9-Day Yunnan Ethnic Odyssey

Day 1 Arrival in Kunming (D)

Upon your arrival at the Kunming Airport, your guide and driver will pick you up to the hotel. After checking in, visit the Bamboo Monastery.

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 2 Kunming/Stone Forest/Kunming (B, L)

After breakfast, drive 90km to Lunan County to view the Stone Forest. In the afternoon drive back to Kunming to see the Golden Temple.

-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.

Golden Temple: a Taoist temple, using 280 tons of solid bronze, the temple is the largest of its kind in China. With bronze pillars, ornate doorframes, fittings and roofs, laid on a white marble foundation, dates from the Ming Dynasty. Except for the staircases, floor, and balustrades, which are made of marble, the walls, columns, rafters, roof tiles, windows, altars, Buddha statues, curling dragons, wall decorations and the tablet near the gate tower are all made of copper. The burnished copper gleamed like gold and that is why people named it the Golden Temple.

Day 3 Kunming to Xinping (B, L, D)

Drive from Kunming to Xinping to see the Mt. Mopan Forest Park, and then visit the village of Yi minority people and the village of Hani minority people.

Day 4 Xinping – Yuanjiang (B, L, D)

After breakfast, drive from Xinping to Yuanjiang. Visit villages of Dai minority people.

Day 5 Yuanjiang – Yuanyang (B, L, D)

Drive from Yuanjiang to Yuanyang to visit the villages of Miao minority people.

Day 6 Yuanyang (B, L, D) 

Get up early morning and drive 28km to enjoy a spectacular view of sunrise from the scenic mountain rice terraced fields at Duoyishu Village. After that exciting time, visit a local minority morning market as well as elegant small terraces at Shengcun Village. Afterwards, go on climbing to the Tiger Mouth to overlook an extensive view of the rice terraces. Lastly, pay a visit to Qingkou (Jinkou) Hani Ethnic Village.

-Visit the ethnic minority villages and markets: can see the locals wear their colorful traditional costumes. In Village, you will see the unique mushroom houses and Hani performance show,

-Yuanyang Terraced Rice Fields: Yuanyang Rice Terraces 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. Yuanyang Rice Terrace is a self sustaining ecosystem. During winter to early spring, the entire field is irrigated with spring water from the forest above to rejuvenate and getting prepared for the next season. The Hani people have repeated this for more than a thousand years. There is only one harvest in a year for the Yuanyang Rice Terrace; planting is from March to Oct./Nov. every year.

Note:
be careful when hike along the steep rice terrace paths - they can be quite slippery.

Day 7 Yuanyang - Jianshui (B, L, D)

After breakfast, drive from Yuanyang to Jianshui and enjoy the beautiful sceneries along the road. Upon reaching jianshui, visit the Family Zhu's Garden and the famous Confucius Temple.

-Family Zu's Garden: the Private Garden of the Zhu Family lies in Jianshui Street, Jianshui County, has a total area of 20,000 square meters and a floor space of 5,000 square meters, This grand complex is a typical local residence with distinctive features .As it was built by Zhu Chaoying and his brother in the late Qing Dynasty.

-Jianshui Confucius Temple: The biggest temple in Yunnan Province, built in the 22nd year of the Zhiyuan era of the Yuan Dynasty (1285A.D.). 

Day 8 Jianshui/Kunming (B, L)

Drive from Jianshui to Kunming, on the way visit the beautiful Fuxian Lake in Chengjiang County.

Fuxian Lake: at an altitude of 1,750 meters, waters with a depth of 153 meters, Fuxian Lake is the second deepest lake in Yunnan. An old story goes that an unknown old city of ancient ""Yunnan Kingdom"" had sunk deep at the bottom of the Fuxian Lake in several millenary years ago.

Day 9 Kunming/Departure (B, L)

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

After breakfast, make an excursion to the Dragon Gate in Western Hills, and then visit the Kunming Birds and Flowers Market. Transfer to the airport for your departure flight.

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.

-Kunming Birds and Flowers Market: the most interesting attraction within the downtown area of the Kunming City. This comprehensive public market is for leisure, shopping, eating and trading. Rambling on the market street, you can see hundreds of shops and stalls of all kinds. It is the best place to know the local people and their life.

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