Lijiang Weather | Best Time to Visit

Spring is from March and May. The temperatures differ greatly between day and night. The temperature can reach to 24°C during daytime but can lower down to 3°C in the night. The average temperature is around 10°C in March, 13°C in April and around 17°C in May. Average monthly precipitation in spring is about 57mm.

Spring Thing to See & Do

During spring, everything comes to life. You can appreciate blossom of azalea and overlook the snow covered Jade Dragon Snow Mountain in a distance from Black Dragon Pool. Spring is also a good season to hike to the Tiger Leaping Gorge and visit the first bend of Yangtze River.

What to Wear

The temperatures differ greatly between day and night. Prepare long-sleeve shirt, thick sweater and coat. Convenient and comfortable layers are practical for taking on and off. Bring some medicine with you to prevent the high altitude sickness.

Hot Tour:

>> 3 Days Romantic Lijiang Tour with Visits to Naxi Kingdom

>> 4 Days Tiger Leaping Gorge Hiking Tour with Lijiang Highlights

Summer, from June to September, is the longest season in Lijaing. Average temperature during daytime is about 23°C and 13.5°C during night time. Rainfall rise sharply in June and July with 167mm and 242mm separately, followed by slowly decrease in August (206mm) and September (161mm).

Summer Thing to See & Do

In summer, you can spend a cozy afternoon in Black Dragon Pool to leave behind the hustle and bustle city life. When the evening come, go bar-hopping in Lijiang Old Town, listen to soft music, taste plateful wine and enjoy the night scene of Lijiang. You can also head to the Blue Moon Valley to appreciate the impossibly turquoise river and lake. To highlight your journey, you can take few days and head to Lugu Lake, take the canoes to visit Liwubi Island and Heiwawu Island in Lugu Lake and enjoy the beautiful sunset in Luoshui Village.

What to Wear

Summer is the rainy season in Lijiang, don’t forget to bring rain gears with you. Wear any summer clothes, such as shirts, shorts and skirts, but also add a light coat or sweater for early morning and evening. Sunlight is very strong in summer, wear sun protection such as hats, sunglasses and sun block, and drink lots of water.

Hot Tour:

>> 3 Days Romantic Lijiang Tour with Visits to Naxi Kingdom

>> 5 Days Lijiang Lugu Lake with Mosuo Matriarchal Society Experience

Autumn is from October to November. It is the most beautiful season with the most comfortable weather. Average daytime temperature 18.5°C and nighttime temperature is about 6.5°C. Average monthly precipitation decease a lot comparing with summer, with 70mm in October and 16mm in November. Autumn is also the season with the best air quality.

Autumn Thing to See & Do

Autumn is the best season to go out in Lijiang, you can plan a hiking tour to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and enjoy the picturesque autumn scenery of Blue Moon Valley, or take a adventure to the Tiger Leaping Gorges to feel the raging rapids. With a pleasant climate, autumn is also a good time to visit some ancient towns in Lijiang such as Shuhe Ancient Town to learn local Naxi culture.

What to Wear

Bring long-sleeve shirts, light sweater and coat. Wear sun protection such as hats, sunglasses and sun block when it’s sunny. Bring some medicine with you to prevent the high altitude sickness.

Hot Tour:

>> 3 Days Lijiang Cultural & Natural Tour with Jade Dragon Snow Mountain

>> 4 Days Tiger Leaping Gorge Hiking Tour with Lijiang Highlights

Winter is from December to February. The weather is clear and warm during the day with an average temperature of 14°C, but at night, temperature often drops to below 0 °C. The overall precipitation in winter is just 10mm. Snow rarely falls in the city more than once a year, though the surrounding mountain areas may see occasional snowfall.

Winter Thing to See & Do

Winter is the best season to enjoy the astonishing view of snow-covered Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. When the weather is fine, you can take the cable car and hike to the top of the snow mountain and immerse in the snow kingdom. Watch birds at Lashi Lake is also a pleasant activities during winter time.

What to Wear

Prepare warm clothes such as down jacket and thick sweater. If you are planning a snow mountain hiking do bring a pair of an anti-ski shoes and wear a sunglasses to avoid snow blindness.

(Note: Most visitors suffer from high altitude sickness during an overnight stay and especially when they go up to the mountains. Hiking in the mountains is difficult due to the high altitude. Since the effect of altitude sickness varies from person to person, take precautions if you have high blood pressure or heart disease.)

Hot Tour:

>> 3 Days Lijiang Cultural & Natural Tour with Jade Dragon Snow Mountain

>> 3 Days Lijiang Tour with Lashi Lake Horse Riding Experience

Travelers usually enjoy 2-3 days in Lijiang to discover Lijiang Old Town (Mufu Palace), Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Shuhe Old Town, Dongba mural paintings, Black Dragon Pool, etc. for a classic savory of this romantic ancient city. Besides, if you are fond of the emerald alpine lake and mysterious matriarchal society culture of Mosuo ethnic culture, you can plan another 2-3 days at Lugu Lake to enjoy more peaceful holiday time!

Recommended Lijiang Tour Package:

▶ 3 Days Romantic Lijiang Tour with Visits to Naxi Kingdom

▶ 3 Days Lijiang Cultural & Natural Tour with Jade Dragon Snow Mountain

Besides, quite a lot of visitors prefer travel Lijiang with Shangri-La where to seek the pure holy sceneries and Tibetan belief to catch the best essence of Yunnan province, which usually needs 5-6 days with best visits to Tiger Leaping Gorge with a memorable trekking experience, Sumtseling Monastery, Pudacuo National Forest Park, and more.

Recommended Lijiang Shangri-La Tour Package:

▶ 5 Days Lijiang & Shangri-La Highlights Tour

Furthermore, actually most travelers arrange Lijiang city as a part of their Yunnan travel to visit more top destinations in one go, such as Kunming famous as Spring City and convenient province capital, Dali with profound Dali Old Town and splendid Erhai Lake, Yuanyang with terrific rice terraces, Xishuangbanna with exciting tropical flavor and Dai ethnic dances, etc., which usually needs 6-15 days based on your exploration depth!

Recommended Lijiang Yunnan Tour Packages:

▶ 6 Days Best of Yunnan Tour (Lijiang / Shangri-La / Kunming)

▶ 8 Days Classic Yunnan Tour (Kunming / Dali / Lijiang / Shangri-La)

▶ 11 Days Amazing Yunnan Tour (Kunming / Yuanyang / Jianshui / Kunming / Dali / Lijiang / Shangri-La)