If you are planning your first Yunnan tour, Kunming, Dali, Lijiang and Shangri-La should be in your list. From notable limestone "forest" rock formations to one of the world's deepest canyons, from ancient towns to snowy mountains, from colorful minority cultures to delicious food, Yunnan has some of the most magnificent scenery in China.
Day 1: Beijing Arrival
Your private guide will be on time and waiting for you upon arrival at Beijing. A comfortable private car and experienced driver will be ready to transfer you to your hotel, giving you a good first impression of China.
Hotel Options:
- Penta Hotel Beijing
- Crowne Plaza Beijing Chaoyang U-Town
Day 2: Beijing/Forbidden City & Hutong Alleyways
08:30: Start your day with the symbol of new China, Tian'anmen Square. From there you will proceed to the Forbidden City, which has the largest and best-preserved ancient imperial palaces and 500 years of history. While most tour groups only visit the six halls on the central axis, your private guide will take you to the hidden halls for a deeper understanding of the history and to dodge the crowds.
12:00: Enjoy Beijing Roast Duck for lunch. Watch the exquisite carving skills of the chef, taste crispy duck skin, and learn how to eat it in the correct way.
14:00: Spend a relaxing afternoon in the Hutong alleyways. Walk into a traditional Hutong and see how people live in it.
17:00: Return to your hotel.
Hotel Options:
- Penta Hotel Beijing
- Crowne Plaza Beijing Chaoyang U-Town
Day 3: Beijing/Temple of Heaven & the Great Wall
08:30: Start your day at the Temple of Heaven, which was where emperors prayed to “heaven” for a good harvest. You can arrive early to see the locals practicing martial arts and other exercise activities.
12:00: Lunch at local restaurant.
14:00: Visit Mutianyu, which is ranked first on TripAdvisor among all sections fo the Great Wall for its picturesque scenery and beautifully-restored architecture. It is about two and a half hours' drive from downtown Beijing, but the view and experience make it well worth the visit..
17:00: Return to your hotel.
Hotel Options:
- Penta Hotel Beijing
- Crowne Plaza Beijing Chaoyang U-Town
Day 4: Beijing to Kunming/Summer Palace & Flight to Kunming
08:30: Be amazed by the imperial garden at the Summer Palace. It was originally the imperial court's summer retreat and still makes a nice place to escape the heat of summer.
11:30: Enjoy lunch and get ready to travel to Kunming on an afternoon flight. After your flight lands at the airport, your tour guide will wait for you at the arrivals hall. Transfer to your hotel by a private car and driver. The rest of the day is for you to acclimate and explore the city, or relax and get ready for the tour on the following day.
Hotel Options:
- Kunming New Era Hotel ****
- Green Lake Hotel *****
Day 5: Kunming/the Stone Forest & Yuantong Temple
08:30: After an hour and a half drive, visit a fantastic natural phenomenon located 90 kilometers southeast of Kunming—the Stone Forest. The various shapes of limestone were formed by millions of years of erosion. The Stone Forest area is home of the Naxi people, who are famed for their colorful embroidery and dancing. Enjoy a local lunch in a quaint courtyard with the Stone Forest Park in the background.
12:00: Lunch at a local restaurant.
13:00: In the afternoon, transfer back to Kunming and visit the Yuantong Temple, the largest and most ancient Buddhist temple in Kunming, to learn about the differences between the three denominations of Buddhism.
17:00: After the tour, your guide and driver will escort you back to your hotel.
Hotel Options:
- Kunming New Era Hotel ****
- Green Lake Hotel *****
Day 6: Kunming to Dali/the Old Town of Dali
09:00: Take a two-hour bullet train ride to Dali in the morning. Upon arrival, your guide will be waiting to start your tour. Visit the houses of the Bai minority people in Xizhou Village. You will experience typical Bai traditions and costumes. Some buildings features typical ancient architectures and are still inhabited. Then hop on a horse-drawn carriage to enjoy a relaxing tour along the lakeshore of Erhai, which has a mild climate and stunning scenery.
12:00: Have lunch at a popular local restaurant.
14:00: Located at the foot of the Cangshan Mountains is Dali Ancient Town, where clear springs flow and local minority people live. In a quiet corner of the town, you also will find a Chinese-style Catholic church that was built in 1927. Stay overnight in the ancient town.
17:00: Return to your hotel.
Hotel Options:
- Gurong Hotel ****
- The One Hotels & Resorts *****
Day 7: Dali to Lijiang/the Old Town of Lijiang
08:30: Your personal guide and driver will transfer you directly from Dali to Lijiang. Enjoy lunch and start the tour in Lijiang. Lijiang Ancient Town is the best-preserved minority ancient city. Most of the people living there belong to the Naxi minority, some of whom still make a living by producing handicrafts of silver, leather and textiles. Enjoy the quaint city scenery and see plenty of handicrafts in a distinctive style only found in this area of China. Then climb up to Lion Hill to have a bird's eye view of the whole town.
12:00: Lunch at Lijiang local restaurant.
14:00: Pay a visit to the Black Dragon Pool Park, where the postcard-perfect view of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain is one of the most famous in southwest China.
17:00: Return to your hotel.
Hotel Options:
- Ivy Garden Resort Hotel ****
- InterContinental Lijiang Ancient Town Resort *****
Day 8: Lijiang/ Jade Dragon Snow Mountain & Baisha Murals
08:30: Welcome to the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, the holy mountain of the Naxi people. Use the cable car to ascend the mountain and overlook the countryside with forests and meadows below.
