11 Days South Yunnan Spring Flowers Photograph Tour (Kunming-Shilin-Luoping-Puzhehei-Bamei-Yanshan-Yuanyang-Jianshui-Kunming)

Sightseeing and Activities: the Green Lake
Accommodation: Kunming
Meals:

You'll begin your journey to the diverse and captivating Yunnan Province from the capital city, Kunming. Upon arrival at the Kunming International Airport, you will meet your local guide and then transfer to the hotel.

You will take a leisurely stroll along the Green Lake, a charming area of tea houses and small boutiques selling handicrafts and beautiful local paintings.

Sightseeing and Activities: the Stone Forest, Luoping Rape Flowers
Accommodation: Luoping
Meals: Breakfast and lunch

In the morning, we will 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 popular attractions of Yunnan. Stone Forest is known as the 'First Wonder of the World'. You'll marvel at its natural stone masterpieces and be bewitched by the intricate formations.

After lunch, drive to Luoping and visit the Sea of Rapeseed Flowers. The dense cluster of karst around Luoping is stunning at any time of the year. But when rape flowers turns the fields into a sea of gold, more and more photographers are attracted by the view.

Sightseeing and Activities: Jinjiling and Niujie Rape Flowers Fields, Jiulong Waterfalls
Accommodation: Luoping
Meals: Breakfast and lunch

Get up early in the morning, enjoy the nice view of vast rape fields from the top of Jinjiling Mountain. Every year in February, when rape flowers bloom, what shows before your eyes is the biggest garden in the world and a sea of yellow flowers measuring over 130 square kilometers. This gorgeous view make Luoping, a remote small county, become the most popular destination in spring.

Move to Niujie for different types of rape fields view, the farmlands there are cultivated in spiral shapes. NiuJie is a few kilometers to the north of Luoping county. The farms there are of smaller scale. The flowers are grown in circular rings following the contours of the slopes.

In the afternoon, visit Jiulong Waterfalls, it is regarded as one of China's biggest and most beautiful waterfalls, as well as an excellent place to photograph. Firstly, take a cable car or climb up the hill to the platform overlooking the valley and the waterfalls and photograph the grand vista. Secondly, walk down the hill to the biggest waterfall (56 meters high and 112 meters wide) to photograph it up closely.

Sightseeing and Activities:Luobuge Gorge, Duoyihe River, ethnic villages
Accommodation: Puzhehei
Meals: Breakfast and lunch

Hike to Lubuge Gorge (known as "Small Three Gorges") and the picturesque Duoyi River with waterfalls at different levels, where you can also have a glimps of the water mills which shows how the ancient people made use of the natural water resources. Duoyi River is the main residential area of Buyi ethnic people, you can visit their villages and learn about their traditions and folk custom.

After lunch, drive to Puzhehei and visit the ethnic villages on the way.

Sightseeing and Activities:Puzhehei Scenic Resort
Accommodation: Bamei
Meals: Breakfast and lunch

In the morning, take the boat cruise to visit Puzhehei Scenic Resort. Puzhehei in northwest Qiubei County is a fairyland in which visitor can have a panoramic view of clear lakes and pond full of lotus, emerald mountains and enchanting karst landscape. This charming countryside is also an ideal place to view the pomp in festivals of the Yao, Miao and Yi minorities. July to August is the best time to admire the most beautiful country landscape of Puzhehei, because the lotus blossoms are in their florescence.

Puzhehei means the lake with many fish and shrimps in the language of the Yi people. The lake water is limpid and you can even see the bed of the lake. Rowing the boat on the lake, the tourists can see many fish and shrimps swimming in the water. Up till now the local people still keep the habit of holding water with hands to ease the thirst. In the scenic spot there are 312 peaks standing independent from each other, 56 lakes which are clear and without any pollution, 83 kinds of caves, a great many water lilies which give off faint scents.

In the afternoon, drive to Bamei Village, which is reputed as "Xanadu" or "Arcadia", access by boat from the cave. Take the boat cruise into the village and enjoy the peaceful life of Zhuang ethnic people. Stay overnight at the local hostel.

