11 Days Yunnan Photograph Tour with Luoping Rapeseed Flowers Festival and Honghe Hani Rice Terraces Field (Feb-March Available)

You’ll begin your journey to the diverse and captivating province of Yunnan from the capital city, Kunming. Upon arrival at the Kunming International Airport, meet your local guide and transfer to the hotel. You will take a leisurely stroll along the Green Lake, a charming area of teahouses and small boutiques selling handicrafts and beautiful local paintings. If time permits, you will have a Kunming city tour.

Day 2 Kunming-Dongchuan

Sightseeing and Activities: Dongchuan Red Land
Accommodation: Dongchuan
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast in hotel, drive to Dongchuan Red Land(150 km 4 hours on national highway), will arrive at Dongchuan Red Land in the afternoon, after a short rest, then go to take photos at Damakan hill, JingxiuYuan hill and so on, there are about 6 to 7 spots around. Damakan, a viewpoint some 9km away from 109 along a bumpy dirt-track, is one of the photographers’ favourites. Just when the light is coming out, the small village several hundred meters below is getting busy and smoke starts rising from the farm-houses smokestacks. As the farmers are starting their working day, the photographers’ morning shift is almost over. After lunch, it is time for another shoot as the light turns warmer and brings out the best in Dongchuan’s colours. All over the hills the photographers wander in search of an undiscovered view. But at sunset, everybody gathers at 110, another nameless spot along the road. Among all the shooting spots, Luoxia Gou is the ultimate shot. The sunset at Red Soil is spectacular. stay over night at guesthouse (best available).

Day 3 Dongchuan-Kunming

Sightseeing and Activities: Dongchuan Red Land
Accommodation: Kunming
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Early in the morning, enjoy the Sunrise of Damakan. A large spread of red fields are in the arms of continuous mountains at the skyline. Due to its local topographical advantage, Damakan is the best site to see a sunrise. In order to get a favorable position for perfect pictures, travelers should get up at 5:00. Leave the hotel at 5:30 and arrive at Damakan within 30 minutes. Continue to visit Seven-Color Slope’ (Qicaipo). The ‘Embroidery Garden’, ‘Seven-Color Slope’ gets its name from seven fields with seven different colors (when the right crops are planted and growing). However, usually travelers are not lucky enough to see the seven colors, so we don’t suggest visiting it. Later move to visit Jinxiuyuan which has a vast expanse of many rolling hills with red fields. A great location for shots of the colorful fields, a traditional village and some trees also offer a vivid countryside picture. After lunch, drive back your hotel in Kunming hotel(3.5hrs ). Check in your hotel after arrival.

Day 4 Kunming-Stone Forest- Luoping

Sightseeing and Activities:Stone Forest, Luoping Sea of Rapeseed Flowers
Accommodation: Luoping
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Morning transfer to visit the Stone Forest in Shilin County, which is about 120 kilometers from Kunming and requires only a three-hour drive. It covers an area of 400 square kilometers (96,000 acres) and includes both large and small stone forests, as well as many other scenic spots. The Stone Forest has unique karst topography which is one of the best of its kind within China. There are six scenic spots in the Stone Forest: the Greater Stone Forest, the Lesser Stone Forest, the Naigu Stone Forest, the Zhiyun Cave, the Long Lake, the Da Dieshui Waterfall and the Qifeng Cave. Afterward, you will drive to Luoping (2hrs ).Visit the Sea of Rapeseed Flowers. During the rapeseed flower Luoping’s stunning karst scenery is at its best: and the tourism office lays on a few shows to attract even more tourists. The dense cluster of karst around Luoping is stunning at any time of the year. But when the flower of the rapeseed turns the fields into a sea of yellow, thousands of photographers come for the view. And to provide a bit more entertainment, Luoping’s tourism authorities lay on extra shows, many staged by the counties minorities, the Buyi and the Miao.

Day 5 Luoping

Sightseeing and Activities:Jinji Mountain, Niujie, Jiulong Waterfalls
Accommodation: Luoping
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Get up early in the morning, enjoy the nice view of vast rape fields got from the top of Jinji Mountain, in the February of every year, when rapes bloom, what will be showed before eyes is the biggest garden in the world and a sea of yellow flowers measuring over 130 square kilometers, this gorgeous view made Luoping, a remote small town on the border of Yunnan the most popular destination in every spring.

Move to Niujie for different type of nice rape fields’ view, where the farmland was cultivated interesting spiral shapes and with many terraces. NiuJie is a few kilometers to the north of Luoping town. The farms here are of smaller scale. They are carved out of a shallow valley with gentle slopes. These farms do not look any different or attractive as one passes them by on ground level. However as soon as one gets higher up, following the road, the scenery changes. The flowers are grown in circular rings following the contours of the slopes. As a result, from higher ground, these farms looks like the rings of a snail’s shell, akin to rice terraces in corkscrew patterns. It is rather amazing when one considers that the farms were created by the farmers as a response to the natural limitations of the land. Yet they are like a work of art, with an artist exquisitely drawing circular rings on the ground and then filling them up with splashes of shocking yellow.

In the afternoon, visit Jiulong Waterfalls, a cluster of spectacular waterfalls formed on the Jiulong River, the greatest waterfall there has a drop of 56 meters with width of 112 meters. Jiulong(Nine-dragon) Waterfalls 22 kilometers away in the northeast from county seat, in a section no longer than 4 kilometers along the Nine-dragon River, diversified landforms created 10 falls in different sizes and shapes, some grand, some graceful, some elegant and some small, this is the biggest waterfall group through whole country, as well one of the Six Most Beautiful Waterfalls in China assessed by Chinese National Geography.

