Wonders of Yunnan

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Duration: 10 Days

Trip Grade:

Day 1: Kuming Arrival 
On arrival transfer Kunming airport to the hotel. Free at leisure.You can explore the city, visit the landmark of Kunming-the Golden Horse and Phoenix Archway and take a leisurely stroll along the Green Lake, a charming area of teahouses and small boutiques selling handicrafts and beautiful local paintings.

Day 2: Kunming - Jianshui 
Drive 86 km to the Stone Forest. There is a local saying: 'It is a waste of time not to visit the Stone Forest while visiting Kunming', which vividly expresses the deep love of the local people toward this world wonder. The quintessential karst landscape makes every tourist lost in wonder. Drive to Jianshui. After arrival in Jianshui, take a visit to the Old Jianshui City, the Chaoyang Gateway Tower that was built in Ming Dynasty (1389) and known as Miniature of Beijing Tiananmen, Confucius Temple.

- Stone Forest: 90km to the south of Kunming. Due to a process of weathering and erosion, nature has created an art gallery of stone sculpture there.

Day 3: Jianshui - Yuanyang 
Visit Garden of Family Zhang after breakfast and then drive to Yuanyang. After this, we will drive to Yuanyang and visit Doyishu Village the spectacular sight of terraced fields, andQingkou Village where Hani people inhabit for generations. Enjoy the sight of terraced fields of Laohuzui (Tiger Mouth) at sunset.

Day 4: Yuanyang - Kunming 
Drive back to Kunming. On the way, visit a Mongolian village called Qutuo Guan.

Day 5: Kunming - Dali

Take the morning flight to Dali and be transferred to the hotel. Head for Xizhou Town to fully appreciate Bai-style architecture, taste their fragrant three-course tea and explore their distinctive culture.Visit Erhai Lake Park, Three Pagoda, the South Gate of the Dali ancient town and be transferred to Foreigner Street. You can  have dinner there by yourselves.

- Erhai (literally, Ear Lake):just as its name implies, is similar in form to that of an ear.

-Three Pagodas: Located northwest to Dali at the foot of Cangshan Mountains, it is a typical historical symbol of Yunnan and one of the oldest sublime architecture in South China.

-Dali Ancient Town: Built in 1382, it is a historically and culturally famous city of China, is renowned for her historical interest. During the Tang and Song Dynasties, it was the capital of Nanzhao and Dali Kingdoms, the political, economic and cultural center of Yunnan, an important gateway of cultural exchange and trading with southeastern Asian countries, and an important pass of the ancient 'Silk Route of the South'. It has long enjoyed the reputation of 'a land of literature'.

Day 6: Dali - Lijiang 
Visit Xizhou old coutyard in the morning and then drive to Lijiang ('Beautiful River', a name given by Kublai Khan in 1254.). Head for the scenic Black Dragon Pool and the Dongba Museum to explore the rich Naxi minority culture.

- Lijiang: Once passing the Waterwheel at the entrance of the Old Lijiang Town, we will find ourselves transported into a world of narrow cobblestone streets bordering canals of crystal clear freshly melted snow. It has kept unchanged since the Ming Dynasty (A.D.1368-1644) when the town was founded. Lijiang, possibly the best-preserved old town in China, is one of the last places in this country where we can witness and experience a historical, traditional, ancient urban culture. Remarkably, the old houses with stone foundations, plastered whitewashed brick walls, red wooden doors, shutters and balconies, and sloping tiled roofs, survived a recent earthquake without much damage, while the new concrete buildings were flattened. The canals are lined with weeping willows and decorative arched bridges linking one alley to the next.

Day 7: Lijiang  
Visit Ganhaizi Meadow, Baishui River in the Yulong Snow Mountain by chairlift in the morning. Drive to visit Yufeng Lamasery and  former residence of Joseph Rock, famous botanist and expert on Naxi culture.

- Yulong (Jade Dragon)Snow Mountain: This much famed mountain is situated some 15km north of Lijiang County, located in the southern section of the Hengduan (transversely faulted) Mountain ranges. With thirteen peaks resembling jade pillars holding the sky, it stands majestically on the east side of the Jinshajiang River. The main peak, Mount Fan (Shanzidou), is 5,596 m. above sea level, and is annually snowcapped. The summit's semblance to a crystalline jade dragon gives the mountain its name. Access to the top of the mountain is provided by a cableway from the foot of the mountain to the Yak Meadow.

Day 8: Lijiang - Shangri-la

Travel north from Lijiang by road into the mountains stopping at the First Bend of the Yangtze River. 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 River in this area. And the magnificent Tiger Leaping Gorge looks like that the mighty Yangtze has carved the world's deepest chasm. And then, we'll head for Shangri-la (Zhongdian County), the Tibetan cultural area and a landscape of barley fields and yaks scattered in the valleys. Towards evening we'll take yak butter tea and participate in Tibetan dances in the home of a local Tibetan family.

Day 9: Shangri-la 
In the morning, visit the Ganden Sumtseling Gompa, the largest Tibetan monastery in Yunnan After this, visit the Old Town of Zhongdian and the Guishan Park.

- Ganden Sumtseling Gompa(Songzan Lin Temple): It was founded in the 17th century during the reign of the Great Fifth Dalai Lama, when the yellow Hat school came to full ascendancy in Tibet. It lies a few kilometers beyond the north end of town and welcomes visitors who behave respectfully.

Day 10: Shangri-la - Kunming 
Take a morning flight back to Kunming. After having returned, drive 15km to the Western Hills and visit Huating Temple which is one of the largest Buddhist temples in Kunming, catch a chairlift to skip the fairly steep ascent to the summit, and then reach the Dragon Gate that is a group of grottoes, sculptures, corridors, tunnels and pavilions that were hacked from the cliff between 1781 and 1853 by a Taoist monk and co-workers. Spend some time to explore the bustling Flower and Bird Market.

- Flower and Bird Market: The climate in Kunming is very much suitable for the plant of flowers and the living of birds. So the market is worth visiting.

Day 11: Departure 
Arrange your time on your own until be transferred to the airport for your departure.

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