11 Days Yunnan Classic Tour with Jianshui Old Town and Yuanyang Hani Rice Terraces

Day 4 Yuanyang

Sightseeing and Activities: sunrise of Duoyishu Rice Terrace Field, Doyishu Village, Qingkou Hani Ethnic Village, Bada Rice Terrace, Shengcun Market, the sunset of Longshuba Rice Terraces
Accommodation: Yuanyang
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 5 Yuanyang-Kunming

Sightseeing and Activities:Xiushan Mountain Park, the Six Gezi Wooden Caving Doors in Sansheng Palace, Xingmeng Mongolian Village
Accommodation: Kunming
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

In the morning you’ll drive back to Kunming. On the way, visit Xiushan Mountain Park, the Six Gezi Wooden Caving Doors in Sansheng Palace and Xingmeng Mongolian Village. Arrive in Kunming in the late afternoon.

Day 6 Kunming – Dali

Sightseeing and Activities:the Three-pagodas in Chongshen Temple, Erhai Lake Cruise, Dali Ancient Town
Accommodation: Dali
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

In the morning, take the high speed train to Dali. As a historically and culturally famous city of China, it is renowned for her historical interest and Bai ethnic culture. After landing, you will visit the Three Pagodas in Chongshen Monastery which has a history of over 1,800 years located at the foot of Cangshan Mountain facing to the Erhai Lake. Three Pagodas are made of three ancient independent pagodas forming a symmetrical triangle.

After lunch, you’ll cruise in Erhai Lake by the small boat to the Jinsuo Islet in the east Erhai Lake. There are 200 Bai ethnic families around 1000 people in Jinsuo Island. In Erhai Lake cruise, you will enjoy the green Cangshan Mountain and the Three Pagodas from a far as well as lots of birds and seagulls flying over the lake. At last, you will visit the Ancient Dali Town, walk around the Foreigner Street and enjoy the relax time with local people. After climbing up to the City Wall of Dali, you will have a panoramic view of the Erhai Lake.

Day 7 Dali -Lijiang

Sightseeing and Activities:Xizhou Town, Zhoucheng Village, Black Dragon Pool, Dongba Museum, Lijiang Ancient Town
Accommodation: Lijiang
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Today, you will head for Xizhou Town to fully appreciate Bai-style traditional architectural courtyards, taste their fragrant Three-Course Tea and explore their distinctive culture. Visit Zhoucheng Village and the Bai people’s Tie-dying cloth workshop where you can take some special souvenir with the Bai ethnic style.

Drive about 180KM to Lijiang with the beautiful farmlands and ethnic villages on the way. Lunch at NO.8 Restaurant at the bank of Black Dragon Pool, after lunch you’ll head for the scenic Black Dragon Pool and the Dongba Museum to explore the rich Naxi minority culture.

In the late afternoon, explore Lijiang Old Town. Lijiang Old Town has a history more than 800 years; it was listed as the World Cultural Heritage by the UNESCO 1997. Here you will see the wonderful wooden architecture of Naxi ethnic people.

Day 8 Lijiang

Sightseeing and Activities: Ganhaizi Meadow, Baishuhe River, Yulong Snow Mountain,Spruce Meadow, Baisha Old Town and Baisha Murals
Accommodation: Lijiang
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 9 Lijiang- Shangri-La

Sightseeing and Activities:First Bend on the Yangtze River, the Iron Chain Bridge, the Red Army’s Long March Memorial Monument, Tiger Leaping Gorge
Accommodation: Shangri-La
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

From Lijiang, you’ll drive about 60KM to the First Bend on the Yangtze River with imposing gorge scenery, visit the Iron Chain Bridge, the Red Army’s Long March Memorial Monument in the Shigu town. The town of Stone Drum got its name from a large, cylindrical, marble tablet shaped like a drum. The scenery is magnificent as the road running through the Lijiang valley which is filled with wheat fields and drying haystacks. 

Visit the Tiger Leaping Gorge, the deepest gorge in the world. With 34 rapids of the Yangtze River, it is called the Jinsha in this area because you can find gold in the river. Afternoon, you’ll head for Shangri La, the former Zhongdian which is well-known as the paradise destination for every tourist. Upon arrival in Shangri La, you will have entered the Tibetan cultural area and a landscape of barley fields and yaks scattered in the valleys. 

Day 10 Shangri-La

Sightseeing and Activities:Sogzanlin Monastery, the Bita Lake & Shudu Lake, Dukezong Ancient Town, Guishan Hill, the largest Prayer Wheel
Accommodation: Shangri-La
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

In the morning, visit the Ganden Sumtseling Monastery, the largest Tibetan monastery in Yunnan. Songzanlin Monastery has another alias – ‘the little Potala Palace ‘, so named because the whole monastery is in the traditional style with mysterious atmosphere.

And afterwards you’ll visit the tranquil Bita Lake & Shudu Lake in Pudacuo National Park. Pudacuo National Park is located in one of the most biologically-diverse regions of the world. While the region comprises only 0.7 percent of China’s land area, it contains more than 20 percent of the country’s plant species, about one-third of its mammal and bird species and almost 100 endangered species.

Visit Dukezong Tibetan Ancient Town in the late afternoon, climb up to the top of Guishan Hill or Tortoise Hill, you will see the largest Prayer Wheel of the world and have a panoramic view of shangri-La county and Dukezong Ancient Town.

Day 11 Departure from Shangri-La

Sightseeing and Activities: Departure from Shangri-La
Accommodation: None
Meals: Breakfast

Transfer to Shangri-La airport for the departure flight to next place.