12 Tours in Lijiang Worth Booking

1.Lijiang Naxi Cuisine Cooking Class & Market Visit

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 48 reviews · from $59Our pick

Meet Fancy at 9:15 am near Xiangshan Market for a guided walk through Lijiang’s largest Naxi market. Then cook and eat three dishes at a family-run studio, with snacks, drinks, tea, lunch, and your own cooking station included. The class lasts about three and a half hours and accepts fewer than 10 people.

“Lovely experience to discover Naxi culture through food. You will learn a lot about culinary traditions at the market and cook a delicious meal that is easy to cook and to replicate at home. Fancy host I lovely and kind, I highly recommend it!”

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2.9 days Ancient Town Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 21 reviews · from $1,820

Travel privately from Dali to Lijiang with an English-speaking guide, air-conditioned vehicle, hotels, and most meals included. The route visits Xizhou, Weishan, Nuodeng, Shaxi, Tiger Leaping Gorge, Shangri-La, and Tibetan Sumtseling Monastery. Guides such as Nancy and Yanzi have been praised for strong local advice and careful organization.

“Ciel Yunnan curated an absolutely unforgettable seven-day journey through Yunnan, combining spectacular sightseeing and booking all our boutique hotels, which were each full of character.”

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3.Lijiang to Shangri-La HuXiang Road Private Scenic Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 6 reviews · 10 hours · from $118

You’ll travel by private vehicle from Lijiang toward Shangri-La, stopping at Tiger Leaping Gorge, Haba Village, Baishui Terrace, Napahai Grassland, Niru Village, Pudacuo National Park, and Dukezong Ancient Town. Choose a return to Lijiang or an overnight stay. Confirm guide language and the exact stops before booking.

“It was an amazing scenic road trip. We had time to comfortably visit the selected spots. Our dedicated driver (Mr. Lai) was kind with us, taking care of all route details. We start at Lijiang and ended at Shangri-la. Highly recommended itinerary to visit both lovely places.”

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4.4 Days Haba Snow Mountain Climbing Tour (Lijiang-Shangri-La)

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 6 reviews · from $999

Set out from Lijiang with Yunnan Exploration for a demanding four-day climb of 5,396-meter Haba Snow Mountain. You’ll visit Tiger Leaping Gorge, sleep in Haba Village, trek 15 kilometers to a 4,200-meter base camp, then leave at 4:00 AM for the summit attempt. Jasmine and the local team provide trip support, while yaks carry luggage to camp.

“Our tour guide - jasmines very knowledgeable, understanding and friendly. This has made our trip very enjoyable and pleasant as a whole! Thanks for the wonderful abd memorable experience!”

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5.Jade Dragon Snow Mountain for Foreign Tourists

★★★★★★★★★★3.7 · 5 reviews · 10 hours · from $51Best value

You’ll spend about 10 hours at Jade Dragon Snow Mountain with English and Chinese online support, choosing Glacier, Spruce, or Yak cableways. Options include hotel pickup, sunrise viewing, Blue Moon Valley, and Impression Lijiang. The tour is self-guided, so you manage the day on site, while cableway tickets depend on availability.

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6.Jade Dragon Snow Mountain + Impression Lijiang

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 5 reviews · 10 hours · from $106

Spend 10 hours exploring Jade Dragon Snow Mountain with private hotel pickup, cableway choices, Blue Moon Valley, and Impression Lijiang. Choose a guide or self-guided plan, with English or Chinese support. Jimmy and Andrew are among the guides praised for keeping the day relaxed, flexible, and well timed.

“we enjoyed all the activities and the way the guide showed us. it was flexible and up to our pace.”

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7.1 Day Tiger Teaping Gorge Private Tour from Lijiang or Shangri-La

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 4 reviews · from $169

Travel by private car from Lijiang or Shuhe to Tiger Leaping Gorge with a guide and included entrance ticket. Walk 15 to 20 minutes along the plank road to the upper gorge viewing platform, where the Jinsha River thunders around a giant central rock. Guide Jerry has earned special praise for helpful service.

“This is a must at Yunnan Lijiang. Our guide was Mr. Jerry that he was very nice and very helpful. The tiger leaping gorge is fantastic, an amazing gorge experience. Highly recommended.”

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8.Jade Dragon’s Hidden Trails: Authentic & Off-The-Beaten-Path

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 4 reviews · from $242

Spend about 10 hours with Cloud Mountain Ecotours, visiting Fuguo Temple, Wenhai Alpine Wetland, and an Yi village near Jade Dragon Mountain. Guide Lukas, his team, and local ranger Mr. Lu lead a 3 to 5 km conservation patrol hike, with homemade Yi and Naxi meals, snacks, tea, and private transport included.

“Wow what an incredible experience that Lukas and his team provided! The hike took us to non congested tourist areas and I was able to learn so much about the culture and region. Views were epic!! Hike was manageable and not intense at Read more”

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9.Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and Blue Moon Valley Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3 reviews · 1 day · from $229

Travel by private transfer from Lijiang to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain with a live English or Traditional Chinese guide. Ride the cable car to Glacier Park at 4,680 meters, then see the blue river of Blue Moon Valley. The group is limited to 15, and guide Louise is especially helpful with photo spots and practical travel advice.

“Our guide Louise is fantastic. She brought around smoothly and gave her advise on various photo area. she even advise us where to sit during the impression of lijiang where we can use an umbrella freely to avoid the hot sun. She also gave us advise on how to proceed to Kunming when we told her there are almost no more tickets from Lijiang. She advised us to go to Dali (as there are more tickets avail to kunming from there) to transfer to kunming instead which is a really great idea. overall me and my wife had a wonderful time :)”

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10.Tiger Leaping Gorge with Lijiang Private Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 3 reviews · 8 hours · from $114

Travel by private vehicle from Lijiang to Tiger Leaping Gorge, with an itinerary shaped around your pace. You can hike from the Tiger Horse Hotel toward Halfway, visit the gorge’s waterfall, or return early for Black Dragon Pool and Baisha Village. English guide Andrew has led this route, and airport drop-off may be arranged.

“This was an incredible tour that was customised to my needs. My tour guide and driver were both so helpful and ensured plenty of extra stops at view points so I could fully experience the wonderful area. The company even arranged an earlier start time and dropped me to the airport afterwards, they were so obliging. 10/10 recommend!”

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11.Private Full Day Lijiang Naxi Culture Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3 reviews · from $245

Spend about nine hours with a private English-speaking guide and driver exploring Lijiang’s Old Town, Lion Hill, Mu Palace, Dongba culture, and Black Dragon Pool. Guide Sophie is praised for her museum insight and care. Lunch, admission tickets, private transport, and hotel pickup and drop-off are included.

“Very good tour and the guide, Sophie, was excellent. Museum of Naxi culture most interesting. Views from the top of the Old town wonderful and you must experiment for lunch! Fair walk and need to remember the elevation so pace yourself. Thoroughly recommend this tour.”

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12.1-Day Jade Dragon Snow Mountain & Dongba Culture Experience

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3 reviews · from $469

Travel from central Lijiang to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Blue Moon Valley, and Yunshanping, then visit Baisha Ancient Town for a hands-on Dongba calligraphy lesson. The small-group tour for up to four people also includes the large-scale Impression Lijiang performance in its program description. Transport and admission are included, but meals are not.

“This was hands down one of the best day tours I’ve ever taken in China! The journey started early from Lijiang and within an hour we reached Yulong Snow Mountain — the view was absolutely breathtaking. Even before getting on the cable cRead more”

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