Tour Route: Shaxi – Mapingguan – Mijing (沙溪 – 马坪关 – 弥井村)

Transfer along the bumpy road from Shaxi Ancient town to Mapingguan Village, visit Mapingguan and take a short break there, hike from Mapingguan Village to Mijing Village via a mountain pass and some dense forest and valleys.
Arrive in Mijing Village, visit the vilalge and Misha River. Transfer back to Shaxi Ancient Town in the late afternoon.

This trail has experienced higher levels of foot traffic in recent years, due to renewed interest in the Tea and Horse Road and Shaxi’s emergence as an increasingly popular tourist attraction.

South of Shaxi, this trail leads west through scrubby pine forest, and offers fabulous views of the Shaxi valley. Look down and you might see some cobblestones from the old caravan trail, which has fallen into a state of disrepair.

After several hours, you will reach Mapingguan, a tiny village nestled in the forest, where it is possible to stay and eat. From here, the trail continues in the same direction, finishing south of Misha town along the Misha River.

This 35 day cycling tour takes you from Kunming in China to Bangkok of Thailand where you’ll discover a world of dramatic rock formations melding into tropical forests, traditional farming villages and ethnic minority communities, on both sides of the border. Travelers will tackle some outstanding mountain trails cut by local hill tribes. Most days feature afternoons out of the saddle to rest and explore on ground level with a variety of Buddhist temples and local markets adding to opportunities to check out the regional cuisine and compare how one town or village compares to the next. Roads are mainly well paved with some mountainous terrain inviting long climbs although luggage transfers, support cars and knowledgeable guides ensure that every effort has been made to increase enjoyment levels on this fair to moderate cycling tour. This tour will offer the fantastic view and give different experience.

Highlights:

• Cycle from China to Thailand, with charming scenery along the way.

• Have grand view of Yunnan and learn more about culture of Laos and Thailand, especially Buddhist culture.

• View some famous spots and Buddhist Temples.

Brief Itinerary:

• Day 1 Arrive in Kunming
• Day 2 Kunming-Yuxi
• Day 3 Yuxi-Huanian
• Day 4 Huanian-Ganzhuang
• Day 5 Ganzhuang-Mojiang
• Day 6 Mojiang-Tongguan
• Day 7 Tongguan-Ninger
• Day 8 Ninger-Puer
• Day 9 Puer-Dadugang
• Day 10 Dadugang-Jinghong
• Day 11 Jinghong-Menglun
• Day 12 Menglun-Mengla
• Day 13 Mengla-Mohan-Boten-Na Teuy
• Day 14 Na Teuy – Oudomxay
• Day 15 Udom Xai – Pak Beng
• Day 16 Pak Beng – Huai Xai
• Day 17 Huay Xai – Chiang Khong (Biking)
• Day 18 Chiang Khong – Chiang Rai (Biking)
• Day 19 Chiang Rai – Mae Salak (Biking)
• Day 20 Mae Salak – Chai Prakan (Biking)
• Day 21 Chai Prakan – Chiang Dao (Biking)
• Day 22 Chiang Dao – Chiang Mai (Biking)
• Day 23 Chiang Mai Day Tour
• Day 24 Chiang Mai–Lampang
• Day 25 Lampang–Phrae
• Day 26 Phrae–Uttaradit
• Day 27 Uttaradit–Sukhothai
• Day 28 Rest day in Sukhothai
• Day 29 Sukhothai – Kamphaeng Phet
• Day 30 Kamphaeng Phet–Nakhon Sawan
• Day 31 Nakhon Sawan–Sing Buri
• Day 32 Sing Buri–Ayutthaya
• Day 33 Ayutthaya – Bangkok
• Day 34 Bangkok
• Day 35 Departure from Bangkok

Google Map

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1 Arrive in Kunming

Sightseeing and Activities: Arrive in Kunming
Accommodation: Kunming
Meals: Lunch

Upon your arrival, your guide will meet you at arrival hall in the airport. Transfer to your hotel to check in and relax. In the afternoon, meet your tour guide to have a try of your bike. 

After that, you will enjoy your free time to explore the city.

Day 2 Kunming-Eshan

Sightseeing and Activities: Kunming-Eshan
Accommodation: Eshan
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After all the introductions and formalities to introduce our event “Cycling Southeast Asia, 2011: Messengers of Friendship,” we set off from Kunming, crossing the bridge over Dianchi Lake towards Xishan. From there we had a wonderful ride paralleling the highway all the way to Haikou. It was especially sweet for me as the roads were the best I’ve seen over our first seven days as was the weather, and Chris Horton from GoKunming let me ride in his slipstream the whole way!

After lunch, our friends left us to face the dusty roads ahead and eventually the rain too. From Haikou to Yuxi it’s about 60km, and for about 10km at the base of Dianchi the road turns to dust, and is very slow going. Shortly after the road gets better, you pass the famous Chinese explorer Zheng He‘s hometown of Jinning. A short incline at about kilometer 65 for the day, and then a nice long descent, being careful to avoid the truck traffic.

Unfortunately, the end of our ride was met with some heavy rain, but it was all worth it in the end, as just two kilometers west of Yuxi there is a natural hot springs and every room in our hotel was decked out with its own personal outdoor hot (spring) tub!

Day 3 Yuxi (玉溪) – Huanian (化念) – 78km, 5 hours of riding

Sightseeing and Activities:Yuxi (玉溪) – Huanian (化念) – 78km, 5 hours of riding
Accommodation: Eshan
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We were all thawed out from the previous day’s rain and mostly dry. It was looking like the weather was going to clear up, but sure enough, as soon as we started out it began to rain, and it continued all day.

There is a mild climb coming out of Yuxi, and the road is being rebuilt. For about 10km the mud was so bad that even motorcycles couldn’t get through. Luckily most of the worst parts are on a long descent about 15km into the ride, and if you’re brave enough you can ride most of it.

I’m not sure how smart it was, but I rode/slid down most of it and my bike was caked with mud. We had a nice lunch in Eshan (峨山) at the base of the mountain and stopped at a car wash to hose down our bikes.

From Eshan it’s about 35-40km of great cycling, winding through the mountains with lots of small hills to zoom up and down. We finished our ride with an 18km descent to the town of Huanian, tucked in a valley of white plastic farmland. We arrived late and found no open restaurants, so had to settle for some instant noodles in our cold hotel room, quite a change from the night before!

Day 4 Huanian (化念) – Ganzhuang (甘庄) – 69km, 5 hours of riding

Sightseeing and Activities:Huanian (化念) – Ganzhuang (甘庄) – 69km, 5 hours of riding
Accommodation: Yuanjiang
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner 

Another cold, rainy day… beginning to reconsider biking in Yunnan in January, but I still think it’s worth it as it’s only tough riding when it rains, and I think rain three days in a row is pretty rare here. Great roads all day today, with some big climbs, but even bigger descents.

The scenery in Southern Yunnan is breathtaking and you can really begin to realize its incredible productivity. On the way today we passed several factories, including one massive steel plant, and endless amounts of healthy farmland planted with just about anything you can imagine. We had a few technical difficulties today including two flat tires and some minor adjustments on brakes and derailleurs which slowed us down quite a bit. Around dusk we descended into the pleasant town of Ganzhuang.

Day 5 Ganzhuang (甘庄) – Mojiang (墨江) – 99km, 7+ hours of riding

Sightseeing and Activities: Ganzhuang (甘庄) – Mojiang (墨江) – 99km, 7+ hours of riding
Accommodation: Puer
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

In retrospect, we should have done more miles the day before to cut off some today. The day started with an 8km warm-up climb. A short, fun, but somewhat unsatisfying descent followed and led us into a massive climb at about the 13km mark. From here we began to slowly climb for what seemed to be most of the day.

About 10km up there is a hot spring, and if you climb down to it you can have lunch while soaking your feet in the 43 degree (105 degrees Fahrenheit) water. Lunch was basic: eggs boiled in the hot spring – not in the same water we were soaking our feet in – and cold rice noodles. After lunch we continued to climb the rest of the 35km hill, gaining 1,600 meters in elevation. A series of smaller hills followed, the last being an excruciating 7km climb until our final descent into Mojiang.

Day 6 Mojiang (墨江) – Tongguan (通关) – 74km, 6 hours of riding

Sightseeing and Activities: Mojiang (墨江) – Tongguan (通关) – 74km, 6 hours of riding
Accommodation: Puer
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After reluctantly accepting some gifts of rice wine, we hopped back on Old Road 213. The morning was filled with some great cycling, we whipped through the countryside. A great 15km descent down to a large river ended our morning and we had a delicious lunch just on the other side of the bridge. Some of the specialties were wild bitter fruit (山苦果) and some wild olives that mildly resembled the taste of olives.

After lunch, we followed the river upstream for about 25km, soaking up the beautiful view of the fertile valley. Towards the end of the day we began climbing slowly back up to the expressway and over a mountain. Some amazing views of the sunset and then a couple of kilometers’ descent into the new town of Tongguan.

The hotel was nice, but there wasn’t much in the town except for a “park” on top of a nearby hill with a golden Pegasus on top. There is a poorly built museum there too, showing off some artifacts of the Old Tea and Horse Road. If possible I would look for lodging in the old town of Tongguan just before you get to the new town. It seemed a lot more lively.

Day 7 Tongguan (通关)– Ning’er (宁洱) – 89km, 6 hours of riding

Sightseeing and Activities:Tongguan (通关)– Ning’er (宁洱) – 89km, 6 hours of riding
Accommodation: Puer
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

A late night of drinking with the mayor of Tongguan and a long morning of him showing us around and giving us bricks of tea (…great, more weight to carry) meant a late start, but we still managed to do almost 90km. In between the old and new town of Tongguan, we bore right down the hill and cruised the 17km descent to the river. From there the road flattens out and follows the river for quite some time. The road is great for cycling here and the views of the river bank and coffee plants are breathtaking.

At about kilometer 70, we took a right towards Ning’er and joined all the traffic of the expressway, as it was still under construction. It was about a 12km climb in heavy traffic with no shoulder, and then a shorter descent into Ning’er. A different route would be recommended if the expressway is still under construction here.

Day 8 Ning’er (宁洱) – Pu’er (普洱) – 47km, 3.5 hours of riding

Sightseeing and Activities:Ning’er (宁洱) – Pu’er (普洱) – 47km, 3.5 hours of riding
Accommodation: Puer
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

A nice short day, but still not one to joke about. Again, we were riding in heavy traffic, and with the rain it was quite miserable. Pu’er sits considerably higher than Ning’er and we most definitely felt it. Climb after climb with very short descents. I was surprised by the integration of the coffee and tea plants everywhere and wondered about the benefits; a peaceful sign, maybe, of bringing our differences together.

Day 9 Pu’er (普洱) – Dadugang (大渡岗) – 78km, 5 hours of riding

Sightseeing and Activities:Pu’er (普洱) – Dadugang (大渡岗) – 78km, 5 hours of riding
Accommodation: Xishuangbanna
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We spent a wonderful night in Pu’er as guests of Fudian Bank which was followed by wonderful weather all day.

Unfortunately, one of our team members, Jin Feibiao (Feibao’s older brother) fell on a descent early this morning before the road had a chance to dry. He rode another 20km to lunch, where he took a van to Jinghong to see a doctor. The diagnosis was a broken collarbone, and he flew back to Kunming for further treatment. He will be certainly missed on our trip.

Out of Pu’er we hopped back on Old Road 213 (a left turn at the southwestern end of the city). The road climbs for the first 5km and then descends quickly for about 8-9km more. A section is under construction at the 22km point making the short climb quite difficult. The rest of the day sees only small hills until the 68km mark where it begins to climb all the way to Dadugang at the top of the hill – be sure to stay right at the fork at about 76km to continue up and not down to the expressway. Dadugang only has two hotels and the one down the hill is basic, but with hot water and all rooms are on the first floor.

