4 Days Private Photography Tour to Dongchuan Red Land
4 Days Private Tour of Kunming - Dongchuan Red Land - Kunming
Tour Type: Private tour, any part of the itinerary can be customized
Guide: Private & professional English-speaking guide
Transport: Spacious and air-conditioned car with private driver
Accommodation: 4-star comfort hotels
Code: KM05
Guide: Private & professional English-speaking guide
Transport: Spacious and air-conditioned car with private driver
Accommodation: 4-star comfort hotels
Code: KM05
From USD859 per person Free Inquiry
- Overview
- Itinerary
- Prices
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Tour Overview
A devotee of natural photography? Then you won’t want to miss this customizable 4-day private tour of Kunming and Dongchuan Red Land. Wander at your leisure around the Green Lake Park, known as the ‘eye’ of this ‘Spring City’, and delve into the bustling Flowers and Birds Market. Spend two days outside Kunming to the iconic Dongchuan Red Land, the highlight of this itinerary. Here, seize the opportunity to take in and photograph the stunning view made up of fields of various colors from different angles and at different times. At last, return to Kunming and finish the trip in a karst world, the Stone Forest, beholding countless vivid stalagmites that look like animals or figurines in local legends. ... Read more
Trip Highlights
- Have a glimpse into authentic daily life of Kunming by visiting the Green Lake Park and the local market.
- Take pictures of a natural color palette - Dongchuan Red Land.
- Marvel at the spectacular karst landscape of the Stone Forest.
- Experience the unique minority folk customs of Yunnan.
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Day 1 Kunming Arrival & Airport Pick-up; Visit Green Lake Park, Jingxing Flowers and Birds Market
Welcome to choose this 4 days Dongchuan Red Land tour from Kunming. Upon arrival at Kunming Airport, your guide and driver will greet you warmly and escort you to the hotel in a private car.
After check-in, let’s embark on this afternoon’s exploration at Green Lake Park. Located in the city center and often called the "Heart of Kunming," it serves as a dynamic gathering place for locals. Strolling along willow-lined pathways, you’ll see residents rowing leisurely on the lake, picnicking on lawns, or jogging along its shores. If you visit in winter from November to the next March, you’ll have a chance to encounter thousands of Siberian gulls that migrate here. There is also a former temple tucked in the park, whose elegant upturned eaves, carved beams, and serene halls offer a glimpse into traditional Chinese architecture.
Next, immerse yourself in the warm, bustling aura of Jingxing Flowers & Birds Market. Beside flowers, your eyes will be drawn to aquariums filled with colorful fish and dreamlike jellyfish, stalls displaying miniature sealed ecosystems in glass jars, butterfly specimens, indigo tie-dye fabrics, delicate wood carvings, and gleaming silver jewelry. You may also spot charming ceramic tableware, the “tile cats,” a kind local mascot believed to safeguard homes and bring prosperity. Afterwards, we’ll escort you back to your hotel.
► Free Time Suggestion:
If you’d like to experience Kunming’s after-dark atmosphere, you can take a five-minute walk by yourself from the Flowers & Birds Market to Kunming Old Street. More than just a souvenir lane, it’s a food lover’s paradise. Be sure to try local snacks such as rice cakes, grilled milk fan, fragrant flower pastries, and the highly popular pounded salad, a vibrant mix of fresh fruits and vegetables pounded together with spices in a stone mortar, creating a mouthwatering blend of sour, sweet, and spicy flavors. Finishing the visit, you can walk about 20 minutes back to your hotel. For a more relaxing way, a car-hailing takes 15-20 minutes at CNY 20 (USD 3). Bus No.112 is cheaper, costing less than 1 US dollar, but takes over half an hour.
Accommodation: Cachet Boutique Kunming Artime (4 stars)
After check-in, let’s embark on this afternoon’s exploration at Green Lake Park. Located in the city center and often called the "Heart of Kunming," it serves as a dynamic gathering place for locals. Strolling along willow-lined pathways, you’ll see residents rowing leisurely on the lake, picnicking on lawns, or jogging along its shores. If you visit in winter from November to the next March, you’ll have a chance to encounter thousands of Siberian gulls that migrate here. There is also a former temple tucked in the park, whose elegant upturned eaves, carved beams, and serene halls offer a glimpse into traditional Chinese architecture.
