9-Day Yunnan Panoramic Private Tour of Kuming, Dali, Lijiang and Shangri-La

Meal: Not Included
Hotel: Overnight in Kunming

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: Overnight in Kunming

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: Yunnan Nationalities Village, West Hill
Meal: Not included
Hotel: Overnight in Dali

Following morning pickup from your Kunming hotel, venture to the Yunnan National Village to learn more about the province’s different communities and cultural traditions. The beautiful and big park that reunites Yunnan’s 26 ethnic groups. Every single of Yunnan’s ethnic minority has their own village built in their own unique style. People from these ethnicities live here to show their colorful and traditional way of life, showing their rituals, dances, crafts, festivals and so on.

Up the West Hill, cultural temples are mixed with natural cliffs, Taoist grottoes, flowers and forests. Especially when you go through the stone corridor carved into the face of the cliff, you can really imagine how dangerous and difficult work it must have been to build all this. You can visit a big Taoist Grotto close to the famous Dragon Gate and on the mountain top, you can enjoy a big panoramic view of Kunming. After that, transfer to train station, take high speed train to Dali.

Upon arrival, drive to stay overnight in Dali Ancient City.

Attractions: Erhai Lake, Jinsuo Island, Chongsheng Monastery, Dali Ancient City
Meal: Not included
Hotel: Overnight in Dali

Your private guide and personal driver will meet you in your hotel lobby and then drive to the Erhai Lake to take a boat. Our tour of Dali begins with a cruise on Er Hai Lake, visit Jinsuo Island and local market. Erhai Lake is the largest highland lake next to Dianchi and one of the seven biggest fresh water lakes in China.The surrounding islands, temples and villages are worth visiting too. Golden Shuttle Island (Jinsuo Dao), and the nearby fishing community of Bai Minority do really deserve a visit with its attractive Bai culture and lifestyle, and because of the rare beauty of the lake and its surrounding scenery.

Then explore the Three dazzling pagodas in Chongsheng Monastery, which faces Erhai Lake and has a history of over 1,800 years. A visit to the pagodas should not be missed by any visitor to Dali City. Enjoy the authentic food in a local restaurant.

After lunch and a short rest, we will wander around in Dali Ancient City, which is one of the ‘Three Ancients’ (Ancient Cities, Ancient Pagodas and Ancient Steles) of the Dali Scenic Spot. The city layout was uniform, with five main streets from south to north and eight main streets from east to west, while marketplaces were neatly arranged within the city, which has remained unchanged to this date. The traditional Bai ethnic minority folk houses give the city distinctive feel, unlike any other Chinese city. The delicacy, freshness and elegance of their construction may be called first-class among folk residences in Southwest China. When people walk along the cobble-paved streets in the ancient city, a sense of primitive simplicity and elegance will be invoked. After enjoying the feeling of walking through the tranquil town, the driver will take you back to your hotel.

Attractions: Xizhou Ancient Town, Zhoucheng Village, Old Town of Lijiang
Meal: Not included
Hotel: Overnight in Lijiang

Today a 3-hour drive will take you to Lijiang. On the way, you will pay a visit to the Bai Minority Traditional Houses in Xizhou. The layout of these houses is distinctive with the features of wood and stone carvings and paintings on lime powdered walls. Xizhou is the place where the best and most of Bai Minority Traditional Houses are preserved. Over there, you will also get a chance to learn cooking a special local delicacy, call Baba, a scone-like baked bread mainly made of wheat flour.

Then you will continue to the nearby Zhoucheng Village, where you will visit the traditional hand-made Tie Dyeing, in the local people’s home.

Upon arrival at Lijiang, you will first check in at your hotel in the old town. After a short rest, your tour guide will take you to visit the Square Street of Lijiang Old Town. The street is paved by the local bluestones, with numerous souvenir shops, unique bars, and delicate restaurants scattered around. The most charming part of the street is at night. When red lanterns along the street are all lit up, all people here including tourists will enjoy relaxing but exciting nightlife.

Attractions: Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Baisha Village, Yufeng Monastery
Meal: Not included
Hotel: Overnight in Lijiang

Your private guide and personal driver will meet you in your hotel lobby 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 and visit Yufeng Monastery. 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
Meal: Not included
Hotel: Overnight in Shangrila

You will be picked up from your hotel in the early morning, and 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: Overnight in Shangrila

After breakfast, your driver and tour guide will pick you up from your hotel, 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 town for overnight stay.

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

Today is free for you to explore Dukezong Old Town until your tour guide and driver escort you to the airport in time for the scheduled flight/railway station to other destination. Tour ends.