Highlights of Yunnan

DAY 1: ​FLIGHT TO KUNMING     1900 m alt.

• Flight to Kunming, capital of Yunnan province, located in southwestern China.

DAY 2: ​ARRIVE IN KUNMING      1900 m alt.

• Upon arrival in Kunming, you will be met at the airport by your driver and transferred to your hotel by private car.
• You can take a stroll to Green Lake Park, which is located near your hotel. 
• Visit the Yuantong Buddhist Temple.
• Kunming specialty: The Cross bridge rice noodles.

DAY 3: KUNMING – SHILIN – JIANSHUI      1300 m alt.

• Drive to Shilin, and visit the Stone Forest, which is famous for its karst formations and was listed in the Natural Heritage.
• Drive to Jianshui(3h30).
• On arrival, visit the Chaoyang Tower which dates back to the Ming Dynasty. It is the symbol of Jianshui County.

DAY 4: JIANSHUI

• Transfer to Tuanshan Village and visit its traditional architecture that dates back to the Qing Dynasty.
• On the way, stops to visit the Double Dragon Bridge.
• Stroll in Zhu Family Garden, built in the late nineteenth century by wealthy traders.
• Discover the magnificent Confucian Temple which is the largest in China after that of Qufu.
• Discover the local Tofu workshop near the west gate.

DAY 5: JIANSHUI – PUZHEHEI       1700 m alt.

• Drive to Puzhehei(4hrs/4h30) and enjoy its charming scenery comparable to Guilin’s landscape.
• A pleasant boat trip to discover lakes, caves, karst peaks, ethnic minority settlements, and the generally unspoiled ecological environment.
• Stroll in the alleys of the villages surrounded by the lotus (blooming from mid-June to the end of August).

DAY 6: PUZHEHEI – YUANYANG      1900 m  alt.

• Climb to top of Green Dragon Mountain, you will have a panoramic view of the region.
• Road trip to Yuanyang (5h30).
• You can see the Rice Terraces on the road.
• Watch the splendid sunset at Bada Viewpoint if weather permits.

DAY 7: ​YUANYANG      

• Watch the majestic sunrise over the rice terraces at your hotel. 
• Explore a lively ethnic market.
• Hike through rice terraces and small villages.
• Visit several well-known scenic views along the rice terraces: Malizhai, Quanfuzhuang, Laoyingzui, etc.

DAY 8: ​YUANYANG – PU’ER      1305 m alt. 

• Visit another lively market of ethnic minorities.
• Drive to Pu’er(5h30), where Pu’er tea is named after it. It is a well-known tea-producing area in Yunnan, and an important stopover on the Ancient Tea and Horse Road.
• Stop at the Bixi Village. Then, visit Yingpan Mountain, covered with ten thousand hectares of tea plantations.
• Discover the plantations and the Pu’er tea museum and taste the local famous tea.

DAY 9: ​PU’ER – JINGHONG      505 m alt. 

• Drive to Menglun(2h30/3hrs).
• Visit the largest botanical garden in Asia.
• Drive to Jinghong (1h30/2hrs) along the Mekong River.
• Take a short visit to Ganlanba Village(1h30) and its park of Dai ethnic group.
• Explore a night market by the Mekong River.

DAY 10: ​JINGHONG – MENGHAI – JINGHONG       

• Drive to Menghai (1h30/2hrs).
• Explore the morning market in Menghai, you will find some tropical fruits.
• Visit the Jingzhen Pagoda, and a village specializing in the production of paper that uses the traditional process.
• Stroll in Nannuoshan, one of the 8 mountains famous for its production of Pu’er tea. Stroll among the tea trees, walk through the Dai villages of Mailun and the Aini hamlet of Maipo Laozhai.
• Return to Jinghong (1h30/2hrs).

DAY 11: JINGHONG, FLIGHT TO DALI – XIZHOU    2000 m alt.  

• Transfer to Jinghong airport and take the flight to Dali.
• Arrive in Dali, take a leisure stroll through Dali Old Town, be sure to visit the Catholic Church, built by the local ethnic group of Dali.

DAY 12: XIZHOU

• Free day in the peaceful Xizhou Village. You will be able to visit the colorful morning market, then a bike ride along the Erhai Lake (bikes available at your hotel).

DAY 13: XIZHOU – WEISHAN  

• Discover Zhoucheng (30 minutes), a village known for the production of batik.
• Visit the splendid Three Pagodas Temple, which is the cultural symbol of Dali.

Optional tour:
The cooking class in Dali includes: a visit to a local market to learn about local products. Then you will go to a Bai family to learn how to cook typical Chinese and Yunnan dishes. You can taste the dishes you cooked.