Next, immerse yourself in the warm, bustling aura of Jingxing Flowers & Birds Market. Beside flowers, your eyes will be drawn to aquariums filled with colorful fish and dreamlike jellyfish, stalls displaying miniature sealed ecosystems in glass jars, butterfly specimens, indigo tie-dye fabrics, delicate wood carvings, and gleaming silver jewelry. You may also spot charming ceramic tableware, the “tile cats,” a kind local mascot believed to safeguard homes and bring prosperity. Afterwards, we’ll escort you back to your hotel.
► Free Time Suggestion:
If you’d like to experience Kunming’s after-dark atmosphere, you can take a five-minute walk by yourself from the Flowers & Birds Market to Kunming Old Street. More than just a souvenir lane, it’s a food lover’s paradise. Be sure to try local snacks such as rice cakes, grilled milk fan, fragrant flower pastries, and the highly popular pounded salad, a vibrant mix of fresh fruits and vegetables pounded together with spices in a stone mortar, creating a mouthwatering blend of sour, sweet, and spicy flavors. Finishing the visit, you can walk about 20 minutes back to your hotel. For a more relaxing way, a car-hailing takes 15-20 minutes at CNY 20 (USD 3). Bus No.112 is cheaper, costing less than 1 US dollar, but takes over half an hour.
Accommodation: Cachet Boutique Kunming Artime (4 stars)
Green Lake Park
Stone Forest
Day 2 3-hour Drive to Dongchuan Red Land
After breakfast, your guide and the driver will meet you at the hotel lobby and escort you on a road trip to Dongchuan Red Land. Heading north, the city views will gradually give way to rolling hills and expansive farmland. After about three hours, you’ll arrive in Dongchuan, where a breathtaking panorama of terraced fields unfolds like a vast living painting. Rich shades of crimson, reddish-purple, and brick-red soil are woven together with lands of bright yellow rapeseed blossoms and emerald-green barley and wheat, creating what looks like a magnificent “earth palette” flowing across the hills.
Your guide first help you check into the pre-booked hotel located at Sunset Gully, then accompany you to explore the area. From the viewing platform, you can look across the valley to a flat-topped hill covered in multicolored terraces that resemble a sunset cloud settled in the gorge, hence the poetic name. The spot is also famous for sunset photography. Between 4:00 and 5:00 PM, sunlight often filters through the clouds and plays across the red soil, casting ever-shifting light and shadow in tones so subtle that even the most skilled artist would not be able to replicate them.
In the evening, we’ll escort you back to your hotel. We recommend an early rest tonight, as we’ll rise before dawn tomorrow to watch the sunrise at Damakan, a 30-minute drive from your hotel.
► Best Time to Visit Dongchuan Red Land:
The most vibrant and photogenic periods are May - June and September - December, when skies are often clear and the terraces display their richest colors. During July and August, overcast or rainy days are more frequent, making sunrise and sunset sightings less predictable.
Meals: Western buffet breakfast
Accommodation: Luoxiaju Hotel, Dongchuan
Your guide first help you check into the pre-booked hotel located at Sunset Gully, then accompany you to explore the area. From the viewing platform, you can look across the valley to a flat-topped hill covered in multicolored terraces that resemble a sunset cloud settled in the gorge, hence the poetic name. The spot is also famous for sunset photography. Between 4:00 and 5:00 PM, sunlight often filters through the clouds and plays across the red soil, casting ever-shifting light and shadow in tones so subtle that even the most skilled artist would not be able to replicate them.
In the evening, we’ll escort you back to your hotel. We recommend an early rest tonight, as we’ll rise before dawn tomorrow to watch the sunrise at Damakan, a 30-minute drive from your hotel.
► Best Time to Visit Dongchuan Red Land:
The most vibrant and photogenic periods are May - June and September - December, when skies are often clear and the terraces display their richest colors. During July and August, overcast or rainy days are more frequent, making sunrise and sunset sightings less predictable.
Meals: Western buffet breakfast
Accommodation: Luoxiaju Hotel, Dongchuan
A Panoramic View of Dongchuan Red Land
Dongchuan Red Land
Day 3 Dongchuan: Admire Sunrise at Damakan Village, Visit Jinxiu Garden; Drive back to Kunming
Your guide and the driver will escort you to set out between 4:00 and 5:00 AM to reach Damakan Village for sunrise. From the viewing platform, watch night fade away as the villages and red earth are gradually touched by the soft, dreamy light of dawn. Soon, the first rays of morning will break through the lingering mist, brushing the landscape with golden strokes as if painted by an artist. Please dress warmly since temperatures can be quite cool at this hour.
