Cloudland International Youth Hostel Kunming
by the TopOfHotel team
Cloudland is a beloved international hostel open since 2005, packed with free activities for travelers — and it closes our list at 8.8.
Cloudland is a beloved international hostel open since 2005, packed with free activities for travelers — and it closes our list at 8.8.
In-Depth Review
Rooms and decor
There are 4-to-8-bed dorms at around $7-11 a bed and private doubles from about $21. Rooms are simple but comfortable, and every bed gets a privacy curtain, a large locker, a power outlet and a reading light, with clean white linens and a thick duvet. The shared bathrooms are clean and split by gender, with strong 24-hour hot water. It is a hostel, not a hotel, so this is the pick for travelers who care more about the crowd than about four walls of their own.
Food and amenities
The in-house kitchen runs a wide menu, both Chinese and Western — pizza, pasta and khao soi from about $4. Staff speak English well and several are fluent in three or four languages. There is fast Wi-Fi throughout, a rooftop with free city and sunset views, and bikes to rent for roughly $3 a day. The hostel also books day trips — Stone Forest at about $26 a person, Dragon Gate at around $17, and a 7-day Yunnan tour through Dali, Lijiang and Shangri-La for about $400.
Location and getting there
Cloudland sits on Zhuantang Road in Wuhua District, near a metro station and about 1.4 km from the lake. The lobby stays busy with travelers from Japan, Korea, Germany and France, and there is an information board that tracks the Yunnan-Tibet route and gets updated regularly. The welcome feels like coming home for backpackers — fitting for a place that has hosted more than 400,000 guests.
Things to know before booking
The rooms are simple hostel rooms with shared bathrooms, so skip it if you want a lot of privacy. It is roughly 1.4 km from the lake, which means a short walk or metro ride to the waterfront. And in high season beds go fast, so book ahead if you want one. None of this is a surprise for a hostel, but it is worth knowing before you commit.
Our take
Cloudland has been open since 2005 and is a repeat winner of the Hostelworld Hoscar Award for Asia's Best Hostel. It is best for backpackers and solo travelers who want an international hostel on a budget, want company for the Yunnan-Tibet trail, and like free activities — there is a Wednesday old-town walking tour, a Friday food tasting and a Sunday movie night. We close the list here because the best of Kunming is not the room rate but the people you meet, and real guests rate it around 9.5/10.
Score Breakdown
Assessed by our editorial team from data and real guest reviews
The Honest Verdict — pros & what to know
- A popular international hostel that has been running since 2005 and has won the Hostelworld Hoscar Award for Asia's Best Hostel several times.
- Has welcomed more than 400,000 backpackers from over 100 countries, so the long-built community is the real draw — many staff are travelers who fell for Kunming and stayed.
- Rooms are simple but comfortable: every bed has a privacy curtain, a large locker, a power outlet and a reading light, with clean white linens and a thick duvet.
- Shared bathrooms are clean and split by gender, with strong 24-hour hot water, and the in-house kitchen does both Chinese and Western — pizza, pasta and khao soi from about $4.
- Plenty of free activities for guests, including a Wednesday walking tour of the old town, a Friday Kunming food tasting and a Sunday movie night, plus staff who speak English well.
- Rooms are simple hostel rooms with shared bathrooms — not the pick if you want a lot of privacy.
- It sits about 1.4 km from the lake, so you have a short walk or metro ride to the waterfront.
- Beds fill up fast in high season, so book ahead if you want a spot.
Who It’s For
Match Score by travel style
Amenities
Location & Nearby Spots
Things to do near Kunming
Day tours, attraction tickets and experiences around Kunming — book ahead on Klook with mobile e-tickets.
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Insider Tips
- Join the hostel's free activities — the Wednesday old-town walking tour and Friday Kunming food tasting are the easiest way to see the city with company.
- Ask the front desk about routes — staff speak English well and give good advice, especially for the Yunnan-Tibet trail.
- Use the common areas and the rooftop sunset view to meet other travelers — that is where trip plans get made.