Day 10 Dadugang (大渡岗) – Jinghong (景洪) – 83km, 5 hours of riding

Sightseeing and Activities:Dadugang (大渡岗) – Jinghong (景洪) – 83km, 5 hours of riding
Accommodation: Xishuangbanna
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

It was a bit cold on top of the mountain this morning, but after a great breakfast feast of rice noodles, youtiao and bean soup, little baozi, and dumplings we headed out into the fog.

The first 10 km was a wonderful warmup, we were shooting up and down atop the ridge. If it hadn’t been so foggy, I’m sure it would have offered beautiful views of the surrounding tea country. After the warm up, there is a fast 11km descent back to the expressway and into the Xishuangbanna Nature Reserve. From there the old road continues to decline, winding around the hills as the expressway cuts right through them. At kilometer 47 for the day the road flattened out and a few kilometers later we had lunch at Xiaomengyang (小勐养).

Just before the town there is an intersection with the expressway. The first left is the expressway and the immediate second left heads towards Mengla. If you take the second left it is only 23km to Jinghong on all new roads. We were told the old road was much longer and a lot harder to bike. The new road was indeed nice, but you had to first climb a steep 6km hill before the long fast descent into Jinghong.

At the first traffic circle take a left and follow it to go over the bridge and soak in the views of the Mekong and the city. We took ten days getting here, including one day’s rest in Mojiang. With our group size and heavy loads, I would say we did pretty good.

If you were just two people with light loads it could easily been done in a week’s time, but don’t forget to take some time to absorb the beautiful sights of southern Yunnan. From here we will head south to Mengla and across the border into Laos where we plan to take a month cycling from the north to the southern tip.

Day 11 Jinghong (景洪) – Menglun (勐仑) 65km, nearly 3 hours of riding

Sightseeing and Activities:Jinghong (景洪) – Menglun (勐仑) 65km, nearly 3 hours of riding
Accommodation: Xishuangbanna
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Jinghong was a wonderful place to rest for two days. Aside from the amazing food, the incredibly friendly people and the beautiful weather, it was just nice to rest the legs (and the butt!) after battling Yunnan’s mountains for over a week. Jinghong also sits in a very strategic location. As the capital of Xishuangbanna, it also has very easy access to Southeast Asia. Before departing, our team received some more letters from the governor of Xishuangbanna to be delivered to Southeast Asia as well as the ones we are already carrying from the Kunming mayor.

From Jinghong we backtracked our route a bit, crossing back over the Mekong (or Lancang River 澜沧江) in the northeastern part of the city and up the mountain we had descended just a few days earlier. Make sure you exit the expressway in the beginning following signs to the National Forest and not towards Wild Elephant Valley.

With fresh legs, we zipped right up the 13km mountain. At the top of the hill, the road splits: left is back to Kunming and right heads toward Mohan and Laos. After you take the right the road turns into an expressway, but there is little traffic, a wide shoulder, and a much quicker shot to Laos then any of the other alternatives. From here the road evens out for two or three kilometers, then it drops slowly for about 25km to where we had lunch.

The views were incredible, with vast mountain ranges covered with tea trees and eventually nothing but rubber trees. There were a few short tunnels on the descent, which was much better than having to go around the mountains, so be prepared with lights, especially in the back. After lunch it was a straight shot to Menglun only 23km more.

Among the huge rubber tree plantations in Menglun lies the largest botanical garden in China, worth a visit just on its own. It also doubles as an internationally accredited science academy. We stayed in a hotel inside the park, but there are plenty of options outside it as well.

Day 12 Menglun (勐仑) – Mengla (勐腊) 80km, 4.5 hours of riding

Sightseeing and Activities:Menglun (勐仑) – Mengla (勐腊) 80km, 4.5 hours of riding
Accommodation: Xishuangbanna
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

From Menglun we hopped back on the expressway, called Erji Lu (二级路), which soars above the valleys and cuts right through the mountains. Be sure to have all your lights handy again, as we passed though about 15 tunnels today, two of which were over 3km long.

Outside of Menglun there is a slow, steady 20km climb which ends with a 3km tunnel and then descends back down about 12km. About one kilometer after the toll booth at the bottom of the climb is Mengyuan (勐远), a good resting point with plenty of options for food and drink. After lunch, the road began to rise again steadily, passing through numerous tunnels until the final 10km where it descended into Mengla (a right hand turn, 1km off the expressway).

Mengla is a big town with many options for sleeping and eating. On top of this it is only 46km from the Laos border. If you’re up for it, there is a wonderful park about 18km away (we took a bus) called Sky Tree Tropical Rainforest Park (望天树热带雨林公园), which has the world’s highest canopy walk of 38 meters and plenty of entertainment and wilderness to keep you busy a few days.

Day 13 Mengla (勐腊) – Na Teuy, Laos – 67km, nearly 4 hours of riding

Sightseeing and Activities:Mengla (勐腊) – Na Teuy, Laos – 67km, nearly 4 hours of riding
Accommodation: Laos
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

It is only 46km from Mengla to the border town, Mohan, on the expressway. It is a bit hilly but the road is great and you barely notice the hills. It’s a good idea to leave some time for the border crossing, but we had no trouble at all. It cost me 300 yuan to get my visa on arrival. The next town in Laos is Boten, only 3km from the border.

We decided to continue on as border towns are infamous for crime, and this one didn’t seem to be any different. A little less than 20km down the road lies the intersection of the roads leading to Luang Namtha (right) and Oudomxay (straight) in the town of Na Teuy. There are two basic guesthouses here, and a few restaurants, both Lao and Chinese styles.

Day 14 Na Teuy – Oudomxay

Sightseeing and Activities:Na Teuy – Oudomxay
Accommodation: Oudomxay
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After a wonderful breakfast of Lao-style rice noodles, we set off for Oudomxay, the biggest city in northern Laos. The road which was great all the way from Jinghong, turned to dust only a few kilometers after Na Thuai. The road is being rebuilt by the Chinese all the way to Oudomxay, but there are some nice sections still that they hadn’t torn up. At the 28km mark for the day we had lunch in the small town of Meng Namo.

After lunch we continued on and the road begins to rise. Altogether it rises about 500m over a 25km stretch. It is a slow climb with frequent resting points, brief downhills and tons of marvelous little villages were everyone shouts “Sabaidee!!” The children were especially happy to see us, as we handed out candy along the way.

During our climb we could begin to hear music coming from the top of the mountain. Needless to say at the very top there was a small village throwing a party. We stopped and joined the festivities briefly, but continued on as to not impose too much. From here there is a nice and long descent into Oudomxay. Unfortunately, the descent is filled with patches of gravel, or just dust, so we had to take it really slow.

Day 15 Udom Xai – Pak Beng

Sightseeing and Activities:Udom Xai – Pak Beng
Accommodation: Pak Beng
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

With tonight’s hotel awaiting us 144 km / 89 mi away, today is set to be an epic day of riding! If some people aren’t up for the whole ride, we will make transfers as necessary to cover the distance. We set off on our bikes from Udom Xai along broken road and dirt tracks, coming into contact with locals along the way. The population here is made up of an astonishing 23 ethnic groups. Sharing the trail with colourful vehicles and livestock, we’ll get a glimpse of real rural life in Asia. We’ll have a picnic lunch before heading south to Pakbeng along the Beng River. 

Day 16 Pak Beng – Huai Xai

Sightseeing and Activities: Pak Beng – Huai Xai
Accommodation: Huai Xai
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today we get a chance to relax and recover from our long ride the day before. We will board another slow boat and cruise upstream along the Mekong River from Pakbeng to Huai Xai, stopping to visit riverside villages along the way. The Mekong is the biggest river in Laos and there is a great deal of life that occurs along the river. If we’re lucky we’ll see elephants bathing along the riverbank, as well as fishermen casting lines wrapped around water bottles. Women and children can be seen washing clothes and playing in the water. Late afternoon we’ll arrive in Huai Xai and check in to our hotel for our last night in Laos.

Day 17 Huay Xai – Chiang Khong (Biking)

Sightseeing and Activities: Huay Xai – Chiang Khong (Biking)
Accommodation: Chiang Khong
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast we’ll cross the border into Thailand via a bridge. We’ll say goodbye to our Laotian guide and hello to our Thai guide and driver. We’ll get equipped with a new set of bicycles and set off riding along the Mekong River and through the tropical Thai countryside. We finish with a long climb to our lodge in the middle of a Hmong village with spectacular views of the pristine valley. After we get settled, we’ll have tea with the shaman and learn some Hmong customs. There is free time in the evening to relax or wander through the village experiencing the local daily life of villagers in this community; children playing soccer and their parents physically working off of the land. Our first Thai dinner will be served on the deck of our lodge. Cycling 53 km / 33 mi 

Day 18 Chiang Khong – Chiang Rai (Biking)

Sightseeing and Activities: Chiang Khong – Chiang Rai (Biking)
Accommodation: Chiang Rai
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We start today with a short transfer by vehicle to Chiang Saen, located in the south of the Golden Triangle. We’ll stop at one of the ancient temples here for a quick look before getting back on our bikes for the day. The terrain today is a mixture of dirt and paved undulating roads with some flat sections. We’ll cycle past plantations of rubber, terraced rice paddies where water buffalo plow through the fields with sowing seeds into the earth. We’ll get to our hotel in Chiang Rai mid afternoon and highly suggested this evening is taking a tuktuk to the Night Market and pampering yourself with a wonderful Thai massage. Overnight in Chiang Rai. Cycling 70 km / 40 mi

Day 19 Chiang Rai – Mae Salak (Biking)

Sightseeing and Activities: Chiang Rai – Mae Salak (Biking)
Accommodation: Mae Salak
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We start with a big breakfast this morning, refueling for today’s ride. We leave the provincial capital of Chiang Rai and follow the Mae Kok River through remote countryside. After stopping at a hot spring, we ride off-road jeep tracks along the river through small villages and a wide variety of crops. We’ll make a stop at Wat Run Khun, Thailand’s white temple, which is likely the most unique temple in the country. We continue by bike and end at Mae Salak, a small town with a traditional resort by a river. The rooms have a splendid view of the river and the lodge is situated next to a Lahu village. Here the local children will perform traditional music and dance. Cycling 70 km / 40 mi 

Day 20 Mae Salak – Chai Prakan (Biking)

Sightseeing and Activities:Mae Salak – Chai Prakan (Biking)
Accommodation: Chai Prakan
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today’s ride is flat compared to the previous day and we will complete the distance fairly quickly. After an early breakfast we ride on back roads through small villages before arriving in Fang to stop for lunch. In the afternoon we continue riding, catching sights of farmers working their fields and orchards. We overnight in a comfortable Thai-style inn. 91 km / 57 mi

Day 21 Chai Prakan – Chiang Dao (Biking)

Sightseeing and Activities:Chai Prakan – Chiang Dao (Biking)
Accommodation: Chiang Dao
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today’s ride is a real treat for mountain bikers as we tackle some outstanding mountain trails cut by local hill tribes. From the trailhead, we ride dirt roads through rice fields and soaring limestone cliffs. Along the way we will meet Akha, Lisu, Lau, and Palaung people. The colourful Palaung are recent migrants and we will see their women adorned with heavy brass waistbands working the fields. After lunch at a Forestry Camp we continue our ride to the Chiang Dao caves and temple retreat. Cycling 75 km / 47 mi

Day 22 Chiang Dao – Chiang Mai (Biking)

Sightseeing and Activities: Chiang Dao – Chiang Mai (Biking)
Accommodation: Chiang Mai
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today we cycle away from our resort on an elephant trail through the forest. We will then travel along nice country roads to our scenic lunch spot at a refreshing waterfall. Next we enjoy some great singletrack riding through a scenic teak forest. When we come out of the reservoir again, we’ll hop on a boat for an afternoon cruise. From here, it’s a short transfer to Chiang Mai where we have earned a well deserved rest. Cycling 40 km / 25 mi

Day 23 Chiang Mai Day Tour

Sightseeing and Activities: Chiang Mai Day Tour
Accommodation: Chiang Mai
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

In the morning we take a trip in our minibus to the justly famous temple Doi Suthep, which perches at 1050 m (3500 ft.) above sea level. 290 steps up the dragon staircase take you to the main entrance and to its centre, where the holy pagoda contains Buddhist relics.
In the afternoon we can choose to visit various arts & craft workshops that will give you an insight into the manufacture of silk, paper umbrellas and varnish.
Later in the evening the bikes will be set up and adjusted. You may use the rest of the evening to visit the nightmarket or simply enjoy the idyllic old town’s charm and exotic ambience.

