Three weeks in Yunnan in October 2025 (page 3 of 4)

At the Square of All Directions, a group of Naxi in traditional costumes are dancing, joined by locals and tourists.



Then we walk leisurely to the Zongi market. It's a market mainly dedicated to food. They even sell century eggs. These are eggs coated in lime and straw, which can be preserved longer... though maybe not a full 100 years. The jeweler sells pearl oysters—or not, it's a gamble....

And all kinds of fruits, vegetables, and fish.







Street food stalls.





Fruits with strange shapes.



Then we head to lunch at a lovely restaurant by the canal.

First time for me. Great choice!

After lunch, we’ll visit the Mu family residence, known as the "Forbidden City of Lijiang." It’s a stunning architectural complex. So colorful!







Some small pavilions are tucked away in the greenery.





Water is always present in this type of residence.



We get to see a few rooms in the house—still colorful and cozy.









After this visit, we’ll say goodbye to the other travelers who shared these two weeks with us. The group worked really well together. We’re all thrilled about this time spent together, thanks to everyone’s good vibes, mutual respect, and of course, our guide Sébastien... Each of us will continue our journey separately—some heading farther north, others south, or simply returning to France. For us, it’ll be discovering villages and the less touristy, more authentic side of China.

While waiting to return to our hotel in the evening, we’re going to wander around Shuhe in the old town. You can’t get lost—just follow the canals. Near the canal, we spot a well. There, we see the three water levels our guide Sébastien told us about. The top level is reserved for drinking and must not be used for anything else. The next level is for washing vegetables, and the last basin is for laundry.





The usage hours are very strict. Drinking water in the morning, other activities in the afternoon. And since these basins are sloped, the current carries away the wastewater.

We also take a few photos of the motorbikes we come across. They’re fun with their decorative plushies.





And in the evening, at dinner, we’re going to cheat on Chinese cuisine—we’re having pizza.....

The next day, bright and early, we're already in the car. Our driver Suhe is super friendly and very careful.



Heading to the Blue Moon Mountain. We arrived early, but we weren't the first. The Chinese are early risers. There were already lots of them on-site. They came prepared with rain gear, even though we didn’t get a single drop of rain.



The yaks were already there too, ready for photos.



Even the sun showed up. We were lucky to have sunlit peaks—it was gorgeous.

The Blue Lake is definitely an artificial lake—or rather, a series of mountain lakes. Many small water reservoirs flow in cascades. It’s absolutely stunning!





And it’s still so well-maintained, really easy to access.

After this lovely visit, we continue our journey to the parking lot that will take us to the cable car up to the yak plateau. It takes twenty minutes to get up there. There are lots of clouds, so we can’t see much, and it’s pretty cold. Luckily, we’re well bundled up. But we come across several young couples taking their wedding photos. They must be freezing...





On the plateau, there are a lot of us—maybe too many to spot any yaks. We only see a few goats... and some horses.

We get to taste yak cheese, milk, and dried yak meat.



An hour and a half drive to reach the mountain village of Wumu. It’s really in the middle of nowhere, but it’s beautiful.





We’ll have lunch in this village but won’t stay long because the whole place is under construction. They’re installing a sewage system. It’s a massive job... The menu: noodle soup and homemade jam-filled pastries.



And it’s farther on, on the other side of the river, where we’ll spend the next few days. In a small village of about twenty families, clinging to the mountainside above the Yangtze. It’s an extraordinary place, breathtakingly beautiful.

The village of Baoshan Stone.

The village isn't accessible by car, so we leave the car at the parking lot. Then a mule comes to pick up our luggage with the owner of the guesthouse where we're staying.



And we start the impressive descent that will take us to our guesthouse.

It's stunning, but thankfully we didn’t have to carry our luggage...



When we arrived, we were offered tea, nuts, peanuts, and clementines. The owners are lovely—attentive and always smiling. We settled into our room. We weren’t expecting such a cozy, comfortable space in such a small village. The view of the river and mountains is incredible. Everything is new, spacious, and spotless. They offered to do our laundry, and the washing machine was at our disposal.

At 7 PM, dinner was served with a view of the mountains. Everything was delicious. Three meat dishes: beef, chicken, pork. Three vegetable dishes: turnips and carrots, potatoes, zucchini. All homemade. And a small glass of corn liquor to help digestion—made by the grandfather.

Needless to say, we weren’t bothered by car noise at night. No noise at all. It’s almost eerie.

The next morning, the owner was busy preparing bread for breakfast. Big smile. The same warmth as always.







While the bread was baking, the owner offered to show us his beehives.

And his crops, his coffee plantations...



Then we sat down for breakfast. Tea, locally produced coffee, homemade honey, fresh bread, farm eggs, sweet potato and squash, rice soup, and fruit. Nothing was missing. Everything was delicious.

After breakfast, we set off to descend to the river, first through the village.



We cross the village square, surprisingly large given the layout of the place.

It’s a meeting spot for the villagers.

Then we climb onto the ramparts and reach another esplanade overlooking the village.



Next, we walk through the second part of the village. Everyone’s going about their business.





Some villagers are returning from the gardens along the riverbank. It’s tough going—they’re loaded down, and the climb is steep.

We went down to the Yangtze River and to the small port that’s set up for river cruises, but at this time of year, navigation is banned—it’s too dangerous. Then we started making our way back up to the guesthouse. The climb was exhausting, really exhausting. We knew it would be, of course... but it was quite the workout. We took several breaks and eventually made it... thankfully, as you’d say...

