Yunnan: 8 verified destinations
We cover 8 destinations in Yunnan, covering 11 attractions that require an advance real-name reservation. Each city page carries the booking rules, whether hotels there register foreign guests, and what is worth eating — checked against official sources with the date attached.
Where we have verified guides
- Dali
No booking-required attraction recorded · verified 2026-06-08
- Dehong (Mangshi)
1 attraction need advance booking · verified 2026-06-13
- Jianshui
1 attraction need advance booking · verified 2026-06-13
- Kunming
2 attractions need advance booking · verified 2026-06-11
- Lijiang
1 attraction need advance booking · verified 2026-06-11
- Pu'er
1 attraction need advance booking · verified 2026-06-13
- Shilin
3 attractions need advance booking · verified 2026-06-13
- Xishuangbanna
2 attractions need advance booking · verified 2026-06-13
Booking rules, sight by sight
Each of these has its own page with the release rule, the passport rule and the official channel.
- Erhai Lake loop · Dali
- Three Pagodas · Dali
- Cangshan cableways · Dali
- Xizhou & Shuanglang day trips · Dali
- Menghuan Grand Golden Pagoda, Mangshi · Dehong (Mangshi)
- Mangshi temples — Bodhi Temple, Tree-Encased Pagoda & Wuyun Temple · Dehong (Mangshi)
- Moli Tropical Rainforest & waterfall, near Ruili · Dehong (Mangshi)
- Jianshui ancient-town heritage train · Jianshui
- Jianshui Confucius Temple · Jianshui
- Swallow Cave · Jianshui
- Stone Forest · Kunming
- Yunnan Nationalities Museum · Kunming
- Yunnan Provincial Museum · Kunming
- Golden Temple / Taihe Palace, Mingfeng Mountain · Kunming
- Jade Dragon Snow Mountain · Lijiang
- Lijiang Old Town · Lijiang
- Black Dragon Pool · Lijiang
- Shuhe Old Town · Lijiang
- Mu Fu Mansion · Lijiang
- Jingmai Mountain ancient tea forests & villages · Pu'er
- Pu'er Tea Horse Road Scenic Area · Pu'er
- Pu'er Sun River Forest Park · Pu'er
- Pu'er city tea culture: the museum cluster & Tea Culture Square · Pu'er
- Stone Forest main scenic area — Major & Minor Stone Forest · Shilin
- Ashima Rock & Sani Yi culture · Shilin
- Naigu Stone Forest / Black Pine Rock · Shilin
- Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden / XTBG · Xishuangbanna
- Wild Elephant Valley · Xishuangbanna
- Gaozhuang Xishuangjing night city · Xishuangbanna
What to eat in Yunnan
9 dishes recorded in Yunnan cities, each with its Chinese name in characters you can show a waiter, a price band and an ordering tip.
- Cured ribs hotpot · 腊排骨火锅
- Crossing-the-bridge noodles · 过桥米线
- Naxi baba · 丽江粑粑
- Chickpea jelly · 鸡豆凉粉
- Erkuai · 饵块
- Steam-pot chicken · 汽锅鸡
- Claypot fish · 砂锅鱼
- Grilled rushan cheese · 烤乳扇
- Ersi rice noodles · 饵丝
Guides that cover Yunnan
- Dali to Shangri-La: A Foreigner's Northwest Yunnan Route (Dali, Lijiang, Shangri-La)
- China's UNESCO World Heritage Sites: A Foreigner's Complete Overview (and How to Visit Them)
- A Foreigner's Tea Journey Through China: West Lake Longjing, Wuyi Rock Tea, Pu'er and Mengding
- First-Time China Itinerary: 7, 10 & 14-Day Routes for Foreign Visitors (2026)
- China's Festival Calendar: What to See and What to Avoid as a Foreign Traveler
- China's Ancient Towns and Water Towns: Which Are Worth It (and Which Are Tourist Traps)
8 of these 8 destinations carry verified coordinates, so they also appear on the offline map. Every booking-required sight across China is in the booking index.