Cycling Travel Guide from Shangri-La to Baishuitai, Tiger Leaping Gorge and Lijiang

Bike tour China’s spectacular southwestern province of Yunnan, exploring the opposite side of the country far from the hustle and bustle of the megacities of Shanghai and Beijing. This is a cycle trip that will push your adventurous spirit while still maintaining the quality and reliability of Yunnan Exploration’ service throughout.
Your incredible 9-day bike adventure begins in the foothills bordering Tibet, with the ever-present dramatic backdrop of Yunnan Province, China. This is a land of mysticism, spirituality and jaw-dropping landscapes where ancient cultures meet the modern world. The magical land of Yunnan also has some of the best cycle touring China has to offer.

Ride from China’s alpine utopia of Shangri-La, pedaling through the stunning landscape of Tiger Leaping Gorge, to the ancient Naxi Kingdom of Lijiang. We tour through the highest gorge in the world carved out over millennia by the awesome Yangtze River, surrounded by the dramatic Jade Dragon and Haba Snow Mountains. Along the way, we encounter villages with their captivating rituals and traditions, seemingly unchanged by the test of time.
Join us on this unforgettable journey by bicycle through China’s most diverse and beautiful province.
400km riding.
The terrain on this bike tour is a mixture of sealed & unsealed secondary roads and tracks. We rarely cycle on main roads or highways and if we do it’s only for a few kilometres to get to the next turn off. The majority of the ride is on small roads through villages with minimal traffic.
The road surface can at times be rough and broken, depending on seasonal conditions. In most cases, there is a comfortable line through the puddles or potholes and we find it makes for more interesting bike touring than a perfect road.
At points during the bike tour we will find ourselves at altitudes just over 3000m. We make sure that at these times we never over-exert ourselves. The gradient does not exceed 12% at any time. There is one day’s riding of 100km in distance. The mixture of adventurous cycling and travel in relatively high and remote areas makes this a slightly more challenging tour, but there is always a support vehicle on hand for riders who might need a little rest. This way you’ll still get experience the adventure that this tour presents by using the support vehicle when needed.