12:00: On your way back to Lijiang, enjoy lunch in a restaurant run by a local Naxi family. Make your own Naxi pancake (Naxi baba) as the main dish for your lunch. A Naxi lady from this restaurant, who is a master of making baba, will give you a demonstration. The waitress will fry the pancake for you and then you can try it with some other Naxi dishes for lunch.
14:00: See the mysterious Baisha Murals at Baisha Village. Painted over 1,000 years ago, the murals display the life stories of China's main religions, including Confucianism, Taoism and Tibetan Buddhism.
Visit a shaman (called Dongba in the Naxi language) in Baisha village. Get a chance to understand more about the mysterious Naxi culture, its words and music, and the Naxi people's understanding about the relationship between nature and humanity. Learn some Dongba characters and enjoy some Naxi music. Discover the Naxi people's passion for their lifestyle and homeland.
17:00: Return to your hotel.
Hotel Options:
- Ivy Garden Resort Hotel ****
- InterContinental Lijiang Ancient Town Resort *****
Day 9: Lijiang to Shangri-La /Tiger Leaping Gorge
08:30: Your guide and driver will escort you from Lijiang to Shangri-La. Along the way, visit one of the world's deepest and most marvelous gorges—Tiger Leaping Gorge. The rapid waters from the magnificent Jinsha River flows into the narrow valley with a stone in the center. There is an ancient saying that the gorge is so narrow that a tiger was able to leap over to the other side of the river, hence the name “Tiger Leaping Gorge.”.
12:00: Lunch at local restaurant
13:00: After lunch, continue the 2-hour drive to Shangri-La. Have a good rest in hotel to adapt the high altitude of 3200 meters.
Hotel Options:
- The 5th Meteorite Light-Year Hotel ****
- Songtsam Shangri-La Hotel *****
Day 10: Shangri-La/Songzanlin Lamasery & Pudacuo National Park
08:30: Immerse yourself in the breathtaking natural beauty and holy religious atmosphere of the unspoiled Shangri-La. Visit the largest Tibetan Buddhist Lamasery in Yunnan Province—Songzanlin Lamasery—which was built in the style of Potala Palace in Lhasa and houses Buddhist statues and many precious cultural treasures.
After visiting the lamasery, your guide will take you to a lamas dormitory. The lamas who live there will show their hospitality and will be happy to talk with you in their study room. If you are curious about their lifestyle, religious beliefs, and discipline, this is a great chance to get close to and interact with them. If you are lucky, you might meet a living Buddha.
12:00: Lunch at local restaurant.
14:00: Pudacuo National Park features a well-preserved ecosystem within the virgin forests. The must-see scenery in this park includes Lake Bita and Lake Shudu. “Bita” means “a place with a dense oak forest'” in the Tibetan language and “Bitahai” means “a quiet lake.” The Bitahai Lake is surrounded by mountains covered with ancient pines, oaks, and rhododendrons, and appears like an emerald in the heart of the mountains. Shudu Lake is surrounded by a forest of fir, spruce, and silver birch trees, and is home to squirrels, golden cats, and pheasants.
17:00: Return to your hotel.
Hotel Options:
- The 5th Meteorite-Light-Year Hotel ****
- Songtsam Shangri-La Hotel *****
Day 11: Shangri-La to Shanghai
As your Yunnan journey concludes, your tour guide, driver and car will meet you at your hotel and transfer you to the airport. They will assist you with your luggage and check-in, then accompany you until the security checkpoint. Your Shanghai guide will meet you and escort you to your hotel.
Hotel Options:
- Sunrise on the Bund ****
- Les Suites Orient Bund Shanghai *****
Day 12: Shanghai/Bund
08:30: Do more than just take one or two selfies on the Bund. Travel back in time to the golden age of the Bund in the 1920s during an in-depth Bund Culture Discovery Tour. Go into some of the old Bund buildings and learn about their history. See the room that Albert Einstein stayed in.
12:00: Enjoy lunch and ascend the tallest building in China (and the tallest outside Dubai)—Shanghai Tower, where you will not only enjoy a panoramic view of Shanghai, but will also see the future of China.
13:00: Half-Day Customized Experience
17:00: Return to your hotel.
Hotel Options:
- Sunrise on the Bund ****
- Les Suites Orient Bund Shanghai *****
Day 13: Shanghai/Explore Historical Districts/Zhujiajiao Water Town
08:30: Wander in the former French Concession where your guide will tell you stories about the buildings and the colonial history. Pass by the stylish buildings constructed a century ago.
Next, your guide will take you to a hidden treasure of art— the Propaganda Poster Art Centre. There, you will find posters that record the history of the Mao Tse-Tung era, and your curiosity about communism will be satisfied.
12:00: Lunch at local restaurant.
14:00: Enjoy a relaxing afternoon in Zhujiajiao Water Town. Walk over the bridges and by the river, and relax in a rowing boat. This lovely town will make you forget that you are next to a big city.
17:00: Return to your hotel.
Hotel Options:
- Sunrise on the Bund ****
- Les Suites Orient Bund Shanghai *****
Day 14: Shanghai Departure
Your private car, driver and guide will be ready and waiting in your hotel lobby to get you to the airport on time. Sit back and relax, as they help you check-in and escort you to the correct security gate. They will take the stress out of your travels and get you ready for a nice journey home.