After that, we’ll return to the hotel for breakfast. Next, pass through the Seven-color Slope, where you may even spot local shepherds grazing their flocks. Our final stop will be Jinxiu Garden, the heart of the red land. Here, the layered terraces resemble musical staves carved into the earth, with farmers and cattle moving like notes across the score. Climb the gentle slope to enjoy a sweeping panorama where the terraced fields unfold like an exquisite embroidery. As clouds drift by, the shifting light and shadow continuously reshape the view, making each moment unique and unforgettable.
After the visit concludes, your guide and driver will escort you on a 3-hour car ride back to Kunming and assist with hotel check-in upon arrival.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Cachet Boutique Kunming Artime (4 stars)
After that, we’ll return to the hotel for breakfast. Next, pass through the Seven-color Slope, where you may even spot local shepherds grazing their flocks. Our final stop will be Jinxiu Garden, the heart of the red land. Here, the layered terraces resemble musical staves carved into the earth, with farmers and cattle moving like notes across the score. Climb the gentle slope to enjoy a sweeping panorama where the terraced fields unfold like an exquisite embroidery. As clouds drift by, the shifting light and shadow continuously reshape the view, making each moment unique and unforgettable.
After the visit concludes, your guide and driver will escort you on a 3-hour car ride back to Kunming and assist with hotel check-in upon arrival.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Cachet Boutique Kunming Artime (4 stars)
Day 4 Kunming: Visit Stone Forest, Airport or Train Station See-off
This morning marks the final chapter of your Yunnan journey. After breakfast, your guide and the driver will offer you a smooth 1.5-hour car ride to the famed Stone Forest. Along the way, you’ll see these dark-gray peaks rising in the distance, which are remnants of an ancient sea that over 270 million years of tectonic shifts and erosion have sculpted into a forest of stone.
Walking the maze-like paths beneath towering rocks, you may spot a boulder wedged between two pillars. Local legend says that if someone who has acted ungratefully stands beneath it, the stone might fall. The landscape itself resembles a natural sculpture gallery, with formations evoking mushrooms, sharp swords, and gentle elephants. The most iconic is the “Ashima” rock, said to be the petrified form of a young girl. Folklore tells that Ashima fell in love with a shepherd but was captured by a local tyrant. Her beloved managed to rescue her, but to be tragically swept away by flood. Grief-stricken, Ashima turned to stone, forever awaiting his return. After finishing the visit in the afternoon, your guide and the driver will escort you to Kunming Airport or railway station according to your schedule. To ensure a smooth connection, we recommend booking a flight or high-speed train departing after 5:00 PM.
Should you wish to further explore Yunnan, we can continue to tailor itineraries to Dali, Lijiang, or Shangri-La. Please feel free to contact us for detailed information.
Meals: Western buffet breakfast
Walking the maze-like paths beneath towering rocks, you may spot a boulder wedged between two pillars. Local legend says that if someone who has acted ungratefully stands beneath it, the stone might fall. The landscape itself resembles a natural sculpture gallery, with formations evoking mushrooms, sharp swords, and gentle elephants. The most iconic is the “Ashima” rock, said to be the petrified form of a young girl. Folklore tells that Ashima fell in love with a shepherd but was captured by a local tyrant. Her beloved managed to rescue her, but to be tragically swept away by flood. Grief-stricken, Ashima turned to stone, forever awaiting his return. After finishing the visit in the afternoon, your guide and the driver will escort you to Kunming Airport or railway station according to your schedule. To ensure a smooth connection, we recommend booking a flight or high-speed train departing after 5:00 PM.
Should you wish to further explore Yunnan, we can continue to tailor itineraries to Dali, Lijiang, or Shangri-La. Please feel free to contact us for detailed information.
Meals: Western buffet breakfast
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This trip can be customized to meet your individual needs!
Tour Prices
| 2-3 travelers | 4-5 travelers |
|---|---|
USD909 | USD859 |
- Prices are per person on twin sharing.
- If you are a group of 6 people or more, we will offer a more favorable price by your group size.
- Note: Hotel room rates will get increased in summer vacation of Jul and Aug. There will be extra charge incurred for traveling during this period.
Price Includes
- Hotel accommodation with breakfasts
- Private English-speaking guides
- Private drivers & air-conditioned vehicles
- Entrance fees to tourist sites
Price Excludes
- Airfares
- Entry visa fees
- Personal expenses
- Tips or gratuities for guides and drivers
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