11 Days Yunnan Ethnic Minority’s Markets Discovery and Long Street Banquet Celebration Tour

This 11-day tour will bring you to discover the most colorful and mysterious ethnic cultures in Yunnan, you can step into several local ethnic villages, attend local markets and visit local food workshop to get a better understanding of their daily lives and cultures. Also, taking part in their annuel food festival-the Long Street Banquet in which more than 300 families in the village would present banquet of 300-odd tables and you will  be treated as honored guests.Besides, this is a tour about natural landscape discovery, you can fully appreciate the typical landscape of Yunnan – mountainous and streamy, and Yuanyang Rice Terraces will be the most attraction of your tour.

Highlights

  • Meet diverse ethnic cultures in local villages and local markets.
  • Lose yourselves in the joy of celebrating the Long Street Banquet in Lvchun.
  • Be amazed at the fabulous views of acres of Yuanyang Rice Terraces.
  • Appreciate the mountainous and streamy landscape along the route.

Brief Itinerary

  • Day 1: Kunming Arrival
  • Day 2: Kunming-Jianshui
  • Day 3: Jianshui-Yuanyang
  • Day 4: Yuanyang
  • Day 5: Yuanyang-Jinping
  • Day 6: Jinping-Mengla
  • Day 7: Mengla-Laomeng
  • Day 8: Laomeng-Lvchun
  • Day 9: Lvchun
  • Day 10: Lvchun-Kunming
  • Day 11: Kunming Departure

Google Map

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1 Kunming  Arrival

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

Welcome to Yunnan! Your guide and driver will pick you up from Kunming Airport upon arrival and transfer you downtown where you’ll check in your hotel. Have a good rest. You can explore Flowers & Birds Market (close to your hotel) if you like.

Option for the evening: The Dynamic Yunnan Show in Kunming’s Art Theatre is an original ethnic dance musical. It was directed by Yang Liping and has been an outstanding gain to the Chinese stages in recent years. Primitive, unsophisticated folk dances and a fresh artistic concept converge in the program, giving audiences a unique “Yunnan Impression.” The show starts at 20:00h and lasts for 1.5 hours. The show is highly recommended by Yunnan Exploration Travel and tripadvisor. For people interested in minority culture, this is a must-see not to be missed when in Kunming!

Day 2 Kunming-Jianshui

Sightseeing and Activities:Chengzi Village, Tuanshan Village, Zhang Family Garden 
Accommodation:Jianshui
Meals:B,L

Trip to The Alu Cave and Chengzi Ancient Village in Luxi County

In the morning, we will pick you up at your hotel in Kunming and start our tour at Chengzi Village, some 175 km east of Kunming. This ancient village is a beautifully arranged aggregation of old and original Tuzhang buildings of the Yi people. It’s a great spot for taking pictures. Stroll through the village and get a good impression and view about the life of local people.

After that,  drive to Jianshui. We visit Tuanshan Village on the way and reach our hotel in the evening. We take a good rest before exploring the area the day after.

Day 3 Jianshui-Yuanyang

Sightseeing and Activities:Jianshui Ancient Town, a local tofu workshop, Zhu’s Family Garden, Chaoyang Archway, Shuanglong Bridge
Accommodation:Yuanyang
Meals:B,L

Today, we will visit Jianshui Ancient Town and attend a local tofu workshop as tofu is one of the most important food of the area. Afterwards we have a look at Zhu’s Family Garden and Chaoyang Archway, two very famous sights of the city. In Jianshui Ancient Town, the different standards of houses built by rich and poor families are well visible. Also, the Family Temple which plays an important role for education, family history, and Chinese culture is visited today. Then, pay a visit to Shuanglong Bridge.

After that, drive south to Yuanyang (about 3 hours).

Day 4 Yuanyang

Sightseeing and Activities:the sunrise at Duoyi Village, Bada, Qingkou Village, the sunset at Laohuzui
Accommodation:Yuanyang
Meals:B,L

Today we have a whole day in Yuanyang. We get up very early to witness the sunrise over the famous terraces at Duoyi Village. We have a look at Bada and Qingkou Village and of course the rice terraces themselves, which belong to the Hani and Yi people. The terraces were taken into the UNESCO’s world heritage list in 2013. We will enjoy the sunset at Laohuzui before we head back to our comfortable hotel.

