13 Days Three Parallel Rivers Circle Adventure with Tiger Leaping Gorge and Yubeng Village Hiking Tour

Tour Overview

Originating in the Tanggula Mountain on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the Jinsha River, Lancang River and Nu River flow parallelly along the Hengduan Mountains for several hundred kilometers. For this tour,...

Code of Tour: YET0000003465

Length of Travel: 13 Day

Destinations of Tour: Lijiang-Tiger Leaping Gorge-Shangrila-Feilaisi-Meili Snow Mountain-Yubeng-Cizhong-Tacheng-Shigu-Lijiang

Departure City: Lijiang

Price of Tour: Request

Type of Tour:

Features of Tour: Nature Hiking Culture Landscape Wildlife

More Map & Picture

Originating in the Tanggula Mountain on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the Jinsha River, Lancang River and Nu River flow parallelly along the Hengduan Mountains for several hundred kilometers. For this tour, you will visit the highlights of Lijiang and Shangri-la. And you will have two trekking experience: Tiger Leaping Gorge(the most famous and must-visit attraction in Yunnan Province) trekking and Yubeng Village( a welcomed fairyland in Shangri-La) trekking.

Brief Itinerary

• Day 1: Lijiang Arrival
• Day 2: Lijiang
• Day 3: Lijiang – Tiger Leaping Gorge
• Day 4: Tiger Leaping Gorge – Baishuitai – Shangri-La
• Day 5: Shangri-La
• Day 6: Shangri-La-Benzilan-Feilaisi
• Day 7: Feilaisi-Xidang-Yubeng
• Day 8: Yubeng
• Day 9: Yubeng-Ninong-Cizhong
• Day 10: Cizhong-Weixi-Tacheng
• Day 11: Tacheng-Shigu-Lijiang
• Day 12: Lijiang
• Day 13: Lijiang Departure

Google Map

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1 Lijiang Arrival

Sightseeing and Activities:Arrive in Lijiang
Accommodation: Lijiang
Meals:None

Airport-hotel transfer.

Day 2 Lijiang

Sightseeing and Activities:Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Ganhaizi Meadow, Baishuihe River, Spruce Meadow, Impression Lijiang Show, Baisha Old Town and Mural
Accommodation:Lijiang
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Enjoy the sunrise of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and Lijiang Ancient Town in the morning, drive about 30KM to Ganhaizi Meadow(3100M), you will take the sightseeing bus for a short visiting through the Baishuihe River, take the chairlift up to visit Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. The cableway will be arranged according to the condition of the mountain. You will hike around 1 hour in the original forest in Spruce Meadow(3200M). After lunch, you’ll visit the Impression Lijiang Show.

Stroll through Baisha Old Town, which is an enchanting traditional Naxi style old town. Visit the Baisha Mural about 600 years old, which is one part of the World Cultural Heritage by the UNESCO 1997.

Day 3 Lijiang-Tiger Leaping Gorge

Sightseeing and Activities: hiking
Accommodation: Halfway Guesthouse
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

At 6:00, drive to Qiaotou Town, which will take 2 hours on the trip.  Tiger Leaping Gorge hiking tour is one of the most beautiful trekking tour of Yunnan Province. Your hiking trip starts from Qiaotou. About two hours trekking in the Upper Tiger Leaping Gorge, you will arrive at Naxi Family and have lunch there. It is an easy trekking from Qiaotou to Naxi Family, but with beautiful scenery.

After lunch, a trekking from Naxi Family to 28 zigzagging turns will be a challenge for you. From the top of “28 turns” on the high path further uphill to a place of altitude above 3000 m, you can have a view of the panorama of the entire Gorge.  Then go pass Tea Horse Guest House (5 hours) and arrive at Halfway Guesthouse (2500m) to finish today’s trekking. The total trekking route is 26 km, and it takes about 6-8 hours.

Day 5 Shangri-La

Sightseeing and Activities:Songzanlin Monastery, Pudacuo National Park
Accommodation: Shangri-La
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

In the morning, visit the Songzanlin 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.

