8 Days Yunnan Tour: Lijiang, Dali, Shangri-la, Eco Farm

Welcome to Yunnan! Today your flight will touch down in Lijiang -- the first city in the itinerary. Upon arrival, tour guide and driver will pick you up at the airport exit, and then transfer you to hotel. The rest of today is for you to relax.

In the morning, our guide will lead you to explore Lijiang Ancient Town, which is one of the two ancient cities in China that successfully applied for the World Cultural Heritage as a whole. It reflects the achievements of urban construction in ancient China, and is one of the types with distinctive characteristics and styles in Chinese folk houses.

After that, we are going to visit spectacular Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. Taking 25 minutes' cableway to Glacier Park, you will see the vegetations changes with ascending altitude. Then, stroll around the Jade Lake and enjoy the beautiful scenery.

Later in the afternoon, drive back to hotel. Take a good rest tonight, prepare for tomorrow's exciting trekking.

After breakfast, today we will keep traveling to a must-seen sites in Yunnan -- Tiger Leaping Gorge, the deepest gorge in the world, visit Upper Gorge, enjoy the 2.6-kilometer along Jinsha River and the stone trail. We will spend our whole afternoon trekking from the ticket lobby of Tiger Leaping Gorge to Tea-Horse Inn.

After a nice breakfast, we will start today's light trekking from Tea-Horse Inn to Half Way. Along the way, enjoy the magnificent canyon scenery and step on the path at the edge of the cliff. 

*Note: You can get up early to catch the sunrise from Tea-Horse Inn, if you'd like to.

After about 2.5 hours' hiking, we will arrive at Half Way, then drive 2 hours to Shangri-La to visit Dukezong Ancient Town, which is the best preserved and largest Tibetan residential community in China.

After breakfast, we will head to Songzanlin Monastery to see the largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Yunnan, the castle like complex is also known as Little Potala Palace, experience the mystery and traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. 

Then, continue our trip to Shaxi Ancient Town, which has a long history and diverse cultures, featuring unique ethnic activities such as the Shibaoshan Song Festival and the February 8th Prince's Meeting.

After enjoying a nice breakfast, today we head to a local farmhouse. Upon arrival, have a tour around the farm and discuss ecological agricultural practices, pick and eat a few mulberries. Then we will have a nice lunch in a local, old-style home.

Exciting afternoon! After lunch, we come to farm base for swimming and paddle boarding on the Yangtze River for several hours. After finishing river activities, come back to the farm for an outdoor farm-to-table lunch prepared by local.

*Note: This activity includes all equipment, a training class, and a coach.

In the morning, our guide will drive you to explore Dali Ancient Town, which is one of the most outstanding areas of human cultural heritage. It is located in the border and has strong national culture. It is one of the first 24 famous historical and cultural cities announced by the state.

After lunch, we will walk to visit the Chongsheng Temple and the Three-Pagoda. The art of it reaches its peak and has extremely high historical, cultural, and architectural value.

Later, hike to the beautiful Erhai Lake. Here, you can take the eco-friendly car to drive around the lake, rent a bike to explore the surrounding areas, or just stroll around this tranquil lake and enjoy the healing sunset.

Your enjoyable Yunnan tour has coming to an end today. Say goodbye to Dali. And we will transfer you to airport  according to your schedule. Wish you have a pleasant journey home. Look forward to see you in another China trip!