Day 24 Yunnan Tour

Arrive Kunming, then send you hotel.

In the morning drive towards Jian Shui. At Tonghai, explore Xiu Shan Mountain, Continue to Jian Shui. Later in the afternoon, visit the impressive Confucius Temple, as well as the well-preserved ancient East Gate of the city. Visit Zhu family .

In the morning drive to the “Double Dragon Bridge” . Then continue to the traditional Zhuang village of Tuanshan, In the afternoon, drive towards the fascinating rice terraces of Yuanyang. Upon arrival, check-in at the hotel. Then drive to the “Tiger’s Mouth Viewpoint” . Overnight in Yuanyang.

Early risers will experience an unforgetable sunrise over the rice terraces, weather permiting.
If possible, visit a colourful market . Visit some places with the most beautiful views of the rice terraces. In the afternoon a 2-3 hour hike with breathtaking views of the rice terraces and surrounding villages. Return to the hotel.

After breakfast, depart Yuanyang and head north via Mile to the Lunan Stone Forest (Shilin). Lunch en route. Arrive at Lunan Stone Forest around noon. In the afternoon visit Shilin (Stone Forest), You will take a 1.5 hour walk through the stone labyrinth, then continue to Kunming.

Walking tour through the business district. Visit the former city gates “Jin Ma Bi Ji” as well as the East-West Pagodas from the 9th century. Dinner (own expense) at a typical Yunnan restaurant.
In the morning visit to Green Lake Park. Then take a taxi or public bus to Yuantong Temple.
The afternoon is at leisure in Kunming.
OPTIONAL:
Visit the cultural show Dynamic Yunnan

Drive to the fabled West Mountains on the southwestern outskirts of Kunming.On the way visit the Ethnic Minority Museum(周一闭馆，closed on Monday), Then take the cable car over Dianchi Lake to the West Mountains.
The highlight is the visit to Dragon Gate,
On the way back to Kunming, stop at the hidden Bamboo Temple (Qiong Zhu Si) from the Tang Dynasty (618-907), Return to Kunming.

Transfer to Kunming Railway Station and train ride to Dali. Walking tour of the old town including a visit to the market, the Bai-style Catholic Church and the former city gates. Rest of the day at leisure.

Time at leisure or as an option:
Take the chairlift up to Zhonghe Monastery. The return to the valley is by cable car. Return to Xizhou. (The hike is flat and the trail well maintained. Easy.) Drive to Xizhou. Tour of the old town.
Visit the former residence of the Yan family, a wonderful wooden house with numerous courtyards, built around the end of the 19th century. Overnight stay in Xizhou.
Alternatively, the cycling tour planned for day 17 can also be done in the afternoon, depending on the time available.

Drive to Weishan. The litle-visited town of Weishan is 52km south of Dali and was once an important and prosperous trading centre during the Nanzhao Kingdom in the 8th and 9th centuries. The area around Weishan is the birthplace of Xinulou, the first king and founder of the Nanzhao Kingdom, which at its height extended into Burma and northern Thailand and parts of Sichuan. Tour of the picturesque old town.
In the afternoon, excursion to Weibao Mountain, one of the 14 sacred mountains of Taoism. On a beautiful hike (approx. 2 hours) through pine forests you can explore some of the numerous temples. Return to Xizhou.

Morning bike ride to nearby Erhai Lake. A short walk to a headland from where you have a beautiful view of the lake. You can enjoy the peace and good air for a moment. (Bicycle approx. 6km there and back).
Drive through beautiful countryside to Shaxi. More than 1000 years ago, goods were transported between Tibet and China on the “tea and horse route”. Mainly Tibetan horses and salt were exchanged for tea from Yunnan. Shaxi was an important and prosperous trading post along this route. In the 1990s, Shaxi’s village of Sideng was lovingly restored with help from Switzerland. Tour of Shaxi.

The morning is at leisure. Friday is market day in Shaxi, explore on your own. In the afternoon visit the nearby Shibao Mountain. A 1.5 hour easy hike along the ancient “Tea and Horse Route” back to Shaxi. The hike opens up a magnificent view of the entire Shaxi Valley.

