Forums > Travel Yunnan > Planning trip to Lijiang

My wife (Chinese) and I (American) are in our mid sixties and with another American couple (also seniors) are planning a trip to LiJiang in September. Initially we were thinking of going with a tour group for one of those 15 day excursions. We are now contemplating of going to LiJiang, finding a place to rent short-term and using it as a base of operations to tour the area. Ideally, we would like to rent living quarters large enough for two couples or two separate units, each for one couple, preferably in a home in the old section of LiJiang. Also, after reading some of the posts, we are somewhat concerned about the drought impacting our trip. We would appreciate any input regarding lodging and the drought or any additional ideas regarding our plan. Thanks