- 🥾 Difficulty 3 / 5
- 📍 highest night 3,200 m
- 🚄 all rail
- ✈️ 0 domestic flights
- 🛂 mainland → Hong Kong
- 🚗 driver 0 days
- 🎶 Halloween + festival
- 💶 €2,000–2,400 pp
- In: Chongqing · Out: Hong Kong
- The idea
- Day by day
- Map
- Hiking & viewpoints
- Off the beaten path
- Nightlife
- Transport
- Border check
- Practicalities & cost
- Sources
The character of this route
This is the smallest change to Route 9 that meets two wishes at once: a few days in Chongqing and no Guilin block that feels like sightseeing from a tour bus. The Yunnan part stays almost unchanged, the Guangxi karst goes, and Chongqing takes its place at the start.
Chongqing gets five nights, but not five city days: one goes to the Wulong karst – natural bridges, sinkholes and a walkable rock fissure, one hour away by high-speed train – and one to the Dazu rock carvings. And the last evening is Halloween Saturday, the biggest night out of the Chinese autumn.
The rest is rail. Chongqing → Kunming, Kunming → Lijiang, Shangri-La → Dali, Dali → Kunming and finally the long leg Kunming → Shenzhen, about 7.5 hours on a direct train. No flight, no multi-day driver, just two car transfers around Tiger Leaping Gorge.
📊 Route in numbers
- Stops
- 10 (Chongqing, Wulong, Dazu, Kunming, Lijiang, Tiger Leaping Gorge, Shangri-La, Dali, Shenzhen, Hong Kong)
- Highest night
- 3,200 m (Shangri-La)
- Highest point on foot
- about 2,670 m, the High Trail above the gorge
- Driver
- none – two transfers around the gorge
- Domestic flights
- none
- Total train time
- about 23 h, longest leg about 7.5 h
- Changes of accommodation
- 9
🎶 Two nights that make the order worthwhile
Sat 31 Oct, day 5: Halloween in Chongqing. Sat 14 Nov, day 19: Shi Fu Miz at Tai Tong Organic EcoPark in Yuen Long, four stages. Details and tickets in Route 4.
🔀 What changes compared with Route 9
- Chongqing instead of Guilin. Five nights in the vertical city, Wulong and Dazu replace the Li River, Yangshuo and Longji.
- Altitude in steps. Lijiang (2,400 m) → gorge → Shangri-La (3,200 m): you climb over three days instead of jumping from Kunming to Shangri-La in one.
- Entry via Chongqing. Chongqing has direct flights from Europe (Brussels, Paris, Budapest), Kunming does not. With the right ticket the whole trip is one flight out, one flight home.
Honest caveat: the new direct line Chongqing → Kunming is still under construction, with opening reported for late 2026. Until then the train runs via Guiyang, about 4.5–5.5 h. And Kunming → Shenzhen at 7.5 h is a full rail day – exactly the "long train instead of short flight" trade.
20 days
Day by day
27 October to 15 November 2026. Chongqing up front, closing with Halloween, the High Trail in the middle, two long rail days framing Yunnan.
