12-Day Essential Beijing Yunnan Sichuan Tour

Day 1 Arrive in Beijing (no meals)

Transfer via: International flight on your own arrangement.

Meet your guide at the airport, and then be picked up to the hotel.

Day 2 Beijing (B, L)

Transfer via: personal car on our arrangement

After breakfast, you will be picked up to visit the Great Wall (Mutianyu section), where you can take a round-trip Cable Car. In the evening, you will enjoy the Beijing Roast Duck dinner at Qianmen Quanjude Roast Duck Restaurant.

-Great Wall at Mutianyu:
this less-crowded section of the Great Wall is a pleasant drive 90km northeast of Beijing. A cable car takes you to a good section (avoiding a very steep climb), where you can walk along the wall, through the watch towers and enjoy superb views as it snakes across the hills and mountains. You can return by cable car, walk down or walk along the wall for about an hour to descend by chairlift.

-Cable Car (round trip):
it is a challenging climb up to the Mutianyu Great Wall for it is much steeper than Badaling section. Here you have the option of taking the Cable car to the highest point or down to the foot in a few minutes instead of climbing more than 1,400 steps, while you can also have a bird's view of the wall.

-Beijing Roast Duck:
it has enjoyed the reputation of ""the Most Delicious Dish under Heaven"" for centuries. It is the famous food that Beijing has to offer. Most visitors who come to Beijing must have a bite.

Day 3 Beijing (B, L)

Transfer via: personal car on our arrangement

Today, your full-day Beijing visit includes the Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Hall of Clocks and Watches and the Summer Palace.

-Tiananmen Square:
the world's largest public square, it was the front gate of the Forbidden City in the Ming and Qing dynasties. It is surrounded by many imposing buildings including the Heavenly Gate, Museums, government buildings and Mao's Mausoleum.

- Forbidden City:
home to the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties. It has over 9,000 unique buildings and houses numerous ancient works of art. The site was designated the world cultural heritage by the UNESCO.

-Hall of Clocks and Watches:
set in the Forbidden City，2208 square meters，it will show you the clock history of the past 200 years.

Day 4 Beijing/Kunming (B)

Transfer via: China domestic flight on our arrangement

In the morning, pay a visit to the Summer Palace. After lunch, be escorted to the airport for the afternoon flight to Kunming. Upon your arrival at Kunming airport, be met and transferred to the hotel.

-Summer Palace:
was once the summer retreat of the imperial families in the Qing Dynasty, the lovely landscaped gardens, halls, pavilions and corridors are set around the lake and rivers in natural harmony. You can expect to spend 2-3 hours here, including a 10 minute boat ride.

Day 5 Kunming (B, L)  

Transfer via: personal car on our arrangement

Today, you will make an excursion to the Stone Forest, and then be driven back to Kunming to visit the local famous Birds and Flower Market.

-The Stone Forest:
Located 90 km southeast of Kunming, this karst wonder was formed in millions years ago for the movement of Earth. The Stone Forest area is also the home of the Sani people, their folk customs has become one spectacular scene, the colorful embroidery and minority dances combine with the natural sceneries, which will surely leave you a deep impression.

-Kunming Birds and Flower Market:
Is a miniature of local people's life, also the gathering place of entertainment. There are various kinds of birds, fish, pets on the market, also you can find antiques, jewellery, and other hand-made crafts, a great place for shopping and relaxation.

Day 6 Kunming/Lijiang (B, L)

Transfer via: China domestic flight on our arrangement

After breakfast, be escorted to the airport for the flight to Lijiang. After arriving at the Lijiang Airport, be picked up to the hotel. After lunch, visit the Lijiang Ancient City.

-Lijiang Ancient City:
An ancient city with over 800-year history. It is a well-preserved minority ancient city in China and famous for its beautiful scenes, unique ethnic traditions and civilization.

Day 7 Lijiang (B)

Transfer via: Personal car on our arrangement

Today, view the natural landscape of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.

-Jade Dragon Snow Mountain:
The mountain has 13 peaks extending for 35km from north to south, alongside the deepest gorge in the world: Tiger Leaping Gorge. It is snowclad year round, with grandeur and sublime. Fan Steep, its top peak, is 5,596 meters above sea level against the sky. The mountain is precipitous, picturesque, and peculiar, charming with the scenery sites of Spruce Meadow, River of White Water, River of Black Water, Dry Sea, Serac Forest etc.