Day 6 Luoping-Chengzi Village-Mile

Sightseeing and Activities:Chengzi Old Villages, hot spring bath
Accommodation: Mile
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

In the morning, transfer to Chengzi Old Villages, which is located in two states (Honghe, Wenshan) three counties (Luxi, Maitreya, qiubei) Along the smell of the land, 25 km from the city of Luxi County, Luxi County Yongning Township case. The whole village is located in the 200 -meter-high slope Fei, area 55.59 ha, east dragon winding west Yuping, Beacon Hill, North Furong Mountain (aka Wood Wing Shan), posterior Jinding Hill, a small river meandering flow.

Arrive in Mile County which is well-known as the home of “Hot Spring” in Yunnan Province. Enjoy the hot spring in Huquan Spring Resort in the late afternoon. 

Day 7 Mile-Yuanyang

Sightseeing and Activities: Malipo Miao Ethnic Village, the sunset of Laohuzui Rice Terraces
Accommodation: Yuanyang
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Drive about 4 hours to Yuanyang via Kaiyun and Gejiu, with visits to villages on the way. You will drive through the area of Yi people in the mountain and Dai people in the Red River valley where they grow banana and tropical fruits. Visit Malipo Miao Ethnic Village one the way. After lunch, continue the driving to Panzhihua Town, enjoy the sunset of Laohuzui Rice Terraces there and visit some Yi and Hani ethnic villages around Panzhihua Town. The Laohuzui Rice Terraces are situated about 20 kilometers from the Yuanyang city. The best moment to enjoy the marvelous rice terraces view is during the sunset period.Literally translated from Chinese, Laohuzui means ‘the mouth of the tiger’. It seems it is possible to distinguish the form as a tiger mouth in the rice fields; while some others think it’s kind of the shape of a horse. Every sunset in Laohuzui, numerous of photographers from entire China come to disputes themselves for a one-foot space just because of the perfect position to set up their tripods. Start from every May, the Laohuzui rice fields turn into green from yellow right after the farmers did the rice seedlings at the end of spring.

Day 8 Yuanyang

Sightseeing and Activities:Duoyi village, sunset view of Longshuba Hani Rice Terraces and villages
Accommodation: Yuanyang
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Today you have a full day to visit the terraces belonging to the Hani and Yi people. These rice terraces – carved out of the mountainsides by generations of Hani people – are said to be among the most magnificent in the world. You get up very early to see the sunrise over the terraces at Duoyi village and then visit the local Hani and Yi people. During the day you will visit different areas of the huge valley to see the amazing engineering and beautiful formations of the terraces. There are lots of rice terraces in Yuanyang, you will choose the most beautiful parts of them to visit.

Duoyishu Rice Rerrace in Yuanyang is one of the most photographed in Yunnan. The low lying cloud and the water field rice terrace is unique during winter and early spring. As the sun rises the terraces come alive with the sky’s reflection. In the winter months the fields are flooded in order to plow and plant for the new season. The rising sun creates an amazing reflection off the water in the terraces.

In the late afternoon you drive back to Xinjie Town, enjoy the sunset view of Longshuba Hani Rice Terraces and villages. Yuanyang Rice Terrace is a self sustaining ecosystem. During winter to early spring, the entire field is irrigated with spring water from the forest above to rejuvenate and getting prepared for the next season. The Hani people have repeated this for more than a thousand years. There is only one harvest in a year for the Yuanyang Rice Terrace; planting is from March to Oct./Nov. every year. 

Day 9 Yuanyang-Jianshui

Sightseeing and Activities:Jianshui Swallow Cave, Jianshui Ancient Town, Zhu Family Garden and Confucius Temple
Accommodation: Jianshui
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast in the hotel, drive about  3 hours to Jianshui County.  On the way back, visit Jianshui Swallow Cave which is the largest karst formation cave in Asia. There are usually thousands of swallows flying around in this aptly named cave. You will follow a guide in the cave to see the striking caverns and also to see the bare hand rock climbing performance in the cave. Walk into the cave and visit the colorful Karst landform and take the small boat cruise out of the cave Arrive in Jianshui Ancient Town in the afternoon, pay a visit to Jianshui Ancient Town, Zhu Family Garden and Confucius Temple.  Visit the famous Confucius Temple with its interesting history. Confucious was born in Shandong province 2,500 years ago and taught more than 3,000 students in his lifetime, among them 72 were outstanding. He is the greatest teacher in China’s history and has worldwide influence and his work has worldwide influence. 

Day 10 Jianshui-Tonghai-Kunming

Sightseeing and Activities: Tuanshan Village, Zhang Family Garden, Double Dragon Bridge, Xingmeng Mongolia Village
Accommodation: Kunming
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Drive to Tuanshan Village about 15KM away from Jianshui Ancient Town, visit the Zhang Family Garden, the ancient hourses and the Double Dragon Bridge. Visit Tunshan village with hundred year old houses built by the family of Zhang. In the village, you will see the different standards of houses built by rich and poor families, and also the family temple which plays an important role for education, family history, and Chinese culture, which says that people should always remember their ancestors and maintain community traditions After lunch, drive back to Kunming. On the way, visit Xingmeng Mongolia Village in Tonghai County of Yuxi City.