Far away Yunnan in the southwest corner of China is a most beautiful and colourful region of China. On this tour you will visit five famous and beautiful cities: Kunming, Dali, Lijiang, Zhongdian and Chengdu. Along the way, you will visit such amazing topographical wonders as the Stone Forest, Lake Erhai, the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, the mighty Yangtze River in its upper reaches and the remarkable Tiger Leaping Gorge. Ordinary life will open to you through visits to flower and bird markets, visits to parks where locals congregate, and observation of the many different minority peoples and their customs. You will also visit areas rich in artistic, cultural and architectural delights – old cobble streeted towns; pagodas, famed Buddhist monasteries and Lamaseries; canals and stone bridges reminiscent of a Chinese painting; Chinese mansions; beautiful murals, sculpture and woodcavings; and colourful Sichuan Opera. And to cap all of this you will visit the Giant Panda and see parents and cubs. This is a truly remarkable tour.
On arrival you transfer to your hotel in Kunming which has come to be known as The City of Perpetual Spring.
On a one day excursion you take a picturesque drive through the countryside today to the Stone Forest, situated 120km southeast of the city. Covering a huge area, the Stone Forest is an impressive collection of limestone pillars eroded by wind and rain. Like the mountains around Guilin, this is another of China’s natural wonders. (B/L)
You fly to Dali and transfer to your hotel, with a brief visit to the flower and bird market on the way. Dali is a 600-year-old walled town picturesquely situated on the edge of Erhai Lake at the foot of the dramatic Cangshan Range. The Dali region is the home of the Bai minority and after your arrival you will visit two villages, Xizhou and Zhoucheng, and see something of Bai life. Xizhou has a fascinating market and Zhoucheng is renowned for dyeing fabric with indigo. (B/L)
This morning you take a boat trip across the Erhai lake affording wonderful views of the mountains and including a visit to a lakeside village. After lunch visit Chongshen
Monastery with its three tall pagodas for which Dali is famous. These pagodas date from the 9th century and are splendidly situated against the towering mountains. (B/L)
By road you travel through the mountains to Lijiang, visiting Shibaoshan en route. Lijiang, lying at 2400m at the foot of the imposing Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, which rises to 5500m. This region is the home of the Naxi people, descendants of Tibetan nomads, and the old part of Lijiang, criss-crossed with cobbled streets, canals and bridges, is now a World Heritage area. (B/L)
This morning you ascend the stunning Jade Dragon Snow Mountain by chairlift or cable car with time for exploration on foot. It is the southernmost mountain in the Northern Hemisphere that is snow-capped year round. The scenery is dramatic and the vegetation fascinating. After lunch you visit the 18th century Yufeng Lamasery on the eastern slope. You then visit Yuhu Village to see examples of authentic ethnic cultures. (B)
Here you tour the old town, and visit the Mu mansion, followed by a walk around the Black Dragon Pool Park. (B)
After breakfast you experience a spectacular, all day drive alongside the Yangtze to Zhongdian. On the way you visit the awesome Tiger Leaping Gorge. With a drop of 3900 metres it is said to be the world’s deepest gorge. (B/L)
You day trip to Sungtzeling Monastery, a Tibetan village and the old quarter of Zhongdian. Sungtzeling Monastery, built in 1679, is a large Tibetan Buddhism complex richly decorated with murals and woodcarvings. (B/L/D)
You fly to Kunming The rest of the day is at your leisure. (B)
You transfer to the station for your overnight train to Chengdu, one of the most scenic train journeys in China. (B/L)
You transfer to the hotel Endowed with fertile land, Chengdu’s nickname is China’s breadbasket. There are more than 40 ethnic minorities living in the province (Sichuan). You will stroll in People’s Park and watch countless Tea Houses and observe the lives of local people. Tonight you will enjoy the colourful Sichuan Opera, with high–pitch voices and unique “changing faces”. (B/L/D)
This morning you will visit the Panda Research Institute. The visit provides an opportunity to see a large number of the endangered giant pandas, both adults and cubs. Then you will travel south west, 167km to Leshan to visit the Giant Buddha Statue. Carved into a cliff on the bank of the Min River between 713 and 803 AD in the hope that its presence would exert an influence to subdue flooding, the famed statue is 71m high. (B/L)
You transfer to the airport for your onward flight. (B)
| Daily Departure | **** | ***** | ||
| Twin Share | Single Supplement | Twin Share | Single Supplement | |
| Apr, Nov 12 | $3355 | $605 | $3750 | $975 |
| May, Sep-Oct 12 | $3400 | $625 | $3820 | $1020 |
| Jun-Aug 12 | $3355 | $605 | $3750 | $975 |
| Dec 12, Jan-Feb 13 | $3325 | $595 | $3715 | $965 |
The prices of above tour are based on the basis of a minimum of 2 persons travelling together.
For more details on what is included in this tour please click here