For most of the foreign travellers, Lijiang and Shangri-La are regarded as the most popular destinations of Yunnan Province. Lijiang is charming for its Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and Lijiang Old town, and Shangri-la is mysterious for its Ganden Sumtseling Monastery and Tibetan culture. Another impressive part is Tiger Leaping Gorge sightseeing which can not be missed if you visit Lijiang or Shangri-la.
Highlights
- Visit the famous attractions, such as Lijiang Old town, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Tiger Leaping Gorge, and Pudacuo National Park.
- Experience the ethnic life and culture in Lijiang and Shangri-la.
Breif Itinerary
- Day 1 Arrive in Lijiang
- Day 2 Lijiang
- Day 3 Lijiang-Tiger Leaping Gorge-Shigu-Tacheng
- Day 4 Tacheng-Cizhong
- Day 5 Cizhong-Mingyong Glacier-Feilaisi
- Day 6 Feilaisi-Benzilan-Shangri-La
- Day 7 Shangri-La
- Day 8 Departure from Shangri-La
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1 Lijiang Arrival
Sightseeing and Activities:Arrive in Lijiang
Accommodation: Lijiang
Meals: Lunch
Arrive at Lijiang, pick up from airport and transfer to hotel for check in.
–Lijiang, a well-preserved old city of ethnic minorities with brilliant culture, is a central town of the Lijiang Autonomous County of the Naxi Ethnic Minority in Yunnan Province. Located on the plateau which is 2,400 meters above the sea level and embraced by the tree-covered Lion Mountain in the west, Elephant and Golden Row Mountains in the north, vast fertile fields in the southeast and crystal clear water running through, the old Town looks like a big jade ink slab, therefore got the alias the Town of Big Ink Slab (Dayanzhen).
Day 2 Lijiang
Sightseeing and Activities:Baishui River, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Yak Meadow, Black Dragon Pool, Lijiang Old Town
Accommodation: Lijiang
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
In the morning, drive about 30 KM to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. You will take the sightseeing bus for a short visiting through the Baishuihe River, take the chairlift up to visit Yak Meadow (3700m) of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. The cableway will be arranged according to the condition of the mountain. You will hike around 1 hour in the original forest in Yak Meadow (3700M).
After lunch, continue to visit Black Dragon Pool (Located at the foot of the Xiangshan Mountain (Elephant Hill) north of the city of Lijiang. As the water here is a lucid green color, it gained another name Jade Spring Park (Yuquan Park). There are many distinctive and ravishing sites in the park. Hiding in the lush trees or standing along the liquid pool is the antique and exquisite architectural pieces, which are in the style of Naxi.).
And explore Lijiang Ancient Town. Lijiang Ancient Town has a history of 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.
Day 3 Lijiang – Tiger Leaping Gorge-Shigu-Tacheng
Sightseeing and Activities:First Bend of the Yangtze River, Shigu Town,Tiger Leaping Gorge
Accommodation: Tacheng
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
From Lijiang, you’ll drive about 60KM to theFirst Bend on the Yangtze River with imposing gorge scenery. Go on driving to visit theTiger Leaping Gorge(Shangri-La section), 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.
After lunch, visit the Iron Chain Bridge, the Red Army’s Long March Memorial Monument in the Shigu Old 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.
Drive to Tacheng Town for overnight.
Day 4 Tacheng-Cizhong
Sightseeing and Activities:Tacheng Black Snub-Nosed Monkey National Park, Cizhong Church
Accommodation: Cizhong
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
In the morning, pay a visit to Tacheng Black Snub-Nosed Monkey National Park of Weixi County. Watch the feeding of the snub-nosed monkey in the park.
In the afternoon, drive to Cizhong. Visit the Tibetan Catholic Church built by French missionaries in 1867, the church is used by Tibetan, Naxi and Lisu people. They still have the grapes planted by missionaries and old the traditional way of making wine.
Day 5 Cizhong-Mingyong Village-Feilaisi
Sightseeing and Activities:Mingyong Glacier in Meili Snow Moutain, Feilaisi Temple
Accommodation: Feilaisi
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Drive to Mingyong Village. Visit Mingyong Glacier (2600m) which is the low altitude glacier of the lowest latitude in the world. Then you will trek down directly to the edge of Meikong River(2,050m/6,724ft) . Walk along the Mekong Grand Canyon and arrive in Xidang Village(2,200m/7,216ft) where you can visit some scattered Tibetan houses in the village.
