Day1 Kunming Hotel: Green Lake Hotel (5 Star)
Arrive at Kunming, met on arrival and transfer to the hotel, rest of the day free.
Day2 Kunming/Jianshui (B/L) Hotel: Lin An Hotel (3 Star local best)Buffet breakfast in the hotel. Morning: sightseeing visit the Stone Forest, where erosion has created a strange landscape of limestone peaks. In the afternoon car transfers to the town of Jianshui. Check in the hotel.
Stone Forest: the world's most typical Caste landscape with 350 square kilometers, and it has been called the "natural museum landscape model," It is one of the four natural landscapes in China.
Day3 Jianshui (B/L) Hotel: same as above
One day sightseeing tour of Jianshui to the Zhu Family Mansion, then visit the Confucius temple, the second largest in China after Confucius’s hometown of Qufu, which functioned as a centre of learning for Confucius studying for the imperial examinations. Then visit the East Gate, Chaoyang Gateway, which dates from the 14th century. Then onward to the Double Dragon Bridge, one of the best preserved of all ancient bridges in China, dating from the 18th century and with three pavilions along its span. This leads to Tuanshan village.
Zhu Family Mansion: was built by a wealthy landlord and his brothers in the Qing Dynasty. The house consisits of 17 courtyards, halls and pavilions as well as a typical south China formal garden.
Tuanshan village: a well-preserved example of a Yannanese Walled village compound. The modest exteriors conceal splendid courtyard residences with intricate wood and brick carvings, gilded screens and decorations from the 19th century when the village prospered from trade opened up by the Yunnan-Vietnam reailway.
Day4 Jianshui/Yuanyang (B/L) Hotel: Yuanyang Yunti Hotel (3star local best)
Travel out towards Yuanyang, visiting local villages of Zhuang, Yi and Hani ethnic minorities en route.
Day5 Yuanyang (B/L) Hotel: same as above
Visit the Yuanyang rice terraces, one of the largest in the world. Have lunch at a local Farmer’s house and enjoy their home cooking.
Yuanyang Rice Terrace: Local Hani villagers have creat a maze of terraces on the hillsides. Especially in November they should be starting to flood the terraces in preparation for planting.
Day6 Yuanyang/Kunming (B) Hotel: Green Lake Hotel (5 star)
After Breakfast, return to Kunming by car ( about 6 hrs. driving). Transfer to hotel to do the rest.
Day7 Kunming/Dali (B/L) Hotel: Regent Hotel (4 Star)
Transfer to airport for the flight to Dali. Dali is the centre of the Bai Minority, lying on the narrow plain between the large freshwater Erhai Lake on the side and the impressive Cangshan Mountain range on the other. Visit Dali old Town, within its walls and gates, with a grid of narrow streets and shops.
Day8 Dali (B/L) Hotel: same as aboveIn the morning, take a cruise boat out onto Erhai Lake, giving you splendid views of the mountains and local fishermen out on the lake. The boat stops at a number of mid-lake islands on the way before you disembark and travel the short distance to Zhoucheng village. Then visit Xizhou town,before traveling to see the Three Pagodas built in 9th and 11th centuries which has become a symbol of Dali.
Zhoucheng Village： This typical Bai village specializes in the production of batik dye cloth.
Day9 Dali/Lijiang (B/L) Hotel: Conifer Hotel (New 4 star)Travel by car to Lijiang (about 3 hours). Check in the hotel in Shuhe Old Town. In the afternoon visit Lijiang Dayan Old Town, with its maze of narrow cobbled streets, old wooden houses and watercourses. Then visit the Black Dragon Pool and In the evening, attend a performance by the Naxi Orchestra which performs traditional court music over 1000 years old on traditional instruments. Many of the performers themselves are in their 70s and 80.
Day10 Lijiang (B/L) Hotel: same as above
One day sightseeing excursion to Baisha village, once the Naxi capital now a quiet traditional farming village, but with special fresco in its temple
Day11 Lijiang/Gaylnthang (Zhongdian) (B/L) Hotel: Holy Palace Hotel (4 Star)
Travel by car to the Tibetan area of Zhongdian, stopping first at the First Bend of the Yangtze at Shigu town, where the Yangtze River turns from flowing south toward to flow eastward through China. Then visit Tiger Leaping gorge where the river forces its way through the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain in a deep narrow canyon. Back to zhongdian, check in the hotel and do the rest.
Day12 Gaylnthang （Zhongdian) (B/L) Hotel: same as above
Private sightseeing excursion to Bita Hai, a high alpine lake and nature reserve some 3,500 metres above sea level fringed by pin and azalea forest. Then visit White Water limestone terraces, where a spring and limestone rocks have created a stepped series of shallow pools cascading down the hillside. The site is sacred to Naxi culture and religion.
Day13 Gaylnthang. (Zhongdian) (B/L)Hotel: same as above
Do trekking to Ringha Monastery (about 2 hours), one of the oldest Buddhist sites in Yunnan, and the Songzanlin Monastery, the largest Tibetan monastery in Yunnan. Have a tea with a typical Tibetan family at their house.
Day14 Gaylnthang/Kunming (B/L) Hotel: Green Lake Hotel (5 Star)
After breakfast, transfer to airport for the flight to Kunming. Visit Yuantong Temple and then excursion to the Western Hills, overlooking Lake Dian and to Dragon Gate.
Day15 Kunming (B)
Transfer to airport for the flight back to your home. End of the trip. Tashi Dele