• Drive to Weishan (2hrs), a preserved town from the Ming Dynasty where the Bai, Yi, and Hui ethnic groups coexist.
• Stroll in the old town of Weishan to discover the wooden houses, small stalls, and the museum with unique artifacts.

DAY 14: WEISHAN – NUODENG       1800 m alt. 

• Discover Weibaoshan Mountain, which is one of the thirteen sacred Taoist mountains of China.
• Drive to Nuodeng Village in the Yunlong Valley (4hrs).
• On the road, visit the Muslim village of Donglianhua, with its small museum and mosque.

DAY 15: NUODENG – SHAXI      2200 m alt.

• Explore Nuodeng, a small village has known prosperity thanks to the salt trade between the 18th and the beginning of the 20th century. Along the slate-paved alleys, you will find mud brick houses with richly decorated doors. The buildings dates back to Ming and Qing dynasties.
• Transfer to Shaxi (5hrs). Drive along the Bijiang River, a tributary of the Mekong, you can appreciate the architectural diversity of the different bridges: suspension bridge, pavilion bridge, wind and rain bridge.

DAY 16: SHAXI 

• Visit the Shaxi morning market (only on Friday).
• Explore the Shibaoshan Grottoes on foot.
• Walk down the hills by a small path towards Shadengqing Valley if you want (1h30/2hrs), or you can return by car.
• Stroll in Shaxi Village, a former major trade center on the Ancient Tea and Horse Road.

DAY 17: SHAXI – SHANGRI-LA     3300 m alt.

• Drive to Shangri-La (4h30/5hrs).
• Stroll in Jianchuan Old Town, little known to by tourists, but praised as the wood carving paradise.
• Stroll in the old town of Shangri-La, where is regarded as the moonlight city by the native and also the largest Tibetan residential area.
• Participate in the spontaneous Tibetan dances in the evening with the locals in the old town square.

DAY 18: SHANGRI-LA 

• Discover the Baiji Temple.
• Visit a lively Tibetan local market.
• Visit Songzanlin Monastery, the largest Tibetan Buddhist Monastery in Yunnan.
• Experience the flavors of Tibetan cuisine in a Tibetan family.
• Stroll around Napa Lake.

Optional tour:
About 3-4 hours’ hiking in the Tibetan countryside from Shangri-La to Ringha village and visit a Tibetan family. Discover the peaceful Ringha Monastery, one of the 5 most important Tibetan monasteries in Yunnan. Experience the principles of harmonious coexistence between local people and nature.

DAY 19: SHANGRI-LA – TIGER LEAPING GORGE     1800 m alt

• Departure by the mountainous road to Qiaotou(2h30/3hrs).
• Discovery of the Tiger Leaping Gorge, which is one of the deepest canyons in the world.
• Short drive to the village of Walnut.

DAY 20: TIGER LEAPING GORGE – WUMU     2200 m alt

• Transfer to the wharf of the Yangtze River, cross the Yangtze River by ferry to Daju Village.
• Then along the mountainous road to Wumu Village (3hrs).

DAY 21: WUMU – BAOSHAN – WUMU

• Transfer by road to Baoshan Village (1h30).
• Visit the fortified village of Baoshan. It was constructed at the beginning of the Mongolian Kingdom, is praised as the most charming and oldest Naxi village in North of Lijiang and settled on a mountainside overlooking the Yangtze River.
• Return to Wumu by private car.

Optional tour:

For people who like hiking, you can go down from Wumu Village to the Yangtze River (2/3hrs), then take a boat (300-400 per boat) up the river (30/50 minutes). After this short boat trip, you walk up to Baoshan Village through terraced fields. You must be accompanied by a local guide to finishing the hiking trails.

DAY 22: WUMU – LIJIANG     2400 m alt

• Departure to Lijiang by crossing the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (3h30/4hrs). It is a National Geopark with the highest peaks exceeding 5,500 meters above sea level.
• Take the cable car to explore the mountain and visit the valley of the Blue Moon.
• Discovery of the Yuhu Village.
• Stroll in the Baisha Village and Shuhe Village.

DAY 23: LIJIANG – KUNMING, RETURN FLIGHT

• Stroll in the old town of Lijiang.
• Visit Black Dragon Pool Park. It is a model of Chinese gardens and gives you a superb view of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.
• Transfer by vehicle to Lijiang Station and take the high-speed train to Kunming (3hrs).
• Transfer to Kunming Airport and take the return flight.

DAY 24: ARRIVAL AT HOME

• Arrive home with good memories in mind.