One week on the road. Today, 8 days ago we started in Chiang Mai. While there is still a certain excitement, I’m getting more relaxed and into the daily routine of getting things done and driving the very distances.
Here the road book for today with more interesting Infos:
🌙 EVENING BRIEFING — C1-4 | Saturday, 6 June
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📍 Dali → Lijiang
📏 207 km | ⏱ 03:15 | ⛰ Max ~2,400 m
🌍 China — Yunnan
🍜 Lunch: Shaxi Ancient Town, East Gate
Today I’m off to Lijiang, one of the more touristy places along the route, as it is sunny and clear, I will start early especially after the agent sent as a storm warning covering southern China including Yunan where I’m .
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🗺 NAVIGATION
- Maps: Not specified in roadbook
- Route: G5611 Dali-Lijiang Expressway OR G214 national highway (recommended for scenery)
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☀️ WEATHER FORECAST
DALI (start, ~1,975 m):
- 16-25°C / 61-77°F | Humidity: 76%
- June rain: ~165 mm, ~17 rainy days
- Saturday: Patchy light rain possible, cloud cover 50-70%
- Wind: Light, WSW/ENE ~4 km/h
- Visibility: 9-10 km — good
LIJIANG (end, ~2,400 m):
- 14-24°C / 57-75°F | Humidity: 73%
- June rain: ~167 mm, ~20 rainy days
- Saturday: Overcast with patchy rain possible (chance ~25%)
- Wind: Light SSE ~4 km/h
- Sunrise: 05:24 | Sunset: 19:10
⚠️ Yunnan June: Rain usually comes as short showers that pass quickly. Not a washout. Morning departure from Erhai Lake could be misty — atmospheric.
📊 vs pre-planned (roadbook says 24-25°C, 73% RH, 20 rain days): Consistent. No surprises. Light jacket recommended for morning/evening.
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🚧 ROAD CONDITIONS
✅ No major issues on Dali → Lijiang segment specifically.
⚠️ NOTED FOR FUTURE REFERENCE: G214 road works near Shangri-La (K2057-K2240, approx 200 km north of Lijiang) are under semi-closed construction 23 May – 18 Nov 2026, 07:00-19:00 daily, single-lane alternating traffic every 30 min. This will affect you on the next stage northward — be prepared for delays.
For tomorrow’s ride:
- G214 Dali→Lijiang: Standard scenic national road. Expressway (G5611) alternative if you prefer faster.
- No reports of landslides, washouts, or closures on this specific section.
- Fuel: Abundant — but fill up in Lijiang before heading onward to Lugu Lake.
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📖 ROADBOOK NOTES
DAY 4 | 6 June 2026 | Dali → Lijiang
ROUTE: G5611 Dali-Lijiang Expressway or G214 national highway. G214 follows the older Tea Horse Road alignment — more scenic with mountain and river scenery along the Jinsha (Yangtze) upper reaches. ~167 km on G214, 3-4 hours.
ERHAI LAKE DEPARTURE: The road initially follows the western shore of Erhai Lake — one of China’s most beautiful highland lakes at 1,975 m. Time your departure for morning light over the water.
JADE DRAGON SNOW MOUNTAIN: On a clear day approaching Lijiang from the south, the snow-capped Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (玉龙雪山, 5,596 m) dominates the northern horizon — the sacred mountain of the Naxi people.
SHUXI ANCIENT TOWN (沙溪古镇): Recommended lunch stop. A well-preserved trading post on the ancient Tea Horse Road, 1.5h north of Dali.
LIJIANG OLD TOWN (丽江古城): UNESCO World Heritage since 1997. 7.3 sq km of pedestrian-only cobblestone streets, 300+ stone bridges. No city walls — symbolising the Naxi’s welcoming character.
MU MANSION (木府): Former seat of the Mu clan who ruled Lijiang for 470 years.
BLACK DRAGON POOL (黑龙潭): Iconic reflection of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain — one of China’s most photographed vistas.
NAXI ETIQUETTE: Greeting is “Ah-bi!” (hello). Naxi are famously hospitable to foreign visitors. The world’s only living pictographic script — fewer than 50 fluent Dongba scribes remain.
FUEL WARNING: Fill up in Lijiang — last reliable fuel before the Lugu Lake adventure begins. No motorcycles inside Old Town — park at gate parking.
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19:56
After another ride on the highway and a cookie & juice stop on one of the petrol station, I arrived in Lichiang around 13:00. This is clearly one of the tourist hot spots in Yunan, with a car/scooter free nicely preserved old town, with all the houses having been converted into a restaurant or shop, selling all things tourists think they need.
One thing you realize quickly, due to the fact that the complete downtown is walking zones with no traffic, all scootets and cars are parking at the ring road and everybody is carrying the luggage to the hotel or gets a porter. Took me some U-turns to get a place to park the bike and then carried the bag for 500 meters to the hotel. The hotel then arranged for a basement parking lot next door, at least I do not need to worry too much about it.
Hotel is nice, one of the many traditional ancient houses in downtown, with completely modernized rooms inside.
Even when it was a short ride, I was happy to take a good nap after the shower followed by some work on the computer.
Glad it is not peak season here, so it is a nice stroll through downtown and settling for dinner at one of the many small stalls.
Happy to have another early bedtime and relax tomorrow.
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