Lijiang
Experiences
A handpicked selection of experiences endorsed by our experts. If you can’t see what you’re looking for, let us know, as our extensive network of local contacts can open many doors.
Ancient Music with the Naxi Orchestra
Visit the Naxi Concert Hall for a truly rare experience: listen to long-lost, ancient music dating back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Run by Xuan Ke, a knowledgeable, well-read scholar of Chinese music traditions, the Naxi Orchestra consists primarily of 70-90 year old gentlemen – some of whom play instruments long forgotten in other parts of China. Many of these haunting, lilting melodies would have graced the courtrooms, pleasure chambers, and teahouses of dynasties past.
Baisha Village & Impression Lijiang Show
Drive or bicycle to nearby Baisha village, where you can take a cable car up to the snow covered peaks of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Range. Before leaving, see Impression Lijiang, a cultural show demonstrating the traditions and lifestyles of the Naxi, Yi and Bai regional minorities, directed by famous Chinese director Zhang Yimou.
Black Dragon Pool Park
Stop at Black Dragon Pool Park, where the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Range rises majestically in the distance above a tranquil lake and pagoda.
Lijiang Old Town
Explore Lijiang’s charming Old Town, a world of narrow cobblestone streets bordering canals lined with weeping willows. Browse among the many shops for local art, crafts, and tribal clothing.
Lisu County
Take a drive through Lisu County, then the land of the Yi people, where horses roam freely and wildflowers line the roadside.
Longtan Naxi Village
Stop for a visit and a simple lunch in Longtan Naxi village. The Naxi are descendants of Tibetan nomadic tribes and have a matriarchal society dominated by women where marriage is not widely practiced. Their language, style of dress and cuisine are distinct from both the Tibetans and the Han Chinese.
Traditional Yunnan Cuisine
Dine in a traditional courtyard restaurant serving Yunnanese cuisine, which is marked by its light, fresh, and spicy flavors, and liberal use of herbs, mushrooms and flowers as food. You will be joined by an expert in the Dongba religion, who is himself a shaman, and a master painter and calligrapher, one of only a handful of people who can still write the traditional Naxi script.
Xuehua Yi Village
Drive to Xuehua, a delightful village of about 30 families of the Yi people. You will be greeted by a shaman of the Dongba, an ancient animist religion that predates Buddhism in China. You’ll also be introduced to his wife, the household chef, who will treat you an informal cooking demonstration and a delicious lunch of “Yi french fries” (pan-fried sliced potatoes) and other local specialties.
China Regions
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Exclusively Asia
With Remote Lands you'll travel with people who have made Asia the solitary focus of their own lifelong adventure. As our guest, you'll discover Asia on a journey that is completely, authentically your own, adapted from our own remarkable experiences and adventures over the years.
With Remote Lands you'll travel with people who have made Asia the solitary focus of their own lifelong adventure. As our guest, in the continent that our north American founders Catherine and Jay have adored and explored for decades, you'll discover Asia on a journey that is completely, authentically your own, adapted from our own remarkable experiences and adventures over the years.
Travelogues
An Asia-focused magazine brought to you by Remote Lands - a platform for adventure, luxury, and authenticity from experts and explorers around the continent.
Off the Grid in Yunnan: Lijiang to Shangri La
- Author
- Jay Tindall
I recently took a trip to Yunnan, upon which I did as I always do, and strayed as far off the tourist trail as possible. What followed were some of the most incredible memories I’ve ever made in China.
Remote Lands’ Dozen Dream Destinations for 2013
- Author
- Travelogues
We want you to be as excited by Asia as we are, so we’ve put together our list of a Dozen Dream Destinations for 2013.
Shooting Yunnan: A Journey through China’s Most Photogenic Province
- Author
- Jordan Hammond
Photographer Jordan Hammond travels to Luoping and Yuanyang in Yunnan to get a better vantage on China’s most popular province.
What Others Say
Here is a small selection of the kind words our clients have said about us recently.

A couple from New York
Remote Lands understood our interests and preferred travel style and came up with a well organized and diverse itinerary for our grand adventure to China.