Yunnan Meili Snow Mountain Trip

Upon your arrival at the Kunming airport, you'll be picked up by our English speaking tour guide and drive to hotel. Free time for the rest of the day. Recommended are Green Lake Park, Flowers and Birds Market, and Kunming's symbol building - Golden Horse & Green Phoenix Archway.

In the early morning we take you to visit the World Geopark - Stone Forest, which is one of most remarkable natural phenomena of China. You will wonder at the innumerable bizarre-shaped ancient limestone cliffs and peaks, which is created by wind and water erosion some 270 million years ago.

After lunch you will proceed to visit the Sani Ethnic Village. You can sit down for a cup of tea and chat with local people, learning about their custom, garment and lifestyle. Tonight you will stay at the downtown hotel in Kunming.

Take the morning flight to Dali. Check in and have lunch at the hotel. Then take a visit to the famous Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Monastery. Later return back to Dali Ancient Town to explore the town. Tonight you will stay at the hotel in Dali.

Proceed to Xizhou Village, one of the Bai ethnic minority villages around the Erhai Lake with a cluster of over 100 protected buildings. You will be escorted to visit the characteristic house of local residents featuring a traditional Chinese rectangular courtyard with a screen wall facing the gate. In addition, You'll be greeted with the show of Three Courses of Tea, the genuine tea ceremony of the Bai minority.

In the late afternoon transferred to Lijiang Old Town, which is listed as the World Cultural Heritage Sites in 1997. You can visit Square Street, the main street. Afterwards, drive to visit the Lion Hill, standing on the wooden Wangulou Tower, you may enjoy the beautiful sunset (if the weather is fine), overlooking the old town and the great Jade Dragon Snow Mountain is in the distance.Tonight you will stay at the featured hotel in Lijiang

Launch your exciting Tiger Leaping Gorge hiking today! On this day you will hike from Qiaotou Town to Halfway Guesthouse (19km, about 7 hours).

First hike 2 hours to Naxi Family Guest house where you will have lunch break and get close touch with local people. Then continue hiking another 2 hours up the steep 28 Bends before the next break, which is a real challenge. The amazing landscapes will feast your eyes. After another 2 hours' hiking, you will arrive at Halfway Guesthouse which boasts a great view of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and overlooks the Jinsha River Valley. Sitting out on a deck, you will wonder at the magnificent scenery in front of you. Tonight you will stay at Halfway Guesthouse.

In the early morning, continue your trekking to reach Tina's Inn. On the way you will pass through some pretty waterfalls and canyons. After lunch break, walking for 1 hour down the steep cliff to the bank of Jinsha River to see the "One Line Sky". It is the most narrow part of the gorge, where a tiger can easily jump over the Jinsha River.  Spending one more hour to climb up the gorge. You can enjoy the wild, isolated nature along the treking way.

Stay overnight at Tina's Inn. It is the best hotel located at the foot of Haba Snow Mountain.

Go on with your 3-hour hiking towards Haba Village through Walnut Grove, Huashiban Landslide and Lower Tiger Leaping Gorge. Along the way, you will enjoy the view of the Jade Dragon and Haba Snow Mountains from different levels. There are thousands of photo opportunities. Just enjoy!

Check in at  the Haba Snow Mountain Hostel. After a brief rest, you can have a leisure walking around to learn about the ethnic Naxi minority and folklore in the Haba Village. Tonight you will stay at the the hostel.

After breakfast, drive to Shangri-La (Zhongdian) and later explore Baishui Terrace (White Water Terrace), the largest area of sinter terrace in China. In addition to the spectacular view itself, it is the place where the Naxi Culture originated, and now the holy place for Naxi ceremonies. You can also learn about the ethnic Naxi minority and folklore. Tonight you will stay at the hotel in Zhongdian.

Pay a visit to the ancient Songzanlin Monastery, the largest and most important Tibetan Buddhist monastery in southwest China. You will appreciate a series of precious Buddhism-related objects like scriptures written on palm leaves, the Shakyamuni statues, etc. If you want to deeply experience the Buddhists' life, you can join in the morning class or evening class.

Steer to the ancient Gyalthang Town, which was established in Tang Dynasty (618-907).  You can find many Tibetan cultural facts such as Buddhist paintings and Tibetan residences side by side. Tonight you will stay at the hotel in Zhongdian.

After breakfast at hotel, drive through Baimang Snow Mountain along the Yangtze River Canyon to Deqin, which is peppered with views of majestic "Snow Mountains" in all directions. En the route, you can stop and appreciate the enchanting views of the Napa Seasonal Lake; explore Nixi Tibetan village; overlook the splendid Great Bend of Yangtze River from the steep slope of the canyon. Stay overnight at the hotel in Deqin.

Appreciate the gorgeous sunrise view of Meili Snow Mountain in the early morning. After breakfast, drive to the great canyon of Lancang, get across the river Lancang and proceed to the eastern piedmont of Meili Snow Mountain. From the small village Mingyong at the foot of Meili, start hiking (8Km) up to the mountain (or you can take horse/mule riding, on your own account, cost around RMB150 per person for round-trip ride). After about 3 hours trekking, you get at Prince Temple by the Mingyong Glaciers. When the discovering expedition on the holy mountain is over, descend and retrace your way back to the hotel in Deqin for dinner.

After breakfast, you'll be transferred to Shangrila Airport for your flight. Wish you a life-time tour in China.