Yunnan Highlights Tour

Day 1 Arrival  Kunming

Be met at the airport and transferred to hotel check in. Balance of the day is at leisure.

Day 2 Kunming – Jianshui (B, L)

Journey to the south of Yunnan Province. Visit Stone Forest, The Confucius Temple, and Family Zhu’s Courtyard Houses.

-Stone Forest: The most famous tourist attraction in Kunming – a typical formation of Karst topography.

The Beautiful Family Zhu’s Courtyard Houses.

Day 3 Jianshui – Yuanyang (B, L)

Enjoy sightseeing tour of the Double-Dragon Bridge, Family Zhang’s Courtyard Houses, Rice Terraces at Tiger Mouth.

Day 4 Yuanyang – Kunming (B, L)

View Sunrise, then visit Shengcun Village, Rice Terraces at Duoyishu, and Jingkou Hani Village. Transfer back Kunming by private car (around 6.5hrs).

Day 5 Kunming – Dali (B, L)

Be picked up to take the flight to Dali. Meet your guide at the airport and transfer to hotel check in. Then visit The Three Pagodas and watch Cormorant Fishing.

-The Three Pagodas: an ensemble of three independent pagodas arranged on the corners of a equilateral triangle, near the town of Dali, dating from the time of the Nanzhao kingdom and Kingdom of Dali (937-1253). It has been a landmark of Dali City and selected as a national treasure meriting preservation in China.

Only did the Three Pagodas stand erect between the Cang Mountain and the Erhai Lake.

Day 6 Dali – Lijiang (B, L)

Visit the Bai people’s Residential Houses at Xizhou. Then transfer to Lijiang to see the Black Dragon Pool Park and Lijiang Old Town.

-Bai people’s Residential Houses at Xizhou: The typical town with Bai’s characters, the houses here are decorated with woodcarvings, colored patterns, marbles and wash drawings, which represents the masterpieces of Bai’s architecture.

-Lijiang Old Town: Originally called Dayan, Lijiang is a very well preserved old town built by Naxi people with unique cultural background. It was listed as the World Cultural Heritage Sites in 1997.

Day 7 Lijiang (B, L)

Today’s sighseeing includes Joseph Rock’s Former Residence (at Yuhu Village), Baisha Mural, and Shuhe Old Town.

-Baisha Mural: It was painted in Baisha Town in Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), an interesting co-existence of Buddhism, Taoism and Lamaism in the artworks.

-Shuhe Old Town: Shuhe is the earliest settlement of Naxi people in Lijiang when their ancestors first moved to this region. Compared with Lijiang, the town is less touristy and polished with more original characters.

Compared with Lijiang, Shuhe Old Town is more original.

Day 8 Lijiang – Shangrila (B, L)

Transfer to Zhongdian by private car. On the way, visit Shigu Village & the First Bend of Yangtze River, Tiger Leaping Gorge.

-Shigu Village & the First Bend of Yangtze River: Shigu Village is 50 kilometers from Lijiang. It was named after a stone tablet in the shape of a drum. The Jinsha River does a U-turn at Shigu Town and flows northward, which is known as the First Bend of Yangtze River.

-Tiger Leaping Gorge: Tiger Leaping Gorge is a canyon on the upper reach of the Yangtze River, legend says a tiger could jump across the river at the narrowest point (still 25 meters wide), hence the name. Tiger Leaping Gorge offers a pleasant walk through spectacular scenery.

Day 9 Shangrila (B, L)

Enjoy full day tour of Zhongdian Old Town and Songzanlin Monastery.

Enjoy the tour of Songzanlin Monastery.

Day 10 Shangrila (B, L)

After breakfast, drive to explore Pudacuo National Park and Nixi Pottery Village. End the day with the visit to a Tibetan family.

Day 11 Shangrila – Kunming (B, L)

Drive to the airport for the flight to Kunming. Upon arrival, be picked up to visit the Western Hill & Dragon Gate (with one-way cableway), and Qiongzhu Temple.

-Western Hill and Dragon Gate: A beautiful forest park located by Dian Lake, it features cliff-side grottos cut out of the sheer stonewalls.

-Qiongzhu Temple: The first temple where Buddhism was preached to the believers in Kunming. The most spectacular attraction in this temple is the 500 life-size Buddha statues.

Day 12 Kunming  Exit (B)

Transfer to the airport for the flight to your next destination.

Trip ends.