A beautiful drive along the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, which is still called “Jin Sha Jiang” (Golden Sand River) to Tacheng. On the way, detour to Shigu, where the Yangtze River bends 180 degrees coming from the north and flows in a practically parallel direction towards the north again.
Follow the Yangtze River Valley northwards to Zhongxing, where a side valley leads to Liming, the starting point for Laojun National Park. The magnificent Lao Jun Shan National Park is located in the northwest of Yunnan Province and is part of the UNESCO-protected Three Parallel Rivers National Park. The main atraction of Lao Jun Shan are the huge, red Danxia sandstone rocks, which are among the most beautiful and spectacular sandstone formations of their kind in
China. The height of the Danxia sandstone rocks is particularly unusual, measuring 4,200 metres at the highest point.The new cable car takes you up to the summit of Qian Gui Mountain. There, millions of years of erosion have left behind a magnificent and fascinating landscape that resembles an oversized turtle shell. The view from Qian Gui Mountain is stunning. Walk (1 h) along an easy trail back to the valley. Continue (approx. 1 h) to the idyllic village of Tacheng, located in a side valley of the Yangtze River. Check-in at the hotel.

In the morning visit Tacheng Nature Reserve,
In the afternoon, possibility of a tour of the nearby village.

We leave the Yangtze Valley and cross the watershed into the fertile Mekong Valley. The area is predominantly inhabited by the Lisu ethnic group. You follow the Mekong River in a northerly direction. Just after Weixi visit the hidden Gagyu monastery Khampu Shou Guo Si, which is located high above the Mekong valley and inspires with beautiful wall paintings.
(Please note: depending on the size of the bus, you may not be able to visit the monastery).

Continue to Cizhong, an idyllic village where French and Swiss Jesuit missionaries of the “Mission Etrangère de Paris” built a well-preserved Catholic church 150 years ago, which is still used and maintained by the Christian community today. Since then, about 80% of the population of Cizhong belong to the Catholic denomination. Tour of the village.
Dinner and overnight in Cizhong. (A dam is currently being built on this route, which will inevitably lead to restrictions.
At the moment there is a lot of construction activity in Cizhong itself, which is not conducive to the romance of the village).
(Since larger buses cannot cross the bridge behind Tacheng, one has to use local taxis for a short distance. The bus driver takes a diversion and you are picked up on the other side of the dam).

Just beyond Cizhong, the road winds out of the Mekong Valley up to 3,000m above sea level. The view of the sacred Kawa Karpo (6,700 m) as well as the entire Mekong Valley is overwhelming and one of the highlights of this trip. With a little luck, you can watch daring locals crossing the Mekong River on the way, hanging from a rope with the help of a simple pulley. Check-in at the hotel. Lunch (own expense).
In the afternoon, drive down into the wild Mekong Valley. The scenery is spectacular! After arrival at the Glacier Park, drive by small park bus about 4km to the starting point of the hike. From here you hike uphill for about 1 hour to Taizi Monastery, which is located at the foot of the Mingyon Glacier. People who still feel energetic can also hike up to the viewing platform (another 45 minutes). Return to Feilai Si for overnight.

If the weather is fifine, early risers will experience an unforgetable sunrise against the impressive mountain backdrop of Kawa Karpo. After a last view of the sacred Kawa Karpo, the road again winds high over the 4,292m Ya Kou Pass into the Yangtze Valley. About 10km before Benzilan, which is already back in the Yangtze Valley, visit Dhandrumping Monastery, one of the most important monasteries in the region. Lunch in Benzilan (own expense), then continue to Zhongdian.
Arrival around evening. The varied landscape offffers numerous photo opportunities and compensates for the slightly longer drive.

Stroll through the old town together. You can also climb the “Turtle Mountain”. If you want to do something good for your karma, simply try to turn the huge prayer wheel clockwise 3 times. Time at leisure. (Note: Warm winter clothing is required from October to April. A wind/rain jacket is also recommended during the summer months).
Afternoon at leisure or optional: Bike tour around Lake Napa. Napa Lake is located just outside Zhongdian. In the winter months, black-necked cranes can be seen around Lake Napa, stopping here on their long journey south/north. On the way, you will pass numerous Tibetan villages whose houses are still traditionally built of clay.
(Bike tour: Flat, approx. 37km with a short climb at the beginning and end of the tour).
End the day with a delicious Tibetan dinner in an authentic 200-year-old Tibetan house (own expense).