Day 24 Chiang Mai–Lampang, 124 km (77 miles)

Sightseeing and Activities: Chiang Mai–Lampang, 124 km (77 miles)
Accommodation: Lampang
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After a short ride through the town, we bid farewell to Chiang Mai (300 m / 1000 ft. above sea level). We ride along the enchanting Mae Ping River before passing the city of Lamphun. After several easy ascents, we reach Lampang, our day’s goal. On the way, we will visit an elephant training camp and watch the friendly animals at work.

Lampang is well known for its colourfully decorated horse-drawn carriages, and for its white clay pottery. Our hotel is conveniently located in the city center.

Day 25 Lampang–Phrae, 103 km (64 miles)

Sightseeing and Activities:Lampang–Phrae, 103 km (64 miles)
Accommodation: Phrae
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

This stage takes us through a jungle-clad mountain landscape. This stretch features plenty of minor climbs and rewards us with magnificent vistas of temples and stunning views of smaller villages. 

Phrae is one of the oldest cities in Thailand. It was founded in the 11th century as part of the Hariphunchai Kingdom of the Mon. In our hotel, we will spoil you with Thai massages and swimming pool.

Day 26 Phrae–Uttaradit, 75 km (47 miles)

Sightseeing and Activities:Phrae–Uttaradit, 75 km (47 miles)
Accommodation: Uttaradit
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We leave the provincial capital Phrae with its numerous old buildings, which were built in the typical teak construction Burmese. The temples recall the once mighty Lan Na Kingdom.

Nearby is Sirikit dam, rising to a height of 169 m (550 ft.) and spanning a width of 800 m (2640 ft.). The Sirikit dams the River Nan, creating a beautiful reservoir and picturesque scenery just upstream. Once we’ve arrived at our hotel, we may treat ourselves to another Thai massage and a dip in the pool.

Day 27 Uttaradit–Sukhothai, 115 km (70 miles)

Sightseeing and Activities: Uttaradit–Sukhothai, 115 km (70 miles)
Accommodation: Sukhothai
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

The remainder of our stages through to Ayutthaya will be pretty much completely flat. We’ll ride on peaceful low-traffic back roads, passing vast rice paddies, temples and quant villages to arrive at Sukhothai, a former capital of Ancient Thailand.

Here, we can look forward to a well-deserved massage and the amenities of our modern hotel.

Day 28 Rest day in Sukhothai

Sightseeing and Activities: Rest day in Sukhothai
Accommodation: Sukhothai
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

On our rest day, we have a visit to the Historical Park Sukhothai on the agenda. In 1987, it was reopened after ten years of restoration work and is considered one of the most important Buddhist landmarks in Asia, as well as being a UNESCO World Heritage site.

It is a sprawling complex with 16 Buddhist temples, 4 Hindu shrines, ornamental ponds, ramparts and trenches over a 70 square kilometre area. We spend the rest of the day with relaxing by the refreshing hotel pool.

Day 29 Sukhothai – Kamphaeng Phet, 87 km (54 miles)

Sightseeing and Activities:Sukhothai – Kamphaeng Phet, 87 km (54 miles)
Accommodation: Kamphaeng Phet
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today, we pedal our bikes on historical soil across Kamphaeng Phet province. Its glory period was from the late Sukothai to early Ayutthaya era. The archeological sites in the city’s historical park, both inside and outside the city’s walls, are definitely worth a visit.

Before setting out on the sightseeing expedition, riders may spend a moment relaxing in our hotel’s spa facilities. After sunset, a lively night market will draw our attention.

Day 30 Kamphaeng Phet–Nakhon Sawan, 129 km (80 miles)

Sightseeing and Activities:Kamphaeng Phet–Nakhon Sawan, 129 km (80 miles)
Accommodation: Nakhon Sawan
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today’s ride takes us through a very picturesque landscape. Plantations producing a variety of regional fruits border our route to Nakhon Sawan, considered as the gateway to Northern Thailand. Four major rivers flow through this province: Rivers Ping, Yom, Nan and the famous Chao Phraya, the latter of which flows through Bangkok and into the Gulf of Siam, marking Thailand’s traditional centre.
The award-winning Utthayan Sawayan Park rests in the city’s core and is surrounded by a large lake, making it a popular meeting place.

Day 31 Nakhon Sawan–Sing Buri, 130 km (80 miles)

Sightseeing and Activities:Nakhon Sawan–Sing Buri, 130 km (80 miles)
Accommodation: Sing Buri
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

From our bikes we can observe farmers dressed in their typical round hats at their work in the fields, cultivating rice. We roll past traditional villages and countless rice fields. We stay in a clean modest hotel on the outskirts of Sing Buri, a typical Thai town.

Wat Phikun Tong is Sing Buri’s most famous temple with the biggest sitting Buddha in Thailand. It is surrounded by a peaceful garden inviting visitors to meditate. 

Day 32 Sing Buri–Ayutthaya, 80 km (50 miles)

Sightseeing and Activities:Sing Buri–Ayutthaya, 80 km (50 miles)
Accommodation: Ayutthaya
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Rice paddies, shrimp farms and fruit orchards line our way to Thailand’s former capital Ayutthaya, which ruled historical Siam for four hundred years. UNESCO has designated it a World Heritage Site. Magnificent historical temples and ruins invite us for a visit. 
From our hotel, we have a wonderful view over the River Pasak. We can look forward to spending another night in a delightful hotel and enjoying a group dinner where we can toast to a great tour and reflect over and savour our experiences and accomplishments.   

Day 33 Ayutthaya – Bangkok

Sightseeing and Activities: Ayutthaya – Bangkok
Accommodation: Bangkok
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Ayutthaya – Bangkok

Day 34 Bangkok

Sightseeing and Activities:Bangkok
Accommodation: Bangkok
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Bangkok

Day 35 Departure from Bangkok

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

Departure from Bangkok

Recommended Hotels

Service Included:

• Accommodation with daily breakfast as indicated in the hotel list;
• Chinese lunches as listed in the itinerary;
• All land transfers & transportation with private air-conditioned car;
• All transfers and sightseeing with skilled English-speaking tour guide;
• All entrance fees as mentioned in the itinerary;
• All government taxes;
• Luggage transfers between hotels;
• Travel Agency’s Responsibility Insurance coverage

Service Excluded:

• Any arrival and departure international airfares or train tickets;
• Any meals which are not specified in the tour itinerary.
• 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.

This 22-day cycling tour takes you from Kunming in China to Luang Prabang and Vientane in Laos where you’ll discover a world of dramatic rock formations melding into tropical forests, traditional farming villages and ethnic minority communities, on both sides of the border. Most days feature afternoons out of the saddle to rest and explore on ground level with a variety of Buddhist temples and local markets adding to opportunities to check out the regional cuisine and compare how one town or village compares to the next. Roads are mainly well paved with some mountainous terrain inviting long climbs although luggage transfers, support cars and knowledgeable guides ensure that every effort has been made to increase enjoyment levels on this fair to moderate cycling tour.

Highlights:

• Cycle from China to Laos, with charming scenery along the way.

• Have grand view of Yunnan and learn more about culture of Laos.

Breif Itinerary:

• Day 1 Arrive in Kunming
• Day 2 Kunming-Eshan
• Day 3 Yuxi (玉溪) – Huanian (化念)
• Day 4 Huanian (化念) – Ganzhuang (甘庄)
• Day 5 Ganzhuang (甘庄) – Mojiang (墨江)
• Day 6 Mojiang (墨江) – Tongguan (通关)
• Day 7 Tongguan (通关)– Ning’er (宁洱)
• Day 8 Ning’er (宁洱) – Pu’er (普洱)
• Day 9 Pu’er (普洱) – Dadugang (大渡岗)
• Day 10 Dadugang (大渡岗) – Jinghong (景洪)
• Day 11 Jinghong (景洪) – Menglun (勐仑)
• Day 12 Menglun (勐仑) – Mengla (勐腊)
• Day 13 Mengla (勐腊) – Na Teuy, Laos
• Day 14 Na Teuy – Oudomxay
• Day 15 Oudomxay – Pak Mong
• Day 16 Pak Mong – Luang Prabang
• Day 17 Luang Prabang
• Day 18 Luang Prabang-Kasi
• Day 19 Kasi-Vang Vieng
• Day 20 Vang Vieng-Thalat
• Day 21 Thalat – Vientiane
• Day 22 Departure from Vientiane

Google Map

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1 Arrive in Kunming

Sightseeing and Activities: Arrive in Kunming
Accommodation: Kunming
Meals: Lunch

Upon your arrival, your guide will meet you at arrival hall in the airport. Transfer to your hotel to check in and relax. In the afternoon, meet your tour guide to have a try of your bike.

After that, you will enjoy your free time to explore the city.

Day 2 Kunming-Eshan

Sightseeing and Activities: Kunming-Eshan
Accommodation: Eshan
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After all the introductions and formalities to introduce our event “Cycling Southeast Asia, 2011: Messengers of Friendship,” we set off from Kunming, crossing the bridge over Dianchi Lake towards Xishan. From there we had a wonderful ride paralleling the highway all the way to Haikou. It was especially sweet for me as the roads were the best I’ve seen over our first seven days as was the weather, and Chris Horton from GoKunming let me ride in his slipstream the whole way!

After lunch, our friends left us to face the dusty roads ahead and eventually the rain too. From Haikou to Yuxi it’s about 60km, and for about 10km at the base of Dianchi the road turns to dust, and is very slow going. Shortly after the road gets better, you pass the famous Chinese explorer Zheng He‘s hometown of Jinning. A short incline at about kilometer 65 for the day, and then a nice long descent, being careful to avoid the truck traffic.

Unfortunately, the end of our ride was met with some heavy rain, but it was all worth it in the end, as just two kilometers west of Yuxi there is a natural hot springs and every room in our hotel was decked out with its own personal outdoor hot (spring) tub!

Day 3 Yuxi (玉溪) – Huanian (化念) – 78km, 5 hours of riding

Sightseeing and Activities:Yuxi (玉溪) – Huanian (化念) – 78km, 5 hours of riding
Accommodation: Eshan
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We were all thawed out from the previous day’s rain and mostly dry. It was looking like the weather was going to clear up, but sure enough, as soon as we started out it began to rain, and it continued all day.

There is a mild climb coming out of Yuxi, and the road is being rebuilt. For about 10km the mud was so bad that even motorcycles couldn’t get through. Luckily most of the worst parts are on a long descent about 15km into the ride, and if you’re brave enough you can ride most of it.

I’m not sure how smart it was, but I rode/slid down most of it and my bike was caked with mud. We had a nice lunch in Eshan (峨山) at the base of the mountain and stopped at a car wash to hose down our bikes.

From Eshan it’s about 35-40km of great cycling, winding through the mountains with lots of small hills to zoom up and down. We finished our ride with an 18km descent to the town of Huanian, tucked in a valley of white plastic farmland. We arrived late and found no open restaurants, so had to settle for some instant noodles in our cold hotel room, quite a change from the night before!

Day 4 Huanian (化念) – Ganzhuang (甘庄) – 69km, 5 hours of riding

Sightseeing and Activities:Huanian (化念) – Ganzhuang (甘庄) – 69km, 5 hours of riding
Accommodation: Yuanjiang
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Another cold, rainy day… beginning to reconsider biking in Yunnan in January, but I still think it’s worth it as it’s only tough riding when it rains, and I think rain three days in a row is pretty rare here. Great roads all day today, with some big climbs, but even bigger descents.

