10-Day Yunnan Rice Terrace and Gorge Tour

Tour Code:YNT-1005
Start in:Kunming
End in: Shangarila
Destinations:Kunming-Stone forest-Jianshui-Yuanyang-Dali-Lijiang-Tiger leaping gorge-Shangarila

Main Attraction Pictures

Bita Lake Songtzanlin Monastery Lijiang Tiger-leaping Gorge Lijiang Yak Meadow Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Black Dragon Pool of Lijiang Erhai Lake of Dali Jianshui Swallow Cave Jianshui Zhu's Family Garden Kunming Stone Forest
Tour Highlights
Popular tour cities such as Kunming,Dali,Lijiang are included in this tour. Besides these places, we also arrange some less commercialized sites such as Jianshui and Yuanyang which have very authentic minority villages and unique natural scenery as well.
Detailed Itinerary

Day 01 Arrival Kunming
Sightseeing:  Kunming City Tour, the Green Lake, the Golden Horse and Phoenix Archway. We'll begin our journey to the diverse and captivating province of Yunnan from the capital city, Kunming. Upon arrival at the Kunming International Airport, our local guide will meet us. And then we will be transferred to our hotel. Though being the capital of Yunnan with a population of 4.55 million, Kunming remains an ideal, laid-back place for us to relax ourselves.
We will visit the landmark of Kunming-the Golden Horse and Phoenix Archway, which is located at the corner of Sanshi Road and Jinbi Road. The archway is 12 meters in height, and 18 meters in width. It is a typical architecture of traditional Kunming style. To the north, there is an archway called Zhong'ai Archway. They all are one group of the most important places of interest in Kunming. And then, we will take a leisurely stroll along the Green Lake, a charming area of teahouses and small boutiques selling handicrafts and beautiful local paintings.

Day 02 Kunming-Stone Forest-Jianshui
Sightseeing: the Stone Forest ,the Old Jianshui City, Chaoyang Gateway Tower,the Jianshui Confucius Temple, the Garden of Family Zhu.
We will drive 86 km to the Stone Forest. There is a local saying: 'It is a waste of time not to visit the Stone Forest while visiting Kunming', which vividly expresses the deep love of the local people toward this world wonder. The quintessential karst landscape makes every tourist lost in wonder. And then, we'll drive around 4 hours to Jiangshui. After arriving Jianshui, we'll visit the Old Jianshui City and the Chaoyang Gateway Tower, which was built in Ming Dynasty (1389). It is also known as 'Miniature Tian'an men' because the out shape of it is similar to Tian'anmen Square in Beijing. After that, we will visit the Confucius Temple, which has a history of 700 years. It is the second largest Confucius Temple in China. At last, we will visit a typical southern private garden-the Garden of Family Zhu.

Day 03 Jianshui-Yuanyang
Sightseeing: Tuanshan Village , the Garden of Family Zhang,the Swallow Cave, Laohuzui (Tiger Mouth) Terrace Field of Yuanyang.
In the morning, we'll also visit Tuanshan Village and the Garden of Family Zhang; Tuanshan Village is a rare surviving example of an intact-albeit neglected-traditional walled Yunnan village compound in southwestern China, and has been added to the 2005 list of internationally significant sites by the World Memorial Fund for Architecture (WMF), an international fund for the protection of world heritage sites. And then, we'll visit the Swallow Cave. It is named that because there are more than ten thousands of swallows living in the cave; once they fly up, the scene just looks like a swallow river. We will degust the food made of swallow nest. We might also have a chance to see how people climb up to get the nest. After this, we will transfer to Yuanyang and enjoy the sight of terraced fields of Laohuzui (Tiger Mouth) at sunset.

Day 04 Yuanyang - Kunming
Sightseeing: Yuanyang Terrace Field,Doyishu Village ,  Qingkou Hani Village ,Xingmeng Mongolian Village.We'll visit Doyishu Village to enjoy the sight of terraced fields when the sun appears above the eastern horizon. The terraced fields are ring upon ring and cascade one by one. They go along the hillside up to the sky. We will see the scenery of the terraced fields from the top of the mountains to the bottom. They are all farms under the sunshine and cloud and mist. The landscape is spectacular. And then, we will visit Qingkou Village where Hani people for generations inhabit. After then, we'll drive back to Kunming. On the way, we'll visit a Mongolian village called Xingmeng.