Drive to Ganden Sumtseling Gompa, a 300-year-old monastery that is signifificant from a historical point of view as it was personally consecrated by the 5th Dalai Lama in the 17th century. Destroyed during the Cultural Revolution, it is now once again one of the largest and most influential monasteries in the area. Drive to Qiaotou (approx. 2.5 hrs) at the entrance to Tiger Leaping Gorge and the starting point of the Tiger Leaping Gorge hike. Wedged between the Haba
Mountains to the west and the snow-capped peaks of Jade Dragon Mountain, Tiger Leaping Gorge is one of the deepest gorges in the world! The difference in altitude from the Yangtze River in the valley to the highest peak of the Jade Dragon Mountain at 5,596 m is unbelievable. At its narrowest point, the gorge is only 15 metres wide. Legend has it that a tiger once escaped its hunters here by jumping to the other side. Hence the name “Tiger Leap Gorge”. The driver enters the gorge to the road leading up to the Tea Horse guesthouse. On foot, you follow the dirt road up to the Tea Horse guesthouse. Already from there you have unique views down to the Yangtze River. After a 1-hour walk you reach the Tea Horse Guesthouse, which is located high above the gorge. Overnight stay in a simple guesthouse.
(Note: A large coach cannot drive up to the Tea Horse Guesthouse. If there are participants in the tour group who do not
wish to hike up or need all their luggage at the guesthouse, a local taxi will be organised on site. Otherwise, take what you need for the overnight stay in your daypack.

Breakfast at own expense. From Tea Horse guesthouse hike on a spectacular high trail more or less at ground level along the eastern flank of the Haba Mountains. Breathtaking views of the 13 peaks of the snow-capped Jade Dragon Mountain as well as the entire gorge. After about 2 hours of walking, you reach the village of Bendiwan. During a short break, you can enjoy the view of the imposing rock faces of the Jade Dragon Mountain opposite. The difference in altitude from the
Yangtze River in the valley to the highest peak of the Jade Dragon Mountain at 5,596 m is unbelievable. Leaving Bendiwan, the trail leads almost entirely downhill towards Tina’s Inn, where the driver is waiting for the 2-hour onward journey to Lijiang/Shuhe. Ceck-in at the hotel in Shuhe.
The accommodation in Shuhe village was deliberately chosen. The village is located about 9km north of Lijiang and is a bit more cosy and quiet than its “big brother” Lijiang. Shuhe was once a busy trading post on the “Tea and Horse Road” an offshoot of the southern Silk Road. A small river flflows through the middle of the idyllic village and many of the ancient wooden houses have since been renovated and converted into tasteful bars or restaurants. Shuhe is also an excellent base from which to explore the many natural and cultural treasures of the area. Depending on arrival time, first tour of Shuhe.

Walking tour of Shuhe. Then drive by taxi to Lijiang. There, a detailed city tour through the wonderful old town with its countless narrow alleys and canals. This is an opportunity to learn more about the peculiarities and secrets of the mystical Naxi culture. Almost completely destroyed by an earthquake in 1996, Lijiang was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List after reconstruction. You climb Lion Mountain, from where you have a magnifificent view of the roofs of the old town. Afterwards visit the romantic park “Black Dragon Pond”, from where you have a beautiful view of the “Jade Dragon Mountain” (Yu Long Shan) in good weather. Return to Shuhe by taxi or bus. Time at leisure.

Day at leisure. Optional bike tour:
In the morning, first cycle 5km north through the Lijiang Valley to Baisha. Baisha was once the capital of the Naxi kingdom and the birthplace of the fifirst Naxi king. Visit the Liuli Temple, where there are still beautiful, well-preserved wall paintings from the late Ming Dynasty (1386 – 1644) to admire, which survived the Cultural Revolution largely unscathed. Then cycle to Yufeng Temple (11km with a 1km steep climb). Yufeng Lama Monastery was built in 1756.
Inside there is a 400-year-old camellia tree, which still presents itself in its wonderful flflower dress in spring. From here you cycle the remaining 5 km to Yuhu village, a romantic village where the famous Austrian/American botanist Joseph Rock lived from 1922 to 1949. A small museum has been set up in his home, which provides information about the life and work of Joseph Rock. In Yuhu you can have a simple noodle soup for refreshment before cycling back to Shuhe.
(Total cycling distance about 25km, mainly flflat with a 1.5km climb).
Optional hike Yuhu – Wenhai:
Visit the same villages of Baisha and Yuhu, but by vehicle. From Yuhu you hike in about 4 hours to Wenhai village. From there, return to your accommodation by bus or local taxi.

Transfer to the railway station for the train journey to Kunming. In Kunming pick up and transfer to hotel. Remaining time at leisure.

Transfer to the airport (departure)