7-Day Colorful Yunnan Private Tour of Lijiang and Shangri-La with Tiger Leaping Gorge Hike

Meal: Not Included
Hotel: Overnight in Lijiang

Ni Hao! Welcome to Lijiang, a very impressive ancient city! Upon arrival at the airport or railway station, your guide and driver will meet you at the arrival hall and transfer you to the hotel in ancient town area with a private car which is comfortable, air-conditioned and non-smoking. The rest of today is on your own to explore this old town.

Attractions: Baisha Village, Shuhe Ancient Town, Black Dragon Pool, Dongba Culture Museum
Meal: Not included
Hotel: Overnight in Lijiang

After breakfast, he 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.

Continuing the trip to Shuhe Ancient Town. This traditional Naxi ethnic village is famous for its folk customs, historical monuments and multicultural landscape. The village is surrounded by a murmuring river and interlaced with smooth flagging, making it a relaxed and less crowded version of Lijiang.

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.

Attractions: Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Blue Moon Valley, Yuhu Village 
Meal: Not included
Hotel: Overnight in Lijiang

Meet your guide at the lobby of your hotel in Lijiang city centre and enjoy a scenic 45 minute drive to the majestic Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. The main peak of this mountain is measured at 17,000 feet above sea level mimicking a gigantic dragon clad in white snow all year round. You will ride a cable car up this legendary-shrouded mountain for stunning views of its glacier and peaks. You will reach the Yak Meadow, which got its name because the local people like to pasture their Yak here. You will walk around following a wooden path along the meadow to enjoy the peaceful and beautiful environment.

Then you will go down with the cable car and visit the Blue Moon Valley, where water terraces form from the melting snow and depending on the season, can be naturally white or turquoise-blue. 

After Lunch, we will visit Yuhu Village,  the last village at the foot of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, a remote stone village best known for being the home of explorer Joseph Rock for over 27 years.

End your day with drop-off back at your Lijiang hotel.

Attractions: Tiger Leaping Gorge Hike 
Meal: Not included
Hotel: Overnight in Tiger Leaping Gorge Guesthouse

DepartL Lijiang, you’ll drive to Qiaotou. We begin from Qiaotal, walk a few minutes to the high road which refers the hiking paths on the upper region of mountains. You will hike about 1.5 hours to Naxi Family Guest House. Keep hiking from Naxi Family Guest House, then you need to climb up some steep narrow paths, such as the challenging hiking section of Tiger Leaping Gorge – the 28 Bends and reach the top peak at the elevation of 2670m. Keep hiking until you reach Tea & Horse Guest House. We will stay here overnight. Overnight in Tiger Leaping Gorge Guesthouse

Attractions: Tiger Leaping Gorge Hike , Dukezong Ancient Town 
Meal: Not included
Hotel: Overnight in Shangrila

After breakfast, you’ll set off for descend. For about 2 hours later, you will arrive at your first stop – Halfway Guesthouse, which marks the halfway point of the entire journey. Make a short stop at their top deck of “Star Lavatories”, where you will feast your eyes with an unbeatable view of surrounding towering snow-capped mountains. Next, wind the path hewed out of cliffs down while taking in the sensational vistas and hugging small waterfalls until you arrive at Tina’s Guesthouse on the main driving road where you’ll met by our driver to transfer to Shangri-La.

In the evening, walk around Dukezong Ancient Town, an important town of the Ancient Tea-horse Trade Caravan from Yunnan to Tibet and India. Walk up to the top of Guishan Hill or Tortoise Hill, you will see the largest Prayer Wheel of the world and have a panoramic view of shangrila county and Dukezong Ancient Town. 

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

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.