It's huge.
Inside you'll find:
old streets
canals
restaurants
cafés
shops
bars
traditional architecture
plenty of places to take photos
During the day it feels like an old town.
At night, the whole place becomes much livelier.
Because we stayed nearby, it was easy to come back here after our day trips.
Trying to See 日照金山 Before Jade Dragon Snow Mountain
One experience many travellers hope to catch in Lijiang is:
日照金山
literally the moment when the first sunlight turns the snowy mountain peaks golden.
Before our Jade Dragon Snow Mountain day, we went out looking for a different viewpoint around 瑞士风情园.
Whether you'll actually see the golden mountain depends heavily on:
clouds + weather + timing.
It's definitely not guaranteed.
That's part of the fun. 😂
Jade Dragon Snow Mountain 玉龙雪山
The next day was basically dedicated entirely to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.
This is one of Lijiang's biggest attractions and one of the main reasons many people travel here.
The mountain rises above the Lijiang landscape and is visible from many parts of the region.
Our goal:
4,680 metres.
We Reached 4,680m
We took the cableway up the mountain and eventually reached the famous:
4,506m viewpoint.
Then you would need to hike around 30mins (?) to reach the highest point 4,680!
At this altitude, you can definitely feel that you're much higher than normal.
Take your time.
Walk slowly.
And don't treat reaching the viewpoint like a race.
Standing at 4,680 metres above sea level surrounded by snow and mountains was easily one of the highlights of our Yunnan trip.
→ Read: Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Guide — How We Reached 4,680m
Blue Moon Valley 蓝月谷
After the snow mountain, we continued to:
Blue Moon Valley (蓝月谷).
And the scenery changes completely.
Instead of snow and rocky mountains, you get these incredibly blue-green pools beneath Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.
The water really does look unusually blue.
Combined with the mountains behind it, it's one of the most photogenic places around Lijiang.
I'd definitely include Blue Moon Valley on the same day as Jade Dragon Snow Mountain rather than planning a separate trip.
Back to Lijiang Ancient City for Traditional Clothing
After spending the day on the mountain, we returned to Lijiang Ancient City.
This time, we tried a traditional ethnic clothing experience.
There are plenty of stores around the old town where you can rent traditional outfits, get styled and take photos around Lijiang.
It's obviously touristy.
But travelling is allowed to be touristy sometimes. 😂
And with the old streets and traditional architecture, Lijiang is a pretty good place to do it.
Baisha Ancient Town 白沙古镇
The next day we went to Baisha Ancient Town, one of the ancient towns closest to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.
Compared with Lijiang Ancient City, Baisha feels:
smaller
quieter
and more relaxed.
You also get some of the closest views towards Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.
Unfortunately for us...
it was raining. 😂
So the mountain wasn't exactly cooperating.
But even with the bad weather, Baisha was still worth walking around.
Dongba Blessing Experience 东巴祈福
While exploring Baisha, we also tried a Jia Ma / Dongba blessing experience (甲马体验・东巴祈福).
Dongba culture is closely connected with the Naxi people, who have lived in the Lijiang region for centuries.
These smaller cultural experiences are something I really enjoy when travelling because they give you more context than simply taking photos of an ancient town.
I'll cover our experience separately in a more detailed guide.
Cheap Photo Spot at Luckin Coffee
Here's a more practical one. 😂
There's a Luckin Coffee around the area where the upper floor gives you a pretty good photo viewpoint.
Instead of paying for an expensive café purely for the view, you can just:
buy a drink → go upstairs → take your photos.
Low-cost 打卡.
Exactly how we like it.
Yunti'an 云提岸 — Another Place to See Jade Dragon Snow Mountain
We also went to Yunti'an (云提岸).
This is another spot around Baisha where you can get beautiful views towards Jade Dragon Snow Mountain when the weather is clear.
It's also known as another place where you may be able to catch:
日照金山
during the right sunrise conditions.
Unfortunately...
rain again. 😂
But if you're visiting Baisha on a clear morning, I'd definitely consider adding this to your route.
Our Lijiang Itinerary
A simplified version of what we did:
Day 1
Arrive Lijiang
→ SANYEL 在山也
→ Lijiang Ancient City
→ prepare for Jade Dragon Snow Mountain
Day 2
Jade Dragon Snow Mountain
→ 4,680m viewpoint
→ Blue Moon Valley
→ Lijiang Ancient City
→ Traditional clothing experience
Day 3
Baisha Ancient Town
→ Dongba blessing experience
→ Luckin Coffee viewpoint
→ Yunti'an
Then continue towards Shangri-La.
How Many Days Do You Need in Lijiang?
I'd recommend at least: 2-3 days for a first trip.
That gives you enough time for:
Lijiang Ancient City
Jade Dragon Snow Mountain
Blue Moon Valley
Baisha Ancient Town
without trying to squeeze everything into one exhausting day.
If you want to explore more surrounding villages or spend a slower day around the ancient city, four days would be even better.
Is Lijiang Worth Visiting?
Absolutely.
Lijiang was one of the most visually dramatic parts of our Yunnan trip.
You have:
snow mountains
ancient towns
Naxi culture
high altitude scenery
beautiful hotels
and some incredible day trips within a relatively small region.
For me, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain alone makes Lijiang worth including in a Yunnan itinerary.
But Baisha and the ancient city make the trip feel much more complete.
Comments