Yunnan Discovery

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Remote, mysterious and blessed by a year-round spring climate, Yunnan has long evoked images of an unspoiled paradise where people live in harmony with nature. It is home to 25 different minority tribes, many originally descended from Tibetans, who cling onto their traditional way of life, colourful costumes, dialect, religion and history. The province of Yunnan is at its southernmost tip just a few dozen miles from the paddy fields and jungles of Burma and Laos, and at its nothernmost reaches to the Himalayan foothills of Tibet. Its location at the crossroads of Asia gave rise to its so-called ‘tea-horse’ trading route, a local branch of the Silk Road where tea from Yunnan was traded with horses from Tibet. We capture the more well-known parts and people of Yunnan but venture to more remote places whose very isolation has ensured the preservation of their culture and architecture. Shaxi, once an important staging post on the ‘tea-horse’ trading route, is perfectly preserved whilst the long-ago prosperous lakeside village of Xizhou boasts a unique collection of exemplary Bai-style architecture – here you will stay 2 nights at an exquisite hotel converted from an elegant Bai manor house. This tour is further enriched by a visit to Tang-era grottos at Mt Shibaoshan which command spectacular vistas.

Itinerary:

  1. London.
  2. Chongqing.
  3. Chongqing, Chengdu.
  4. Chengdu, Shangri-La.
  5. Shangri-La (11,000ft).
  6. Shangri-La, Tiger Leaping Gorge, Lijiang.
  7. Lijiang.
  8. Lijiang.
  9. Shibaoshan, Shaxi, Xizhou.
  10. Xizhou.
  11. Xizhou, Dali.
  12. Dali.
  13. Dali, Chongqing.
  14. Chongqing, London.

Overview:

  1. Domestic Flights and ground transfers are included within the package price.
  2. Twin-sharing accommodation is included within the package price.
  3. English Speaking local tour guides will be accommodated with the travellers with no additional price.
  4. International flights and Travel insurance are not included within the package price.
  5. Gratuities and Chinese visa are not included within the package price.
  6. Any government taxes or compulsory charges introduced after the booking confirmation, have to be paid by travellers.
  7. Tianjin Airways business class upgrade on request.
Xiongmao Avenue 1375
Chengdu Shi Sichuan Sheng CN
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Day 1 – London:

Depart London Heathrow at 21:45 on the Tianjin Airlines direct flight to Chongqing.

Day 2 – Chongqing:

Arrive in Chongqing at 16:40 then transfer to the Hotel.

Note – Accommodation provided.

Day 3 – Chongqing, Chengdu:

Morning take the bullet train to Chengdu. Spend the rest of the day visiting the Giant Panda research Centre.

Note – Accommodation, Breakfast and Lunch provided.

Day 4 Chengdu, Shangri-La:

See the People’s Park and join in one of Chengdu’s favourite pastimes, drinking tea. Continue to the interesting Wide Alley and Narrow Alley. Fly to Shangri-La and transfer to the 4-star Paradise Hotel.

Note – Accommodation, Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner provided.

Day 5 – Shangri-La (11,000ft):

Visit the magnificent, trasure-filled Songzanlin monastery that resembles Lhasa’s Potala Palace and drive out to the picturesque Bita and Shudu lakes. Visit a Tibetan village and later enjoy a traditional dinner.

Note – Accommodation, Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner provided.

Day 6 – Shangri-La, Tiger Leaping Gorge, Lijiang:

Morning visit to Dukezong, an important staging post on the old tea-horse trading route. Drive to the first bend of the Yangtze and the dramatic Tiger Leaping Gorge. Steps lead down to the dizzyingly deep and narrow canyon. Continue to Lijiang and the Zen Garden Hotel. Nestling in a beautiful valley against the backdrop of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, this town is home to the Naxi minority people, descended from Tibetan nomads and whose society is matriarchal.

Note – Accommodation, Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner provided.

 Day 7 – Lijiang:

This morning take an escorted morning walk within the old cobbled streets of Lijiang. Visit Mu’s Mansion to see how grand families once lived. Continue to Black Dragon Pool. Depart the main city to visit quaint Shuhe village. Optional evening per- formance of Dongba music played on ancient wind and string instruments.

Note – Accommodation, Breakfast and Lunch provided.

 Day 8 – Lijiang:

In the morning visit the stun- ning outdoor theatre home to the renowned show “the impressions of Lijiang”. Take a short chair-lift ride up to the Naxi’s mythical ‘Third Kingdom of the Jade Dragon’ also called Spruce Meadow, a hidden fairyland of rich pasture and flowers surrounded by dense forest and mountain peaks (10,890ft).

Note – Accommodation, Breakfast and Lunch provided.

Day 9 Shibaoshan, Shaxi, Xizhou:

Admire delicate 1,300-year-old grotto carvings of Buddha and eminent foreign visitors of the day at picturesque Shibaoshan, Stone Treasure Mountain. Continue to Shaxi, a delightfully authentic ancient village and historically one of Yunnan’s major hubs on the tea-horse trading route, but almost forgot- ten by the outside world for over 50 years. Drive onwards to Xizhou on the banks of Lake Erhai, and stay at the exquisite Linden Centre, a protected Bai-style courtyard manor that offers charming accommodation.

Note – Accommodation, Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner provided.

Day 10 – Xizhou:

Take a guided walking tour through Xizhou visiting local temples, markets, homes and shops. The town is home to the Bai minority, a famously romantic and innovative people. Their elegant and highly decorative style of architecture reached its apogee here during the Qing dynasty and has been well preserved since. Visit the typical courtyard mansion of a prosperous merchant.

Note – Accommodation, Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner provided.

Day 11 – Xizhou, Dali:

Visit Dali’s old town. Explore around the water’s edge of Lake Erhai visiting some local villages. Visit the beautiful Song Dynasty Three Pagodas dating back to the 9th century. Stay at the 4-star Landscape Hotel.

Note – Accommodation, Breakfast and Lunch provided.

 Day 12 – Dali:

This morning take a cable car up the Cangshan Mountain. The first part of the trip takes you up to 1800m. The second part (which is optional) goes on up to 3500m. Weather permitting there are good views from here and the mountainside itself is dramatic as you ascend. Afternoon at leisure.

Note – Accommodation, Breakfast and Lunch provided.

Day 13 Dali, Chongqing:

Morning at leisure. Fly to Chongqing for a final night. Enjoy a traditional Hot Pot dinner and Sichuan Opera arranged this evening.

Note – Accommodation, Breakfast and Dinner provided.

 Day 14 Chongqing, London Fly to London with Tianjin Airlines arriving at around 18:40 the same day.

Note – Accommodation and Breakfast provided.

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Yunnan Discovery

From: £2,850.00

Tipping payable locally £70 per person.

Guaranteed to operate with minimum two passengers.

Price displayed above are for each individuals.

International flights are not included in the adventure price.

Insurance is not included yet its mandatory for this excursion.

Prices are cheaper if you book in large group.

Single accommodations can be provided if requested in advance but could be bit expensive.

Domestic flights and ground transfers are included in the price and will be booked by us when your order has been processed.

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14 Days - (Chongqing - 1 Night, Chengdu - 1 Night, Shangri-La - 2 Nights, Tiger Leaping Gorge Lijiang - 3 Nights, Shibaoshan Grotto Shaxi tea-horse trade route ancient village, Xizhou - 2 Nights, Dali - 2 Nights, Chongqing - 1 Night)
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