Backpacking in Kunming: Exploring Two National Parks Before the High-Speed Train Era!

I stumbled upon photos from my first trip to China back in 2019. My first destination in China was "Kunming - Shangri-La - Lijiang Route." At that time, China still required a visa, and traveling outside the city meant relying entirely on buses since the high-speed train hadn't reached Shangri-La yet 🥹. 🎒 This trip was during my university days, and it was my first backpacking adventure with friends, aiming to stick to a budget. ——- ⛳️ The trip lasted 4 days and 3 nights with a budget of ~12,000 THB. ⚠️ Back then, there was still a visa fee of 1,650 THB. Now that the visa fee is waived, the trip cost would be around 9,xxx THB. ——- 📍Expense Summary: ✈️ Round-trip flight tickets = 2,890 THB *** No checked luggage, only a 7 kg carry-on. Flew with AirAsia during their 0-baht promotion. 📑 Visa (Oct 2019) = 1,650 THB 🏨 Lijiang Gu Chengyuan (1 night) = 176 THB (Shared cost, ~86 CNY per night) ⛰️ Shika Snow Mountain ticket = 778 THB (180 CNY) 🏔️ Jade Dragon Snow Mountain ticket = 2,122 THB (460 CNY) 🚌 Transportation throughout the trip = 2,207 THB 🍔 Food expenses = 1,082 THB 🛍️ Shopping = 743 THB ——- 📍Day 1 | December 16, Kunming - Arrived in Kunming around noon and rushed to buy a bus ticket to Shangri-La at the West Coach Bus Station. - Got the 7 PM ticket (missed the noon bus, so I had to cancel the accommodation I had booked in Shangri-La for that night). Stored my luggage at a mall and explored the city. - Took an overnight sleeper bus for over 10 hours. ——- 📍Day 2 | December 17, Shika - Arrived in Shangri-La in the morning and went straight to the accommodation where they helped us book tickets and arrange a car with a driver (luckily, no other tourists shared the car, so it felt like a private tour). - Took a cable car to Shika Snow Mountain, where light snow was falling. The trees were bare, and the landscape was mostly brown. - The strong wind made it feel even colder, so I joined some locals near a shelter. - Tried yak meat skewers and hot milk sold by elderly locals—my first taste of yak meat in China, and it was amazing! - The driver dropped us off at the bus station, where we bought tickets to Lijiang (a 3-hour ride). - Arrived in Lijiang in the evening, checked into a budget-friendly hostel with a homestay vibe near the old town. - Went out to eat at a nearby restaurant and explored a mall. ——- 📍Day 3 | December 18, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain - Woke up early as we had booked a package that included park tickets and a driver through the accommodation. Left at 5 AM, sharing the car with three other international tourists. It was fun despite the language barrier 😂. - The driver stopped for us to watch the sunrise before entering the park. It was freezing at -4°C with wind chill 🥶. - Before entering, the driver gave us long red windproof coats, worried we might be cold. Initially, I hesitated since I was already wearing a puffy blue winter jacket, but I ended up accepting it. - Inside the park, I bought a golf cart ticket for 50 CNY, which allowed unlimited rides between different spots. After taking photos at one spot, I hopped on another cart to the next. - The Jade Dragon ticket also included a hot pot lunch, which I shared with the international tourists. We had a great time chatting since they could speak some English. - After leaving the park, I picked up my luggage from the hostel and took a bus to Lijiang Railway Station to return to Kunming. - The train was a sleeper with semi-private compartments (no doors). I was surprised to see multi-level seating; my bed was on the second level, requiring a climb up. ——- 📍Day 4 | December 19, Kunming - Arrived in Kunming early morning, stored my luggage at the railway station, and spent the day exploring the city. I had a full day since my flight back was late at night. ——- Traveling independently and on a budget!