Tour Code: YUNNAN-LIJIANG10

11 Days of Kunming - Dali - Lijiang - Jade Dragon Mountain - Lijiang - Tiger Leaping Gorge - Shangri-la - Feilaisi - Shangri-la

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Day 01: Arrival in Kunming
Arrive in Kunming and get prepared. Stay overnight at the local hotel.


Day 02: Kunming - Dali
Take flight to Dali, an old town with beautiful landscape and long history. The Cangshan Mountain and the Erhai Lake have formed one of the most beautiful and also best known scenery in China. Take a short cruise on Erhai Lake and explore the local Bai villages and markets on foot and then take a cable car up Mt. Cangshan to enjoy the spectacular view.


Day 03: Dali - Lijiang
Drive to Lijiang via Shaxi. Shaxi was a bustling trade station on the Tea & Horse Caravan that linked Yunnan and Tibet with Southeast Asia for tea and horses trading. Arrive in Lijiang in later afternoon.


Day 04: Lijiang - Jade Dragon Mountain - Lijiang
Visit the Black Dragon Pool Park and photograph Jade Dragon Snow Mountain with a bridge and peaceful lake in the park. The Museum of Naxi Culture (or Dongba Culture) is also worthy going. Then, drive to the bottom of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain to Xuesong Village which is such a tranquil place with the majestic snow mountains behind and fertile lands around. After picnic lunch, hike around the village or even up to a monastery behind. In later afternoon drive back to Lijiang.


Day 05: Lijiang - Tiger Leaping Gorge
Drive 1.5 hours to Qiaotou town. Start hiking to half way. Right from Qiaotou, ascend up to the Haba Mountain which forms the Tiger Leaping Gorge with the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain facing it. The height gap of the Yangtze River and the top of the mountains are almost 5,000 meters. It says a Tiger could leap over the River with a step on the rock in the middle of the river.


Day 06: Tiger Leaping Gorge - Shangri-la
Start one hour of descending to Tina's guest house which is located by the road along the gorge. Then continue ascending down into the middle gorge. The trail was extremely steep and you have to take the side trees to keep balance. The half an hour descending is breathtaking before getting down into the river. The white water flushes away and the voice is echoing in the gorge. Then, start ascending on a slowly going up trail to the road and walk another 2 hours to Xincun Village where drive 3 hours to Shangri-la via Baishuitai, the white water terraced.


Day 07: Shangri-la
Take a morning visit to Songzanlin Monastery and join morning prayers with the monks and in the monastery, and afterwards visit picturesque Shudu Lake. The alpine lake is surrounded by alpine meadows and wildflowers on one side with a temperate rain forest on the other. Take yak butter tea and participate in Tibetan dances in the home of a local Tibetan family.


Day 08: Shangri-la - Feilaisi
Drive 6-7 hours to Feilaisi. Short out of the town, pass Napa Lake and then ascend up to the mountains. Over the mountain pass, go downhill on the breathtaking benched road down to the upper Yangtze River Valley. After the lunch stop down in the valley, start to go uphill to Baima Snow Mountain which is shining under the sunshine. Once get up to the Baima Snow Mountain, you could see Kawa Karpo in distance. Then go downhill to Mekkong River valley till you get to Feilaisi. In later afternoon, get to Feilaisi and shoot Kawa Karpo over sunset.


Day 09: Feilaisi
Kawa Karpo, the most known holy mountain among Tibetan Buddhists, with the pagodas near Feilaisi, the deep valley, and the Tibetan villages scattered on the mountain slopes is absolutely breathtaking picture in your life, if weather permits. And it is an unconquered mountain. After morning shooting, drive down to the valley to the glacier of Minyong Glacier of Mt. Kawa Karpo.


Day 10: Feilaisi - Shangri-la
This morning, you shoot different scenery of Kawa Karpo before having breakfast. Then drive back to Shangri-la today and visit Dongzhulin Monastery en route. Dongzhulin Monastery is located in the middle of a steep slope. The ruggedness of this monastery will enhance the impression of power of religion or belief.


Day 11: Departure from Shangri-la
Leave Shangri-la according to your schedule.

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