12-Day Yunnan Natural Views Minorities And Shangri La Exploration

Day 1 Arrival/Kunming (no meals)

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

Greeted by your local guide and driver at the airport, and then be picked up to the hotel. The guide will assist you in checking in. Remainder of the day is at your own leisure.

Day 2 Kunming/Stone Forest/Yuanyang (B/L/D)

In the morning, you will be picked up (about 1.5hrs drive) to see the Stone Forest. After lunch in a local restaurant, proceed to Yuanyang (approx 5hrs drive) to view the Tiger Mouth Terraced Rice Fields. Have dinner in a local restaurant.

-Stone Forest: the Yunnan Stone Forest is 78 km away from Kunming. It covers an area of 350 square kilometers and known of its unique aesthetic karst peaks, grotesque rocks, strange caves, flying-down cascades, mountain lakes and the ethnic culture and customs.

-Tiger Mouth Terraced Rice Fields: the terraced rice fields near by the Tiger Mouth, which claim as the world's largest and most spectacular one, crafted out by bare hands by the Hani people one thousand years ago and is still in use today. Here, the landscape changes vividly through the year. The flooded paddies from Dec. to April create reflecting pool effect, which is a photographer's dream. In summer, the paddies are luxuriantly green with growing rice stalks. After the fall harvest, the paddies become naked bare earth. 

Day 3 Yuanyang /Jianshui (B/L/D)

Weather permitting, get up early to Duo Yi Shu Terraced Rice Fields to see sunrise. On the way back, visit Hani minority Market at Shengcun Village. (If it's raining, visit daily market in the Old Town, and then go to Qingkou Hani minority village) By road (about 1.5 hrs) to the new town Nan Sha for lunch, then continue to a Hani minority village named Huang Cao Ba. In the late afternoon, arrive Jianshui and visit Confucius Temple and Changyang City Gate. Lunch and dinner in local restaurants

-Jianshui County:
Numbering 12 centuries since its construction, the ancient Jianshui County is considered a famous national historic & culture city. With over 50 well-preserved ancient buildings, the city is sometimes referred to as the Museum of Ancient Buildings or the Museum of Folk Houses. Representative buildings include the biggest Confucian Temple in the country (built in the Yuan Dynasty), the Chaoyang Tower (built in the Ming Dynasty), and a vernacular dwelling known as Zhu's Garden. There is also the Shuanglong Bridge (Double Dragon Bridge), the largest ancient bridge in Yunnan Province as well as the Examination Shed of the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

Day 4 Jianshui/Kunming (B/L/D)

In the morning, visit Double Dragon Bridge and Family Zhang's Garden at Tuanshan Village. After lunch drive back to Kunming (about 4.5rs drive). Lunch and dinner in local restaurants

Double Dragon Bridge: built in the Qing Dynasty, such an ancient bridge is rare anywhere in China, and this is the largest in Yunnan. It has seventeen sections, three pagodas, and is 180 meters long!

Zhang Family's Garden: the Zhang Family's Garden is a fascinating collection of traditional Chinese folk dwellings and temples. The family was so wealthy that stores filtered to the capital, Kunming, of the Zhang family paying craftsmen the same weight in silver as they carved in wood for the interiors of the Zhang Family's Garden. The wooden carvings in this area need to be seen to be believed. They're immensely think, multiple-layered and feature a tangle of creatures, figures and plants. There are great stone carvings too.

Day 5 Kunming/ Dali (B/L/D)

Take morning flight to Dali (about 40 minutes) to visit the Dali Old Town and Xizhou Minority Village. After that, visit the Three Pagodas.

- Dali Ancient Town: first established in 1382 AD, with a moat surrounding it. This old town has a typical layout like a chessboard, old-timey roofed buildings with dark blue tiles and the white and gray walls.

-Xizhou Bai Minority Village: a photogenic village 20km north of Dali, where Bai minority people are living and where you can get some ideas of the Bais' flair for architecture and elegant living.

-Three Pagodas: at the foot of the Zhonghe Peak of the Cang Mountain, part of Chongshen Monastery, they are an emblem of the city's venerated history. The tallest of the trio, which is 69.13 meters high, was built in 836 AD, while two smaller ones were built during a later period.

Day 6 Dali/Lijing (B/L/D)

In the morning, drive to Lijiang(3.5hrs), on the way visit Xizhou (Xichou) Market. After arrival in Lijiang, visit the Black Dragon Pool Park, and then roam in the old town. Lunch and dinner are served at the local restaurants.

-Xizhou Market: This market is not huge, but it gives you the chance to see some Bai women with their traditional clothes and hats.In Xizhou, though the market offers the opportunity to take a lot of pics, do not stop just there, go outside the main streets and wander around the town, you will have the chance to see some local houses, architecture and above all other daily activities different from selling handicrafts and vegetables.

-Black Dragon Pool Park: where you can see the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain from afar and the reflection of the mountain in the pool in a clear day. This park is the source of the water system of the Old Lijiang Town as the clean spring from Jade Dragon Snow Mountain gathers here.

Day 7 Lijiang (B/L/D)

Pay a visit to the Yuhu Village and the former residence of Dr Joseph Rock, and then Baisha Murals. Drive to Shuhe Old Town; watch Naxi Cultural show in the evening.