The scenery in Southern Yunnan is breathtaking and you can really begin to realize its incredible productivity. On the way today we passed several factories, including one massive steel plant, and endless amounts of healthy farmland planted with just about anything you can imagine. We had a few technical difficulties today including two flat tires and some minor adjustments on brakes and derailleurs which slowed us down quite a bit. Around dusk we descended into the pleasant town of Ganzhuang.

Day 5 Ganzhuang (甘庄) – Mojiang (墨江) – 99km, 7+ hours of riding

Sightseeing and Activities: Ganzhuang (甘庄) – Mojiang (墨江) – 99km, 7+ hours of riding
Accommodation: Puer
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

In retrospect, we should have done more miles the day before to cut off some today. The day started with an 8km warm-up climb. A short, fun, but somewhat unsatisfying descent followed and led us into a massive climb at about the 13km mark. From here we began to slowly climb for what seemed to be most of the day.

About 10km up there is a hot spring, and if you climb down to it you can have lunch while soaking your feet in the 43 degree (105 degrees Fahrenheit) water. Lunch was basic: eggs boiled in the hot spring – not in the same water we were soaking our feet in – and cold rice noodles. After lunch we continued to climb the rest of the 35km hill, gaining 1,600 meters in elevation. A series of smaller hills followed, the last being an excruciating 7km climb until our final descent into Mojiang.

Day 6 Mojiang (墨江) – Tongguan (通关) – 74km, 6 hours of riding

Sightseeing and Activities: Mojiang (墨江) – Tongguan (通关) – 74km, 6 hours of riding
Accommodation: Puer
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After reluctantly accepting some gifts of rice wine, we hopped back on Old Road 213. The morning was filled with some great cycling, we whipped through the countryside. A great 15km descent down to a large river ended our morning and we had a delicious lunch just on the other side of the bridge. Some of the specialties were wild bitter fruit (山苦果) and some wild olives that mildly resembled the taste of olives.

After lunch, we followed the river upstream for about 25km, soaking up the beautiful view of the fertile valley. Towards the end of the day we began climbing slowly back up to the expressway and over a mountain. Some amazing views of the sunset and then a couple of kilometers’ descent into the new town of Tongguan.

The hotel was nice, but there wasn’t much in the town except for a “park” on top of a nearby hill with a golden Pegasus on top. There is a poorly built museum there too, showing off some artifacts of the Old Tea and Horse Road. If possible I would look for lodging in the old town of Tongguan just before you get to the new town. It seemed a lot more lively.

Day 7 Tongguan (通关)– Ning’er (宁洱) – 89km, 6 hours of riding

Sightseeing and Activities:Tongguan (通关)– Ning’er (宁洱) – 89km, 6 hours of riding
Accommodation: Puer
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

A late night of drinking with the mayor of Tongguan and a long morning of him showing us around and giving us bricks of tea (…great, more weight to carry) meant a late start, but we still managed to do almost 90km. In between the old and new town of Tongguan, we bore right down the hill and cruised the 17km descent to the river. From there the road flattens out and follows the river for quite some time. The road is great for cycling here and the views of the river bank and coffee plants are breathtaking.

At about kilometer 70, we took a right towards Ning’er and joined all the traffic of the expressway, as it was still under construction. It was about a 12km climb in heavy traffic with no shoulder, and then a shorter descent into Ning’er. A different route would be recommended if the expressway is still under construction here.

Day 9 Pu’er (普洱) – Dadugang (大渡岗) – 78km, 5 hours of riding

Sightseeing and Activities:Pu’er (普洱) – Dadugang (大渡岗) – 78km, 5 hours of riding
Accommodation: Xishuangbanna
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We spent a wonderful night in Pu’er as guests of Fudian Bank which was followed by wonderful weather all day.

Unfortunately, one of our team members, Jin Feibiao (Feibao’s older brother) fell on a descent early this morning before the road had a chance to dry. He rode another 20km to lunch, where he took a van to Jinghong to see a doctor. The diagnosis was a broken collarbone, and he flew back to Kunming for further treatment. He will be certainly missed on our trip.

Out of Pu’er we hopped back on Old Road 213 (a left turn at the southwestern end of the city). The road climbs for the first 5km and then descends quickly for about 8-9km more. A section is under construction at the 22km point making the short climb quite difficult. The rest of the day sees only small hills until the 68km mark where it begins to climb all the way to Dadugang at the top of the hill – be sure to stay right at the fork at about 76km to continue up and not down to the expressway. Dadugang only has two hotels and the one down the hill is basic, but with hot water and all rooms are on the first floor.

Day 10 Dadugang (大渡岗) – Jinghong (景洪) – 83km, 5 hours of riding

Sightseeing and Activities:Dadugang (大渡岗) – Jinghong (景洪) – 83km, 5 hours of riding
Accommodation: Xishuangbanna
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

It was a bit cold on top of the mountain this morning, but after a great breakfast feast of rice noodles, youtiao and bean soup, little baozi, and dumplings we headed out into the fog.

The first 10 km was a wonderful warmup, we were shooting up and down atop the ridge. If it hadn’t been so foggy, I’m sure it would have offered beautiful views of the surrounding tea country. After the warm up, there is a fast 11km descent back to the expressway and into the Xishuangbanna Nature Reserve. From there the old road continues to decline, winding around the hills as the expressway cuts right through them. At kilometer 47 for the day the road flattened out and a few kilometers later we had lunch at Xiaomengyang (小勐养).

Just before the town there is an intersection with the expressway. The first left is the expressway and the immediate second left heads towards Mengla. If you take the second left it is only 23km to Jinghong on all new roads. We were told the old road was much longer and a lot harder to bike. The new road was indeed nice, but you had to first climb a steep 6km hill before the long fast descent into Jinghong.

At the first traffic circle take a left and follow it to go over the bridge and soak in the views of the Mekong and the city. We took ten days getting here, including one day’s rest in Mojiang. With our group size and heavy loads, I would say we did pretty good.

If you were just two people with light loads it could easily been done in a week’s time, but don’t forget to take some time to absorb the beautiful sights of southern Yunnan. From here we will head south to Mengla and across the border into Laos where we plan to take a month cycling from the north to the southern tip.

Day 12 Menglun (勐仑) – Mengla (勐腊) 80km, 4.5 hours of riding

Sightseeing and Activities:Menglun (勐仑) – Mengla (勐腊) 80km, 4.5 hours of riding
Accommodation: Xishuangbanna
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

From Menglun we hopped back on the expressway, called Erji Lu (二级路), which soars above the valleys and cuts right through the mountains. Be sure to have all your lights handy again, as we passed though about 15 tunnels today, two of which were over 3km long.

Outside of Menglun there is a slow, steady 20km climb which ends with a 3km tunnel and then descends back down about 12km. About one kilometer after the toll booth at the bottom of the climb is Mengyuan (勐远), a good resting point with plenty of options for food and drink. After lunch, the road began to rise again steadily, passing through numerous tunnels until the final 10km where it descended into Mengla (a right hand turn, 1km off the expressway).

Mengla is a big town with many options for sleeping and eating. On top of this it is only 46km from the Laos border. If you’re up for it, there is a wonderful park about 18km away (we took a bus) called Sky Tree Tropical Rainforest Park (望天树热带雨林公园), which has the world’s highest canopy walk of 38 meters and plenty of entertainment and wilderness to keep you busy a few days.

Recommended Hotels

Service Included:

• Accommodation with daily breakfast as indicated in the hotel list;
• Chinese lunches as listed in the itinerary;
• All land transfers & transportation with private air-conditioned car;
• All transfers and sightseeing with skilled English-speaking tour guide;
• All entrance fees as mentioned in the itinerary;
• All government taxes;
• Luggage transfers between hotels;
• Travel Agency’s Responsibility Insurance coverage

Service Excluded:

• Any arrival and departure international airfares or train tickets;
• Any meals which are not specified in the tour itinerary.
• 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.

Yunnan is a microcosm of China in the areas of minority affairs and nationality relations. The province has 25 minority groups, nearly half of the countries total ( 56 ethnic groups ). With such ethnic diversity it is important to ask the question: what criteria are used to determine minority status and classification? Basically, there are five ways: Race , Language, Culture, Religion, History. Except 25 minorities mentioned in Yunnan, there are three kinds of the Peoples, for the reason of they are not the really a kind of minority in China . But they are the certain branches of the minorities. The three Peoples have the special customs which are quite different with their original nations and very interesting in the recent days for their names in tourism of Yunnan. 

Highlights:

• Experience the profound history and splendid culture of diverse ethnic groups.

• Discover the ancient ethnic towns and villages.

• Enjoy their traditional festivals and fantastic activities.

Brief Itinerary:

• Day 1 Arrival Kunming
• Day 2 Kunming-Shilin County
• Day 3 Shilin-Luliang-Luoping
• Day 4 Luoping 
• Day 5 Luoping-Qiubei-Puzhehei
• Day 6 Puzhehei-Bamei
• Day 7 Bamei-Babao
• Day 8 Babao-Yanshan-Jianshui
• Day 9 Jianshui-Yuanyang
• Day 10 Yuanyang
• Day 11 Yuanyang-Jiangcheng
• Day 12 Jiangcheng-Zhengdong-Mengla
• Day 13 Mengla-Jinghong
• Day 14 Jinghong
• Day 15 Jinghong-Jingmai
• Day 16 Jingmai-Ximeng
• Day 17 Ximeng-Shuangjiang-Cangyuan
• Day 18 Cangyuan
• Day 19 Cangyuan-Zhenkang
• Day 20 Zhenkang-Mangshi
• Day 21 Mangshi-Wanding-Ruili
• Day 22 Ruili-Tengchong
• Day 23 Tengchong
• Day 24 Tengchong-Fugong
• Day 25 Fugong-Bingzhongluo
• Day 26 Bingzhongluo
• Day 27 Bingzhongluo-Gongshan-Cizhong
• Day 28 Cizhong-Feilaisi
• Day 29 Feilaisi-Shangrila
• Day 30 Shangrila
• Day 31 Shangrila-Lijiang
• Day 32 Lijiang
• Day 33 Lijiang-Lugu Lake
• Day 34 Lugu Lake-Lijiang
• Day 35 Lijiang-Shaxi-Dali
• Day 36 Dali-Dalin
• Day 37 Dalin-Dali
• Day 38 Dali-Kunming
• Day 39 Departure from Kunming

Google Map

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1 Arrival Kunming

Sightseeing and Activities: Arrive in Kunming, Green Lake
Accommodation: Kunming
Meals: Lunch

Welcome to Kunming, the Spring City of China! Upon arrival at the Kunming airport/train station, the local tour guide and driver will meet you in the arrival hall and escort you to your hotel.You’ll begin your journey to the diverse and captivating province of Yunnan from the capital city, Kunming. 

After a short rest, stroll in the most picturesque park in Kunming urban area – the Green Lake Park,a charming area of tea houses and small boutiques selling handicrafts and beautiful local paintings.. Here you can share the happiness of local people’s doing tai chi, performing local opera, and other vibrant activities. If you visit the park in November or December, you will see the grandeur of huge flocks of red-beaked seagulls that migrate there from Siberia.

Day 2 Kunming-Shilin County

Sightseeing and Activities: Western Hills, Dianchi Lake, Yunnan Ethnic Villages, Yunnan Nationalities Museum
Accommodation: Shilin
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch 

This morning, drive to visit Western Hills. Western Hills boasts an excellent environment with flourishing flowers and dense forest, providing tourists an excellent environment to enjoy the tranquility and marvelous scenery. They have also been given another name – ‘Sleeping Beauty Hills’ for the hills because its skyline looks like a beautiful young lady laying beside Dianchi Lake with her face upward and her hair trailling into water. In the Western Hills, Huating Temple, Taihua Temple, and Sanqing Pavillion are shaded by flourishing woods and tall bamboo bushes. The exquisite Dragon Gate Grotto is built along the precipice cliff. 

