9 Days Dali-Lijiang-Shangri-La Education Course Tour

Over 25 of China's ethnic minority groups reside here, providing a colorful salad of China`s mixed culture. Minorities in Yunnan have long illustrious history intriguing to people home and abroad. From the snow mountains to the tropical rainforests, from the highland lakes to the canyons, from the historic cities to the fascinating rural sceneries, Yunnan is blessed with beautiful landscapes. This 9-day tour includes the special visiting to local schools in Lijiang and experience local life with ethnic people. We will have chance to know about the local students' study life by having classes, games, eating etc. together!

Highlights:

• Appreciate the charming landscape and breathtaking view.
• Learn about ethnic culture and some handcrafts.

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Brief Itinerary：

• Day 1 Arrive in Dali
• Day 2 Dali
• Day 3 Dali-Shaxi
• Day 4 Shaxi-Tiger Leaping Gorge
• Day 5 Tiger Leaping Gorge-Shangrila
• Day 6 Shangrila
• Day 7 Shangrila-Lijiang
• Day 8 Lijiang
• Day 9 Departure from Lijiang

Google Map

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1 Arrive in Dali

Sightseeing and Activities: Dali Old Town
Accommodation: Dali
Meals: Dinner

Meet your Dali local tour guide at Dali airprot or Dali Railyway Station. Then transfer to visit to Dali Ancient Town. Check in hotel after dinner.

Day 2 Dali

Sightseeing and Activities: buy materials and cook lunch, farm work
Accommodation: Bai people's home
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Organize students to buy vegetables and ingredients at local market by themselves. Cooking the lunch for themselves under guiding local Bai people.

We will arrange the farm work with local Bai People in the afternoon, but the kind of farm work would depend on season to choose which kind is suitable to students at that time.(Such as  rice transplanting on spring, mowing of rice plants on Autumn etc).

The students will be arranged homestay at local Bai people's home in the evening.

Day 3 Dali-Shaxi

Sightseeing and Activities: Shaxi Old Town, Shibaoshan Mountain, hiking
Accommodation: Shaxi Old Town
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast at Dali hotel, you will transfer to Shaxi Old Town by coach. Visit to Shibaoshan Mountain on the way to learn about the Karst topograph there. Do around 3 hours hiking at this mountain. Then drive 50 minutes to Shaxi Old Town. Stroll around the only remaining old town on Tea&Horse Trail

Check in hotel after dinner.

Day 4 Shaxi-Tiger Leaping Gorge

Sightseeing and Activities: Tiger Leaping Gorge Hiking
Accommodation: Tina's Guesthouse
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast, you will drive to Tiger Leaping Gorge Area. Hiking/trekking is the most important part for this tour. You will arrive at Bendiwan, then start hiking around 2 hours to Half Way Guesthouse. Have lunch at Half Way Guesthouse. After lunch, you will continue another 2 hours' hiking to Tina's Guesthouse where Middle Tiger Leaping Gorge is located. Check in hotel before dinner. Relax yourselves after full day hiking trip.

-- Tiger Leaping Gorge is on the Jinsha River of the upper reaches of the Yangtze, located 105 kilometers south of Shangrila County. The gorge is 17 kilometers long with a drop of 213 meters. Tiger Leaping Gorge is divided into three sections: Upper, Middle and Lower Hutiao. At the narrowest spot the river is only 30 meters wide. The mouth of the gorge is 1,800 meters above sea level. The river is flanked by Yulong and Haba snow mountains, with a height difference of 3,900 meters. It is one of the deepest gorges in the world.

Day 5 Tiger Leaping Gorge-Shangrila

Sightseeing and Activities: Dukezong Ancient Town, Songzanlin Monastery
Accommodation: Shangri-La
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast at Tina's Guesthouse. You will transfer to Shangri-la.

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. Walk 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 shangrila county and Dukezong Ancient Town.

In the afternoon, 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.

Check in hotel after dinner.

Day 6 Shangrila

Sightseeing and Activities:Nixi Pottery Tibetan Village, farm work
Accommodation: Shangri-La
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast at your hotel. You will drive 2 hours to Nixi Pottery Tibetan Village to explore the Tibetan arts and crafts in pottery making. Divide students into few groups at different families to learn about the pottery making.

In the afternoon, we will arrange the farm work in plateau area for students as well. Such as students could help local Tibetan families to do farm work in the fields of Summber. Go to get pine needles at surrounding mountain area on Winter.

Drive back to Shangri-la downtown in the late afternoon.

Nixi village is 30 km away from Shangri-la city. It's famous for black pottery made by its local villagers. There are 148 families here totaling about 800 people. Over 50% of the village families are black pottery makers. The history of making pottery in this village dates back over 3000 years. The traditional way of making pottery is handed down from generation to generation. In ancient times, villagers use pottery to trade for rice, salt, tea, oil and everything they need for their livelihood. They use clay to make hot pot, tea pot, and fire pot, vase, incense burner and butter lamp. In this village tourists not only can learn how to make pottery, but can also enjoy the beautiful scenery and learn about Tibetan daily life.

Day 7 Shangrila-Lijiang

Sightseeing and Activities:visit Yi families, Lijiang Ancient Town, Black Dragon Pool Park
Accommodation: Lijiang
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast at hotel, you will drive to Lijiang. There are few Yi people's village on the way. You could also visit Yi families if you would like to learn some about Yi's daily like and theirs customs in a short time. That would be different experience.

Upon arriving in Lijiang. You will visit and stroll around Lijiang Ancient Town and Black Dragon Pool Park.

Check in hotel in the late afternoon.

Day 8 Lijiang

Sightseeing and Activities: Baisha Emboridery School, Lijiang Tourism College, bonfire farewell party
Accommodation: Lijiang
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast at hotel, students will be transfer to Baisha Emboridery School to learn Naxi Dongba hieroglyphic and paitings for 2 hours under guiding by our professional Naxi teacher.

After lunch,you will be transfer to Lijiang Tourism College to communicate with college students there. Spend half day at this college.

After dinner, we arrange the bonfire farewell party at Baisha Holiday Resort. You could learn the local Naxi dance with our local Naxi women and men when you join in the party at that time. And the students could do the conclusion for this wonderful and memorable tour to Dali, Shangri-la and Lijiang.

Day 9 Departure from Lijiang

Sightseeing and Activities:Departure from Lijiang
Accommodation: Lijiang
Meals: Breakfast

After breakfast, you will be dropped to Lijiang Sanyi Airport to end the tour. Service ends.

Recommended Hotels

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;
• Private vehicle for transfers & sightseeing with skilled driver;
• Service charge & government taxes;
• Luggage transfers between airports and hotels;
• Domestic train tickets of soft sleeper.

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.

Travel Tips:

• Visitors are advised to always carry changes of clothing due to the large variations in temperature between day and night.
• The climate is relatively dry, so drink more water every day.
• Protecting oneself from strong UV radiation at high altitude.
• Protecting oneself from altitude sickness. Lessen the effects of altitude sickness, avoid strenuous exercise and have plenty of rest.
• Respect local customs , habits, and religious beliefs.

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