14-day Kunming, Dali, Lijiang, Shangri-La Tour
Day 1: Kunming Arrival (Flight not included)
Upon your arrival at the Kunming Airport, meet Natasha who will hold a piece of paper with her name on waiting you at the gate of international arrivals (for international flight) or No. 3 gate of domestic arrivals (for domestic flight). Take airport shuttle bus to Xiyi Hotel. And then take a taxi to Zhouli Hotel. Put down your luggage and have a short rest. If time available, we will choose one of the following places to enjoy a relaxing stroll.
- Golden Horse and Jade Rooster Archway
- Dianchi Lake Dyke (only for winter when there are seagulls)
- Yunnan Pu’er Tea Taste & learn about the interesting history of the "Tea Horse Road"
Overnight: Zhouli Hotel, an apartment hotel
Transport: airport shuttle bus (1h), taxi (1h), walking (2h)
Food: you can choose to have authentic Chinese meal at Natasha’s home, Dai, Bai, Zang, Yunnan rice noodles, or organic food at local restaurant.
Evening: Dynamic Yunnan Show
Day 2: Kunming (Stone Forest + Jiuxiang Cave)
Natasha will meet you at your hotel in the morning. First we will drive to Stone Forest (86km, 1.5hours) to visit this unique landscape of Yunnan. There is an old saying that it is a pity not visiting the Stone Forest while you are in Kunming. The magnificent, strange and steep landscape of the Stone Forest creates countless labyrinths, all of which feature stones in various formations, animals, plants, and even human figures. You will find that it is interesting to walk through and observe them for 2-3 hours. After that, drive you 37km, 1h to Jiuxiang Cave to enjoy the karst landscape under earth. Drive back to Kunming in the afternoon. Take an overnight train to Dali (K9636, 23:38 – 07:12).
Overnight: Train Kunming – Dali, softer sleeper
Transport: car or van (depend on the number of people, 4-5h), walk (4h), train (7h 35min)
Food: a western breakfast at Natasha’s home, lunch at local restaurant, dinner is authentic Chinese meal at Natasha’s home
Day 3: Dali (Mt. Cangshan)
Today, we will arrive in Dali early in the morning. First, take a taxi to our hotel to put down our luggage, wash, and have breakfast and a short rest. After that, take a tuk tuk to Mt. Cangshan National Geographic Park. Hike up to the mountain along dirt trails. Appreciating the scenes as the utmost enjoyments of 'the satisfaction of soul'. And take a cable car down the mountain.
Overnight (options to choose): Yuyuan Hotel, Dali Shiguangbian Guesthouse, or Dali Lotus Guesthouse
Transport: hike 5-6 hours, cable car 0.5h (can also choose a round trip)
Food: picnic in the park, breakfast and dinner at local restaurant
Day 4: Bicycle around part of the Erhai Lake
The Erhai Lake is dotted with trails perfect for bike rides and villages to visit. We will bicycle to Xizhou and Zhoucheng.
Overnight (options to choose): Yuyuan Hotel, Dali Shiguangbian Guesthouse, or Dali Lotus Guesthouse
Transport: Bicycle 7-8 hours
Food: picnic or snack, breakfast and dinner at local restaurant
Day 5: Dali - Nuodeng Old Village, Yunlong County
Take a morning bus to Yunlong County (154km, 6h). And then, take a taxi or tuk tuk to Nuodeng Old Village. Enjoy a relaxing stroll in the village. Overnight at Nuodeng
Overnight: Gudaofang Guesthouse (with private squat toilet inside the room), or Fujia Liufang Inn (only shared toilet), a wonderful Bai courtyard guesthouse with alush garden of bougainvillea. The pit toilets are a little basic but overall it’s a friendly and comfortable place to stay. For an additional 10 yuan the owner will show you around their personal museum of local artifacts. The guesthouse is your best bet for meals and you can eat dinner with the family for 30yuan.
