1. Yunnan's two seasons
Dry season November-April, wet season May-October. Our main loop: Kunming 1,900 m, Dali 2,000 m, Lijiang 2,400 m, Shangri-La 3,300 m, Deqin 3,400 m.
2. Month by month
January: cold, low season before Spring Festival. Kunming 15C days, 3C nights; Shangri-La -10C nights. High passes may need chains. Good for snow mountain views and cheap hotels.
February: Chinese New Year (late Jan-early Feb) crowds and prices double; after that it quietens. Best chance of Meili sunrise in February.
March: warming, Luoping rapeseed flowers early March. Good.
April: one of the best months. 20-25C days, dry, blue skies, Shangri-La turning green.
May: early May still dry, mid-May showers start. Shangri-La rhododendrons.
June-August: rainy season, showers last 1-2 hours not all day; school holidays mean crowds and higher hotel prices in July-August; 25C in Dali is a good summer escape; Meili often hidden in cloud.
September: rain eases by month end, crowds drop, autumn colours begin.
October: National Day holiday Oct 1-7 is the busiest and priciest. After Oct 8: bluest skies, fewest clouds, best temperatures of the year — strongly recommend mid-October to early November.
November: Shangri-La xiaozhongdian grassland turns red; 18C days, 5C nights; few tourists, sunny.
December: cold, but Dali/Kunming sunny days are pleasant; high passes start snow; low season prices.
3. The two windows
Mid-March to mid-May, and mid-September to early November. Stable weather, comfortable temperatures, not yet crowded, high chance of snow mountains. Avoid: Spring Festival, May Day (May 1-5), school summer holidays (mid-Jul-late Aug), National Day (Oct 1-7).
4. Other regions
Western Sichuan (Daocheng Yading): best mid-Sept-mid-Oct; avoid rainy Jul-Aug and snowbound Nov-Apr. Tibet: mid-May-mid-Jun or mid-Sept-mid-Oct; foreigners need a guide and Tibet permit. Qinghai Lake / Hexi Corridor: mid-Jul-mid-Aug for rapeseed. Xinjiang: September for northern autumn, October for southern poplars. Inner Mongolia grassland: July-August only.
5. By trip length
4-5 days Kunming-Dali-Lijiang: Mar-May or Sept-Nov. 6-7 days adding Shangri-La/Meili: Apr-May or Sept-Oct. 8-10 days adding Daocheng: mid-Sept-mid-Oct. Winter escape: Xishuangbanna Nov-Feb.
6. Rainy and winter driving notes
Rainy season: watch weather, pass rockfall signs quickly, increase following distance, do not camp in river valleys. Winter: chains on board, warm up 5 minutes, slow on icy bridges, shorten daytime drives (dark by 4 pm).
Rental prices are the same all year; what changes is hotels (100-200 low season vs 300-800 peak) and flights.
Tell us your planned dates and we will tell you the real weather and road conditions. WeChat qxzj7557 (WhatsApp +86 137-5915-5671).