having biked the area extensively and always on the lookout for traffic free areas, I can recommend the following:
Diqin (I assume you mean Shangri-la): head out east on the East Ring road, over Baishuitai, Haba and the east end of the Tiger Leaping Gorge. Go to the west end. Do the trek back to the east. Hop in a ferry or take the new bridge over to Daju. Get transport or hike or ride towards Lijiang on this old road. It has a couple inevitable touristy spots, though. From Lijiang, if you are walking, there's a beautiful hike over Shigu (at the first bend of the Yangtze) on an old horse trail towards Jianchuan. If you can't hike, you're stuck to a fairly tourist-laden road to Jianchuan.
At Jianchuan head out to Shaxi, do Shibaoshan etc. Continue down the valley over Yangbi, or head out to Yunlong if that's not too far out of your way, go into Dali. From Dali take the old road over Chuxiong to Kunming.
Of course, if you can meander more, I suggest you approach Kunming from the north.
Mapping Yunnan's surprisingly hectic airspace
发布者Very interesting data crunch there Matt.
What I cannot understand, is why there are no longer any connections to Hanoi since Vietnam Airlines cancelled the route two years ago. It's probably the closest foreign capital city to Kunming, and the overland trip takes at least 18 hours, so a flight route would make sense. Also, Vietnam is by some standards one of the world's fastest growing economies so I really don't get it. Are relations that cool?
As for the next international flight to and from Kunming, my money wouldn't be on Amsterdam, as rivalling Chengdu already has a direct route there. Even though the flower business is blooming in Yunnan, that hasn't compelled KLM to add a Kunming route.
Given the sheer number of Belgians in Yunnan, the new destination must of course be Brussels.
Genetically modified monkeys an MIT 'Breakthrough Technology'
发布者GIVE THEM LASERS
Forest fire menacing outskirts of Kunming
发布者I believe eucalyptus also kills whatever is attempting to grow underneath it, making our Yunnan plateau even more arid and likely to catch fire.
Police shutter black market Kunming noodle-maker
发布者Breaking: Kunming Noodles Now Delicious.
Yunnan increases land area nearly ten percent
发布者Buzz Killington brought his brothers