5 Days Best Yunnan Tour (Lijiang and Shangri-La)

5 Days Lijiang and Shangri-la tour is designed for travellers who have short-term holidays and want to make a short trip. For most of the foreign travellers, Lijiang and Shangri-La are regarded as the most popular destinations of Yunnan Province. Lijiang is charming for its Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and Lijiang Old town, and Shangri-la is mysterious for its Ganden Sumtseling Monastery and Tibetan culture. Another impressive part is Tiger Leaping Gorge sightseeing which can not be missed if you visit Lijiang or Shangri-la. 

Highlights

  • Visit the famous attractions, such as Lijiang Old town, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Tiger Leaping Gorge, and Pudacuo National Park.
  • Experience the ethnic life and culture in Lijiang and Shangri-la.

Breif Itinerary

  • Day 1 Arrive in Lijiang
  • Day 2 Lijiang
  • Day 3 Lijiang – Tiger Leaping Gorge – Shangri-La
  • Day 4 Shangri-La
  • Day 5 Departure from Shangri-La

Google Map

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1 Lijiang Arrival

Sightseeing and Activities:Arrive in Lijiang
Accommodation: Lijiang
Meals: Lunch

Arrive at Lijiang,  pick up from airport and transfer to hotel for check in.

–Lijiang, a well-preserved old city of ethnic minorities with brilliant culture, is a central town of the Lijiang Autonomous County of the Naxi Ethnic Minority in Yunnan Province. Located on the plateau which is 2,400 meters above the sea level and embraced by the tree-covered Lion Mountain in the west, Elephant and Golden Row Mountains in the north, vast fertile fields in the southeast and crystal clear water running through, the old Town looks like a big jade ink slab, therefore got the alias the Town of Big Ink Slab (Dayanzhen). 

Day 2 Lijiang

Sightseeing and Activities:Baishui River, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Yak Meadow, Black Dragon Pool, Lijiang Old Town
Accommodation: Lijiang
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

In the morning, drive about 30 KM to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. You will take the sightseeing bus for a short visiting through the Baishuihe River, take the chairlift up to visit Yak Meadow (3700m) of 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 Yak Meadow (3700M).

After lunch, continue to visit Black Dragon Pool (Located at the foot of the Xiangshan Mountain (Elephant Hill) north of the city of Lijiang. As the water here is a lucid green color, it gained another name Jade Spring Park (Yuquan Park). There are many distinctive and ravishing sites in the park. Hiding in the lush trees or standing along the liquid pool is the antique and exquisite architectural pieces, which are in the style of Naxi.).

And explore Lijiang Ancient Town. Lijiang Ancient Town has a history of 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 3 Lijiang – Tiger Leaping Gorge – Shangri-La

Sightseeing and Activities:First Bend of the Yangtze River, Shigu Town,Tiger Leaping Gorge
Accommodation: Shangri-La
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

The-First-Bend-of-Yangtze-River-Lijiang-01

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 Old 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(Shangri-La section), 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.  Stroll around Dukezong Ancient Town, an important town of the Ancient Tea-horse Trade Caravan from Yunnan to Tibet and India. Walk 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. 

Check in your hotel.

Day 4 Shangri-La

Sightseeing and Activities:Pudaocuo National Park, Ganden Sumtseling Monastery, Dukezong Ancient Town, Guishan Hill, the largest Prayer Wheel
Accommodation: Shangri-La
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

In the morning, you’ll visit the tranquil Shudu Lake in Pudacuo National Park. It 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.

Continue to 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.

Day 5 Departure from Shangri-La

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

Pick up from hotel and move to airport for the departure flight.

Recommended Hotels

Destination 5 Star 4 Star 3 Star Hostels
Lijiang  Hilton Garden Inn  Wangfu Hotel Baisha Holiday Resort Local Hostel
Shangri-La Hylandia by Shangri-La Zhaxidele Hotel Shenqu Hotel Local Hostel

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 English-speaking tour guide and vehicle for transfers & sightseeing;
  • Service charge & government taxes;
  • Luggage transfers between airports and hotels;
  • Free-bottled mineral water;

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;