Day 05 Kunming-Dali
Sightseeing: the Erhai Lake Cruise, Xizhou Town ,Zhoucheng Village and Bai Dyed Cloth Work Shop.
Take a Morning flight to Dali. Dali, a historically and culturally famous city of China, is renowned for her historical interest. During the Tang and Song Dynasties, it was the capital of Nanzhao and Dali Kingdoms, the political, economic and cultural center of Yunnan, an important gateway of cultural exchange and trading with southeastern Asian countries, and an important pass of the ancient 'Silk Route of the South'. It has long enjoyed the reputation of 'a land of literature'. We'll travel in the Erhai Lake by boat and visit Jinsuo Island. After landing, we will head for Xizhou Town to fully appreciate Bai-style architecture, taste their fragrant three-course tea and explore their distinctive culture. And then, we will visit the Three-pagoda in Chongshen Temple, which is a typical historical symbol of Yunnan. It is also one of the oldest sublime architecture in South China. At last, we will visit the Old Dali Town, which is located at the foot of Cangshan Mountain.
The Old Dali Town was built in the reign of Emperor Hongwu of Ming Dynasty (1382 AD), and it is one of the National Historic and Cultural Cities. On the east, it faces Erhai Lake, back on Cangshan Mountain. The city tower is a grand historical architecture. There is a road going through the town, on each side of which people are selling marble products, Dali blue dyed cloth, grass handicraft products etc, and some special Dali flavor food as well.Before leaving for Lijiang ,you will visit Zhoucheng Town,and Bai people's Died Cloth Work Shop in the town.

Day 06 Dali C Lijiang
Sightseeing: Black Dragon Pool, the Dongba Museum,
Special Experience: Naxi Orchestral and Show in Dongba Palace.the Lijiang Old Town.
In the morning, we'll embark on a scenic drive with Mt. Cangshan on one side and the Erhai Lake on the other, driving to Lijiang ('Beautiful River', a name given by Kublai Khan in 1254.). We'll head for the scenic Black Dragon Pool and the Dongba Museum to explore the rich Naxi minority culture.
Once passing the Waterwheel at the entrance of the Old Lijiang Town, we will find ourselves transported into a world of narrow cobblestone streets bordering canals of crystal clear freshly melted snow. It has kept unchanged since the Ming Dynasty (A.D.1368-1644) when the town was founded. Lijiang, possibly the best-preserved old town in China, is one of the last places in this country where we can witness and experience a historical, traditional, ancient urban culture. Remarkably, the old houses with stone foundations, plastered whitewashed brick walls, red wooden doors, shutters and balconies, and sloping tiled roofs, survived a recent earthquake without much damage, while the new concrete buildings were flattened. The canals are lined with weeping willows and decorative arched bridges linking one alley to the next. After dinner, we will attend the concert of the ancient Naxi music in the evening.

Day 07 Lijiang
Sightseeing: the Yulong Snow Mountain, the Yak Meadow,White Water River Terrace,Baisha Village, Yuhu Village and former Residence of Joseph Rock.
Special Experience: Take dinner of local flavor with Naxi dance at a Naxi home.
We'll visit Ganhaizi Meadow, Baishui River; visit the Yak Meadow in the Yulong Snow Mountain by chairlift. The much famed mountain is situated some 15km north of Lijiang County, located in the southern section of the Hengduan (transversely faulted) Mountain ranges. With thirteen peaks resembling jade pillars holding the sky, it stands majestically on the east side of the Jinshajiang River. The main peak, Mount Fan (Shanzidou), is 5,596 m. above sea level, and is annually snowcapped. The summit's semblance to a crystalline jade dragon gives the mountain its name. Access to the top of the mountain is provided by a cableway from the foot of the mountain to the Yak Meadow.
In the afternoon, we'll stroll through Baisha Village, which is an enchanting traditional Yunnan village, And then, we'll go to Yuhu Village and visit the former residence of Joseph Rock, famous botanist and expert on Naxi culture. At last, we'll head for Huangshan Village where traditional Naxi people inhabit and we'll take our dinner of local flavor at a Naxi home there.