| Day | Date | Place | Activity | Overnight | Transport |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tue 27 Oct | Chongqing | Arrival early in the morning, 250 m. Pre-book early check-in, sleep. In the evening 📍 Hongyadong and the Jialing riverfront, first hotpot. Plan nothing, jet lag wins. | Chongqing | Flight arrival |
| 2 | Wed 28 Oct | Chongqing | 🧭 The vertical city on foot: Liziba, where the monorail runs through an apartment block, the Shibati stairs, Eling Park above the peninsula, then the Yangtze cable car across the river. Evening bars around Jiaochangkou. | Chongqing | Metro, cable car, on foot |
| 3 | Thu 29 Oct | 🚄 Wulong karst | 🥾📍 Day trip: 🚄 from Chongqing East or North to Wulong South, about 1 h, then a shuttle to the visitor centre. The Three Natural Bridges – rock arches up to almost 300 m high, a glass lift down into the sinkhole – then the Longshuixia fissure: 2 km of walkways between 200–500 m walls, waterfalls, spray. Be at the bridges by 8 am, ahead of the groups. | Chongqing | 🚄 2 × approx. 1 h + shuttle |
| 4 | Fri 30 Oct | Dazu | 📍 The Dazu rock carvings, UNESCO World Heritage, about 1.5 hours out: thousands of sandstone figures, far quieter than any city sight. If you would rather stay: Nanshan and the view over both rivers. Evening 🎶 Friday round in Jiefangbei and Guanyinqiao. | Chongqing | 🚄 + bus |
| 5 | Sat 31 Oct | 🎶 Chongqing | A slow day: Ciqikou, the old port town on the Jialing, or the observation deck above the confluence of the Yangtze and Jialing. Evening 🎶🎶 Halloween Saturday – Jiefangbei and Guanyinqiao in a state of emergency, costume compulsory. | Chongqing | Metro |
| 6 | Sun 1 Nov | 🚄 → Kunming | 🚄 Sleep in, then the rail day to Yunnan: Chongqing West → Kunming South via Guiyang, about 4.5–5.5 h, direct or with a change at Guiyang North. Evening in Kunming, 1,890 m: crossing-the-bridge noodles, wild mushrooms. | Kunming | 🚄 approx. 5 h |
| 7 | Mon 2 Nov | 🚄 → Lijiang | 🚄 Kunming → Lijiang, about 3.5 h. Afternoon in the Naxi old town, 📍 evening view from Wangu Tower over the rooftops. First night at 2,400 m. | Lijiang | 🚄 approx. 3.5 h |
| 8 | Tue 3 Nov | High Trail, stage 1 | 🚗 Morning to Qiaotou, then 🥾📍 up onto the High Trail above Tiger Leaping Gorge. The 28 bends are the hard part: about 900 m of ascent in one go to roughly 2,670 m. Then a balcony path with a constant view of the north face of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. Night at the Halfway Guesthouse. | Halfway Guesthouse | 🚗 2 h + 🥾 6 h |
| 9 | Wed 4 Nov | Stage 2, gorge floor | 🥾📍 From Halfway across the open flank to Tina's, then the steep descent to Tiger Leaping Stone on the Yangtze – ladders, chains, roaring rapids – and back up. Night down in the gorge once the day visitors have gone. | Tina's or Walnut Garden | 🥾 5 h |
| 10 | Thu 5 Nov | 🚗 → Shangri-La | 🚗 Morning drive up to Shangri-La, 3,200 m, about 2.5 h. ⚠️ Then deliberately little: Dukezong old town on foot, the great prayer wheel, drink plenty, no alcohol. | Shangri-La (3,200 m) | 🚗 approx. 2.5 h |
| 11 | Fri 6 Nov | Shangri-La | 📍 Songzanlin, the largest Tibetan monastery in Yunnan, in the morning ahead of the groups. Afternoon at the Napahai wetland by rental bike – black-necked cranes winter there from November, early season, nothing guaranteed. | Shangri-La | Bus, bicycle |
| 12 | Sat 7 Nov | 🚄 → Dali | 🚄 Shangri-La → Dali via Lijiang, about 3 h, down to 1,970 m. Afternoon in the old town and on the 📍 Erhai shore. Saturday night in Dali's courtyards with live music. | Dali | 🚄 approx. 3 h |
| 13 | Sun 8 Nov | Cangshan | 🥾📍 The Jade Belt Road on Cangshan: cable car up to about 2,600 m, then roughly 11 km almost level along the eastern flank, with a constant view over Erhai Lake. | Dali | Cable car, on foot |
