| Day 1 Xian, Kunming ( ) |
| Our English speaking tour guide will hold a welcome sign to meet you at Kunming Airport, then help you checking in the hotel. Free time for the rest of the day. |
Kunming | Kunming is a city to be shared -- its sunshine, blue skies, fragrant flowers, leisure pursuits, relaxed ambience. The night market is the liveliest spot in Kunming, and is where the city's more artistic and eccentric elements gather. |
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| [ Optional ] Market of birds and flowers: A part of a series of streets and markets in central Kunming where an attempt has been made to preserve some of the typical architecture of the region. Traditional wooden houses with grass growing from their roofs line the streets where a variety of products are sold, including of course a small alley devoted to flowers and cage birds. |
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| Day 2 Dali ( B,L ) |
| Drive 3 hours to Dali. Visit the famous Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple, the old town of Dali and Ancient Wall Gate. |
Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple | Three Pagodas: are located northwest of Dali at the foot Cangshan Mountains. With Qianxun Pagoda, completed in 876 during the Tang dynasty (618-907AD). | Dali Ancient Town | The ancient Dali town: built in 1382 and is one the 24 most famous historical and cultural cities in China. Dali was once a vital communications hub where the population was dense. Many trade caravans gathered here and the markets were prosperous. |
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| [ Optional ] Catholic Church in Dali: The exterior of the small catholic church is in the style of traditional Chinese architecture, less than 60 believers attend the service on Sunday. The church is located near the free market, a place where locals sell their home-made products. |
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| Day 3 Dali, Lijiang ( B,L ) |
| During the tour, you could enjoy the tea ceremony of Bai Ethnic, take as more pictures of the colorful costumes of Bai Ethics, listening to their stories... Drive to Lijiang after your lunch. Visit the Old town of Lijiang, escorted tour to Square Street. Afterwards, drive to visit the Lion Hill, standing on the wooden structure (called Wangulou), 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. |
Morning market in Xizhou | The Bai minority are much in evidence at Xizhou, 18 kilometres north of Dali. Green mountains, winding creeks and fertile land make for a lyrical and carefree life. | Bai Ethnic House | Xizhou House is the typical traditional house of Bai Ethnic, here you can enjoy a presentation of SanDaoCha Tea Ceremony and colorful Costume of Bais. | Lion Hill | Lion Hill Park is overlooking the old town of Lijiang. There is a tower (Wanggu Tower) at the top of the hill where you can enjoy vistas of breathtaking scenery over the rooftops of Lijiang and the great Jade Dragon Snow Mountain in the distance. | Square Market | In Lijiang, the Square Market was built before the construction of the whole town. It might be the only square that had an automatic street-wash system in ancient times. | Danyan Town | Lijiang Old Town, or Dayan Town has a history of over 800 years. It is one of the few places in China with well-preserved old style folk buildings. An important feature of Dayan are the numerous streams and brooks crisscrossing the houses. The people here are mainly from the Naxi ethnic group and yo…… |
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| [ Optional ] Naxi Ethnic Music: The Naxi ethnic group has a long history and splendid culture. More than 1,000 years ago they created the Naxi music. Naxi music is also known as Dongba Music. the Naxi people have merged their ethnic musical elements and feelings into this classic tradition. |
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| Day 4 Lijiang ( B,L ) |
| Today's highlight is the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. 2 hours drive to the foot of the mountain, take cable car at Yak Meadow, walk around the summit, visit the villages at the mountain foot. |
Yuhu village | Yuhu Village, a village at the foot of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, where Mr. Joseph Rock, a famous Russian Scientist lived for 27 years from 1922 to 1949, enjoy hundreds of photos and articles of the culture in this area. | Yak Meadow | Yak Meadow got its name because the local people like to pasture their Yak here.
The landscape rises and falls on the meadow. In spring and summer, Yaks with black and white skin wander in grass and all kinds of flowers. In autumn and winter, the mild edge of th meadow becoms a sharp contrast wi…… | Jade Dragon Snow Mountain | The Jade Dragon Snow Mountain has 13 peaks of which the highest is 18000 feet above sea level. It is a treasure of wild plants and rare animals. Take cable car to the summit at Yunshanping Meadow or Yak Meadow. Trek for one hour around the summit. |
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| [ Optional ] KeGongFang: originally known as an interesting Dongba Paper Shop, locals and passengers gathering here at night, drink teas in cold winter. There is a workshop on Xinyi Street, a presentation of the traditional procedure of Dongba Paper making is available. |
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| Day 5 Lijiang, Zhongdian ( B,L ) |
| We will drive to Zhongdian (also called Shangri-la) today. Drive 1 hour to visit Shigu (stone drum) first, Shigu is the first Bend of the Yangtze River. Then stop at Qiaotou to visit to Upper Tiger Leaping Gorge, We will stop at the Upper Leaping Gorge for about 1 hour. Continue our drive for 2 more hours to Zhongdian, free time at your leisure in Zhongdian. |
Shigu Town | The Jinsha River does a U-turn at Shigu Town and flows northward, Then it changes the direction and goes to the northeast. | Tiger Leaping Gorge | The Tiger Leaping Gorge is one of the world's four great gorges - The Tiger Leaping Gorge is 17 kilometers long with a drop of 213 meters. The gorge is divided into three sections: Upper, Middle and Lower Hutiao. At the narrowest spot the river is only 30 meters wide. |
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| [ Optional ] Yak Meat Hot Pot Dinner: Better than any dishes in your hotel. Easily be found in local district of Zhongdian. Fresh meat and vegetable, local entertainment of Tibetan Music. An expreience can not be missed in Zhongdian. |
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