6 Days Lijiang Discovery Tour with Lugu Lake and Tiger Leaping Gorge

Lugu Lake is a lake with different shades of color, such as turquoise blue, sapphire blue, white-gray, etc. It’s an amazing lake with beautiful sceneries. Around the lake, inhabited a mysterious ethnic minority people—Mosuo people which is the last tribe of Chinese matriarchal society. The tour from Lijiang to Lugu Lake will give you an unforgettable experience of your life time. 

Highlights:

  • Cruise in Lugu Lake and be amazed at its intriguing lake view.
  • Indulged into the charm of Tiger Leaping Gorge.
  • Step into ethnic village to experience mysterious ethnic culture.
  • Hike and explore Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.

Brief Itinerary

  • Day 1: Lijiang Arrival
  • Day 2: Lijiang – Shigu Town -Tiger Leaping Gorge -Lijiang
  • Day 3: Lijiang -Jade Dragon Snow Mountain-Lijiang
  • Day 4: Lijiang-Ninglang County-Lugu Lake
  • Day 5: Lugu Lake -Yongning-Ninglang-Lijiang
  • Day 6: Departure from Lijiang

Google Map

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1 Arrive in Lijiang

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

Arrive in Lijiang. Pick you up at Lijiang airport or train station. Transfer to hotel.

Day 2 Lijiang – Shigu Town -Tiger Leaping Gorge -Lijiang

Sightseeing and Activities:Shigu Ancient Town, the Iron Chain Bridge, Stone Drum,Tiger Leaping Gorge,Dukezong Ancient Town
Accommodation: Lijiang
Meals: Breakfast and 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 Bridgethe 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. 

Drive back to Lijiang.

Day 3 Lijiang -Jade Dragon Snow Mountain-Lijiang

Sightseeing and Activities:Lijiang -Jade Dragon Snow Mountain-Lijiang
Accommodation: Lijiang
Meals: Breakfast and Lunch 

Enjoy the sunrise of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and Lijiang Ancient Town in the morning, drive about 30 KM to Ganhaizi Meadow(3100M), you will take the sightseeing bus for a short visiting through the Baishuihe Rivertake 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 hours in the original forest in Spruce Meadow (3200M).

After lunch, you will enjoy the Impression Lijiang Ethnic Show directed in Ganhaizi Meadow(3100M). A cultural show demonstrating the traditions and lifestyles of the Naxi, Yi and Bai peoples of the area. The show takes place inside Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Park at 3500m in an outdoor theater specifically designed to showcase the mountain which is used as a backdrop. The production itself was designed by Zhang Yimou, Fan Yue and Wang Chaoge, a cast of over 500 people, and a number of horses.

In the afternoon, you’ll stroll through Baisha Old Town, which is an enchanting traditional Yunnan town. Visit the Baisha Murals about 600 years old, which is one part of the World Cultural Heritage by the UNESCO 1997.

Day 4 Lijiang-Ninglang County-Lugu Lake

Sightseeing and Activities:the upper Yangtze Grand Canon,Yi Ethnic Villages, Heiwawu Island and Liwubi Island of Luguhu Lake, Mosuo Culture Museum
Accommodation: Lijiang
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

In the morning, drive 4-5 hrs on the spectacle mountain road to visit the mysterious Lugu Lake. On the way, enjoy the beautiful view among the huge mountains and rivers. We plan to start your walking from Jin’anqiao Bridge to Shudi along the road at the bank of Yangtze River. You will see the beautiful canon and Yi ethnic people’s villages in the steep mountains. After 1 hour walking in the canon, we will continue the driving and we can stop in many Yi villages.

In the late afternoon, you will take the canoes to visit Liwubi Island in Lugu Lake. Pay a visit to Mosuo Culture Museum and learn the Mosuo ethnic custom in the museum. Enjoy the sunset wonder of Luguhu Lake in Luoshui Village. In the eveningtake part in Mosuo Bonfire Party with ethnic dance and singing performance.You will dance and sing with Mosuo boys and girls around a big bonfire in the outdoors theatre.

Day 5 Lugu Lake -Yongning-Ninglang-Lijiang

Sightseeing and Activities:Zhamei Monastery, Mosuo Ethnic Market in Yongning, Mosuo Ethnic Home-made,Pumi and Yi Ethnic Villages
Accommodation: Lijiang
Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Zhamei Monastery in Ninglang County, Lijiang

In the morning, you will drive about 20Km to visit the Zhamei Lamaist Monastery which is the biggest lamasery in Moso area Yongning Town. Tibetan people call Yongning as “taluo”, meaning “the way to heaven”. The place the Zhamei Lamasery lies in is called “Zhameige”, which means “no war”. The coincidence of these two names make the Lamasery even famous in Tibet.

Yongning Town is an important town of the Ancient Tea-Horse Trade Caravan from Yunnan to Tibet. Located between Yunnan and Sichuan, Yongning keeps the original ethnic life which is still not damaged by tourists. You will visit Mosuo Market in Yongning Town. We will arrange a Mosuo family to visit and have lunch in Mosuo family, enjoy the Mosuo real life in a village.
 
Afternoon, drive back to Lijiang. On the way to Ninglang Town, where you will stop to visit a Pumi Ethnic Village and Pumi Family. The ancestors of Pumi were a nomadic tribe living in the southern part of Gansu Province and the eastern part of Qinghai Province. Later, their descendants moved south to warmer areas along the Hengduan Mountain Range. After the 13th century, the Pumi ethnic group gradually settled down in Ninglang, Lijiang, Weixi and Lanping counties.

Day 6 Departure from Lijiang

Sightseeing and Activities:Departure from Lijiang
Accommodation: None
Meals: Breakfast

Pick up from hotel and transfer to Lijiang airport for the departure flight. Service ends.

Recommended Hotels

Destination 5 Star 4 Star 3 Star Hostels
Lijiang InterContinental Hotels Group E-outfitting Hotel Group Liwang Hotel Lijiang Ecolife Hostel
Lugu Lake Date One Vocational Hotel Yunshang Vocational Hotel Qieman Vocational Hotel Guanjin Hotel

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;
  • Private vehicle for transfers & sightseeing with skilled driver;
  • Service charge & government taxes;
  • Luggage transfers between airports and hotels.

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.