| 14 | Mon 9 Nov | Erhai → 🚄 Kunming | 🚲 Morning bike loop on the Erhai east shore or to Xizhou, a Bai village with a market. Afternoon 🚄 to Kunming, about 2 h. Hotel near the south station, the coast train leaves in the morning. | Kunming | 🚄 approx. 2 h |
| 15 | Tue 10 Nov | 🚄 → Shenzhen | 🚄 The long rail day: Kunming South → Shenzhen North, direct train about 7.5 h, e.g. leaving mid-morning, arriving mid-afternoon. Dining car, window seat, Guangxi karst rolling past. Quiet evening in Shenzhen. | Shenzhen | 🚄 approx. 7.5 h |
| 16 | Wed 11 Nov | Shenzhen | 🧭 The new city on foot: the design and coffee district around OCT-LOFT, Talent Park on the water, or Shekou. Evening 🎶 OIL in Chegongmiao if the programme fits. | Shenzhen | Metro, on foot |
| 17 | Thu 12 Nov | 🛂 → Hong Kong | 🛂 Across the border to Hong Kong – from Shenzhen the shortest entry. Afternoon Star Ferry and Sham Shui Po, evening 🎶 Sheung Wan. | Hong Kong | 🛂 border + MTR |
| 18 | Fri 13 Nov | Hong Kong | 🥾📍 Dragon's Back with a swim at Big Wave Bay – or the steep Sharp Peak in Sai Kung. Evening 🎶 Kwun Tong. | Hong Kong | MTR, bus |
| 19 | Sat 14 Nov | 🎶 Hong Kong / Yuen Long | 🎶🎶 Shi Fu Miz Festival at Tai Tong Organic EcoPark, Yuen Long, 12:00 to 04:00, four stages – date and line-up confirmed, see Route 4. | Hong Kong | MTR + bus |
| 20 | Sun 15 Nov | Hong Kong | Dim sum in Sham Shui Po, Star Ferry, then the Airport Express. Flight home from Hong Kong. | — | Airport Express |
Table scrolls sideways · 20 days, 27 Oct – 15 Nov 2026, no gaps.
📉 Altitude profile – up step by step
Chongqing 250 m → Kunming 1,890 m → Lijiang 2,400 m → High Trail up to 2,670 m → gorge floor about 1,800–2,000 m → Shangri-La 3,200 m (2 nights) → Dali 1,970 m → Kunming → coast. Shangri-La comes only on day 10, after three days above 2,000 m – the gentlest approach to 3,200 m of all the Yunnan routes.
Geography
Map
From Chongqing south-west into Yunnan, there the northern loop via Lijiang, the gorge and Shangri-La, then the long rail axis from Kunming to the coast. The Amap button marks every stop and works in China too.
In China: the Amap link works behind the firewall. Google Maps is blocked on the mainland and OpenStreetMap is unreliable – background, app tips and offline maps.
🚗 The two road legs individually in Amap
- Lijiang → Tiger Leaping Gorge (Qiaotou) · approx. 2 h
- Tiger Leaping Gorge → Shangri-La · approx. 2.5 h
Everything else is rail – use Trip.com or the 12306 app, otherwise Amap calculates train legs as car journeys.
The core programme
🥾 Hiking and viewpoints
One serious trek, one spectacular karst day, lots of stairs in Chongqing and an effortless high path. Plus Hong Kong's coastal trails to finish.
Tiger Leaping Gorge, High Trail
Difficulty: moderate to hard – the route's real test. Stage 1 starts with the 28 bends: about 900 m of ascent in one push to 2,670 m. Hard on the legs, but no altitude problem and no exposure.
Stage 2 is shorter and finer: high path to Tina's, then the descent via ladders and chains to Tiger Leaping Stone right on the Yangtze. Because you sleep at the bottom, the whole afternoon is free for the descent.
Wulong: Three Natural Bridges and Longshuixia
Difficulty: easy to moderate, many steps. The Tianlong, Qinglong and Heilong bridges are described as the largest natural-bridge complex in the world; the highest arch spans almost 300 m above the gorge. A glass lift takes you to the floor, from there on foot, three hours at least.
📍 The Longshuixia fissure is part two: about 2 km of walkways fixed to the wall, waterfalls, moss. Bring a rain jacket – the spray gets everyone.
Chongqing by staircase
Difficulty: easy, but calves. Chongqing is not a hike, but ten thousand steps a day are normal: metro exits twenty metres apart in height, alleys that end in stairs, bridges at fifteenth-floor level.