After lunch, transfer to Yunnan Ethnic Villages. This theme park displays the colorful folklore and architecture of 25 ethnic groups residing in Yunnan Province. The theme park offers shows and performances, folklore and wax museums, as well as replica buildings found in the villages of each ethnic group.Villages of over 25 minorities including the Yi, Dai, Miao, Jingpo, Wa, Hani, Naxi, Dulong and others have been built here. Through various displays and re-creations of the original villages, the Yunnan Ethnic Village displays the diverse local ethnic culture. Villages of different styles are well arranged and show visitors their unique charm. Displaying a variety of buildings, lifestyles, and religious beliefs in the region, the village is a microcosm of Yunnan’s colorful and diverse ethnic culture.

Afterwards, walk to Yunnan Nationalities Museum. Yunnan Nationalities Museum is located on the east bank of Dianchi Lake next to Yunnan Nationalities Village in Kunming City, China. Completed in 1995, it is a comprehensive ethnology museum. Covering an area of over 200 mu, the museum has a building area of 130,000 square meters. It consists of various exhibition halls, office building, report hall, storage and workshops. The ecological environment, religious customs, culture and arts and ethnic relics of the ethnic groups of Yunnan are collected in it.

Day 3 Shilin-Luliang-Luoping

Sightseeing and Activities: Stone Forest, Luliang Colorful Sand Forest, Luoping
Accommodation: Luoping
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch 

In the morning, visit Stone Forest (90 kms away, 1.5 hrs’ drive) which is a world natural heritage site and world geological park with amazing karst limestone landform, in the meantime, visit local villages and meet the local Yi ethnic minority people there.
Drive to Luliang County,visit Luliang Colorful Sand Forest, and then drive to Luoping which is known for its rape flowers, every spring, a rape flower festival is held there.

Day 4 Luoping

Sightseeing and Activities: Jiulong Waterfalls, Luobuge Gorge, Duoyi River, Buyi Ethnic Villages, Thousands of Mountains, Rape Flowers Festival
Accommodation: Luoping
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch 

Visit Lubuge Gorge (known as “Small Three Gorges”) and the picturesque Duoyi River which is 12 kilometers long with waterfalls at different levels, where you can also have a glimps of the water mills that shows how the ancient people made use of the natural water resources, then 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.
Note: If this tour happens during the Rape Flowers Festival from Feb to Mar, you will have one more day option to explore the rape flowers sea in Luoping.

Day 5 Luoping-Qiubei-Puzhehei

Sightseeing and Activities: Puzhehei Scenic Area, Xianren Cave, the boat cruise, Yi and Miao ethnic villages
Accommodation: Puzhehei
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch 

Drive to Puzhehei, Qiubei, Wenshan prefecture (3.5 hrs), visit Puzhehei Scenic Area,  take a small boat to visit the Karst landscape and lakes, enjoy the local rurality. During your boat cruise, you will see large scale of lotus flowers on the lake. Then disembark at the Qinglongshan wharf and climb Qinglongshan Mountain to see the panorama of Puzhehei. After that, walk to visit the Torch Cave and Kwan-yin Cave. 

Day 6 Puzhehei-Bamei

Sightseeing and Activities: Swan Lake, Bamei Village, Big Banyan Tree
Accommodation: Bamei
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch 

This morning, visit some villages in the scenic area to experience local life. Then visit the “Swan Lake”. After lunch, drive to Guangnan County, then take a boat to Bamei village by passing through the caves. After landing, visit Bamei Village and the Big Banyan Tree, enjoy the peaceful life of Zhuang ethnic people.  

The Bamei Village is located on the common boundary of Ake Village and Bada Village in the north of the Guangnan County,Wenshan. It belongs to the Karst topography. The Village is surrounded by green mountains, and through the Village runs all the year round a clear river which is called Tuoniang River. The most interesting thing about the village is that people have to go through a deep and sombrous water cave by boat whenever they want go in and out.When you emerge from the tunnel you will be amazed. In a hidden valley, among a grove of green bamboos and old trees, lies Bamei Village. A blue stream gently flows by, and hard-working farmers silently till the green fields. It’s a picture of another lost Shangri-la.  Due to inconvenient location and hard transit, the village escaped attacks by outsiders and the influences of the modern world, staying as unadorned and as pure as they always were. A well-preserved environment and sub-tropical climate made the area a “Promised Land” for the inhabitants.

Day 7 Bamei-Babao

Sightseeing and Activities: Bamei River, Pisa Village, Yanshan County
Accommodation: Babao Town of Wenshan
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch 

This morning, walk around in Bamei village and visit Bamei River. Have your free time, and enjoy the local life in this village. After lunch, take the boat to get out of the village from another cave. 

Then drive to Yanshan County. On the way, you will visit a pure and quaint village of Zhuang ethnic people-Pisa Village(批洒村）in Zhela Township（者腊乡）. 

Transfer to Babao Town where you will visit the typical Karst landform. Stay in Babao Town.

Day 8 Babao-Yanshan-Gejiu-Jianshui

Sightseeing and Activities: Sanla Waterfall, Shadian Grand Mosque, Jianshui Old Town
Accommodation: Jianshui
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch 

This morning, drive from Yanshan County to Gejiu City in Honghe Autonomous Prefecture for lunch. Then drive to visit the Grand Mosque of Shadian. Grand Mosque of Shadian was originally built in the year of 1684. After several restorations and reconstructions, the new Grand Mosque of Shadian is built into a large-scaled mosque with a construction area of 18,000 square meters. It is able to hold a capacity of 10,000 people to do prayers at a time.

Afterwards, transfer to Jianshui County. Visit Jianshui Old Town and Chaoyang Gate. The ancient city wall of Jianshui was built 600 years ago in Ming Dynasty. Today only Chaoyang tower at the East Gate and Qingyuan tower at the West Gate is left standing. It’s the landmark of Jianshui Ancient Town. Then visit Zhu Family Garden and old wells.  The Zhu family garden is a local residence with distinctive features. It was built 100 years ago by a merchant named Zhu. The garden is built as a maze. It’s made up of many courtyard-style folk houses. The houses maintain the upturned eaves, the vivid paintings and the exquisite carvings on the roof beams.

Day 9 Jianshui-Yuanyang

Sightseeing and Activities: Jianshui Confucius Temple, Tuanshan Village and the Garden of Family Zhang, terraced fields of Laohuzui
Accommodation: Mengnong Chieftain Palace
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch 

In the morning, visit the Confucius Temple, which has a history of 700 years. It is the second largest Confucius Temple in China. Then you’ll visit Tuanshan Village and the Garden of Family Zhang; Tuanshan Village is a rare surviving example of an intact-albeit neglected-traditional walled Yunnan village compound in southwestern China, and has been added to the 2005 list of internationally significant sites by the World Memorial Fund for Architecture (WMF), an international fund for the protection of world heritage sites. 
In the afternoon, you will transfer to Yuanyang and enjoy the sight of terraced fields of Laohuzui (Tiger Mouth) at sunset. Overnight at Mengnong Chieftain Palace.
–Yuanyang is about 300km south of Kunming, renowned for its rice terraces, which claim as the world’s largest and most spectacular one, crafted out by bare hands by the Hani people one thousand years ago and is still in use today. The rice farmers have had to practice ecology and land preservation centuries before those concepts were widely accepted around the world. Without hard work maintaining the terrace walls and irrigation system, the precious top soil would wash down the hillsides into the rivers.
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.

Optional Sightseeing and Activities:
Lengdun Village of Baohe Town in Gejiu City(个旧市保和乡木花果村委会冷墩村)
Shadian Grand Mosque in Gejiu City (个旧市沙甸清真寺)
Abang Village of Jiasha Town in Gejiu City(个旧市贾沙乡陡岩村委会阿邦村)
Hetian Village in Gejiu City, Honghe(个旧市合田民俗村)
Jiajizhai Village and Pear Blossoms of Jijie Town in Gejiu City(个旧市鸡街镇加级寨村)

Day 10 Yuanyang

Sightseeing and Activities: the sunrise view of Duoyishu Rice Terraces, Bada Rice Terraces, Shengcun Market, Qingkou Village, the sunset view of Laohuzui Rice Terraces
Accommodation: Yuanyang
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch 

Get up every early in the morning, you’ll drive 30KM to visit Pugao Laozhai Village and enjoy the sunrise of Duoyishu Rice Terrace Fields when the sun appears above the eastern horizon. The terraced fields are ring upon ring and cascade one by one. They go along the hillside up to the sky. You will see the scenery of the terraced fields from the top of the mountains to the bottom. They are all farms under the sunshine and cloud and mist. The landscape is spectacular.

And then, you will visit Qingkou Village and rice terraces where Hani people for generations inhabit. Visit Bada Hani Rice Terrace, Shengcun Market as well. 

Transfer back to Xinjie Town.

Day 11 Yuanyang-Luchun-Jiangcheng

Sightseeing and Activities: Laomeng Sunday Market, Lvchun Local Market, Lvchun Hani Ethnic Culture Museum, Lixianjiang River Valley
Accommodation: Jiangcheng
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch 

After breakfast, visit the local market in Xinjie Town. Depart from Xinjie Town,drive around 2 hours to Laomeng. If you are lucky enough, you will have chance to enjoy the Laomeng Sunday Market. Laomeng holds the most flamboyant market every Sunday. One can see people from six different ethnic minorities, with women and children dressing up in colourful dresses, different in their own traditional style.
Continue the driving along the banana forest and some rice terraces, you arrive at Lvchun County. Lvchun county, on the south western border of Yunnan Provice, China, just like its name, is a land where the green mountains spread out like a ribbon, the azure water always flows, the winter isn’t too cold, and the summer isn’t too hot. 
Pay a visit Lvchun Local Market and Lvchun Hani Ethnic Culture Museum. The main cultural legacy of the worldwide Hani people over several thousand years of development is its unique immaterial culture. Therefore, this museum, in accordance with current advanced theory, has discarded the model of a traditional museum which simply displays a collection of implements, and adopted a model of bringing together local characteristics and the worldwide Hani culture. 
After lunch, drive along the Lixianjiang River Valley to Jiangcheng Hani and Yi Autonomous County. Visit Lixianjiang River Valley, Hani ethnic villages, rice terraces on the way.
Optional Sightseeing and Activities:
Huanglianshan Mountain Nature Reserve in Luchun County(绿春黄连山保护区)
Dongzhu Rice Terraces in Luchun County(绿春桐珠梯田)
Lagu Hani Rice Terraces in Luchun County(绿春腊姑哈尼梯田)

Day 14 Jinghong

Sightseeing and Activities: Ganlanba Morning Market, Dai Ethnic Garden, Mengle Great Buddha Temple, Manting Park, enjoy Dai Water Splashing Festival
Accommodation: Jinghong in Xishuangbanna
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch 

Take one day tour to Ganlanba Morning Market, Dai Ethnic Garden, Mengle Temple.
In the morning visit Ganlanba Morning Market, water Dai villages, Burmese temple and rubber garden on the way. Visit Dai Ethnic Garden, located in the Ganlan Basin in Menghan County, proudly holds a national 4A rating as one of China’s top scenic spots.  Within the Dai Ethnic Garden, five Dai villages – Manjiang, Manchunman, Manting, ManZha, and Manga – cover an area of 3.36 square kilometers and consist of 309 families, or 1487 individual villagers.

Transfer back to Jinghong in the afternoon and pay a visit Mengle Temple. Mengle Great Buddha Temple was built to memorize a beautiful Dai Minority queen who was a pious Buddhist during Ming dynasty (1368-1644), which was destroyed during a war in 1848 and what we see today was rebuilt in 2007. Notable for its peculiar shape which resembles a sitting Buddha, Mengle Great Buddha Temple, the largest Theravada Buddhist temple in China, is the most sacred and important religion site of Dai people.
Visit Manting Park which is a modern park that measures about 30 acres in Jinghong in Xishuangbanna. It has a large new Buddhist temple called Zongfo Si. There is a display of ethnic architecture, and people entertain themselves by water fights during the Dai Water Splashing Festival each year. Entertainment is presented in the evening.