Sightseeing and Activities: Bamei Village, Bamei River, Yanshan Lake
Accommodation: Yanshan
Meals: Breakfast and lunch

In the morning, walk around Bamei Village and visit Bamei River. You have a nice experience of Zhuang ethnic people's life in the village.

Reputed as one of the most isolated communities of Zhuang minority in Guangnan, Bamei is a village without roads. Even up to now, the Bamei River is still the only access in and out of the village. Due to inconvenient location and hard transit, the village escaped bother of outsiders and the influences of the modern world, staying as unadorned and pure as they always were.

When night falls, villagers light their oil lamps. Bonfires are built to welcome tourists. As the local children run about in the glow of the flames, one cannot wonder if this fairyland, once hidden but now on the map, may soon lose its innocence and become another contrived tourist attraction.

Drive to Yanshan County in the afternoon. Visit Yanshan Lake on the way.

Sightseeing and Activities: Malipo Miao ethnic village, Yi and Hani ethnic villages, the sunset of Laohuzui Rice Terraces, Mengnong Chieftain Palace
Accommodation: Yuanyang
Meals: Breakfast and lunch

Drive about 5 hours to Yuanyang via Kaiyuan and Gejiu, you will visit Malipo Miao Ethnic Village one the way. After lunch, continue the driving to Panzhihua Township, enjoy the sunset of Laohuzui Rice Terraces there and visit some Yi and Hani ethnic villages around Panzhihua Town and Mengnong Chieftain Palace. Laohuzui Rice Terraces are situated about 20 kilometers from the Yuanyang county. The best moment to enjoy the marvelous rice terraces view is during the sunset period. Literally translated from Chinese, Laohuzui means 'Tiger Mouth'. 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.

Sightseeing and Activities: the sunrise of Duoyishu Rice Terraces, Shengcun Market, Bada Rice Terraces, Qingkou ethnic village, Qingkou Rice Terraces, the sunset of Longshuba Rice Terraces
Accommodation: Yuanyang
Meals: Breakfast and lunch

This day, you have a full day to visit Rice Terrace. These rice terraces -carved out of the mountainsides by generations of Hani people- are said to be among the most magnificent in the world.

Get up early in the morning to watch the sunrise at Duoyishu Rice Terrace 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.

Duoyishu Rice terrace in Yuanyang is one of the best places to photograph in Yunnan. The Sea of cloud and the water field rice terrace are unique during winter and early spring. As the sun rises, the terraces come alive with the sky’s reflection. In the winter, the fields are irrigated 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, drive back to Xinjie Town, enjoy the sunset view of Longshuba Hani Rice Terraces and villages. Yuanyang Rice Terrace is a self sustaining ecosystem. From 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; the growing period is from March to Oct./Nov. every year.

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

After breakfast in the hotel, drive about 3 hours to Jianshui County. On the way, 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, then 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 profound 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.

Jianshui is a state historic and cultural city. The climatic condition here is pleasant, neither hot in summer nor cold in winter. Moreover, it is one of the earliest developed cities in south Yunnan that enjoys the fame of being an ancient cultural city and important gateway.

Sightseeing and Activities: Zhang Family Garden in Tuanshan Village, Double Dragon Bridge, Xingmeng Mongolian Village
Accommodation: Kunming
Meals: Breakfast and lunch

Drive to Tuanshan Village about 15 KM away from Jianshui Ancient Town, visit the Zhang Family Garden, the ancient houses and the Double Dragon Bridge. Visit Tunshan village with hundred-year-old houses built by the Zhang family. In the village, you will see the different standards of houses built by rich and poor families, and also the family temple that plays an important role for education, family history, and Chinese culture.

After lunch, on the way back to Kunming, visit Xingmeng Mongolia Village in Tonghai County of Yuxi City.  It is the one and only Mongolia village in Yunnan.

Sightseeing and Activities: Departure from Kunming

Accommodation: None
Meals: Breakfast

Transfer back to Kunming International Airport for departure flight. Service ends.