📍 The best views: Eling Park above the peninsula, the Yangtze cable car and, at night, the observation deck above the confluence of the two rivers.
Cangshan, Jade Belt Road
Difficulty: easy. Cable car up to about 2,600 m, then roughly 11 km almost level along the eastern flank. Rock wall on the left, Erhai Lake and Dali old town 600 metres below on the right.
📍 Several built viewpoints, tea houses on the way, on and off at two cable car stations. The right dose after the High Trail.
Shangri-La: Songzanlin and Napahai
Difficulty: easy, but at 3,200 m. The monastery sits on a slope, and you feel the stairs at that altitude. Napahai is flat and can be circled by bike.
📍 The view from the upper monastery courtyard over the golden roofs and the plain is the Shangri-La photo – in the morning, before the buses arrive.
Hong Kong to finish
Dragon's Back, an 8.5 km ridge walk looking over Shek O and the southern islands, then into the water at Big Wave Bay. For more: Sharp Peak, 468 m, extremely steep on loose scree.
Both on day 18, i.e. before the festival – not after.
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Substance over sights
🧭 Off the beaten path
Chongqing's staircase neighbourhoods
Away from Hongyadong and Jiefangbei are the districts where the city still works the old way: stair alleys with noodle kitchens, mahjong tables on landings and the bangbang porters with their bamboo poles. Walk downhill between Eling and the river without looking at the map.
Dazu instead of a shopping street
Most Chongqing visitors only see the city. The Dazu rock carvings are over a thousand years old, partly still painted, and almost empty on a weekday – a day that puts the city into a different scale.
A night on the gorge floor
Most people walk the High Trail and leave the same afternoon. Staying at Tina's or Walnut Garden gives you the evening on the Yangtze, the roar of the rapids and the walls in first light to yourselves.
Napahai, not just the old town
Most stay in Dukezong. The plain around the Napahai wetland can be circled flat by bike; from mid-November the first black-necked cranes stand in the fields, with Songzanlin on the slope behind.
Xizhou on the Erhai
Instead of Dali's main lane: the Bai village of Xizhou with a market, courtyard houses and batik workshops, reachable by bike along the east-shore eco corridor. In the morning, baba – the local flatbread – fresh off the griddle.
Yuen Long instead of Central
Because the festival is in Yuen Long, we sleep in the north-west rather than on Hong Kong Island. Night markets, noodle shops and prices nobody on the island would believe – and twenty minutes to bed after the festival.
Evenings
🎶 Nightlife on this route
Strong at the start, quiet in the middle, strong at the end: five evenings in Chongqing including Halloween, old-town bars in Yunnan, then Shenzhen, Hong Kong and the festival.
🎶 Shi Fu Miz Festival · Saturday 14 Nov 2026 · day 19
Four stages at Tai Tong Organic EcoPark in Yuen Long, 12:00 to 04:00: house and disco on the lawn, techno on the Valley Stage until four, UK bass by the pond, ambient to close. Date, venue and line-up confirmed, tickets on sale. Stages, line-up and ticket link in Route 4.
Source: Mixmag Asia, 15 June 2026, and shifumiz.com. Checked 4 Oct 2026.Chongqing 🎶 days 1–5
The big clubs are around Jiefangbei and Guanyinqiao, lots of EDM and volume; smaller techno rooms can be found around Jiaochangkou. On Halloween Saturday the whole city is in a state of emergency – the biggest night out of the Chinese autumn, serious effort on costumes.
Lijiang, Shangri-La & Dali 🎶 days 7–14
No clubs, but old-town bars: a loud bar street on the canal in Lijiang, live music around Sifang Square in Shangri-La (no alcohol on arrival day), small courtyards with live music and craft beer in Dali – the place where Chinese drop-outs end up staying. Saturday 7 Nov is the Dali night.
Shenzhen 🎶 days 15–16
OIL in Chegongmiao, one of the few clubs in Asia with real reference status. Wednesday is not a classic club night – check the programme on Resident Advisor beforehand; otherwise bars in Shekou.
