Wild West Yunnan Tour
Overview
Escape from the bustling city life and refresh yourself on 12 days Yunnan adventure. The wild scenery of West Yunnan province offers big snow-capped mountains, spectacular deep gorges, quiet thousand-year-old towns, remote minority’s villages and magical Tibetan monasteries… You will also venture deep into the Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas in Shangri-La Deqin area to take in the breathtaking view of wildness. You local guide and driver in Yunnan make sure you explore the best of this kingdom above clouds. The popular scenic spots including Stone Forest, Dali Old Town, Erhai Lake, Three Pagodas, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Lijiang Old Town, Songzanlin Monastery, Meili Snow Mountai...
Duration: 12 days & 11 nights
Destinations: Kunming - Dali - Lijiang - Shangrila - Deqin - Shangrila - Kunming
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Itinerary Expand All
Enjoy a wonderful trip to the Stone Forest, which is a massive collection of grey limestone pillars, split by rain water and eroded to their present fanciful forms. It is a prominent part of South China Karst. Your guide will lead you to walk along an off-the-beaten track to explore this awe-inspiring geological park, away from the tourist crowds. Also visit a nearby Sani minority village, experiencing their unique customs and chatting with local people. Drive back to Kunming, have a leisure stroll around Green Lake to enjoy relaxing atmosphere and witness Kunming people’s lifestyle.
Meal: B, L
Move from Kunming to Dali on a super fast 2-hour bullet train trip. After setting into your hotel, transfer to visit Xizhou Old Town. A large area of white-wall-black-eave traditional Bai dwellings first jumps into our sight. Stroll through the town for not only the beautiful architecture but also the Bai ethnic culture, batik workshops, and also local lifestyle at a traditonal market in Xizhou. In the afternoon, it is free time for your own exploration at Dali Ancient Town, previously the capital of Nanzhao Kingdom and Dali Kingdom.
Meal: B, L
Enjoy a delightful morning boating in jewel-like Erhai Lake, one of most beautiful sites in Dali, with a shore excursion to an islet or peninsular to take in the views of surrounding areas and Cangshan Mountain. Get off the boat and visit a fishing village nearby, to learn about Bai people’s traditional way of fishing. In the afternoon, go to see the famous Three Pagodas, An ensemble of three independent pagodas arranged on the corners of a equilateral triangle, It has been a landmark of Dali City and selected as a national treasure meriting preservation in China. Move to Lijiang on private vehicle or a train, and check-in to your hotel.
Meal: B, L
Drive to visit Jade Dragon Snow Mountain that Naxi people regard as a holy mountain. You'll take a cable car to its picturesque Spruce Meadow at 3240 meters. Walk through the primeval forests to obtain an incredible view of JDSM and see flocks of sheep and cattle grazing. Naxi myth depicts it a purified ideal kingdom. On the way back to Lijiang, explore Baishi Old Town, once the capital of Lijiang and the cradle of Naxi civilization. Here admire Baisha Mural was mainly created in Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), an interesting co-existence of Buddhism, Taoism and Lamaism in the artworks.
Meal: B, L
Today it is time to explore Lijiang Old Town, originally called Dayan. Built by Naxi people in the late 13th Century as the capital, it boasts a wealth of ancient architectures. Lijiang Old Town was listed as the World Cultural Heritage Sites in 1997. Accompanied by your guide, walk through the crisscrossed alleys and streams to trace the fabulous Naxi culture. Climb Lion Hill, getting to Wangu Tower to have a full picture of Dayan. Thereafter, visit Black Dragon Pool Park. Don’t forget to capture awesome shots of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain reflected on the pool. The rest of the day is for your independent exploration.
Meal: B, L
Travel from Lijiang to Shangri-La by private car. On the way, visit Shigu Village, named after a stone tablet in the shape of a drum. Here you can find the best place to view the First Bend of Yangtze River. See the Jinsha River (the upper reach of the Yangtze) do a U-turn at Shigu Town and flows northward. Later visit Tiger Leaping Gorge, with a pleasant walk through spectacular scenery. Legend has that a tiger could jump across the river at the narrowest point (still 25 meters wide), hence the name. As you take in the sceney along the way, you're here in mysterious Shangri-La.
Meal: B, L
Start your Shangri-La adventure with an exploration at Pudacuo National Park, located in the core area of Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas. Discover yourself the Bita Lake, Shudu Lake, plateau pasture… In the afternoon transfer to Nixi Pottery Village, once an important trading post on Tea-horse Road. Merchant caravans used to travel through Nixi to Deqin, heading into Tibet. Nixi is more famous for its black pottery. Visit a workshop to know the local traditional way of pottery making. End the day with the visit to a Tibetan family. Chat with the friend host, and taste some local snacks and drinks.
Meal: B, L
After breakfast, visit Tibetan Songzanlin Monastery, known as the “mini Potala Palace” in Yunnan, with magnificent architecture and a wealth of Tibetan Buddhist treasures. If you’re interested in, your guide can lead to you visit the lamas’ dormitory to know their daily life. Then proceed to Deqin by private car. It takes about 6 hours to complete the 187-km tough journey, while the view along the way is fantastic. View the Great Bend of Jinsha River, enjoy scenery of Jinsha River Valley, visit wooden workshop at Benzilan town, pay homage to Dongzhulin Lamasery, and pass through the majestic Baima Snow Mountain Nature Reserve (part of the road is above 4000m).
Meal: B, L
Get up early in the morning (boxed breakfast), drive to Mingyong village, and stop at Feilai Temple to enjoy the sunrise of the Meili Snow Mountain (if weather permits). After lunch, start hiking from the village up to Meili Snow Mountain (or optional ride on horse/mule). After about 3 hours walking, arrive at the Taizi Monastery, a good spot to look at the magnificent Mingyong Ice Glacier. Later drive back to Deqin County.
Meal: B, L
So today you’ll say goodbye to Meili and Deqin, driving back to Shangri-La. Savor up the beautiful scenery on road, which you will be never tired of. Relax at the rest of the day. You may spend some time yourself at the old town of Shangri-La, named Dukezong, a legendary place, featuring peaceful atmosphere and world’s largest prayer wheel.
Meal: B, L
Transfer to fly to Kunming to connect your flight to the next destination. Your 12 days West Yunnan tour comes to end.
Meal: B, L