Day 8 Yubeng Village

Sightseeing and Activities:Yubeng Village Trekking
Accommodation: Yubeng Village
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today we enjoy breakfast with breathtaking views of Kawagebo Meili Snow Mountain, if weather permits. We then hike to Yubeng waterfall and enjoy picnic lunch on the way (5-6 hours roundtrip, steep hike). Visit sacred sites, such as the local Tibetan Buddhist temple, then return to the village. In late afternoon, sip traditional Dri (a female YAK), butter tea with a farmer in Upper Yubeng village, while chatting about local life.

Recommended Hotels

Service Included:

• Admission fees for all of the sightseeing spots listed in the itinerary;
• Meals as listed in the itinerary;
• Hotels as listed in the itinerary;
• Private Chinese-speaking tour guide and vehicle for transfers & sightseeing;
• Service charge & government taxes;
• Luggage transfers between airports and hotels;
• Two bottles of mineral water each day;
• Horse fee for luggage while Yubeng trekking.

Service Excluded:

• Any arrival and departure international airfares or train tickets;
• Chinese visa fees;
• Excess baggage charged by Airlines;
• Single room supplement;
• Tips to guides and drivers;
• Personal expenses and gratuities to service staff;
• Personal travel accident insurance;
• All optional programs.

Travel Tips:

Tips of Yubeng Village Trekking Tour

• 1. Ensuring you will have enough time. The round trips from Hot Spring to Yubeng village needs two days at least, three days or four days are better.
• 2. We suggest that you choose trekking as far as possible because you can control your time and your pace and it is more convenient to take pictures. It takes some time to reach your destination by riding horse because horse needs to rest en route either, and riding horse is not cheap.
• 3. About equipment is mainly about clothing and shoes. It is humid in Meili area with plenty of rain, so you should pay attention to rain and moisture. And you have better prepare some insect repellent medicine to protect yourself from Tibetan louse.
• 4. About food, we suggest you to bring some chocolate and processed meat product, for example, you can buy some yak jerky in Lijiang and Zhongdian because it is difficult to eat fresh meat in Yubeng village, and daily foods are potatoes, vegetables and eggs. But physical consumption is high; vegetables cannot meet your needs.
• 5. There is signal from Xidang Hot Spring and Nazongla Pass, but after Nazongla Pass will remain off the hook. Therefore, Nazongla Pass is the last station you can keep contact with outside world.
• 6. Respect the local custom: in some places of Yubeng village, there is polygamy, that is women can be married to more than one people. When you communicate with Tibetans, you must pay attention to their subtle relationship.
• 7. Most of villagers of Yubeng have no regular education, they can’t read in general. And they speak Tibetan language; women and children can’t speak Mandarin in the most situations, so it is easier to talk with men.
• 8. Draw lots for the horse: if there are two people or more wants to ride horse, you need draw lots to decide to ride which horse. No matter what you get, you cannot change your horse by your own; otherwise you possibly rent no horse and cause troubles. This rule made by Tibetans is their own way to ensure fairness and it is useful in many places of Tibet.

Tips of Tiger Leaping Gorge Hiking Tour

Photography Tips

• High Path – you can take photos with Haba Snow Mountain and Jade Dragon Snow Mountain
• Naxi Family G.H. (纳西雅阁) and Tea-horse G.H. (茶马客栈) – best places to take photos of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain
• Note: along the route, some good viewing points will be charged RMB 3 – 5.

Best Time to Hike

• Avoiding Jun to Sept because it is the rainfall season which is dangerous and unsafety of the hiking route.
• Taking enough cool-proof clothes if you hike there after Oct.
• Note: Tiger Leaping Gorge weather can take the one of Lijiang as reference. Lijiang Climate & Weather page for information you need.

Packing List for Tiger Leaping Gorge Hiking

• Quick-dry light clothes
• Jacket
• Old antiskid shoes
• A bottle of mineral water
• Alpenstock
• Torch
• Small bag
• Food such as chocolate, sliced dried beef etc.
• Note: along the hiking route there are many guesthouse or small stores to supply and rest.