On the other hand, I can’t seem to upload photos anymore... Sorry about that...

The Yangtze.

Refreshing break halfway through.

Courtyard interior and wood storage sheltered to prepare for winter.

Baskets for transport, widely used to carry vegetables.

Lunch at home and rest. The next day after breakfast, the mule arrives to carry the luggage.

Luckily, because even without the luggage it’s still quite a workout. But Baoshan will be our absolute favorite. A stunning village and an exceptional welcome.

We find our car in the parking lot above the village and continue on our way. And the road isn’t great. This hasn’t happened to us yet. But the asphalt has been badly damaged by recent rains—some sections are in really rough shape. And there are so many curves. We also pass huge herds of goats and sheep. But we’ll soon arrive above Lugu Lake. A stunning lake surrounded by mountains—it has a bit of an Italian lakes vibe.

And it’s by the lake that we’ll set down our suitcases. But first, we’re going for a walk on the lake in pig troughs. These are small boats that take tourists out on the water... we’re not the only tourists, but we’re the only Westerners.

We’ll do this excursion, which is pretty ordinary and not that interesting... but we just went with the flow.

After that, we drop our bags at Purmei Hotel and visit the museum dedicated to the Mosuo, an ethnic group uniquely led by women. It’s a matriarchal society—one of the few still existing today. In this society, marriage doesn’t exist. Women choose their partners as they please and change them whenever they want. Children don’t know who their father is and are raised by their uncle. The oldest grandmother makes decisions after consulting the women of the village. And the grandmother lives in the most beautiful house. We’ll visit it. But unfortunately, I can’t upload any more photos—I’ve hit the limit of 300....

The next morning, at breakfast, we’re still the only Westerners. But even though we’re early, we’re not the only ones. Breakfast is Asian only. We still manage to find some jam, a few slices of toast, some hard-boiled eggs, and tea, of course. We sit down at a table with a Chinese family. They welcome us warmly with a few words and smiles. And when we leave the table, the whole family waves goodbye.

It’s 8:15 AM, and our driver, punctual as always, is already there. Off to the Tibetan monastery of Zhamei. It’s stunning—everything is gleaming gold! Several temples are gathered on the same site. The monks study, work, and pray there.

Next, we head to a market in the city center. It’s mostly dedicated to food products—yak meat, fish, fruits, and vegetables. Lots of bicycle rickshaws that I photographed eagerly. The welcome is always so friendly.

Then, we make our way to Lijiang. A stop along the way for lunch.

In Shuhe, we return to our hotel, The Bivou. We don’t have the same room, but it’s really nice too. The vibe is still just as friendly.

We continue exploring the area. We cross the city of Lijiang, with 1,300,000 inhabitants. Lots of traffic. Frequent traffic jams. Then we head to the old village of Yuhu at the foot of Jade Dragon Mountain. Entry to this village costs 39 yuan per person. We take a shuttle that takes us to the village center. It’s a touristy village. There are plenty of shops of all kinds in the first part, and then, as you move away from the central area, it’s quiet. You can appreciate the architecture of the traditional houses, the peacefulness of the village, the villagers’ activities, the farming work, and the beauty of the site. The mountain is stunning, and it’s easy to walk around.

We continue our visits by heading to Baisha, a Naxi town. We leave the car at the entrance and set off on foot. Entry is free, so there are even more visitors—and shops. Too touristy. A shame, the town is a victim of its own success. We won’t linger.

So we return to Shuhe. We really love this little town. Our hotel is particularly well located, so it’s pleasant to stroll either on the lively, commercial side or on the quiet residential side, with its beautiful vegetable gardens and canals. It’s amazing.

The next day, we meet our driver at 3 p.m., and he takes us to the airport. Always punctual, always helpful, and always smiling.

And that’s how this beautiful Chinese interlude comes to an end. We really loved it. We’re already thinking about going back, and without a doubt, it’ll be with the agency Ciel Chine. Everything was perfect. China is vast—we’ve only seen a small part of it.

Thanks for this travel journal! I guess the photo quota was reached before the end 🙂

Yes, that’s exactly it. I didn’t think of it until it was too late. Too bad—I still had some nice photos left in reserve.

Hello and thanks for this great travel report!

I have a practical question: how did you join a "Ciel Chine" group? Did you choose your dates? Could you tell me more about making contact, bookings, transportation, etc.? Feel free to send me a private message if you prefer. Thanks in advance! Larri

You can find all the information on their website Ciel Yunnan or Ciel Chine. And you can contact them—they’re perfectly fluent in French and respond quickly. We chose a small-group trip and added a few days just for the two of us. Best regards

Hi Jean,

Thanks for your reply. Of course, I checked the website, but my question is different. Let me try to explain: When you decided to go to China, I assume you contacted the agency and had travel dates in mind. Were those dates respected, or did you have to compromise on your dates to join a group that was still being put together? Could you walk me through the process, please? Thanks in advance

OK, I get it. The agency offers several travel options. If you want to join a group, the dates are already set. Otherwise, the agency can provide drivers and guides for a route you’ve chosen, at dates that work for you. The proposed dates worked for me, so I signed up. First group trip for us. It was the same for the other people in the group too. There were 10 of us. It was perfect. In fact, we’re about to go again with this agency, in a small group as well. There are 5 of us so far, but the departure is guaranteed. Have a good day.