11 Days Southwest Yunnan Tea Culture Tour (Kunming-Dali-Lincang-Puer-Jinghong)

Welcome to Kunming, the Spring City of China! Upon arrival at the Kunming airport/train station, the driver will meet you in the arrival hall and escort you to Kunming train station. You'll take the speed train to Dali (2 hours).

You will arrive in Dali this morning, the local tour guide and driver will meet you at Dali train station. After breakfast, you’ll be driven to visit Weishan Old Town. Weishan old town was the cradle of Nanzhao kingdom(a kindom established by Yi Minority), the history can be traced back to 7th century. Its a very nice old town and not touristic. It was a important town on the ancient tea and horse road. You will also enjoy the traditional Bai people's building design. Then drive to Nanjian(6 hours), stop to visit Nanjian Tulin Tea Factory for few hours. Continue the driving to Xiangzhuqing village in Xiaowan township of Fengqing County. Pay a visit to Xiangzhuqing Acient Tea Trees)香竹箐古茶树). In Xiangzhuqing village, lies a massive, ancient tree. Colloquially referred to as the Mother tea tree, this magnificent giant is about 35 feet tall (which is extremely tall for a tea tree), and is so wide that it’s said that it takes eight people holding outstretched hands to full surround the tree. Besides her gargantuan size, this tree is also remarkable for its unmatched history. This ancient tree is recorded as being over 3,200 years old, it is called “the Mother of Tea Trees”.

Drive from Xiaowan to Mengyou Township to visit the Xiashan Organic Tea Factory and tea plantation. After breakfast drive to Fengqing County, you can enjoy a tour of the Dianhong Tea Factory and tea plantation where you can taste the black tea and learn about the drying process of the tea leaves and the production. 

This morning, drive to Chafang Township(茶房乡) in Yunxian County to visit acient tea trees and tea plantation. Then drive to visit Dazhai Township(大寨镇)to visit acient tea trees and tea plantation. Both Chafang Township and Dazhai Township are known as the lands of tea in Yunnan Province. After that drive to Lincang in the late afternoon.

In the early morning, drive to visit Mengku Township first, then drive to Bingdao village(冰岛), which is Luhu tribal village surrounded by green mountains and is the origin of the tea plantation in China. You will see several huge ancient tea trees over 2000 years old! You will have a chance to see this rare, unique village of the Lahu people. They are known to wear colorful, traditional clothes. 

You will stay overnight in Mengku Township.

This morning, drive about five and half an hour to Jingmai Mountain. Visit Jingmai Tea Mountain and have a look at the flow of  ‘tea bosses’ by climbing up the hill. Admire the ancient tea gardens, the largest of their kind in the world. Jingmai is situated deep in the Southwest corner of Yunnan Province. These ancient forests border Burma and hide smuggler trade routes still in use today. This biodiversity of the region and the nearly untainted old world methods and rituals of tea cultivation and harvesting make this area unique among world tea production. The Chinese government in 2013 applied for the "Ancient Tea Plantations of Jingmai Mountain" to become an UNESCO World Heritage Site. There are 4 grape wine and 2 coffee related World Heritage properties already, but none yet for tea. If any place in the world deserves it, Jingmai would be it. 

Wake up and breathe fresh air in the mountain, experience local ethnic culture by walking around in Jingmai village. You could visit some families to learn tea processing.

Then drive about two and half an hour to visit the tea plantation of Nannuoshan Mountain in Menghai County. Nannuo Mountain is famous in China and abroad as the home of the "King of Tea Tree," a human cultivated 800+ year old tree. Fine tea tree varieties and superior natural conditions produce outstanding Nannuo Mountain tea products. Nannuo Mountain Peacock tea is a 400 gram fresh Pu-erh cake. It possesses a green, glossy luster and has leaves and buds that are plump, strong, and tender. The strips of tea unfold with prominent fine hair. When brewed, the tea liquor is a bright golden yellow with a strong, but mellow and refreshing flavor. It has a sharp kougan(feeling in the mouth) and stimulates salivation. The tea has strong and distinctive aroma.

After that, drive to Jinghong City.

Today, you will head for Yiwu Town, a small town once boomed due to tea trade in the history, see the old part of town and the stele erected in Qing Dynasty that recorded the trade situation at that time. It is a main planting area of traditional Puer Tea. Visit the Yiwu Old Town, then pay a visit to local families that are still producing Pu’er Tea the traditional way. Afterwards, visit the tea mountains and plantation.

After that, visit Menglun Botanical Garden. Menglun Botanical Garden is in Menglun town of Menglai county around 80km away from Jinghong city, Menglun tropical botanical garden is the largest tropical botanical garden in China. It was established in 1959 by Chinese famous botanists including Prof. Cai Xitao, who devoted all his life to related scientific research with remarkable achievements. The garden boasts more than 4000 species of tropical plants covering an area of 900 hectares, quite a few of which are rare elsewhere, forming a colorful botanical landscape.

Stay overnight in Menglun.

Get up in the early morning, you are going to go on your tea tour in Puer City. On the way to Puer, you will visit Jinuo Acient Tea Mountain(another name: Youle Mountain, 攸乐山). It is one of the famous ancient tea mountains in China. Then visit Dadugang tea garden.  After arriving in Puer city, you will head for the Puer Tea Expo Garden(中华普洱茶博览苑) for tea-leaf picking experience and learn how Puer tea is processed. This garden shows the origination, history, development, plantation, making process, and tasting of Puer tea.

You are going  to visit a Puer Tea Research Institute and Tea Garden and tea factory in the morning. After lunch, visit Nakeli Village(那柯里村), Nakeli, an important station on the Ancient Tea-Horse Road. Located 16 km south from the County seat of Ning’er or 25 km from Simao District, Nakeli used to be an important station on the Ancient Tea-Horse Road. It is also the birthplace of the famous Love Song of the Caravan once played on China Central Television. Nakeli village is located by rivers and near mountains. With superb geo environment, the village has well preserved vestiges of the Ancient Tea-Horse Road including caravansary, lanterns and stone troughs etc. Many adventurers from USA, Japan and Hong Kong etc have visited the village for many times.

You will fly from Puer to Kunming. Service ends.