Day 8 Lijiang/Chengdu (B)

Transfer via: China domestic flight on our arrangement

After breakfast, visit the Yunshanpin (Spruce Meadow), and then the ancient Mural in Baisha Village. The rest of the day is at your own free leisure until you are escorted to the airport for the night flight to Chengdu. Be met at Chengdu Airport and transferred to the hotel.

-Yunshanping (Spruce Meadow):
Embraced by the virgin spruce forests. During each period between spring and summer the grassland is delightfully green and the flowers are pleasantly beautiful. From a distance, the Spruce Meadow looks like a jade green blanket in the ranges of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. Here you will see the mighty thousand-year-old glacier on the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, the quietness of virgin forest and the amazing songs and dance of Naxi nationality.

-The Mural in Baisha Village:
Baisha Village is the birthplace of ""Tusi"" (the chieftain of a clan) from Mu clan. The mural paintings of the village are an artistic representation of the different religious cultures such as Buddhism, Lamaism, Daoism and the Naxi Dongba religion.

Day 9 Chengdu (B, L)

Transfer via: personal car on our arrangement

Today, you will trip to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, Wuhou Temple, and the Ancient Jinli Street.

- Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding:
Covering an area of 600 acres, the base is located at the Axe Hill 10 kilometers from the north suburb of Chengdu City. The environment here is exquisitely designed; the air is refreshing with the bamboo growing luxuriantly and flocks of wild birds flying around. (There are two Personal interactions with the panda bears in base. One is enjoying seeing Feeding at 9am or 2pm and another is taking photo with them by donating RMB300-500 for adult pandas or RMB50-100 for panda cubs. Could you please consult with our guide who will be there assisting you about it before you visit the pandas? You will be highly appreciated if can do something for them.)

-Wuhou Temple:
It is a place to commemorate Zhuge Kongming in Three Kingdoms around 2 and 3 centuries. Zhuge Kongming is an avatar of wisdom in China. (You may read his stories in the Classical Chinese novel: The Romance of the Three Kingdoms)

-Ancient Jinli Street:
Is a charming narrow lane lined with interesting shops, venders, restaurants, teahouses and bars, featuring west Sichuan customs and culture of the Three Kingdoms Period (208-280 A.D.). Tourists soak up atmosphere of days gone by which comes from the hundred years old buildings and traditional trades, such as sugar candy-making, puppet and shadow shows, artists doing calligraphy and paintings.

Day 10 (B, L) Chengdu/Leshan/ Mt.Emei (B, L)

Transfer via: personal car on our arrangement

This morning, you will be accompanied to see the Giant Buddha in Leshan. After that, be transferred to Mt. Emei.

- Leshan Giant Buddha:
Originally caved in 713 A.D. and finally accomplished in 803 A.D. The Buddha is so big that the ancient Chinese poets wrote: ""the Buddha is a Mountain, the Mountain is a Buddha. The Giant Buddha is located to the east of Leshan City, Sichuan Province and on the Lingyun Mountain where Min River, Qingyi River and Dadu River meet.

Note:
You can take a cruise boat from Leshan City to have an overlook at the giant Buddha, but you many only have 30-minute visit by this way. Usually, we arrange our tourists to visit there by car because by this way they can have a walk around the Buddha (stay there for about one hour and a half).

Day 11 Mt. Emei (B, L)

Transfer via: personal car on our arrangement

After breakfast, take the cable car to visit the Monastery of Ten Thousand Years, and then view the landscape of the Emei Mountain.

-Monastery of Ten Thousand Years:
Also called Wannian Monastery, which is the largest of the eight monasteries that found on Mount Emei. It is dedicated to Bodhisattva Puxian who famous for his preaching. The monastery is 1,043 meters above sea level, was built in the 4th century. It was burned several times in the following centuries. The present brick building was reconstructed in the Ming dynasty (1368-1644).

- Emei Mountain:
One of the most famous mountains for Buddhism in China. It is famous for the temples, beautiful scenery and natural wonders. 

Day 12 Mt. Emei/Chengdu (B)

Transfer via: China domestic flight (our arrangement) or international flight (your own arrangement).

Drive back to Chengdu for the flight to your next destination.

Service End