11 Days Kunming Dali Lijiang ShangriLa and Meili Snow Mountain Pilgrimage Tour

Drive 86 km to the Stone Forest. An old local saying says that 'If you have visited Kunming without seeing the Stone Forest, you have wasted your time.' Truly, the Stone Forest is one of the most important attractions of Yunnan. After lunch drive back Kunming to visit the Guandu Ancient Town which is a famous historical & cultural town in Kunming, it keeps the main architectural style of Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties.

Take the morning flight to Dali, which is a famous historically and culturally city of China, is renowned for her historical interest and Bai ethnic culture. After landing, visit the Three Pagodas in Chongshen Monastery which has a history of over 1,800 years and located at the foot of Cangshan Mountain facing to the Erhai Lake. Three Pagodas are made of three ancient independent pagodas forming a symmetrical triangle.

After lunch, cruise in Erhai Lake by the small boat to the Jinsuo Islet in the east Erhai Lake. There are 200 Bai ethnic families around 1000 people in Jinsuo Island. During Erhai Lake cruise, enjoy the green Cangshan Mountain and the Three Pagodas from a far as well as lots of birds and seagulls flying over the lake.

At last, visit the Dali Ancient Town, walk around the Foreigner Street and enjoy the relax time with local people. After climbing up to the City Wall of Dali, you will have panoramic view of the Erhai Lake.

Sightseeing and Activities: Xizhou Town, Zhoucheng Village, Shaping Monday Bazaar, Black Dragon Pool, Dongba Museum, Lijiang Ancient Town
Accommodation:
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Head to Xizhou Old Town to fully appreciate Bai-style traditional architectural courtyards, taste their fragrant Three-Course Tea and explore their distinctive culture. Visit Zhoucheng Village and the Bai people's Tie-dying cloth workshop where you can take some special souvenir with the Bai ethnic style.

Move on to visit the Shaping Bazaar happened every Monday in Shangguan Town. Shaping market is ratified by the government of Yunnan province to trade cultural relics inferior to the third class. Multitudinous curios, jade article, embroider are sold there, alluring many tourists around the country and abroad. Therefore, it got the reputation of “the foreigners’ street”.

Drive about 180KM to Lijiang with the beautiful farmlands and ethnic villages on the way. Lunch at NO.8 Restaurant at the back of Black Dragon Pool, after lunch, head for the scenic Black Dragon Pool and the Dongba Museum to explore the rich Naxi minority culture.

In the late afternoon, explore Lijiang Old Town, which has a history more than 800 years, it was listed as the World Cultural Heritage by the UNESCO 1997. Here you will see the wonderful wooden architecture of Naxi ethnic people.

Sightseeing and Activities: Yulong Snow Mountain,Spruce Meadow, Baisha Old Town and Murals,Baishui River and Terraces
Accommodation:
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Enjoy the sunrise of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and Lijiang Ancient Town in the morning, drive about 30KM to Ganhaizi Meadow(3100M), take the sightseeing bus for a short visiting through the Baishuihe River, then take the chairlift up to visit Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. The cableway will be arranged according to the condition of the mountain. hike around 1 hours in the original forest in Spruce Meadow (3200M).

After lunch, enjoy the Impression Lijang Ethnic Show directed in by Zhang Yimou. It's a cultural show which demonstrating the traditions and lifestyles of the Naxi, Yi and Bai peoples of the area. The show takes place inside Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Park at 3500m in an outdoor theater specifically designed to showcase the mountain which is used as a backdrop.

In the afternoon, stroll through Baisha Old Town, which is an enchanting traditional Yunnan village. Visit the Baisha Mural, which is one part of the World Cultural Heritage by the UNESCO 1997.

From Lijiang, drive about 60 KM to the First Bend of Yangtze River with imposing gorge scenery, visit the Iron Chain Bridge, the Red Army's Long March Memorial Monument in the Shigu town. The town of Stone Drum got its name from a large, cylindrical, marble tablet shaped like a drum. The scenery is magnificent as the road running through the Lijiang valley which is filled with wheat fields and drying haystacks.

Then visit the Tiger Leaping Gorge, which is the deepest gorge in the world. With 34 rapids of the Yangtze River, it is called the Jinsha in this area because you can find gold in the river. Afternoon, head to Shangri-La, the former Zhongdian which is wellknown as the paradise destination for every tourist. Upon arrival in Shangri-La, entered the Tibetan cultural area to appreciate a landscape of barley fields and yaks scattered in the valleys. Walk around Dukezong Ancient Town, which is an important town of the Ancient Tea-horse Trade Caravan from Yunnan to Tibet and India.

In the morning, visit the Ganden Sumtseling Monastery, the largest Tibetan monastery in Yunnan. Songzanlin Monastery has another alias - 'the little Potala Palace ', so named because the whole monastery is in the traditional style with mysterious atmosphere. And afterwards visit the Pudacuo National Park which is located in one of the most biologically-diverse regions of the world. While the region comprises only 0.7 percent of China's land area, it contains more than 20 percent of the country's plant species, about one-third of its mammal and bird species and almost 100 endangered species.

Move on to Dukezong Ancient Town in the late afternoon, climb up to the top of Guishan Hill or tortoise Hill to see the largest Prayer Wheel of the world and have a panoramic view of shangrila county.

Sightseeing and Activities: Bengzilan Town, the Moon Bend of Jinsha River, Jinsha River Grand Canyon, Dongzhulin monastery and Baima Snow Mountain, the sunset of Meili Snow Mountain and the 13 white pagodas

In the morning, drive 6 to 7 hours to Deqin County (3400 m altitude), you will be able to view Baimang Snow Mountain if the weather is clear, pass the top part of today at 4292 m altitude at 156 km.

After traversing mountain ranges, make a short stop and have lunch at Benzilan town, take some shots on the first bend of Jinsha(Yangtze) River, Dongzhulin monastery and Baima (white horse) Snow Mountain. The view along the way is fantastic with different kinds of trees, streams down the valley, prayer flags and stupas, and Tibetan villages.

Sightseeing and Activities: the sunrise of Meili Snow Mountain, Lancang-Mekong Grand Canyon, Mingyong Glacier Park,Mingyong Village
Accommodation:
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Get up early in the morning, enjoy the magic sunrise of Meili Snow Mountain. Then drive another 1.5 hours to Mingyong village, where you will walk on the trails for about 4 km to Mingyong Glaciers of Meili Snow Mountain. After Mingyong Glacier in Mingyong Village, do some trekking along the Lancang River Grand Canyon as well as some Tibetan villages. This will be the most impressive part of your trip to Yunnan. Try to trek back to Feilaisi from the Lancang-Mekong River with a nice view of Meili Snow Mountain and Baima Snow Mountain.

Visit Feilaisi Monastery and enjoy the sunrise of Meili Snow Mountain in the early morning, then drive back to Shangri-La, have a nice experience of Yangtze River Grand Canyon, Baima Snow Mountain again on the way back. Be free in Dukezong Ancient Town and explore the Tibetan life in the late afternoon.

Sightseeing and Activities: Shangri-La Departure
Accommodation:
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Free to explore Shangri-La until be escort to the airport to Kunming.

Service ends.