8 Days Best Yunnan Tour from Singapore

This Yunnan classic tour will lead you to visit most part of Yunnan Province. You will visit  the highlights of Kunming Dali Lijiang Shangrila , explore the Naxi, Bai and Tibetan minorities. The Tiger Leaping Gorge and the First Bend of the Yangtze River will be the most impressive part of your trip in Yunnan Province. It is not only a classic tour, but also a minority culture discovery tour.

Highlights:

  • Have a great tour in the “spring city” – Kunming and immerse yourselves in the stone wonderland.
  • Walk around Dali Old Town and cruise in Erhai Lake.
  • Step into the fantastic Lijiang Old Town and feel the mysterious Naxi culture.
  • Explore the earthly paradise with Tibetan Lama monastery, primitive forest.

Brief Itinerary

  • Day 1: Kunming Arrival
  • Day 2: Kunming – Stone Forest – Kunming
  • Day 3: Kunming – Dali
  • Day 4: Dali – Lijiang
  • Day 5: Lijiang
  • Day 6: Lijiang – Shangri-La
  • Day 7: Shangri-La
  • Day 8: Shangri-La Departure

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1 Kunming Arrival

Sightseeing and Activities:
Accommodation: Kunming
Meals:

Take flight AK101 from Kuala Lumpur International Airport, you will arrive Kunming Changshui Airport at 16:55, upon arrival, the local tour guide and driver will meet you in the arrival hall and escort you to your hotel.You’ll begin your journey to the diverse and captivating province of Yunnan from the capital city, Kunming.

Day 2 Kunming – Stone Forest – Kunming

Sightseeing and Activities:The Stone Forest, The Green Lake Park, The Flower and Birds Market
Accommodation: Kunming
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

The Stone Forest in Kunming.

At 9:00 am , our tour guide pick up you from your hotel lobby, and drive 86 km to the renowned Stone Forest, the ‘First Wonder of the World’. You’ll marvel at its natural stone masterpieces and be bewitched by the intricate formations. You feel like come into a ‘stone world’.

Afterwards, transfer back to Kunming downtown and stroll in the most picturesque park in Kunming urban area – the Green Lake Parka charming area of tea houses and small boutiques selling handicrafts and beautiful local paintings. Here you can share the happiness of local people’s doing Tai chi, performing local opera, and other vibrant activities. If you visit the park in November or December, you will see the grandeur of huge flocks of red-beaked seagulls that migrate there from Siberia. Then stroll in the Flowers and Birds Market in the downtown.

After tour , transfer back to your hotel.

Day 3 Kunming -Dali by High Speed Train

Sightseeing and Activities:Three pagodas in Chongsheng Monastery, Erhai lake, Dali Old town
Accommodation: Dali
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Sea gulls are seen flying over Erhai Lake in Dali in Southwest China's Yunnan province

In the morning, take the high speed train to Dali (about 2 hours), a historically and culturally famous city of China, is renowned for her historical interest and Bai ethnic culture.

Upon arrival, pay a visit to the Three Pagodas in Chongsheng 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 will take the cruise inErhai Lake by the small boat to the Luoquan Peninsula 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 theThree 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 panoramic view of the Erhai Lake.

–Erhai Lake is the largest highland lake next to Dianchi and one of the seven biggest fresh water lakes in China. It means, ‘sea shaped like an ear’, in Chinese. Implying that the lake is ear shaped and as large as a sea,.

Day 4 Dali – Lijiang

Sightseeing and Activities:Xizhou Old Town, Zhoucheng Village, Black Dragon Pond, Dongba Culture Museum, Lijiang Old Town
Accommodation: Lijiang
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Yulong Pond and Black Dragon Pool in Fengqing County, Lincang

In the morning, visit the 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 Tie-dying cloth workshop where you can take some special souvenir with the Bai ethnic style.

Then drive to Lijiang (180km), meeting with your guide and move to visit Black Dragon Pond (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. Visit  Dongba Culture Museum nearby.

Finally explore Lijiang Old TownLijiang Ancient 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 5 Lijiang

Sightseeing and Activities:Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Impression Lijiang Show, Baisha Murals
Accommodation: Lijiang
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

This morning, you will  drive about 30KM to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. upon arrival, you will take the sightseeing bus for a short visiting through the Baishuihe River, take the chairlift up to visit Spruce Meadow(3200m ) of  Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. The cableway will be arranged according to the condition of the mountain. You will walk around 1 hour in the original forest in Spruce Meadow(3200m ).

After lunch, you will enjoy the Impression Lijang Ethnic Show (regular seat) 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, with a cast of over 500 people and a number of horses.

And go to transfer to Baisha Old Town in the late afternoon. Pay a visit to Baisha Murals, which is one part of the World Cultural Heritage by the UNESCO 1997.

Day 6 Lijiang-Shangri-La

Sightseeing and Activities:The First Bend of Yangze River, Shigu Old Town, The Stone Drum,Tiger Leaping Gorge, Dukezong Old Town
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 Bridgethe 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. Walk 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 shangrila county and Dukezong Ancient Town.

Check in your hotel.

Day 7 Shangri-La

Sightseeing and Activities:Songzanlin Monastery, Pudcuo National Park, Tibetan Family Visiting
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.

After that, pay a visit to a Tibetan Family and have Yak Butter lunch in the family.

And afterwards you’ll visit the tranquil  Shudu Lake in Pudacuo National Park  which 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 Departure from Shangri-La

Sightseeing and Activities:Departure from Shangri-La
Accommodation:
Meals: Breakfast

Free at leisure before be transferred to Shangri-La airport for the departure flight to Kunming, then take flight AK102 at 17:55 back home, service ends.

Recommended Hotels

Destination 5 Star 4 Star 3 Star Hostel
Kunming Crown Plaza Kunming City Centre Wenhui Hotel Baiyun Hotel T&T Story Hotel
Dali Hilton Dali Resort And Spa Landscape Hotel Taiheju Hotel Dali Fengxue Gucheng
Lijiang InterContinental Lijiang Wangfu Hotel Louwailou Hotel Baisha Holiday Resort
Shangri-La Shangri-La Hotel Zhaxidele Hotel Shenqu Hotel Wu Fu South Yunnan Boutique Inn

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;
  • High speed train tickets from Kunming to Dali (2nd class seats).

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.