The Yunnan–Vietnam Railway & Fuxian Lake
Two days from Kunming — tunnels, roast duck and Yunnan's deepest lake
- 2 days · 1 night
- 2–8 guests
- From Kunming
Two days, everything arranged
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A$860 per person
Twin share, out of Kunming on the morning slow train and back the next afternoon. A single room is A$110 more.
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A small group, 2–8 guests
Runs any day you choose, with a minimum of two guests and no more than eight.
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About 17 km on foot
From Yongfengying station, by way of Kebao, to Yiliang: nearly flat, but sleepers and ballast all the way. Four to five hours with stops.
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A night at Fuxian Lake
Hilton Yuxi Fuxian Lake or Wanda Vista Yuxi Fuxian Lake, with breakfast.
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Roast duck & stone-pot fish
Lunch and dinner on day one, breakfast and lunch on day two.
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Guide, train & vehicle
An English-speaking guide, slow-train tickets, a private vehicle that carries your bags, and Leidashi entry.
Two days on the line the French built
In April 1910 the railway from Haiphong reached Kunming — a metre-gauge line the French had driven through 466 kilometres of Yunnan's mountains. Regular passenger trains on the Chinese side stopped in 2003, and east of Kunming the line has gone quiet: yellow station houses, stone tunnels, grass between the sleepers.
This short departure follows it on foot from Kebao village to Yiliang, then sits down to Yiliang's famous roast duck. The night is at Fuxian Lake, Yunnan's deepest; the next morning, the Leidashi cliff boardwalk high above it and a stone-pot fish lunch before the drive back to Kunming. Two to eight guests, with a guide, a vehicle and every booking handled.
Day by day
The slow train, the old line & Yiliang roast duck
Kunming → Yongfengying → Kebao → Yiliang → Fuxian Lake
Meet your guide at Kunming Station for the 7:45 slow train east — hard seats, windows that open and about an hour and a half to Yongfengying, while your bags go ahead by road. From the station it's a short walk to Kebao village, where you join the old line. From here the railway sets the route: cuttings and stone tunnels, a window cut through a tunnel wall, Shuijingpo's yellow station with its name still on the wall, and finally the edge of Yiliang — about 17 kilometres from Yongfengying in all, four to five hours on foot. Late lunch is the reason to finish here: Yiliang roast duck, carved hot from the oven. Then the drive south to Fuxian Lake, and the evening is yours.
- The 7:45 slow train from Kunming Station to Yongfengying
- About 17 km on foot along the 1910 line, through Kebao, the tunnels and Shuijingpo
- Late lunch in Yiliang: the county's roast duck, carved hot
- Drive south to Fuxian Lake for the night
MealsLunch & dinner
Leidashi's cliff boardwalk & stone-pot fish
Fuxian Lake → Leidashi → Kunming
Fuxian Lake is Yunnan's deepest, 158.9 metres at its deepest point. After breakfast, round to the eastern side of the lake and Leidashi, one of its quieter lookouts, where a boardwalk and stone stairs run along the cliffs high above the water — the lake on one side, rock and green hillside on the other. Lunch is stone-pot fish, the lake country's way with fish: cooked at your table in a steam-heated stone pot under a woven straw lid, the broth first and then the fish. Then back to Kunming in the afternoon.
- Morning on the Leidashi cliff boardwalk, high above the lake
- Lunch: stone-pot fish, cooked at the table
- Back to Kunming in the afternoon
MealsBreakfast & lunch
One night on Fuxian Lake
One night on Fuxian Lake, at one of two hotels. Which one depends on availability — we confirm it when your departure is set.
Hilton Yuxi Fuxian Lake
A large resort on the hillside above the east shore, opened in 2015: 346 rooms, many of them looking over the lake, an indoor pool, a spa, and Chinese and Western restaurants.
Wanda Vista Yuxi Fuxian Lake
A quieter garden resort near the north shore: 88 rooms and villas set around their own lagoon, Chinese fretwork and warm timber inside, a spa, and the lake's north-shore wetlands a short walk away.
Before you walk
The railway walk is the heart of this trip, so here's the honest version.
The ground
Almost flat — the line was built for steam — but every step is on sleepers or loose ballast, which is slower going than a trail. Walking boots with ankle support make a real difference.
The tunnels
More than a dozen between Kebao and Yiliang, the longest a 358-metre rock gallery; the longer ones are dark in the middle. We bring head torches.
Food, water & stops
There's nothing to buy along the line, so we carry water and trail snacks. The only toilets are near Yongfengying station and at Shuijingpo.
A shorter day
Rather walk less? Finish at Shuijingpo station, partway along, and the vehicle meets you on the road below.
What's included
Included
- An English-speaking guide throughout
- Slow-train tickets, Kunming to Yongfengying
- A private vehicle and driver, with your bags carried ahead on day one
- One night at Fuxian Lake, with breakfast
- Lunch and dinner on day one, lunch on day two
- Leidashi boardwalk entry
- Head torches for the tunnels, water and trail snacks
Not included
- Getting to Kunming, and hotels there before or after
- Drinks with meals beyond tea and water
- Travel insurance
- A single room (A$110 supplement)
Before you book
01 How hard is the railway walk?
About 17 km, almost all of it on the old track, so it's flat — but sleepers and loose ballast make for slow walking and tired ankles, and it takes four to five hours with stops. There are more than a dozen tunnels between Kebao and Yiliang, the longest a 358-metre rock gallery, and the longer ones are dark in the middle; we bring head torches. Wear walking boots with ankle support. If you'd rather walk less, you can finish at Shuijingpo station, partway along, and the vehicle meets you on the road below.
02 What is the Yunnan–Vietnam Railway?
The metre-gauge line the French built between 1904 and 1910 from Haiphong, on the Gulf of Tonkin, to Kunming — 855 km in all, 466 of them in Yunnan. It opened to Kunming on 1 April 1910. Regular passenger trains on the Chinese section stopped in 2003, but stations such as Shuijingpo and Yiliang still stand beside the track.
03 Where do we stay at Fuxian Lake?
One night at Hilton Yuxi Fuxian Lake, above the east shore, or Wanda Vista Yuxi Fuxian Lake, near the north shore. Which one depends on availability; we confirm it when your departure is set. Breakfast is included.
04 What do we eat?
The trip is built around two lunches. On day one, Yiliang roast duck: small local ducks glazed with honey and roasted in a clay oven over the embers of pine needles, a technique on Yunnan's provincial intangible heritage list since 2009. On day two, stone-pot fish, cooked at your table in a steam-heated stone pot under a woven straw lid — the broth first, then the fish. Dinner on day one is at or near the hotel.
05 When does it run, and what does it cost?
Any day you choose — there are no fixed dates. It runs with a minimum of two guests and takes no more than eight, at A$860 per person, twin share, with a single room supplement of A$110. Tell us your date below and we'll confirm the train, hotel and guide.
Choose your date
Tell us the date you'd like and who's coming. We'll confirm the train, hotel and guide within one business day.