From Kunming, go northwest to Dali, Lijiang and Shangri-la to explore the most popular highlights in Yunnan. The different cites, towns has their own styles. In this tour, you should always keep your eye’s pace with the changes of nature landscape and different minorities customs. Then keep the perfect memory about your Yunnan Brilliant Vision Tour in your mind.
Kunming Changshui International Airport (Google Map)
Shangri-la Airport (Google Map)
Day 1 Arrive at Kunming (-/-/-)
Transfer via: TBA-flight on your own arrangement
Meet you at Kunming airport and transfer you to your hotel for checking-in. After a short break, drive you to pay a visit at Birds & Flowers Market.
Bird & Flower Market One of the more interesting attractions within the central downtown area of Kunming, and a great place to shop for a lot of different things like clothes, name chops, dice, outdoor equipment, camping and hunting gear, birds, flowers, live baby turtles, pirated movies, music, games or dried lizards on sticks. It’s open roughly from 9am-6pm, but all of the individual shopkeepers keep whatever hours they like.
Day 2 Kunming (B/L/-)
Full day Stone Forest tour.
Today you are going to visit Stone Forest. It takes about 2 hours from Kunming to Stone Forest.
Stone Forest located in Shilin Yi Nationality Autonomous County. It covers an area of 400 square kilometers (96,000 acres) and includes both large and small stone forests, as well as many other scenic spots. This typical karst physiognomy takes the form of a forest of stone pillars and boulders. It is as if the countless stone shapes have sprung from the ground, assuming different shapes as if vying to surpass each other in grandeur and sublime beauty.
Day 3 Kunming to Dali (B/L/-)
Transfer via: AM flight arranged by us
This morning, we will take an early morning plane to Dali and needs about 40 minutes. After arrive Dali, transfer to Dali hotel for check-in, and then have an Erhai Lake cruise and visit the Three Pagodas and explore Dali Ancient Town.
Erhai Lake , Chinese meaning is ‘ear-shaped sea’, is situated at 1,972 m above sea level. In size, the North-South length of the lake is 40 km and the East-West width is roughly 7-8 km. Its area is 250 km², making it the second largest highland lake of China, after Dianchi Lake. When you arrive at there, you can have an Erhai Lake cruise to explore the beautiful scenery.
Three Pagodas are one kilometer away from north of Dali. The styles of the three pagodas are similar. The main pagoda is “Qianxun Pagoda”. It is a square pagoda and it is 69.13 meters high. Its molding and style were imitated the Small Wild Goose Pagoda in Xian and the Song Yue Monastery Pagoda in Henan Province.
Dali Ancient Town is a magical fascinating place with an international flair. It attracts lots of tourists from all over the world annual. Far-reaching Dali history, it’s known as “literature of the state” good reputation. Due to its long history, there are lots of cultural relics.
Day 4 Dali to Lijiang (B/L/-)
This morning, we will drive to Xizhou Village to visit the Bai people’s dwellings. Then we go ahead to Lijiang. After arrive Lijiang, we will go to visit Black Dragon Pool Pack and Lijiang Ancient Town.
Xizhou Bai Minority Village is located 18 kilometres north of Dali. The green mountains, winding creeks and fertile land make for a lyrical and carefree life. The old houses and streets are well preserved. Visitors may still find traces of past glory.
Black Dragon Pool Park located at the foot of Elephant hill north of Lijiang city. Black Dragon Pool is the main headwater of the Yushui River which goes through the Old Town of Lijiang. It is just like the bright eyes of the town, shining with the wisdom. For many locals, it’s a place to relax, to enjoy the view and the sun, to play games, to practice the famous Naxi orchestra.
Lijiang Ancient Town was built in the Southern Song Dynasty, dated back to more than eight hundred years ago. It covers an area of 3.8 aquare kilometers. It’s a place of combination of Chinese culture and Western culture, ancient culture and modern culture. When in Lijiang ancient town, you will not only experience the ancient Naxi Culture, but also can enjoy in the modern bar at you leisure.
Day 5 Lijiang (B/L/-)
This day you will have a full day tour to explore Full day trip to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and Yufeng Lamasery and Baisha Murals,and Yushui Zhai.
Jade Dragon Snow Mountain is the southernmost glacier in the Northern Hemisphere. It stretches a length of 35 kilometers and a width of 20 kilometers. Looking from Lijiang Ancient Town in the south, the snow-covered and fog-enlaced mountain resembles a jade dragon laying in the clouds, hence, the name Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. And then you also can pay a visit to Yak Meadow (Maoniuping), where Part of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, where the Yi and Zang Minority Ethnic Tribes live.
Yufeng Temple:It is known in English as Jade Peak Temple. The temple shows distinctive architectural style of Han Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism, Taoism and the local Naxi Dongba Religion as a result of the cultural fusion between different minorities in the Qing Dynasty.
The Baisha Mural:It is located in the Baisha Village on the plain north of Lijiang. It is a mixture of artists of Chinese Taoist, Tibetan and Naxi Buddhists and local dongba shamans. This rich fusion had resulted in a tremendously powerful art.
Day 6 Lijiang to Shangri-La (B/L/-)
Drive you to Shangri-La in the morning. You will pay a visit at Tiger Leaping Gorge and the First Bend of the Yangtze River on the way to Shangri-la. Then transfer you to your hotel for check-in.
Tiger Leaping Gorge is lying between Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and Haba Snow Mountain, and 100 kilometers away from Lijiang Ancient Town. And it’s believed to be the deepest gorge in the world with a good path high above the Yangtze River to get away from the throbbing roar of the river.
Day7 Shangri-La (B/L/-)
Today we will have a full day to explore the wonderful place-Shangri-La. After breakfast, we will visit the famous Pudacuo National Park which well-known as its plants, lakes, unique animals and birds. And then go to visit Songzanlin Monastery which called ‘little Potala Palace’. In the evening, you will have your free time to explore the ancient town of Shangri-La.
Pudacuo National Park , established in June, 2007 as the first in a planned series of parks designed to meet the meet the exacting standards set by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. It contains endemic species of fish found nowhere else in the world, rare and beautiful orchids, black-necked cranes, and taxus yunnanensis, a yew whose extracts are indispensable to the creation of many cancer-treating drugs.
Songzanlin Temple is a miniature version of the Tibetan Lhasa Potala temple with its own statues and paintings of deities and lamas. The large prayer hall is able to accommodate more than 1000 people. There are monks chanting and offer blessing to visitors, very peaceful and serene. You can experience this beautiful sense during the tour.
Day 8 Shangri-La / Departure(B/-/-)
Transfer via: domestic flight (Shangri-La to Kunming) arranged by us.
This morning, transfer to the Shangri-la Airport for catching your flights.