Hong Kong 🎶 days 17–19
宀 Club, Studio Duplex and the secret warehouse series in Kwun Tong, whose address arrives the day before. Friday Kwun Tong, Saturday the festival.
🔎 Last-minute check – two weeks before departure
- Resident Advisor – event calendar, filter by Chongqing, Shenzhen and Hong Kong
- Mixmag Asia for announcements in Greater China
- For Halloween: the Instagram and WeChat accounts of Chongqing's clubs – announcements only come the week before
Logistics
🚄 Transport analysis
The principle: no domestic flight. Better eight hours on a train than three hours of airport and flight – two long rail days are the price.
✈️ Only two flights on the whole trip
Out to Chongqing, home from Hong Kong. With a direct flight to Chongqing (see practicalities) and a direct flight from Hong Kong that is two take-offs and two landings in three weeks. Inside China everything runs on rails.
⚠️ Chongqing → Kunming: still via Guiyang
The new direct Chongqing–Kunming line is reported to be under construction, with track being laid in 2026 and opening at the earliest in late 2026. Until then trains run via Guiyang: Chongqing West → Guiyang North about 2–2.5 h, Guiyang North → Kunming South about 2 h, partly as a through train. The 4.5–5.5 h is an estimate from the sections – check in 12306.
| Section | Mode | Duration | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chongqing ↔ Wulong South | 🚄 HSR | approx. 40–60 min | From Chongqing East or North. Do not pick the old "Wulong" station. |
| Chongqing → Dazu | 🚄 + bus | approx. 1.5 h | To Dazu station, then bus to Baoding Hill; alternatively a driver for the day. |
| Chongqing West → Kunming South | 🚄 HSR | approx. 4.5–5.5 h | Via Guiyang, direct or with a change at Guiyang North. |
| Kunming → Lijiang | 🚄 D train | approx. 3.5 h | Several a day, some from Kunming, some from Kunming South. |
| Lijiang → Qiaotou | 🚗 transfer | approx. 2 h | Minibus or driver to the High Trail trailhead. |
| Gorge → Shangri-La | 🚗 transfer | approx. 2.5 h | Arrange via the guesthouse, drive in the morning. |
| Shangri-La → Dali | 🚄 train | approx. 3 h | Via Lijiang, with a change there depending on the train. The Lijiang–Shangri-La line has run since late 2023. |
| Dali → Kunming | 🚄 HSR | approx. 2 h | Frequent service to Kunming South. |
| Kunming South → Shenzhen North | 🚄 HSR | approx. 7.3–7.5 h | Direct, several trains a day, e.g. G410 in the morning. The longest leg. |
| Shenzhen → Hong Kong | 🛂 border + MTR | approx. 1–1.5 h | Via Futian/Lok Ma Chau or West Kowloon. Passport control on both sides. |
🚄 How to make the 7.5-hour train bearable
Take a morning train so the evening in Shenzhen is yours. First class costs roughly one and a half times as much and is worth it here for legroom and quiet. Food from the dining car or ordered to your seat via the 12306 app. Power at every seat, mobile data mostly continuous.
Mandatory check
🛂 Border and permit check
🛂 Entry into China
No visa needed. Germans enter visa-free for up to 30 days per entry; the unilateral exemption applies until 24:00 on 31 Dec 2026. This route spends 17 days on the mainland. Carry: a valid passport, hotel bookings and the onward flight ticket from Hong Kong.
Sources: Consulate General of the PRC in Hamburg (4 Nov 2025); FAQs on Visa-free Entry into China, as of 21 May 2026. Re-check before departure.🛂 No Tibet permit for Shangri-La
Shangri-La lies in the Diqing Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan – a Tibetan area, but not the Tibet Autonomous Region. No permit, no group requirement. Short-notice restrictions are rare but possible.
🛂 Mainland → Hong Kong on day 17
Hong Kong is a separate immigration area: Germans enter visa-free for up to 90 days. Exit from the mainland plus a separate entry into Hong Kong – two checks, both usually quick. Because Hong Kong comes last, re-entry into China does not matter.