Day 08 Lijiang-Tiger Leaping Gorge-Shangri La
Sightseeing:  the First Bend of the Yangtze River, Tiger Leaping Gorge,.
Special Experience: Tibetan family Home-Made,Butter Oil Tea.
From Lijiang, we'll travel north by road into the mountains stopping at the First Bend of the Yangtze River. The scenery is magnificent as the road running through the Lijiang valley which is filled with wheat fields and drying haystacks. We will visit the Tiger Leaping Gorge, the deepest gorge in the world. With 34 rapids of the Yangtze River, it is called the Jinsha in this area. And the magnificent Tiger Leaping Gorge looks like that the mighty Yangtze has carved the world's deepest chasm. And then, we'll head for Zhongdian. Upon arrival in Zhongdian, we will have entered the Tibetan cultural area and a landscape of barley fields and yaks scattered in the valleys. Towards evening we'll take yak butter tea and participate in Tibetan dances in the home of a local Tibetan family.

Day 09 Shangri La
Sightseeing: the Ganden Sumtseling Monastery, the Bita Lake & Shudu Lake, the Old Town of Shangri La and the Guishan Park.
In the morning, we'll visit the Ganden Sumtseling Monastery, the largest Tibetan monastery in Yunnan. The snow-covering peak combined with the chanting and incense from the Tibetan monasteries, we may be brought to the life of 'Shangri-La' described in Hilton's Lost Horizon. And afterwards we'll go and visit the tranquil Bita Lake & Shudu Lake. These high mountain lakes are surrounded by alpine meadows and wildflowers on one side with a temperate rain forest on the other. After having finished touring the Bita Lake & Shudu Lake, we'll visit the Old Town of Shangri La and the Guishan Park.

Day 10 Shangri La-Kunming by air-Departure
Sightseeing: the Western Hills ,  Huating Temple , the Dragon Gate, Flower and Bird Market.
We'll take a morning flight return to Kunming. After having returned, we'll drive 15km to the Western Hills and visit Huating Temple which is one of the largest Buddhist temples in Kunming. We'll catch a chairlift to skip the fairly steep ascent to the summit, and we'll reach the Dragon Gate that is a group of grottoes, sculptures, corridors, tunnels and pavilions that were hacked from the cliff between 1781 and 1853 by a Taoist monk and co-workers. We'll spend some time exploring the bustling Flower and Bird Market.
Late afternoon,you will be transferred to Kunming International Airport for your next destination.

 

Private Tour Prices (Based on per person and shown in US dollars)

Group size
Season
2-5Pax
Travelers
6-9Pax
Travelers
10Pax&above
Travelers &above
Single
supplement
Children
price
Booking..
All year round 1480 1220 980 200 -
Remark : We will give the visitors some discounts from 2% to 5% depending on the time they book this tour but it should be at least 1 month earlier. The booking will be confirmed once the deposit is received.

Service included

1. Accommodation with daily breakfast as indicated in the hotel list as below;
2. Chinese lunches and dinners as listed in the itinerary;
3. All land transfers & transportation with private air-conditioned coach;
4. All transfers and sightseeing with skilled English-speaking tour guide;
5. All entrance fees as mentioned in the itinerary;
6. Domestic air tickets fares with airport tax and fuel extra fee based on
economy class mentioned in the program.
7. Service charge and all government taxes;
8. Luggage transfers between airport and hotels;
9. Travel Agencys Responsibility Insurance coverage.

Service excluded

1. Any arrival and departure international airfares or train tickets;
2. Any meals which are not specified in the tour itinerary.
3. Chinese visa fees;
4. Excess baggage charged by Airlines;
5. Single room supplement;
6. Tips to guides and drivers;
7. Personal expenses and gratuities to service staff.
8. Personal travel accident insurance.
9. All optional programs;

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