玉龙雪山 — Attraction in Lijiang City

If you want to stand in a queue for several hours then this is the place to go. I visited in late December, supposedly the low season, and it took 2 1/2 hours to get up the mountain and another 2 hours to come down. There are no options to walk up and a small army of security staff are watching the crowds to ensure people remain within the prescribed area.

When at the top the crowds of selfie stick crazed folks alternate between sucking air from disposable oxygen bottles and posing for yet another photo.

The views from the top on a clear day are pretty impressive however, unless you have never seen snow before, I would suggest a visit to Blue Moon lake / white water rapids would be a far more enjoyable way to spend the day. Alternatively visit Tiger Leaping Gorge which is on the other side of the same mountain.

If you do go up you will find almost every Chinese person has been convinced to part with up to 50¥ for a can of oxygen. Personally I can't see how these can actually be of any benefit when used as they are. (Discarded bottles litter the areas surrounding the walkways despite the significant efforts of the parks rangers to encourage use of the bins)

Yes at 4500m one breath only contains 60% of the oxygen you would normally get which does mean that walking about is pretty tough going. Simply walk slowly, take regular breaks and don't overdo it. There were a few signs of people who had overstretched themselves and vomited creating a kind of miniature 'Yak Meadow' at the top of the mountain. Do consider breathing more deeply / rapidly than your body may be willing you to, especially if you are feeling dizzy. Oh, and unless you have already been in the higher altitudes of Lijang for a few days you will probably get a bit of...

Just a short drive from Lijiang Old Town. This mountain resort is on a high elevation so rarified air is a thought for some visitors. Access to this snow resort is relatively easy due to the good roads. Make sure you engage a tour agent that can guarantee you a ticket. This of course is due to the ease of access and the tickets are all nearly sold out in spite of the high number available daily. This trip will show you the ability of Chinese resort to handle big number of visitors without putting everybody in discomforts. If you pay more for the food you can get hot pot buffet with unlimited veges, and you will appreciate the hot food after you come down to the cable car station from walking in the resort. Your tour guide will probably bundle a trip to the valley that is a more comfortable photo shoots in the same day. A day trip of this nature is unlikely to be available anywhere else in the world without having to stay overnight in...

I don't know about anyone else, but I did enjoy the whole trip to the Yulong Jade Snow Mountains and the Blue Valley Mountains. The valley is of the distinctive blue water from the melting snow, and the glacier up the mountain at 4700m above the sea level. The water isn't as cold as the New Zealand's but the terraced waterfalls are just as beautiful. Yes, there are lots of people like everyone says on Google reviews, but still worth a trip. The best part of the trip for me was though, the snow mountains. 4 people out of our 8 people group dropped out due to altitude sickness and light headedness and it isn't something to be overlooked. The last 200mm climb was amazing and you might get lucky with a glimpse out to the glacier too when the fog lifts. It was a hard climb where every step can wear you down....