Transport: bus 6h, walk 2h
Food: breakfast, lunch and dinner at the guesthouse
Day 6: Nuodeng
Visit salt department, old banyan tree, traditional architecture, old market relics, Confucius Temple, Yuhuangge, and natural TaiJi map. Appreciate the splendid sky with shinning stars in the evening. Overnight at Nuodeng
Overnight: Gudaofang Guesthouse (with private squat toilet inside the room), or Fujia Liufang Inn (only shared toilet)
Day 7: Yunlong - Jianchuan
Take a morning bus 8.00am to Jianchuan, 5-6h. And take a van to Shaxi Ancient Town. Overnight in Shaxi
Overnight: Yaxingju Guesthouse
Transport: bus 5-6h, van 30min
Food: Chinese breakfast, picnic on the way, dinner at Shaxi
Day 8: StoneTreasure Mountain Grottoes (Shibao Mountain)
Overnight: Yaxingju Guesthouse
Transport: van 30min
Food: breakfast at Old Oak Café, picnic at Shibao Mountain, dinner in local restaurant
Day 9: Shaxi
If it is Friday, we can also visit the weekly Shaxi bazaar in the morning in which the locals trade everything from animals over vegetables and tobacco to daily use items.
In the afternoon we will go on a nice walking around the picturesque Shaxi valley, through old villages and rice paddies.
Overnight: Yaxingju Guesthouse
Transport: walk 4-5h
Food: breakfast at Old Oak Café, lunch and dinner in local restaurant, we can have dinner at Old Theater Inn if there are at least six people.
Day 10: Shaxi - Jade Lake Village
Take a van to Jianchuan bus station. Take a bus to Lijiang. And then, take avan to Jade Lake Village. Enjoy a relaxing stroll in the village. Dance with local Naxi People in the evening. Overnight at Jade Lake Village
Overnight: Xingchen Guesthouse
Transport: van and bus 4-5h, walk 2-3h
Food: breakfast at Old Oak Café, picnic on the way, and dinner at the guesthouse
Day 11: Visit the Dongba Mr. He
Take a van to Minzhi Village, We will have a whole afternoon to learn about Dongba Culture from a scholar of Dongba culture - Mr. He. After that, drive to Dayan Ancient Town. Enjoy a relaxing stroll. Overnight at Dayan Ancient Town
Overnight: Venies Lost Guesthouse, or Shuhe Wang Family and Garden, or East South West North Guesthouse, or Qinyue Guesthouse
Transport: van 2h, walk 2-3h
Food: breakfast and lunch at Xingchen Guesthouse, dinner at a Hui People's restaurant
Day 12: Lijiang - Shangri-La
Visit Mufu Palace and Wangulou Pagoda or Black Dragon Pool in the morning. After lunch, take a bus to Shangri-La. Overnight in Shangri-La.
Overnight: Maji Sun Flower Guesthouse, or Sesame Flower Blooming Guesthouse, or Zhengyi Guesthouse
Transport: bus 4h, walk 2-3h
Food: breakfast, lunch, and dinner at local restaurant
Day 13: Ganden Sumtseling Monastery & Napahai Lake Meadow
Overnight: Maji Sun Flower Guesthouse, or Sesame Flower Blooming Guesthouse, or Zhengyi Guesthouse
Transport: van 1h, walk 3-4h
Food: breakfast, lunch, and dinner at local restaurant
Day 14: Potatso and fly back to Kunming
Overnight: Zhouli Hotel
Transport: van 2h, bus 45min, taxi 20min, walk 4-5h
Food: breakfast, lunch, and dinner at local restaurant
Quotation: USD2340 per person (based on two people travel together, the more travelers join, the cheaper the price will be)
Price Including
- Budget hotel or guesthouse
- All meals
- Bus tickets
- Train ticket, Kunming to Dali
- Flight ticket, Shangri-La to Kunming
- Translation and admission fee, hotel, food, and transfer for Natasha
- Entrance fees
Price Excluding
- Flight tickets and taxes come in and outside Yunnan Province
- Chinese visa fee (China requires visa for most travellers)
- Personal travel insurance
- Personal expenses
- Tips for drivers and Natasha (not a necessary)
- Single Room Supplement
PS. You can click the key words in the itinerary for detailed information. Price is fluctuant with different choices on hotels and restaurants, and price fluctuation of flights, hotels, restaurants, and buses, aswell as the change of the tour itinerary.