Day 5 Yuanyang-Jinping

Sightseeing and Activities:Jinping, various villages
Accommodation:Jinping
Meals:B,L

Today we drive to Jinping (about 3-4 hours’ drive) and stop over at various villages on the road. Jinping Autonomous County of the Miao, Yi and Dai is a remote and colorful area which already borders Vietnam. The mountainious region is special due to its distinctive mix of ethnic minority cultures. Upon arrival we enjoy a free and easy evening which can be used for walks through town or just a relaxing time at the hotel.

Day 6 Jinping-Mengla

Sightseeing and Activities:Jinping Local Market, the hot springs of Mengla
Accommodation:Mengla
Meals:B,L

Today we have a look at the special local market of Jinping, to which the Hani, Miao, Dai and Yao of the region gather every Sunday to buy and sell all sorts of food and necessities. With their mostly colorful clothes and special accessories it is a pleasure to watch the people on the market. After lunch in the afternoon, we will head to Mengla Township (about 1.5 hours), where we visit the hot springs of Mengla to relax a bit in the nature pools. Due to the remote area we stay at a simple but clean guesthouse tonight.

Day 7 Mengla-Laomeng

Sightseeing and Activities:Mengla Local Market
Accommodation:Laomeng
Meals:B,L

This morning, We have a look around Mengla local market, it is a bit smaller than in Jinping but not less interesting and colorful. After lunch we head east again and pass by steep mountains, large valleys and little remote villages surrounded by banana plantations. We make numerous photo stops on the way before we arrive in Laomeng in the evening for dinner, which also is our starting point to further visits on the next day.

Day 8 Laomeng-Lvchun

Sightseeing and Activities:street market in Laojizhai Town
Accommodation:Lvchun
Meals:B,L

After breakfast we will head once more into the hilly and remote area and drive to Laojizhai Town where we attend a further local street market, this time with another mix of ethnic people following different customs and having another style in clothes. We drive to Lvchun afterwards (about 3 hours), where we are already awaited to attend the so called Long-Street-Banquet. This outdoor festival usually takes place once a year on the tenth day of the tenth month of the lunar year (mostly November) and is held here by the Hani minority. Many people of Lvchun wear their costumes and silver accesories already today and get prepared for next day’s celebrations.

Day 9 Lvchun

Sightseeing and Activities:street market in Laojizhai Town
Accommodation:Lvchun
Meals:B,L,D

After breakfast, we will head to the main celebration area of the Long-Street-Banquet in Lvchun where already thousands of tables are lined up next to each other, forming a long dragon-like row through the whole city. This celebration is the most important festival for many locals where they eat, dance and sing together. It is yet another great opportunity for visitors like us, getting a very special impression of south Yunnan’s customs, taking unique pictures of people, food and environment as well as to get an insight into south Yunnan’s minority and festival culture. The tables are crammed with a myriad of delicacies such as sticky rice, bacon, various appetizers, pickled vegetables as well as meat and gallons of rice wine. Enjoy your day!

Day 10 Lvchun-Kunming

Sightseeing and Activities:back to Kunming
Accommodation:Kunming
Meals:B,L

After breakfast it is time to leave the celebration area again and we are heading back to Yunnan’s capital Kunming. After about 6-7 hours on the road we arrive again in the modern world where we enter our hotel to have a good rest after a long driving. The evening can be spent freely in Kunming’s center.

Day 11 Kunming Departure

Sightseeing and Activities:depart from kunming
Accommodation:None
Meals:B

After the night in Kunming, get dropped off at Kunming’s international airport again and catch your flight to your next destination according to your schedule. 

Recommended Hotels

Destination 5 Star 4 Star 3 Star Hostels
Kunming Sofitel Hotel Jingjiang Hotel Long Teng Hotel Tu Tu Inn
Jianshui Ting Ziyun Hotel Lin An Hotel Res Sky Hotel Huiyuanlou Inn
Yuanyang Yuanyang Twelve Manor Yunti Hotel Shuiyunjian Hotel Guanjing Heaven Hotel 
Jinping / / Yunhao Hotel /
Lvchun / / Yunti 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.

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