If domestic air services and road conditions in some certain areas have improved greatly over the recent years, long distance overland travels generally take longer than the traveler might expect. New roads have been opened and are being under construction. To the south, a motorway allows to reach Yuxi in only over an hour reducing therefore the time of travel of our southwards itineraries. Long distance transportation will be provided with air-conditioned buses or van. In remote areas however, air conditioned vehicles may not always be available and travelers should be advised that the quality of roads can from good to bad.
Train transportation is also a way to discover.
The most famous line is still the one built by the French linking Hanoi to Yunnanfu, the former name of Kunming. In the early part of the 20th century, Yunnan was almost inaccessible to foreigners. Most travelers chose to take the sea route from Hong Kong to Haiphong, in Vietnam, and the French-run railway from Hanoi to Kunming. However, it is now reached easily by air, train and overland. China Yunnan Airlines offer comfortable and convenient service direct to Kunming, the capital of Yunnan province.