12 days tibet--yunnan tour

includes: kunmin, dali, zhongdian, lijiang & chuxiong

yunnan is situated in the southwest corner of china, borders tibet, burma, laos and vietnam, it has everything from towering snow mountain to tropical rain forest, so it is very rich in tourism resources. kunming, the capital of yunnan province, is called the springcity of china. dali was the old capital of yunnan from the 8th to the 13th century. lijiang is an very beautiful old town with a lot of well-kept old buildings, it is also a world culture heritage. zhongdian is regarded as the shangri-la in recent years, because it is isolated, peaceful, and primitive, surrounded by many snow mountains. many travelers think this is a golden route in china. tibet is regarded as the last pure land on the earth, with breathtaking scenery of snow mountains and clear blue waters.

d1 arrive in lhasa, the capital of tibet, meet at airport and transfer to the hotel, take a rest to be accustomed to the high elevation of lhasa (3,660.- m above sea level).

d2 visit the potalapalace , the huge 17th-century edifice, built on the site of its 7th-century forerunner, dominates the entire city and valley. the red palace in the center used to be the headquarters of tibetan religious and political life. now it is a museum and you can see for yourself the dalai lama's private monastery with his unmade bed covered in red silk and his private treasury. the white buildings on either side of the palace were once secular apartments and offices of the lay staff members. after visit of the potalapalace, visit the jokhangtemple. jokhang temple is the third wonder of the city of sun. built 1,300 years ago to house a golden buddha, the temple is still one of tibet's holiest shrines. in the early morning or at evening, prostrate pilgrims fingering prayers beads and murmuring sutras are a common sight. inside , a dazzling array of buddhist iconography awes visitors of all faiths. the "first treasure" is the sakyamuni buddha, brought to tibet by a chinese princess named wen chang in 652. the buddha is gold with encrusted jewels and long, blue-lidded eyes. buddha of the future is the next treasure. he too, is golden, but immense and clothed in rich brocade. in a nearby chapel, you can see the princess and her husband king songstang kampo (later claimed to be the first dalai lama) embroidered on more brocade.

d3 visit drepung monastery. lesser regents of the tibetan church lived 5 km out of town in the drepung monastery, one of the 10 remaining in tibet today. once the largest cloister in the world, the ancient stone buildings, which date back to 1416, still cling in tiers to the sharp face of a mountain. you can wonder up and down cobbled stairways with your guide and peek inside parts of the temple, old granaries, and dark monastic cells. and then visit the sera monastery. in the afternoon, visit the norbulingka and the barker street, the oldest street in lhasa.

d4 fly from lhasa to zhongdian of yunnan province. meet at zhongdian airport and transfer to the hotel.

d5 zhongdian.(gyalthang) north into the tibetan plateau of south eastern kham. at 3,300 meters above sea level lies gyalthang 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. the town of gyalthang (zhongdian in chinese) 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 among them azalea, rhododendron. visit the songzanlin monastery, the napa nature reserve, the tibetanhospital, the local market.

d6 drive to lijiang, a fascinating old town which is a world culture heritage. on the way, visit the tiger leaping gorge. upon arrival lijiang, check in the hotel.

d7 visit of the spruce meadows of the jade dragon snow mountains (round trip cable car), the jade peak monastery, the baisha village and the frescos, the longquan (dragon spring) village.

d8 visit the black dragon pond and the old town of lijiang. after lunch, drive to dali via the new highway with stop and visit of the bai minority village xinhua and its handicrafts workshops. upon arrival dali, check in the hotel.

d9 visit the cangshan mountain by cable car and view the erhailake from the mountain. after lunch, visit bai people's town xizhou with their traditional three-course-tea singing and dancing show. stop at the famous three elegant pagodas, the outstanding landmark of the region. the rest of the afternoon, will be free for your own discovering of the old stone town of dali with its colorful markets.

d10 take a morning flight back to kunming, the capital of yunnan province. upon arrival, visit the stoneforest , one of china's most remarkable natural wonders located 90 km southeast of kunming. the stone forest area is the home of the sani people, a branch of the yi ethnic tribe which is reputed for their diligence, valor, wisdom, exquisite embroidery and melodious songs and graceful dances.

d11 visit the western hills, the dragon gate , which was carved by hand over 150 years ago on the cliff face of the western hills, over 300 meters higher than the lake dianchi lying along the foot of the mountain. on the hill you can also visit the huatingtemple, the largest buddhist temple in kunming. after lunch, visit the goldentemple, a famous daoisttemple, which was cast in bronze over 300 years ago. it is the largest bronze temple ever built in china.

d12 after a relaxed breakfast in your hotel, go to visit the flower and bird market in the old part of the city, then transfer to the airport for your departure.