Execution
Practicalities, kit and cost
✈️ The flight is now the most urgent item
As of 8 Oct 2026 no flight is booked yet, departure is in 19 days. Chongqing has direct flights from Europe; according to flight trackers these include:
- Brussels → Chongqing, Hainan HU470, Mon/Thu/Sat, departs 12:10, arrives 04:30 the next day. Mon 26 Oct from Brussels = Tue 27 Oct in Chongqing – exactly day 1. Brussels is easy to reach by ICE from Cologne or Frankfurt.
- Paris → Chongqing, Hainan HU718, Tue/Sat. Leaving Tue 27 Oct you would only arrive on 28 Oct – one Chongqing day less.
- Air China from Budapest; from Frankfurt, Munich or Zurich only with a connection.
Home: direct flights from Hong Kong to Frankfurt and Zurich. Confirm days and times with the airline – the details come from flight trackers, not from Hainan's official timetable.
💶 Cost estimate per person
- Accommodation, 19 nights
- approx. €700 (Hong Kong 3 nights approx. €330)
- Rail total
- approx. €220
- Gorge transfers, Dazu, Wulong shuttles
- approx. €120
- Entries, cable cars, glass lift
- approx. €130
- Food and drink
- approx. €400
- Nightlife, Halloween, festival ticket
- approx. €220
- Buffer
- approx. €180
- Total
- €2,000–2,400
📅 Booking order for Route 10
- Open-jaw flight: in via Chongqing, onward from Hong Kong
- Shi Fu Miz ticket for 14 Nov
- Chongqing hotel for 5 nights with early check-in on 27 Oct, central in Yuzhong
- Halfway Guesthouse for night 8, Tina's or Walnut Garden for night 9
- From 12 Oct inside the 15-day window the trains, first Wulong (29 Oct) and Chongqing → Kunming (1 Nov); Kunming → Shenzhen from 26 Oct for 10 Nov – still from home
⚠️ The one altitude point: day 10
Shangri-La at 3,200 m comes after three days above 2,000 m – the gentlest approach of all the Yunnan routes. Abort criteria still apply: severe headache, vomiting or breathlessness at rest mean descending, Lijiang is about two hours away. Check your travel health insurance for altitude cover.
🌡️ Weather during the trip
- Chongqing / Wulong
- 14–21 °C, often overcast and hazy, rain jacket
- Kunming
- 10–21 °C, dry
- Lijiang / gorge
- 12–20 °C by day, around 5 °C at night
- Shangri-La (3,200 m)
- 8–15 °C by day, around −5 °C at night, very clear
- Dali
- 8–20 °C, dry, clear views
- Shenzhen / Hong Kong
- 20–26 °C, best time of year
Further reading
Sources
- Xinhua/China Services – HSR Chongqing–Qianjiang opens, stop at Wulong South (June 2025)
- Wander in China – Wulong karst: access, natural bridges, Longshuixia
- People's Daily – Chongqing–Kunming HSR: bridges complete, line under construction (Feb 2026)
- China Highlights – Chongqing ↔ Guiyang, about 2 h
- Wander in China – Kunming → Lijiang, about 3.5 h
- Wikipedia – Lijiang–Shangri-La railway, opened November 2023
- China Highlights – Kunming ↔ Shenzhen, direct trains about 7.3 h
- Ctrip – Kunming South → Shenzhen North, train list
- China Odyssey – Tiger Leaping Gorge High Trail, Halfway Guesthouse
- China Highlights – Napahai: black-necked cranes
- Planemapper – flight HU470 Brussels → Chongqing
- Belt and Road Portal / Xinhua – Hainan Airlines Brussels–Chongqing, 3× weekly
- Consulate General of the PRC in Hamburg – visa exemption for Germany until 31 Dec 2026
- Shi Fu Miz Festival – official site, 14 Nov 2026
- Resident Advisor – event calendar for the last-minute check
- German Federal Foreign Office – travel and safety advice for China