7-Day Best Yunnan Private Tour of Kuming, Lijiang and Shangri-La

Meal: Not Included
Hotel: Not Included

Welcome to Kunming, the Spring City of China! Your local guide will meet you at the arrival hall of airport. Then you will be escorted to your hotel in a private vehicle. The rest of today is on your own to explore this city.

Attractions: Stone Forest, Jiuxiang Scenic Area
Meal: Not included
Hotel: Not included

After breakfast, your local guide and driver will meet you at your hotel and then escort you to discover Stone Forest first for about 1.5 hours’ riding (85km)!

Kunming Stone Forest as the “Essence of World Karst Landform” has been listed as the UNESCO World Natural Heritage with the incomparable coverage of 12 square kilometers’ stone pinnacle groups. Take the sightseeing bus to visit the Greater Stone Forest Scenic Area to admire the typical concentrating cinerous stone pinnacles by walking through the maze of stone peaks and jumping high for the panorama of the forest of protruding stone peaks. Also, you will see the famous peak on many photos and even stones towering over 40 meters.

There is a saying goes: See stone forest above ground and explore Jiuxiang underground. After stone wonderland exploration, let’s go to discover Jiuxiang Scenic Area after driving about 40 minutes (36 kilometers). Boasting more than 100 different sized Karst caves, Jiuxiang is praised as the “Museum of Karst Caves” and the “Hometown of Karst Caves” for world visitors to explore the incredible underground palace. You will take a sightseeing boat at the emerald gorge and then go down to be immersed into the dazzling world with diverse shaped stalactites lit in rich colors, layers of amazing stalagmites like terraced fields, iridescent underground river, etc.

After today’s visiting, be escorted back to your hotel in Kunming downtown. Have a good sleep!

Attractions: Lijiang Old Town, Black Dragon Pool, Dongba Culture Museum, Lion Hill
Meal: Not included
Hotel: Not included

Be transferred to the airport in the morning for your flight to Lijiang (about 1 hour and 15 minutes). Upon arrival at Lijiang Sanyi Airport, your guide and driver will meet there and escort to Lijiang Old Town. Your first stop is Lijiang Ancient Town and get views of the surrounding landscape from the Wangu Tower. From the top of Lion Hill, see Jade Dragon Snow Mountain in the distance, then continue to Mu’s Residence, the Forbidden City of Lijiang, where you’ll learn about the Naxi people’s culture and fine arts. Stop for lunch, then move on to the Naxi Dongba Culture Museum and the Black Dragon Pool Park. There, in the company of your guide, you’ll learn about the Naxi culture and art. End your day with drop-off back at your Lijiang hotel. This private tour ensures your guide’s dedicated attention and an intimate experience.

Attractions: Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Baisha Village
Meal: Not included
Hotel: Not included

Your private guide and personal driver will meet you in your hotel lobby by 8am and then visit the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (Yak Meadow section). You will take cable car up and down the mountain. Jade Dragon Snow Mountain now is a famous scenic spot for sightseeing, mountaineering, skiing, exploration, scientific research and taking holiday. Besides, widespread legends and myths of the Naxi ethnic minority and the unclimbed Shanzidou are all important attractive spots for those who come here. Besides, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain is a sanctuary for rare animals and wild plants.

After Lunch, the guide will take you to Baisha Village to see the ancient Fresco. Baisha Village is much quieter because it is not commercialized. If you want to witness the authentic life of the Naxi People and appreciate their culture, but are tired of overcrowded Lijiang, here, at Baisha Village, you can experience the Naxi people’s peaceful daily life.  Heading for this village, the Baisha Murals cannot be missed. The paintings were finished by Han, Tibetan and Naxi painters as well as painters from other nationalities. At about 4pm, the driver will take you back to your hotel.

Attractions: First Bend of The Yangtze River, Tiger Leaping Gorge, Dukezong Ancient Town
Meal: Not included
Hotel: Not included

You will be picked up from your hotel (within Lijiang ancient town) in the early morning. 

You will be transferred to the First Bend of the Yangtze River, where you can see fatanstic landscapes as well as important historical stories.

Then you will continue the journey further north to the Tiger Leaping Gorge, one of the deepest gorges in the world, 16 km long with a sheer 3900 meters between the wild waters and the top of the snow-capped Haba Snow Mountains next to it.

After lunch, you will continue to Shangri-La, and on the way, you will notice that the landscapes and architecture gradually changes as you go further into the Tibetan cultural areas, with barley fields and yaks scattered across the valleys.  

On the way to Shangri-La,you will visit a local Yi Minority Village. Then you will arrive at your final destination: Dukezong Ancient Town, a key stop on the old Tea-Horse road. You can enjoy your free time and relax in the ancient town.

Attractions: Songzanlin Monastery, Tibetan Family visit, Baiji Temple, Napa Lake
Meal: Not included
Hotel: Not included

After breakfast, your driver and tour guide will pick you up from your hotel (within Dukezong Ancient town) then take you to Songzanlin Monastery, the largest and most beautiful Tibetan monastery in Yunnan, with a rich history and Tibetan culture.

Afterwards, you will visit a local Tibetan family to experience the real Tibetan life.

After lunch, you will visit Baiji Temple, which means “Hundred Chicken Temple” in Chinese, and is very close to Dukezong Ancient Town. From there you can enjoy a magnificent view of the city and see many chicken, (if you want to know why all those chicken live in that monastery, you will have to go there to find the answer.) Then you will go to Napa Lake, a beautiful highland meadow full of yaks, horses and birds, which looks different in every season. At the end of the day you will head back to Dukezong ancient townand conclude the tour.

Attractions: Not included
Meal: Not included
Hotel: Not included

Today is free for you until your tour guide and driver escort you to the airport in time for the scheduled flight/railway station to next destionation. Tour ends.