Lancang Huimin tourist town(惠民旅游小镇)(60 Kilometer about 1-hour’s drive) — Jingmai Mangjing Scenic Area(18.7Kilometer about 33-minutes’ drive), including Dapingzhang ancient tea garden, Nuogan water village of Dai, the ancient village of Wengji Blang, Tea Ancestor Temple, — Menglian Xuanfu Sishu(孟连县宣抚司署) — Menglian Golden Pagoda, Menglian Nayun Ancient Town (111 Kilometer about 3-hours’ drive) — Ximeng Mengsuo Longtan Lake (60 Kilometer about 2-hours’ drive) — Muyiji Holy Valley (5 Kilometer about 34-minutes’ drive).

Day 17 Ximeng-Shuangjiang-Cangyuan

Sightseeing and Activities: Ximeng-Shuangjiang-Cangyuan, Icelandic village, tea-making, tea-tasting, Shuangjiang village
Accommodation: Lincang
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch 

After breakfast, head to Icelandic village from Shuangjiang village to experience making tea by hand. Then after lunch, back to Mengku tea shop to enjoy tea-tasting and visit farmer’s tea-making process.

Mengku Icelandic village ( “Bingdao” in Chinese) in Shuangjiang County, the famous ancient tea village, rich and famous for its large leafed Iceland tea, is one of the county’s first place for cultivating tea. Iceland tea is the main part of the famous Mengku large leafed tea and Icelandic village is the main birthplace of Mengku Tea. This kind of tea has a long history. There are written records during the Ming Dynasty (around 1485), or earlier than Ming period according to the storied unwritten records. As to the origin of the Iceland tea, some believe it was introduced from Xishuangbanna ancient mountain by local Chieftain, while others believe it was introduced from other places.

Day 18 Cangyuan

Sightseeing and Activities: Cangyuan Cliff Painting, 
Accommodation: Lincang
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch 

After breakfast, head to visit Cangyuan Cliff Painting. Lincang rock painting is located in the north of Menglai town, Cangyuan county and famous for the 3500- year old rock painting. Up to now, there are 11 pieces of rock paintings found in batches in 1965, 1978 and 1981, mainly distributing in Mengsheng township(勐省乡) and Mengyuan township(勐来乡) , which vividly show the Wa’s activities of hunting, herding, dancing and sacrificing, rich in content and unique in style. So far, Cangyuan rock painting is one of the oldest rock paintings found in China. According to the determination of drawing age,
the rock paintings were measured in the late Neolithic period which is more than 3,000 years ago. On June 25, 2001, Cangyuan rock painting, as a Neolithic relic, was included by the State Council of China in the list of the fifth batch of national relic protection units.

Visit Thousand-Meter Gallery of Chinese painting in the afternoon. Located in the middle part of the scenic area, the mural is about 3 kilometers long, 80-180 meters high and the highest 280 meters. Some cliff surfaces are uneven densely covered with honeycomb dissolved pore, some are smooth just as being cut by a knife or axe, and some are similar with terrace dotted to be colorful by impurities and climbing plants. It is like a giant mural painting, which depicts the vicissitudes of the old earth.

Day 23 Tengchong

Sightseeing and Activities: Rehai Hot Spring, Beihai Wetland Park, Heshun Ancient Town
Accommodation: Tengchong
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch 

This morning, drive to Rehai Hot Spring. Tengchong is one of China’s three major geothermal areas, known as “Land Abounding in Geothermal Resources”. There are plenty of springs of hot water and hot vapour, called “Hot Sea”. There are quite a number of hot fields as well. Tengchong is a resort where people can travel, take a bath and have medical treatment. The Hot Sea, with an area of 9 square kilometers, lies 20 kilometers away southwest of the county seat and in the center of the geothermal area. There are over 80 springs of hot water and hot vapour, of which there are 14 spring whose temperature reaches 90¡ãC. The spring can be regarded as a rarity as far as their number and geothermal energy are concerned. The most magnificent view is the boiling pool with a temperature of 97¡ãC, so it is called “the Big Boiling Pot” by the local people. There are dozens of big springs of vapour with a temperature of 94¡ãC at the mouths of the springs, where you can steam food.

After that, drive to Beihai Wetland Park.  The wetland is surrounded by mountains, located in a special geographical position, and is a typical subtropical volcanic lava barrier lake marsh wetland. The reserve features a “floating blanket style” marsh, complex biodiversity and high productivity. The reserve is not only a garden of national protected plants like Brasenia schreberi and wildwater chestnuts, but it is also a paradise for water birds.

In the afternoon, arrive in Heshun Ancient Town in Tengchong County in the late afternoon, you will be free in Heshun Ancient Town and enjoy the relax life after the wonderful Three Parallel River Grand Canyons adventure tour. Walk around Heshun Old Town, pay a visit to Clothes-Washing Pacillion, Heshun Library,Wenchang Temple and the Anti-Japanese War Museum as well as the local ancient houses.

Day 27 Bingzhongluo-Gongshan-Cizhong

Sightseeing and Activities: Nujiang Grand Canyon, Dulong ethnic village, Biluo Snow Mountain, Laowo Mountain
Accommodation: Cizhong in Diqing
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch 

Drive from Bingzhongluo to Gongshan. Stop to visit the First Bend of Nujiang River. Continue the driving along Nujiang Valley to Gongshan County 

Drive along the newly built road from Gongshan County to Cizhong,the road is bumpy but the scenery is so fantestic because the view of Mekong River and Nujiang River grand cayons as well as the Biluo Snow Mountain. 

Biluo Snow Mountain is located at Lanping churchyard which I continuous 145KM. There are 15 snow mountains, which stand 4000 meter above sea level. The Laowo Mountain is the most beautiful a highest mountain than the others, which is 4500 meters above sea level. It is 3200 meters higher compared with the Lantsang. The original ecosystem has been preserved. The climate changes unconventionally in the mountain. The flowing waterfall is densely 6 covered, edelweiss and lakes are gathered, and it is called the mountain with thousand waterfalls and thousand lakes.

Day 31 Shangrila-Lijiang

Sightseeing and Activities: Tiger Leaping Gorge, Bendiwan Village, Iron Chain Bridge, Red Army’s Long March Memorial Monument, 
Accommodation: Lijiang
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch 

This morning, drive to visit the Tiger Leaping Gorge, 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. Start the hiking tour of the Tiger Leaping Gorge from the 14KM Point to Halfway Guesthouse in Bendiwan Village for lunch,you will enjoy the wonderful view of Tiger Leaping Gorge and Jade Dragon Snow Mountain from the balcony of Halfway Guesthouse. Trek 1 hour to the Guanyin Temple and Bamboo Forest, and then continue the hiking down to Tinas Hostel in the middle part of the gorge.Meet our driver and transfer to Shangrila.

Then drive to the First Bend on the Yangtze River with imposing gorge scenery, visit the Iron Chain Bridge, the Red Army’s Long March Memorial Monument in the Shigu 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.   

In the late afternoon, transfer to Lijiang for overnight.

Day 32 Lijiang

Sightseeing and Activities: Jade Dragon Snow Mountain,  Lijiang Ancient Town, Ganhaizi Meadow, Baishuihe River, Impression Lijang Ethnic Show, Baisha Village, Baisha Mural
Accommodation: Lijiang
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch 

Enjoy the sunrise of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and Lijiang Ancient Town in the morning, drive about 30KM to Ganhaizi Meadow(3100M), you will take the sightseeig bus for a short visiting through the Baishuihe River, take the chairlift up to visit Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. The cableway will be arranged according to the condition of the mountain. You will hike around1 hours in the original forest in Spruce Meadow (3200M).

After lunch, you will enjoy the Impression Lijang Ethnic Show directed in Ganhaizi Meadow(3100M). A cultural show demonstrating the traditions and lifestyles of the Naxi, Yi and Bai peoples of the area. The show takes place inside Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Park at 3500m in an outdoor theater specifically designed to showcase the mountain which is used as a backdrop. The production itself was designed by Zhang Yimou, Fan Yue and Wang Chaoge, a cast of over 500 people, and a number of horses. In the afternoon, you’ll stroll through Baisha Village, which is an enchanting traditional Yunnan village. Visit the Baisha Mural about 600 years old, which is one part of the World Cultural Heritage by the UNESCO 1997.

–Jade Dragon Snow Mountain stretches a length of 35 kilometers (22 miles) and a width of 20 kilometers (13 miles). Looking from Lijiang Old Town in the south which is 15 kilometers (nine miles) away, the snow-covered and fog-enlaced mountain resembles a jade dragon lying in the clouds, hence, the name Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. The highest peak named Fan Peak (Shanzidou in Chinese) which is about 5596 meters above sea level. There are three cablecars in the mountain, the fist to the Glacier Park(4500M),the second to Spruce Meadow(3200M), the third to Yak Meadow(3700M).

Day 33 Lijiang-Lugu Lake

Sightseeing and Activities: Lugu Lake, Liwubi Island and Heiwawu Island,  Mosuo Culture Museum, take part in Mosuo Bonfire Party 
Accommodation: Lugu Lake
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch 

In the morning, dive 4-5 hrs on the spectacle mountain road to visit the mysterious Lugu Lake. On the way, enjoy the beautiful view among the huge mountains and rivers.
 
Late afternoon, you will take the canoes to visit Liwubi Island and Heiwawu Island in Lugu Lake. Pay a visit to Mosuo Culture Museum and learn the Mosuo ethnic custom in the museum. Enjoy the sunset wonder of Luguhu Lake in Luoshui Village. In the evening, take part in Mosuo Bonfire Party with ethnic dance and singing performance. You will dance and sing with Mosuo boys and girls around a big bonfire in the outdoors theatre.

Day 35 Lijiang-Shaxi-Dali

Sightseeing and Activities: Shibaoshan Mountain, Shizhong (Stone Bell) Hills, Shaxi Old Town, Dali Old Town,  Foreigner Street, Erhai Lake
Accommodation: Dali
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch 

Morning , pick up from your hotel in Lijiang , drive to visit Shibaoshan Mountain. Located 25 km southwest of Jianchuan County, the Shibao (Stone Treasure) Hills are also called the Shizhong (Stone Bell) Hills. Built during the Tang and Song Dynasties, it is considered an official historical site.

Later go ahead to visit Shaxi Old Town The remains of an ancient market town and once an active trade stop on the Southern Silk Road that connected Tibet and China with Southeast Asia and on to Europe. This Road is actually older than the more famous Silk Road (in the North), predating it by at least 300 years. Shaxi has been listed by the World Monuments Fund as one of the world’s 100 most endangered sites. 

After the tour , drive to Dali. Visit Dali Old Town. Walk around the Foreigner Street and enjoy the relax time with local people. After climbing up to the City Wall of Dali, you will have panoramic view of the Erhai Lake.

Day 37 Dali-Donglianhua Village-Weishan-Dali

Sightseeing and Activities: Donglianhua Village, Tea and Horse Road, Weishan Old Town
Accommodation: Dali
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch 

This morning, drive to Weishan County. You will visit Donglianhua Village first. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, they became involved in trade as caravan leaders on the Tea and Horse Road (茶马古道). The courtyards and mansions of village of Donglianhua (东莲花) shows how successful these Chinese Muslims traders were. The Muslims of Weishan (巍山) region in Yunnan (as well as other Chinese regions) belong to the Hui ethnic group (回族). The ancestry of the Hui varies. Some are the descendants of intermarriages between Muslim men of Middle-eastern or Central Asian origins and local women, others are the descendants of Han-Chinese who converted to Islam.

Then transfer to Weishan Old Town. Weishan Old Town is located at the foot of Ailao Mountain. It is a historical and cultural city known as the cradle of Nanzhao Kingdom. First built in Yuan Dynasty, Weishan Old Town has been changed to the brick city and remained the style and features until today. As the place that carry out Tusi System for the longest time in Yunnan, the long history of Weishan breeds numerous temples, echoing with the natural landscape at the diatance.

In the late afternoon, drive back to Dali.

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.

