12 days china yunnan classic tour

includes: kunming, zhongdian, lijiang, dali & xishuangbanna

d1 arrive in kunming, met by our guide at airport, then transfer to the hotel.

d2 excursion to the stone forest, one of china's most remarkable nature wonders. the stone forest consists of innumerable bizarre-shaped ancient limestone peaks created by wind and water erosion some 270 million years ago.

d3 take a morning flight to zhongdian, which translated means the land of "limitless bounty". hereunder blue tibetan sky, are snow-capped peaks, virgin forests of immense spruce and pine, meadows ablaze with fragrant wild flowers, pristine lakes. zhongdian is the capital of the diqin tibetan autonomous prefecture. the prefecture is a treasure house of bio-diversity supporting about 7000 species of native plants. on arrival, visit the market, the very typical farmhouses. discover the tibetan hospital and also the garden sumtseling monastery-resembling the potala in lhasa-built by the 5th dalai lama in the 17th century and having a current population of about 800 monks.

d4 one day excursion to shudu lake to enjoy the wonderful untouched forests alive with wild rhododendrons and azaleas in may and june and to meet the local pastoral people.

d5 drive to lijiang and stop at tiger leaping gorge which is one of the deepest canyons of the world. wedged tightly between titanic cliffs, the yangtze river is so narrow here, so legend tells us that a hunted tiger made his escape to the other side of the river in a single bound. also stop at the village of the stone drum where you will have a look at the first bend of the yangtze river. the approach of stone drum offers a dramatic view of the yangzi's nearly 180 degrees turn. for nearly 20 km the river, first flowing south, then north, runs parallel to itself. local people say if it were not for their village standing guard at the bend, china would lose the water of the yangzi to southeast china, like that of the not too far away mekong and salween rivers. arrival at lijiang in late afternoon.

d6 excursion to the jade dragon snow mountain with a chair lift ride to discover the much famed thirteen peaks. on the way back, visit the baisha village, the ancient capital of the naxi kingdom. in the afternoon, after a walk to the black dragon pond to have a look at the renowned moon embracing pavilion, you will have free time on your own for sightseeing of the old town of lijiang. lijiang is the home of naxi people, a minority group with a rich culture. old lijiang is an intimate mountain town of stone and tile, laced with swift canals and has been designated as a world cultural heritage by unesco.

d7 drive from lijiang to dali. on arrival visit the cangshanmountain by cable car and view the erhailake from the mountain. visit the bai people's town of xizhou.

d8 boat -cruise on the erhailake, stop and visit the shuttleisland. then visit the famous three pagodas, the outstanding landmark of the region. the rest of the afternoon, will be at leisure to explore the old stone town of dali with its colorful markets.

d9 take a morning flight to xishuangbanna. on arrival , excursion to menghai to visit the jingzhen octagonal pavilion(53 km south of jinghong, capital of xishuangbanna).the octagonal pavilion, so called because of its octagonal shape was built in 1701. the pavilion has a unique shape, and indicates an elaborate architectural technique, comprehensively reflecting the characteristics of the folk arts of the dai people. it is a provincial cultural relic under enhanced protection. after lunch the same way back to jinghong, en route, visit the aini villege. aini people is one of the ethnic groups in xishuangbanna.

d10 one day drive through a marvelously rich and fecund area, holding one quarter of china's animals and one sixth of its plant species. en route, stop at a typical dai village and market, the dai people is one of yunnan's major minority groups. in menglun, you will visit the tropicalgarden, one of the richest botanical concentrations in the world. in the afternoon, come back to jinghong, after dinner, transfer to the airport for the evening flight to kunming. upon arrival at kunming, transfer to the hotel.

d11 visit the dragon gate which consist of some grottos cut out of the vertical cliff face of the western hill, from there, you can have a bird's eye view of kunming and the big lake beside it. after lunch, visit the goldentemple which is 330 years old and is the largest bronze-made temple in china.

d12 after a relaxed breakfast in your hotel, go to visit the flower and bird market, after that, you will be transferred to the airport for your departure.