Northwest Yunnan concentrates more of China's variety in one week's driving than most provinces manage in a lifetime: Naxi old towns under Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, a high alpine lake shared with the Mosuo people, the Yangtze cutting the Tiger Leaping Gorge, and finally the Tibetan plateau at Shangri-La. This handbook is a route, not a menu — the days are ordered so that altitude climbs in steps and long transfers never fall on departure days.