This 1 Day Dali City Tour will  show you the top attractions of a historically and culturally famous city in China. Enjoy your relaxing time strolling around the Dali Old Town and Xizhou Town; Explore the landmark of Dali — the Three Pagodas; Cruise in the Erhai Lake; Fully appreciate the ethnic culture of Bai People in Zhoucheng Village. This is a Dali highlight tour about beautiful landcsape, profound history and authentic ethnic culture.

Highlights:

• Have a grand view of the profound history and splendid culture of Dali.
• Experience the Buddhist culture of Dali.
• Travel by cruise ship on Erhai Lake.

 

Detailed Itinerary

Sightseeing and Activities:Dali Old Town, Three Pagodas, Xizhou Old Town, Zhoucheng Village, Erhai Lake

Accommodation: none

Meals: Lunch

In the morning, head for Xizhou Town to fully appreciate Bai-style traditional architectural courtyards, taste their fragrant Three-Course Tea and explore their distinctive culture.

Transfer to visit Zhoucheng Village and the Bai people’s Tie-dying cloth workshop where you can take some special souvenir with the Bai ethnic style. 

Service Included:

• Admission fees for all of the sightseeing spots listed in the itinerary;
• Lunch;
• Private English-speaking tour guide;
• Private vehicle for transfers & sightseeing with skilled driver;
• Service charge & government taxes.

Service Excluded:

• Any arrival and departure international airfares or train tickets;
• Accommodation;
• Chinese visa fees;
• Excess baggage charged by Airlines;
• Tips to guides and drivers;
• Personal expenses and gratuities to service staff;
• Personal travel accident insurance;
• All optional programs.

There are three main parts to the Gaoligongshan Nature Reserve – Baihualing Nature Reserve, Dahaoping Nature Reserve and Nankang Nature Reserve. All are relatively easily accessed from Kunming. Baoshan is connected by daily flights to Kunming and is the main stepping off point for birders visiting Gaoligongshan. It  takes three hours to drive from Baoshan airport to Baihualing Nature Reserve in the Galigong mountains. Baihualing is by far the best, and also the most easily accessible part of the Gaolingong Mountains. Decent accommodation and food are available at the reserve guest house. 

Highlights: 

• Have a memorable bird watching experience in Yunnan.
• Enjoy the stunning scenery along the way.

Brief Itinerary

• Day 1 Baoshan
• Day 2 Baoshan-Baihualing(Gaoligongshan)
• Day 3 Baihualing(Gaoligongshan)
• Day 4 Baihualing(Gaoligongshan)
• Day 5 Baihualing(Gaoligongshan)-Bawan
• Day 6 Bawan-Tengchong
• Day 7 Tengchong
• Day 8 Tengchong

Google Map

Detailed Itinerary

Recommended Hotels

Service Included:

Service Excluded:

• Any arrival and departure international airfares or train tickets;
• Any meals which are not specified in the tour itinerary.
• 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:

• The economy-class airfare of China flights as specified in the itinerary.
• The hotel/cruise accommodation is based on two persons sharing one standard twin room/cabin with private facilities in all relevant locations. If a single client requests a twin room/cabin alone, the single room/cabin supplement will be charged. 
• For the land tour in each city, daily American breakfast is served in the hotel, and Chinese lunch and/or dinner will be served with two cups of soft drink outside the hotel. All meal arrangements are served as the itinerary specifies.
• On the cruise daily American breakfast, lunch and dinner are served. The beverage arrangements are subject to policies.

Yunnan is well known for its year-round mild climate and the word Yunnan actually means South of the Clouds. There are numerous excellent areas for bird watching tour in Yunnan such as Gaoligongshan and Tongbiguan Nature Reserve. We will take you to visit the most famous sites for birding in Yunnan Province. Many great birds possible, including such gems as Red-tailed Laughingthrush, Red-billed Scimitar-Babbler, Yunnan Nuthatch, Derbyan Parakeet, and Collared Treepie.

Highlights:

• Experience the diverse birding.
• Visit spectacular sceneries.
• Discover the ethnic culture and along the way.

Brief Itinerary:

• Day 1 Arrive in Baoshan
• Day 2 Baoshan-Baihualing(Gaoli Gongshan)
• Day 3 Baihualing(Gaoli Gongshan)
• Day 4 Baihualing(Gaoli Gongshan)
• Day 5 Baihualing(Gaoli Gongshan)-Tengchong
• Day 6 Tengchong-Yingjiang-Tongbiguan
• Day 7 Tongbiguan
• Day 8 Tongbiguan-Longchuan-Ruili
• Day 9 Ruili-Mangshi
• Day 10 Mangshi Departure

Google Map

Detailed Itinerary:

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;
• Two bottles of mineral water each day.

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.

Bordering Burma, Vietnam, and Laos, the state of Yunnan lies at the crossroads of Asian bird diversity. It is the most bird-rich province in China, with a distinctly subtropical feel in the south. The largely mountainous terrain supports an incredible variety of forest types, and wetland refuges and powerful rivers increase the variety of habitats to explore. As our Yunnan birding tour is arranged in winter, many migrant species from further north boost the species number, including the enigmatic Black-necked Crane, and sea gulls. Besides birding tour, we can call it a photography tour. Dongchuan Red Land-“the color palette of God” will be one of the famous destination of this tour.

Introduction

Nestled between Burma, Vietnam, and Laos, Yunnan province serves as a hub for avian diversity in Asia. It is recognized as the richest province for bird species in China, particularly in its southern regions, which feature a noticeably subtropical climate. The predominantly mountainous landscape fosters an astonishing array of forest ecosystems, while wetlands and significant rivers diversify the habitats available for exploration. Since our birding tour in Yunnan takes place in the winter, numerous migratory species from the north add to the variety of birds, including the intriguing Black-necked Crane and various gull species. In addition to birdwatching, this tour can also be framed as a photography expedition. One of the highlights of this journey will be Dongchuan Red Land, often referred to as “God’s color palette,” which is renowned for its stunning visual beauty.

Highlights:

• Dongchuan Red Land: Explore the breathtaking landscapes of Dongchuan Red Land, known as “God’s color palette,” where vivid red earth creates stunning photographic opportunities.
• Nianhu Lake: Visit Nianhu Lake, an essential wetland habitat that attracts a wide variety of migratory birds, including swans and other waterfowl, offering exceptional birdwatching experiences.
• Dashanbao Nature Reserve: Discover the rich biodiversity of Dashanbao Nature Reserve, famous for its dense forests and diverse species, including the rare Black-necked Crane during the winter migration.
• Birdwatching Opportunities: Enjoy the chance to observe numerous bird species, including both resident and migratory birds, thanks to Yunnan’s unique location and diverse habitats.
• Expert Guidance: Benefit from the knowledge of experienced local birding guides who will assist in identifying various species and sharing insights about their behaviors and habitats.
• Cultural Experiences: Immerse yourself in the local culture, with opportunities to interact with indigenous communities and learn about their traditions and lifestyles.
• Photography Focus: Take advantage of exceptional photography opportunities, capturing stunning landscapes, unique bird species, and vibrant natural settings throughout the tour.
• Scenic Drives: Experience the beauty of Yunnan’s diverse environments, from rolling hills and tranquil lakes to majestic mountains, with comfortable transportation enabling easy access to each location.
• Winter Migration Spectacle: Witness the winter migration phenomenon, where many birds from northern regions flock to Yunnan, enhancing the overall birdwatching experience.
• Tailored Itinerary: Enjoy a well-planned itinerary that maximizes birdwatching opportunities while allowing time for relaxation and appreciation of Yunnan’s natural beauty.

Brief Itinerary:

• Day 1 Arrive in Kunming
• Day 2 Kunming-Dongchuan
• Day 3 Dongchuan-Huize
• Day 4 Huize-Nianhu Lake
• Day 5 Nianhu Lake-Zhaotong-Dashanbao
• Day 6 Dashanbao
• Day 7 Dashanbao-Kunming
• Day 8 Departure from Kunming

Google Map

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1 Arrive in Kunming

Sightseeing and Activities: Kunming City, The Green Lake by your own
Accommodation: Kunming
Meals: None

• Arrival in the Stunning Springtime City of Kunming
  • Upon your arrival in the picturesque city of Kunming, a true gem of spring, you’ll check in to your hotel and then be free to explore at your leisure. As the capital of Yunnan, Kunming is renowned for its rich history and vibrant culture, making it one of China’s premier tourist destinations, showcasing an exquisite blend of natural beauty and cultural heritage.
  • During your free time, we suggest heading to Dianchi Dam to photograph the lively black-headed gulls dancing in the skies.
  • You can also stroll around the Yunnan Military Academy, which is located close to Green Lake, or explore Nanping Street. Don’t miss the opportunity to savor authentic Yunnan Crossing-the-bridge rice noodles, especially at “Qiaoxiangyuan.” Make sure to grab some fruit snacks to keep you energized throughout your day of exploration.
  • Tips: The optimal times for capturing photos of the black-headed gulls are between 8:00-9:00 AM and 4:00-5:00 PM. Both Green Lake and Dianchi Dam are hotspots for these birds, where you’ll be able to take multiple shots using medium to large apertures. Additionally, keep your phone handy for easy communication throughout your adventures.

Day 3 Dongchuan-Huize

Sightseeing and Activities:Red Land-Damakan sunrise-Lepuao-Huize
Accommodation: Huize
Meals: Breakfast

• Setting Off at Sunrise
  • Begin your adventure at 6:00 AM, setting your sights on Damakan, which is just a 25-minute drive away from your photography destination. Arriving as the first rays of sunlight touch the village, you’ll discover that this moment, characterized by striking light and shadow, offers the ideal opportunity for capturing stunning photographs. You should be able to wrap up your shooting by around 8:00 AM.
• Capturing the Beauty of Lepuao
  • After concluding your shoot at Damakan, make your way to Lepuao. Once you finish capturing the enchanting scenes there, continue your journey to Huize.
• Enchanting Dusk by the Lake
  • As the sun begins to set, find a spot along the shore and immerse yourself in the breathtaking view. The round red sun paints the sky with vibrant shades of red, creating a magical atmosphere as golden-red light dances on the lake’s surface. The mysterious ambiance of dusk unfolds before you.
  • You’ll be captivated by the intoxicating sunset, the deep blue sky, and the serene lake, evoking feelings of longing as distant silhouettes emerge against the horizon. Additionally, watch for the graceful movements of black-necked cranes, symbols of good fortune, happiness, and loyalty.
  • As the sun sinks below the horizon on the left bank, the figures of people, cattle, and birds gradually dissolve into fuzzy outlines, resembling a beautiful ink painting. This ethereal scene is completed by the reeds that expand into the water, elegantly dividing the lake and adding to the enchanting landscape.

Day 6 Dashanbao

Sightseeing and Activities:Dashanbao Nature Reserve, Dahaizi sunrise, Black-necked Cranes
Accommodation: Zhaotong
Meals: Breakfast

• Capturing the Sunrise at Dahaizi
  • Start your day early by heading to Dahaizi to photograph the black-necked cranes alongside the sunrise. In the soft morning light, you’ll spot a large group of cranes arranged in a long line along the water’s edge, their calls echoing with a melodic “goo – goo.” As the sun rises, it casts a golden glow over the sea, creating a breathtaking spectacle.
• Wildlife Observation at the Monitoring Room
  • Following the magical sunrise, make your way to the birds monitoring room located 200 meters up the hillside, as arranged by the Dashanbao reserve administration. It’s essential to maintain silence here to avoid disturbing the black-necked cranes while you observe and capture their beauty.
• Afternoon Rest and Evening Photography
  • After enjoying a lunch break, take some time to relax before resuming photography in the afternoon. As daylight begins to fade, watch as the cranes gather from various directions, preparing to return to their nests as darkness approaches, providing you with a captivating opportunity to document their movements.

Day 7 Dashanbao-Kunming

Sightseeing and Activities:Dahaizi sunrise
Accommodation: Kunming
Meals: Breakfast

• Morning Photography at Dahaizi
  • In the morning, go to Dahaizi to shoot black-necked cranes and sunrise. Once completion, forward to Kunming, probably arrive in the evening. We will send you to Kunming railway station, where is the starting point of airport terminal line 2 and convenient to go anywhere.
  • Tips: Probably arrive in Kunming at 16:00 and suggest to book the return trip after 21:30, but still recommend you to stay in kunming for one night.

