Yulong Snow Mountain, or 'Jade Dragon Snow Mountain' as it is often translated, is a stunning natural wonder that is a Lijiang must-see.

About Yulong

Yulong scenic area is a selection of areas around 13 snow-capped mountains with each giving you a different view and experience of the mountains in the distance.

But no worries, here's a quick rundown of the important ones:

• Yak Meadow: a meadow that got it's name from the locals herding their yak. This meadow gives you stunning wide-open views of the peaks in front of you.

• Spruce Meadow: A second spot to view the mountains. This view is less wide-open so-to-speak, with it being a meadow with spruce trees on each side, but the sheep add a nice point of interest for photographers.

• Glacier Park: The big one. Take the cablecar and then go for a slow amble up the stairs while admiring the insane glacier below you. Just take things slow, the stairs here will take you to above 4650m and the altitude can get the better of you. If you're struggling, or think that you will, the cablecar station sells bottles of oxygen at a very reasonable price.

• Blue-Moon Valley: One of the famous views of blue lakes at the base of the mountain.

My suggestion for a travel route:

So, Yulong gives you a lot of options meaning that you'l need to have comfortable footwear.

Getting between sites is quite easy with buses running between the main sites/ cablecar stations.

That said, lots of options and not much info in english can make it a bit confusing so here's my suggestion for a great day out on the mountain: (note: it's unlikely all the cablecars are open due to the weather so can just adapt as appropriate)

1. Start your day heading over to Yak meadow. It's the further away of the viewing points and the one with the most wide-open view. You'll want that one as much to yourself to appreciate the view as possible.

2. Get back down the mountain and head over to Spruce Meadow. Another one of the main viewpoints, Hopefully you'll be able to get up and through to the meadow while a lot of the normal tourists are stopped at the Blue-moon Valley lakes.

3. Stop at the Blue-Moon Valley lakes on the way down. Here, you can appreciate the lakes, take the tourist shots, and even grab some food at the building there.

4. Take the bus back to the service center and switch out to the bus to Glacier Park cablecar. The nature of the view and photography opportunities here mean it doesn't massively matter if it's busy so this one is just for the experience

Getting to Yulong Snow Mountain from Lijiang

With it being a major tourist attraction, there is no shortage of transport links from Lijiang to Yulong so your pick really depends on what kind of visit you're going for.

If you're planning on getting up as early as possible to try and get a part of the mountain empty of people, then you'll have to take a cab. It's about 40 ish minutes from old town Lijiang so just be aware of that.

You can also get a regular bus from Hongtaiyang Square though at last check they start at around 9..

My personal suggestion would be to time a didi to arrive at Yulong's ticket centre the minute it opens so that you're alone for a bit on the mountain, and then to get a bus back when time is less of an issue.