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Itinerary
Day 1, Arrival in Kunming, and transfer to hotel.
Kunming, also known as the Spring City, is the capital of Yunnan province, with mild weather throughout the year. It is nice to walk around the birds and flowers market in the old part of the downtown of Kunming. 100 m away from the market is the commercial center of Kunming, which is full of modern buildings. Here you can see the different aspects of Kunming.
Day 2, Western Hills and Stone Forest
Morning visit to the Western Hills: climb up to the Dragon Gate to visit Taoist Temples, and take a walk in the hill above the Dragon Gate where you have a good view of Lake Dianchi. Drive to the Stone Forest and visit the outskirts of Stone Forest, with some walks in the fields at sunset.
Day 3, Drive to Dali
Visit the major part of the Stone Forest before tourists arrive (at sunrise). Six hours drive to Dali via Kunming and Chuxiong. Visit the Old Town of Dali.
Day 4, Three Pagodas and Cangshan Mountain
Visit the thousand year old Three Pagodas and the Chongsheng Temple behind them. This is one of the biggest Buddhist temples in Southeast Asia with hundreds of Buddhist images. The temple complex includes stunning golden arhats, gardens and reflection pools, giant prayer wheels, as well as beautiful temples overlooking the lake and surrounding countryside.
Take a chairlift up to the Cangshan Mountain at 2550 m where you can visit Zhonghe Temple, with mixed religions. Take a walk on the Clouds Road for a couple of hours, enjoying a panoramic view of Dali and Lake Erhai.
Day 5, Xizhou and Tiger Leaping Gorge
Visit Xizhou morning market where people sell food, vegetables and household goods, walking into the village to visit some traditional old houses of the Bai people and meet local people. Drive to visit the Tiger Leaping Gorge which is 19 km long and has three very narrow parts only 30 m wide from one side to another. It's said that someone saw a tiger jump over the river and it has been named Tiger leaping Gorge ever since. The gorge has drops of 3900 m from the top of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain to the Yangtse. Overnight: Tiger Leaping Gorge guesthouse
Day 6, Visit Baishuitai White Terraces, drive to Shangri-La
Drive through the gorge, Walnut Grove, Haba and turn north to the mountains to visit the limestone Baishuitai Terraces at Sanba. Continue to Shangri-La with visits to Yi and Tibetan villages along the way. Yi is the most numerous ethnic group living in Yunnan, mostly in the high forested mountain with forests, from which they build their houses. As they live at high elevation, they just have one season of crops per year; thus they work in summer and enjoy time off with family and friends during the winter. Visit the Old Town of Shangri-La
Day 7, Visit Shangri-La
Visit Sungtzeling Monastery, a yellow hat sect Tibetan Buddhist Monastery built by the Fifth Dali Lama on a hillside and referred to as Little Potala Palace because of its resemblance to the Potala Palace in Lhasa. It's the home of 500 lamas from the Kham region and there are eight monasteries for lamas from different areas. The lamas are supported by their families to study and practice here.
Visit Ringsha Temple, which is the first temple built in the area. It's small and quiet with few visits by tourists but it's very popular among the local Tibetans. At the Chinese New Year, thousands of people will come here. In the temple, we can see how Tibetans make the prayer flags. You can also buy some prayer flags and hang them over the mountain behind the temple for good luck.
Day 8, Drive to Feilaishi
On the way, enjoy a bird's eye view of Lake Napa, a seasonal lake with Tibetan villages nearby where many birds come from the north for the winter here. Continue to Nixi Tibetan village where people specialize in making the famous black fired pottery. We can visit some masters, workshops and see how they work on the pottery. Drive to Feilaishi via the Baima Snow Mountain at 4290m. Feilaishi is a small village in front of Meili Snow Mountain and is the best place to view the mountain.
Day 9, Drive to Weixi
Rise early to see the sunrise on Meili Snow Mountain. We will stay at the best hotel on the hill top here so you can view the sunrise from your hotel room with a cup of coffee or tea. We will drive along the Mekong River for most of the time today, with visits to some Tibetan vllages and great views of the impressive Mekong Gorge. Visit Cizhong village to see an old church built in 1880s by French missionaries. It's also possible to see locals cross the Mekong by cable with their market goods.
Day 10, Drive to Lijiang
Weixi is a county with Lisu people, and we will visit a traditional Lisu village near the road. The houses of Lisu are built of wood and old people still wear the traditional clothes while young people prefer modern Chinese clothes. We will drive up in the mountains and down to Yangtse River again, and continue to Lijiang with a visit to the First Bend of the Yangtze.
Day 11, Village and Monastery
One day trip in Lijiang to explore some Naxi villages and monasteries. Drive to Puji village where we begin a walk to the villages and climb up the hill through the pine forest for an hour before we arrive at Puji Monastery, a Tibetan Buddhist monastery built three hundred years ago, with copper roofs. Few people come here, but we can meet a few lamas and locals who take care of the Monastery. After visiting the Monastery, we drive to Baisha village to visit the five hundred year old frescos. Continue to Yuhu village where the explorer Dr. Joseph Rock used to live while doing his research. It is a very beautiful Naxi village in front of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, and it's possible to visit the village and meet with the locals.
Day 12, Visit Old Town and fly to Kunming
Day in Lijiang to visit the old town of Naxi people built of traditional wooden houses with small rivers running through the town. We will walk through the old town to see the Naxi houses, follow up the river to Black Dragon Pool where the water of the old town comes from. From here you can see the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain if the weather is fine. Evening flight to Kunming, overnight hotel and tour ends.
Seasonality: All year round
Departures:
Nov.20th – Dec.1st, 2010
Price:
US$ 1,320.00 Per person
US$ 290.00 Single Supplement
The price includes:
Flight: Lijiang/Kunming
Hotels with breakfasts
Sightseeing Programs & entry fees
English Speaking Guides
Transfers and transportation by private vehicles
Group Size: 06 - 12
You may prefer a different date and time frame for this tour, or wish to adjust the itinerary to suit your interests. We will do all we can to meet your preferences. Please note that tours of less than six persons may cost more per person, and other expenses may increase as a result of customization of your tour. In all cases, however, we are committed to providing the best value for your experience in. |
Culture and Scenery Tours
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