This 9 Days Yunnan-Guizhou Winter Birding Tour will offer you some typical birding places both in Yunnan and Guizhou for you, like Dianchi Lake, Caohai Lake, Nianhu and Dashanbao. In Caohai Lake, there are plenty of aquatic animals and plants, waterfowls and fish. All of these add more color to the lake. Dashanbao Black-necked Crane Nature Reserve, situated in Dashanbao Township , Zhaotong, is a typical subtropical plateau meadows scenic area. Nianhu Lake of Daqiao Township, Huize County, is a province-level nature reserve dedicated to black-necked cranes.

Highlights:

• Watch diverse featured birds of Yunnan in favorable places.

• Appreciate the charming scenery along the way.

Brief Itinerary:

• Day 1 Arrive in Kunming
• Day 2 Kunming-Huize-Nianhu Lake
• Day 3 Nianhu Lake-Huize 
• Day 4 Huize-Weining County-Caohai Lake
• Day 5 Caohai Lake
• Day 6 Caohai Lake-Zhaotong 
• Day 7 Zhaotong-Dashanbao
• Day 8 Dashanbao 
• Day 9 Dashanbao-Zhaotong-Kunming

Google Map

Detailed Itinerary

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.

Jingmai Tea Mountain is more than just ancient tea trees; it’s about the Dai, Bulang and Lahu ethnic groups who lives in this area. Tea gardens, ancient villages, folk customs are merged together in this sacred land, people here lives a simple and primitive life. Come and experience 10,000 acres of ancient tea gardens, listen to Lashu and Bulang people’s joyful traditional songs, take photographs of folk custom, and taste the best tea in Yunnan! This tour will allow you to walk in the ancient tea gardens, have a wonderful tea-picking and tea-making experience. Also, you can go to Dai, Bulang, Lahu villages, and learn about their tea making tradition and ethnicity.

Highlights

• Overview the tea culture and experience tea-peacking and tea-making.

• Explore the colorful ethnic culture of Dai, Bulang and Lahu.

Brief Itinerary

• Day 1 Jinghong
• Day 2 Menghai County
• Day 3 Puer
• Day 4 Puer – Jinghong

Google Map

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1 Arrive in Jinghong

Sightseeing and Activities: Jinghong
Accommodation: Gaozhuang Boutique Hotel
Meals: Lunch

Upon arrival, picked up by the tour guide and  helped to check-in at Gaozhuang Boutique Hotel.

Day 2 Jinghong-Menghai County-Puer

Sightseeing and Activities: Aini family, Jingzhen Pavilion Buddhist temples, Laodabao Village
Accommodation: Bolian Hotel/Kangxin Restaurant/Jingmai Family Guesthouse
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

You will leave Jinghong in the morning to visit the Aini family in Nannuo Ancient Tea Mountain, and learn about Hani ethnicity. After lunch, visit the Jingzhen Pavilion Buddhist temples, and learn about the Dai ethnicity and their beliefs and culture. In the afternoon, you will arrive at Laodabao Village, where you can learn and experience the traditional ethnic handmade artifacts. Later, enjoy a Lahu cuisine dinner and enjoy with Lahu people’s local country music. Check-in hotel at Puer in the evening.

Day 3 Puer

Sightseeing and Activities: Jingmai Village, Nuogan Village, a tea garden, tea-picking and tea-making experience, Wenji Bulang ethnic village
Accommodation: Mangjing Leisure Mountain Villa/Bulang Princess Inn/Paai Cold Tea Garden Hotel
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Today you wake up naturally and get in touch with the tea garden! After breakfast, take a scenic view of JingMai Mountain sunrise. Visit the Jingmai Village and the Nuogan Village, and have lunch in Nuogan Village. In the afternoon, you enter the ancient tea garden for tea-picking and tea-making activities.

In the evening, enjoy the sunset view in Wenji Bulang ethnic village and have dinner, then check-in at Mangjing Leisure Mountain Villa/Bulang Princess Inn/Paai Cold Tea Garden Hotel. Late evening activities such as party exchanges or tasting tea can be arranged.

Day 4 Puer-Jinghong

Sightseeing and Activities: Puer Tea Garden, Bolian Hotel’s leisure activities
Accommodation: Jinghong
Meals: Breakfast, lunch

Today you can wake up naturally, listen to birds singing and breathe fresh air in tea gardens surrounded by rain forests. Take a walk around Puer Tea Garden, and enjoy Bolian Hotel’s exquisite cuisine, or experience tea SPA; tea ceremony exchanges; yoga and other leisure activities. You can also design and make your own Puer red tea. After lunch, you will return to Jinghong city by car and finish this exciting trip.

Recommended Hotels

Service Included:

• Admission fees for all of the sightseeing spots listed in the itinerary;
• Meals as listed in the itinerary;
• Accommodation with breakfast 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;
• Two bottles of mineral water each day.

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 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
• Respect local customs , habits, and religious beliefs.
• When take photos, please pay attention to your safety, do not shoot in dangerous areas.

If you’re a lover of tea and have a passion for outdoor travel, to explore the source of Tea&Horse Roads, experience Xishuangbanna Puer tea culture and folk customs there can be good choices. And the ancient six major tea mountains must be the sites you can not miss. Dai ethnic, Hani ethinic, Yi ethnic, Jinuo ethnic and Yao ethnic are scattered in the mountains. Every ethnic has its own tea custom.

Highlights:

• Experience the tea-making and taste puer tea.

• Fully appreciate puer tea culture and ethnic custom.

• Meet the fantastic scenery on the way.

Brief Itinerary:

• Day 1 Arrive in Jinghong
• Day 2 Jinghong-Yiwu
• Day 3 Yiwu-Yibang 
• Day 4 Yibang-Kongming Mountain
• Day 5 Kongming Mountain-Menglun Town
• Day 6 Menglun-Jinghong

Google Map

Detailed Itinerary

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.

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.

Go and give yourself a challenging but beautiful hiking tour in Yunnan, meet “the azaleas King in the world” and find the eight famous flowers in Gaoligongshan. Futhermore, Gaoligongshan is the home of many endangered species of animals and plants. In spring, the azaleas are in full bloom and spreads out the hillside and valleys. In addition, waterfalls, snow mountains, lakes and rivers can be easily found there. Gradually, it becomes the paradise for photographer with its fabulous scenery. 

Highlights:

• Hiking along in the flowers sea in Gaoligongshan.
• Meet endangered animals and plants on your way.
• Enjoy your relaxing time in Heshun Old Town.

Brief Itinerary:

• Day 1 Baoshan
• Day 2 Baoshan-Baihualing
• Day 3 Baihualing – Linjiapuzi
• Day 4 Linjiapuzi – Heshun Town
• Day 5 Tengchong Departure

Google Map

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1 Arrive in Baoshan

Sightseeing and Activities: Arrive in Baoshan
Accommodation: Baoshan
Meals: Lunch

Fly to Baoshan. The local tour guide will meet you in the airport and drive to hotel for checking in.

Baoshan is located in the southwest of Yunnan, bordering Burma to the northwest and south. Benefited from the long boundary line of 167.78 kilometers, the South Silk Route, Yunnan-Burma Road and Stilwell Road cross this land. Known as the famous hometown of overseas Chinese, there are 289,000 overseas Chinese from Baoshan. 

Day 2 Baoshan-Baihualing

Sightseeing and Activities: The Primeval Forest Hiking(7km)
Accommodation: Baihualing
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Drive to Baihualing. Start hiking from a primeval forest, pant the way to the outlet of the forest and went over some valleys. Finally, Reach the Big Waterfall where there is a natural hot spring. Move forward to the Big Waterfall, catching terrific natural sight along the way. Then return to the parking lot.  

Stay overnight in Baihualing.

The forest is a tropical rainforest with the maximum elevation and latitude. The species of plant are various. The lofty trees with big roots can be found everywhere. The climbing plants grow wildly and attach to the branches of the trees. The reserve is also abundant with herbaceous plant and the old-growth fern. I felt like I was got back to Jurassic period.

Day 4 Linjiapuzi – Heshun Town

Sightseeing and Activities: Heshun Old Town
Accommodation: Tengchong
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Drive to visit Heshun Old Town. 

Heshun Old Town is located in 4 kilometers southwest of Tengchong County. ‘Heshun’ meas peaceful and great life of Heshun people. With a population of more than 6000, the overseas Heshun people total more than 12000 hence the frame ‘ The Home of Overseas Chinese’. Enjoying long history and civilization of more than 600 years, there is around 1000 traditional folk residences in Heshun, 100 of which is built in Qing Dynasty, known as the ‘Living Fossil of Chinese Ancient Architecture’. You can not only appreciate the romantic charm of Hui-style architecture but also find out some western elements in Heshun Old Town. The Chinese and Western style mix together and show a unique charm.

Recommended Hotels

Service Included:

• Admission fees for all of the sightseeing spots listed in the itinerary;
• Meals as listed in the itinerary;
• Accommodation with breakfast 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;
• Two bottles of mineral water each day.

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 insurance;
• All optional programs;

Travel Tips:

• Since it’s a long journey and challenging, it’s suggested to prepare high-energy food, a bottle of water, a walking stick, fleece Jackets, a kneecap, a head lamp, and do not push yourself to limits.
• Hikers should make a reasonable daily plan according to their physical strength. Usually, you should walk 4-5 km per hour and have a rest under a tree or pavilion for 15 minutes.
• Apart from the necessities, try to shrink your bag. Don’t forget to wear a sunhat and take with a bottle of water in case of sunstroke.
• It’s suggested to hike with others and take care each other as Gaoligongshan Reserve is undeveloped with vast wild animals.
• Carry with a raincoat and a warm clothing as the weather is changeable.

Yunnan Travel Tour

Tour Category

• Ancient Tea Horse Road Tours
• Ancient Villages and Towns Tours
• Camping Tours
• China Self-driving Tours
• China Tours Including Yunnan
• China Train Tours
• Chinese-speaking Group Tours
• City Tours
• Daocheng Yading Tours
• Day Tours
• Destinations to Yunnan Tours
• Ethnic Markets Discovery
• Family Tours
• February Tours
• Haba Snow Mountain Climbing Tours
• High Speed Train Tours
• Honeymoon Tours
• Hot Spring Tours
• Kunming-Dali-Lijiang Tours
• Kunming-Dali-Lijiang-Shangri-La Tours
• Kunming-Dali-Lijiang-Shangri-La-XishuangBanna Tours
• Kunming-Jianshui-Yuanyang Tours
• Lijiang-Shangri-La Tours
• Luxurious Yunnan Tours
• March Tours
• Mekong River Discovery
• Minority Discovery
• Minority Festival Tours
• Night Tours
• River Rafting Adventure
• Shangrila Adventure
• Spring Tours (3-5)
• Students Education Tours
• Summer Camp Tours
• Tai Chi and KungFu Tour
• Tea Culture Tours
• Three Parallel Rivers Tours
• Top China Tours
• Top Yunnan Tours
• Wildlife Tours
• Winter Experience
• Yoga Retreat Tour
• Yuanyang Rice Terraces Tour
• Yunnan (China)-Indochina Tours
• Yunnan (China)-Laos Tours
• Yunnan Adoption Heritage Tours
• Yunnan Birdwatching Tours
• Yunnan Classic Tours
• Yunnan Coffee Tours
• Yunnan Cycling Tours
• Yunnan Flowers Tour
• Yunnan Food Culture Tour
• Yunnan Golf Holiday
• Yunnan Hiking Tours
  • Tiger Leaping Gorge Hiking Tours
  • Yubeng Hiking
• Yunnan Join Group Tours
• Yunnan Motorbike Tours
• Yunnan Muslim Tours
• Yunnan Panorama Tour
• Yunnan Photograph Tours
• Yunnan RV Tours
• Yunnan Tibet Tours

Tour Category

• 没有分类

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