-Yuhu Village: Yuhu's great claim to outside fame was that  Otherwise, Yuhu was, and still is, home to some 1,300
villagers, mostly farmers. The houses here were made of a unique stone called ""monkey head"" by Naxi people. The stone is something between stone and mud. With the reflction of the stone on the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain,look very natural and beautiful. There is a Yuhe Lake beside the village. Water in this lake comes from he melted snow in the mountains. That is why Joseph Rock chose this place to live in when he came in 1922. He lived in Lijiang for 27 years.
-Rock Joseph's Former Residence: Rock was known as an expert on the cultures and geography of far-southwestern China. He built a house in Yuhu Village and lived in it off and on during the 1920s and 30s. The things used by him in Lijiang while working for the National Geographic Society U.S. still keeping there.

-Baisha Murals: located in Baisha Township, 8km north of Lijiang, there are 53 groups of mural paintings in different temples with fine and smooth lines, bright colors, vivid patterns and harmonious composition. Painted from the early days of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) to the early Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), these mural paintings are an artistic representation of the different religious cultures such as Buddhism, Lamaism, Daoism and the Naxi Dongba religion.

Shuhe Old Town: ""Shuhe"", in the Naxi Language, means ""the village at the foot of the high mountain"". The village is famous for its surrounding sceneries, the vernacular dwellings, the traditional private bandhnu cloth mills and the residents themselves-the Naxi people. In ancient times this village (town) was one the important stages along the famous ""Ancient Tea and Horse Road"".

-Naxi Cultural show: a very wonderful show performed by the indigenous Naxi people including folk dances, garments, customs, ancient music and their mysterious religions...

Day 8 Lijiang/Shangri-La (B/L/D)

Today, drive to visit the Tiger Leaping Gorge in Shangri-la side. After that, continue to drive to Shangri-la. Lunch and dinner at local restaurants

-Tiger Leaping Gorge: The gorge is 80m or more at the widest, or only about 30m at the narrowest, a most dangerous section of Yangtze River about 18km long. From the top of the gorge tourists can look down the steeply angled mountain sides to the rushing Golden Sands River (Jingshajiang) with its 18 frothing rapids more than 200 meters below.The gorge also affords tourists the possibility of rafting and drifting peacefully in its large quiet sections.

-Shagri-la: located in the Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Yunnan Province. In the Tibetan language, Shangri-La means a place of good fortune and luck. Today, Shagri-la County still remains an untainted natural paradise: the tranquil idyllic grassland, snow-covered peaks, mysterious lamaseries, leafy forests, agminate sheep and cattle…

Day 9 Shangri-La (B/L/D)

After breakfast, drive to visit the fascinating Gedan Songzanlin Lamasery and Zhongdian Old Town (Zhongdian: the old name of Shangri-La). The afternoon is at your own leisure.

-The Gedan Songzanlin Lamasery: built in the Ming Dynasty and expanded in the Qing Dynasty, which is nicknamed ""Lesser Potala Palace"", is the biggest monastery of Traditional Tibetan Buddhism in Yunnan Province and one of the thirteen lama-series in the Kangba area.

Day 10 Shangri-La (B/L/D)

Transfer via: private car on our arrangement

In the morning drive to visit Pudacuo Forest Park (include Shudu Lake and Bita Lake).

-Shudu Lake: Shudu Lake is one of the largest lakes in Shangri-la. It is a calm lake surrounded by pasture and forest flowers.Here is a good camping spot in the summertime and some local people offer horse rides for five Yuan. The altitude here is over 3,700 meters! However, it doesn't affect you because the dense forest around here produces enough oxygen. 

-Bita Lake: located in Shangri-La County of North-western Yunnan, the lake is embraced by mountains and teeming with fish. The lake area is a good place for the ecotourism exploitation. Due to the road condition, you need to walk 7km on your own or ride a horse before you reach the lake.

Day 11 Shangri-La/Kunming (B/L/D)

Transfer via: China domestic flight (our arrangement)

After breakfast, be picked up to take morning flight to Kunming. Be met in the airport, and then visit the Dragon Gate in Western Hills, where you will overlook the beautiful Dianchi Lake. In the afternoon, proceed to visit the Bamboo Temple.

Western Hills: located at the west bank of the Dianchi Lake, is set in mountains well covered by evergreen woods and filled with sweet songs by lovely birds, perfect for hiking. Dragon Gate consists of the Sanqing Temple Complex and the Dragon Gate Grotto Complex.

-Dragon Gate in Western Hills: built on the cliffy hill and completed in the Qing dynasty, it includs the rock road, rooms, caves, balustrades, caves, figures of Buddha. It is the essential part of the Xishan Forest Park and the optimum site to view the beautiful Dianchi Lake.

- Dianchi Lake: Shore of Dianchi Lake is very rich in natural and human landscape, such as the Yunnan ethnic villages, Yunnan Ethnic Museum, Huating Temple, Daguanlou, Sanqing Temple, Panlong Temple, Dragon Gate, Zhenhe Park...are all around the lake. Teeming with fish, the people who live in east side land of the lake still live for fishery. Traditional fishing boats still sail on the lake hooking and netting.

Bamboo Temple: aka the Qiongzhu Temple, first built in the Tang Dynasty (618-907AD). Burned down and reconstructed in the 15th century, it was restored from 1883 to 1890 when the abbot employed the master Sichuan sculptor Li Guangxiu and his apprentices to fashion 500 Buddhist arhats.

Day 12 Kunming/Departure (B)

Transfer via: domestic flight (our arrangement) or International flight (your arrangement)

Be free until the guide and driver see you off at the airport .

Services End