South West China - Searching… (trip)
South West China - Searching for Shangri-La
- Guilin Airport near Guilin, China
- Culture & Nature
| Contact provider for price | 19 Days | Year-round |
| Comfort accommodations | Exertion level: 3 | |
| Operator: Asia Adventures and Study Tours | 15 people max | |
Located somewhere near the Tibetan border, this imaginary paradise was sealed off from the outside world by its majestic but daunting surroundings.
Now, in the valley of the Golden Sands River, where Yunnan and Tibet meet, we believe we have found the fabled Shangri-La, where the inhabitants still preserve their ancient cultural traditions: their dazzling, brightly coloured costumes, their unique arts and crafts, their remarkable architecture, and, most of all, their gentle, welcoming manner.
Southwest China is a land of incomparable natural beauty and fascinating national minority cultures. It will leave you with experiences and memories you will never forget.
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Locations visited/nearby
Yunnan Province , Ethnic Minorities , Shangri-La , Kunming , Lijiang , Dali, China, Asia
Special information
- This is a custom departure, meaning this trip is offered on dates that you arrange privately with the provider. Additionally, you need to form your own private group for this trip. The itinerary and price here is just a sample. Contact the provider for detailed pricing, minimum group size, and scheduling information. For most providers, the larger the group you are traveling with, the lower the per-person cost will be.
Itinerary
Day 1, Sun. GuilinArrive Guilin. Transfer to hotel.
D Holiday Inn or Royal Garden Hotel
Day 2, Mon. Guilin/Yangshuo
Cruise the beautiful Li River from Guilin to Yangshuo. This route is celebrated for the extraordinary shapes of the limestone peaks (karst formations) that line the river.
B/L/D Paradise Resort
Day 3, Tue. Yangshuo/Guilin
Morning at leisure in Yangshuo, where the local people still fish with cormorants (trained diving birds). Return to Guilin.
B/L/D Holiday Inn or Royal Garden Hotel
Day 4, Wed. Guilin/Guiyang
Morning tour of Guilin, an attractive city in an unforgettable setting of high limestone peaks. Afternoon flight to Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou Province. Visit the local fish and bird market, then go on to the Hongfu Buddhist Temple. Enjoy a Buddhist vegetarian dinner at the temple's hill-top monastery.
B/L/D Holiday Inn Shenqi Hotel
Day 5, Thu. Guiyang/Kaili
Visit Jiaxiu Pavilion and Qianlin Park. Drive to Kaili, a Miao community 200 km east of Guiyang. Sightseeing en route.
The 7.4 million members of the Miao minority are distributed throughout Southwest China. They are closely related to some of the hill peoples of Laos and northern Thailand.
B/L/D Kaili Hotel
Day 6, Fri. Kaili/Local Villages/Kaili
Visit the Kaili Folklore Museum and explore the local villages on foot.
B/L/D Kaili Hotel
Day 7, Sat. Kaili/Local Villages/Kaili
Participate in select village activities and visit Miao master weavers and embroiderers.
B/L/D Kaili Hotel
Day 8, Sun. Kaili/Guiyang
Return to Guiyang. At leisure.
B/L/D Holiday Inn Shenqi Hotel
Day 9, Mon. Guiyang/Kunming
Fly to Kunming, capital of Yunnan Province. City sightseeing includes the Western Hills and the magnificent Dragon Gate.
B/L/D Green Lake Hotel
Day 10, Tue. Kunming
Morning visit to the splendid International Horticultural exposition. Afternoon attend a lecture on China's ethnic cultures at Yunnan University.
B/L/D Green Lake Hotel
Day 11, Wed. Kunming/Stone Forest/Kunming
Full day tour of the amazing Stone Forest to view the karst rock formations, known as the Number One Grand Spectacle On Earth. Visit a Yi village nearby.
B/L/D Green Lake Hotel
Day 12, Thu. Kunming/Dali
Morning flight to the ancient town of Dali, home of the Bai minority. Visit Bai villages and shop in Bai markets featuring the famous Dali marble. Cruise on Erhai Lake.
B/L/D Asia Star Hotel
Day 13, Mon. Dali/Lijiang
Visit the Butterfly Spring and a local market for the uniquely patterned tie-dyed cloth handicrafts of the area. Afternoon take spectacular mountain road trip to Lijiang. Set in a valley surrounded by snow-capped mountains, Lijiang is the home of the Naxi minority, whose culture still remains unaffected by the outside world.
B/L/D Grand Hotel
Day 14, Sat. Lijiang
Visit Black Dragon Pool and local villages. Evening enjoy a music performance.
B/L/D Grand Hotel
Day 15, Sun. Lijiang/Zhongdian
Drive to Zhongdian, a Tibetan minority area in Yunnan. Visit to a Tibetan lamasery of the Red Hat sect. En route stop at the Hutiao (Leaping Tiger) Gorge.
B/L/D Holy Palace Hotel
Day 16, Mon. Zhongdian/Shangri-La/Zhongdian
Drive to Shangri-La for full-day sightseeing. In the Tibetan language Shangri-La means "The Sun and Moon in People's Hearts." In the valley of the Golden Sands River, close to the border between Yunnan and Tibet, we have found Shangri-La!
B/L/D Holy Palace Hotel
Day 17, Tue. Zhongdian
Excursion to Napa Lake and the Songzan Forest Tibetan Monastery, and visits to Tibetan homes.
B/L/D Holy Palace Hotel
Day 18, Wed. Zhongdian/Kunming
Short return flight to Kunming.
Remainder of day at leisure.
B/L/D Green Lake Hotel
Day 19, Thu. Depart Kunming
Depart Kunming for return flight home.
B
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