The short answer
Five to seven days is enough for one region, such as Kunming–Dali or Dali–Lijiang–Shangri-La. Ten days lets you combine the northwest with the tropical south. Two weeks is better if you want a slower pace and fewer transfers.
The minimum
Five days works for a focused route: Kunming and Dali, or Dali and Lijiang. Seven days is the classic northwest route with Shangri-La. Anything less than five days means spending most of your time in transit, especially if you are arriving from abroad.
If you only have three or four days, choose one base and one day trip. Do not try to cover multiple regions. The distances are large and the roads are slow.
The comfortable range
Ten days is the minimum for a genuine loop that includes the northwest and the south. Two weeks allows a slower pace, with rest days and room for weather. If you want to add the tea mountains or the east, add another week.
A good rule: one full day per major stop, plus travel days, plus one buffer day. A route with four stops therefore needs about nine days to feel unhurried.
What changes with time
With more time, you can use slower transport, stay in villages, and wait out bad weather. With less time, you should stick to the rail spine and avoid remote detours. The quality of the trip depends less on the number of stops than on the space between them.
- One region
- 5–7 days
- Northwest + south
- 10–14 days
- Buffer
- At least one flexible day
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