Arrive in Feilaisi in the late afternoon, you will have a nice sunset view of Meili Snow Mountain from the Sightseeing Platform, where you can see the 13 white pagodas meaning of the 13 peaks of Meili Snow Mountain over 6,000 meters (19,685 feet) above sea level, known as the “Prince’s 13 peaks”.
Day 6 Feilaisi-Benzilan-Shangri-la
Sightseeing and Activities:sunrise view at Feilaisi Temple, Benzilan Town, Baimai Snow Mountain, First Bend of Jinsha River, Dukezong Old Town, Guishan Hill, largest Prayer Wheel
Accommodation: Shangri-la
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
In the morning, enjoy the sunrise view at Feilaisi Temple. Then drive to Shangri-la. You will stop at Benzilan for lunch. Visit Baimang Snow Mountain Nature Reserve, you will be able to view Baimang Snow Mountain if the weather is clear, pass the top part of today at 4292m altitude at 156km.
After that, visit the First Bend of Jinsha River or Moon Bend, which is the boundary between Sichuan and Yunnan. This is different from the First Bend of Yangtze River in Lijiang City. The bend in Shigu Town changes the flow direction of the Yangtze River but in Benzilan, the Moon Bend is just a grand bend between the mountains with an impressive scenery.
Upon arrival in Shangri-La, you will have entered the Tibetan cultural area and a landscape of barley fields and yaks scattered in the valleys. Stroll around Dukezong Ancient Town, an important town of the Ancient Tea-horse Trade Caravan from Yunnan to Tibet and India. Walk up to the top of Guishan Hill or Tortoise Hill, you will see the largest Prayer Wheel of the world and have a panoramic view of shangri-La county and Dukezong Ancient Town.
Check in your hotel.
Day 7 Shangri-La
Sightseeing and Activities:Pudaocuo National Park, Ganden Sumtseling Monastery
Accommodation: Shangri-La
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
In the morning, you’ll visit the tranquil Shudu Lake in Pudacuo National Park. It 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.
Continue to 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.
Day 8 Departure from Shangri-La
Sightseeing and Activities:Departure from Shangri-La
Accommodation: None
Meals: Breakfast
Pick up from hotel and move to airport for the departure flight.
Service Included:
- Admission fees for all of the sightseeing spots listed in the itinerary;
- Meals as listed in the itinerary;
- Hotels as listed in the itinerary;
- Private English-speaking tour guide and vehicle for transfers & sightseeing;
- Service charge & government taxes;
- Luggage transfers between airports and hotels;
- Free-bottled mineral water;
Service Excluded:
- Any arrival and departure international airfares or train tickets;
- Chinese visa fees;
- Excess baggage charged by Airlines;
- Single room supplement;
- Tips to guides and drivers;
- Personal expenses and gratuities to service staff.
- Personal travel accident insurance;
- All optional programs;
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Tips Before Travel
Bring copies of your passport
Don't assume you're restricted to the main hubs of Beijing and Shanghai, our tours can start from any city.
Register with your embassy
For your safety, please register with the Embassy.
Always have local cash
Exchange some local currency for your trip
Our Team
Fenggu Yingshan Tea House and Tea Culture Learning Lijiang
Charlie Lee-General Manager of Yaso Travel and Xilinshan Tea Company
Leon Liu-Network Engineer of Trans Asia Discovery
Vincent Zhao-French Market and the Founder of VoyagesYunnan.com
Gary Elliot-Shareholder of Trans Asia Discovery
Michael Huang-Excellent French and English-speaking Tour Guide in Yunnan
Stephane-Volunteer of Yaso Travel
David Yao-Lijiang Tour Operator of Yunnan Exploration
Cindy Cao-Yunnan Tour Operator
Xilinshan Tea House (Kunming, Yunnan)
Rachel Nan-China Tour Operator
Lydia Li-The Founder of Yunnan Exploration
Anna Chen-Yunnan Tour Operator
Kelly Yu-Yunnan Travel Consultant
Cloudy Fu-Website Editor of Yunnan Exploration
Cuiyuan Yang
Skye Zhang-website editor of Yunnan Exploration
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