6-Day Yunnan Classic Tour

Day 1: Kunming

You'll begin your journey to diverse and captivating Yunnan Province from the capital city, Kunming. Upon your arrival at the Kunming International Airport, meet your local guide who'll bring you to the hotel by private vehicle. If you have time, take a leisurely stroll along the Green Lake, a charming area of tea houses and small boutiques selling handicrafts and beautiful local paintings. If you have enough time, you can visit the interesting Kunming City Museum (9:30—17:00), where you can get informed about Kunming’s history and specifically on its role in the past decades (WWII).

Kunming is the capital and largest city of Yunnan Province in Southwest China. It was known as Yunnan-Fou until the 1920s. As a prefecture-level city, it is the political, economic, communications and cultural center of Yunnan and is the seat of the provincial government. It was important during World War II as a Chinese military center, American air base, and transport terminal of the Burma Road. Located in the middle of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, Kunming is located at an altitude of about 1,900 m above sea level and at a latitude just north of the Tropic of Cancer. 

Option for the evening: if you like you can visit the Dynamic Yunnan Show in Kunming's Art Theatre – an original ethnic dance musical. It was directed by Yang Liping and has been an outstanding gain to the Chinese stages in recent years. Primitive, unsophisticated folk dances and a fresh artistic concept converge in the program, giving audiences a unique "Yunnan Impression." Sixty-two drums and 120 masks of strong ethnic characteristics are incorporated in the performance. The show starts at 20:00h and lasts for 1.5 hours. It is highly recommended by Wonders Of Yunnan Travel and TripAdvisor. For people interested in minority culture, this is a must-see and not to be missed when in Kunming!

Day 2: Kunming - Stone Forest - Dali

Your guide picks you up from your hotel lobby in the morning at 9 am. First, we will drive you to Stone Forest (about 90 km, 1.5 hours, mostly highway), and enjoy a local Yunnan lunch before we enter the scenic area. According to an old saying, it is a pity not visiting the Stone Forest while you are in Kunming. After lunch, we will have a full afternoon to visit this wonderful landscape. Enjoy the beautiful views of the sight and spend about 2-3 hours in the park.

The Yunnan Stone Forest was listed as one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2007. The vast southern Chinese karst landscape is jointly composed by the sword- and pagoda-shaped karsts pillars of Yunnan's Stone Forest, as well as the cone-shaped and stereoscopic pillars with its nature, made bridges and crevices of the Karst Forest in Libo, Guizhou. This typical Karst physiognomy assumed the shape of stone pillars and boulders which have been formed 500,000 to 300 million years ago and in total covers an area of 1,460 square kilometers. The scenic attractions in these regions enjoy the great reputation, both within China and abroad.

Shilin, how the Stone Forest is called in Chinese, is located about 90km east of Kunming. It is a very popular tourist hot spot. Due to the gigantic size of the park, it is nevertheless still possible to find less visited and remote areas, especially in the winter months. Find your own way through the maze of enormous stone pillars!

Afterwards, you are driven back to Kunming and dropped off at Kunming train station from where the overnight train is leaving to Dali.

Day 3: Dali

Upon your arrival in the early morning, your local Dali tour guide and driver meet you at the train station and take you to have breakfast first. We enjoy the beautiful view from the outside of the Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Monastery afterward which are the symbols of Dali. Check into your comfortable hotel and take a rest. After having enjoyed a traditional Dali lunch we will visit Dali Old Town, climb the City Wall and stroll through the souvenir roads which are very famous in Dali. You are free to explore the lively Dali street culture, shop for souvenirs or whatever you are up to.

Dali is located on a fertile plateau between the Cangshan Mountain Range to the west and Erhai Lake to the east. It has traditionally been settled by the Bai and Yi minorities. It is also the capital of the Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture. It consists of Dali New City Xiaguan and Dali Old Town. Dali has a long and rather glorious history. In 738 the Nanzhao Kingdom was established with Dali as its capital and covered a large area of Yunnan and northern Burma and parts of Sichuan and Guizhou. The Autonomous Kingdom of Dali was founded in 937 and lasted outside Han-run China until the Yuan Dynasty when the Mongol rulers finally breached the Dali fortifications and brought Dali into the province of Yunnan. 

Travelers visit Dali Old Town for its traditional architecture, minority cultures (mostly Bai but also with many Yi and Hui nationalities) and simply to relax. 

Day 4: Dali - Lijiang

Today, we take you to the morning market of Xizhou Town to experience traditional local life. We will visit Bai-style traditional architectural courtyards, taste the typical fragrant Three-Course Tea and explore the Bai's distinctive culture. Xizhou is 19 kilometers north of Dali Old town and lies between Erhai Lake and the Cangshan Mountain Range. It is famous for Bai culture with its old and well-preserved folk houses. But it's not only a historically famous city but also a typical commercial center of Bai Ethnic Nationality. The Bai minority are very present at Xizhou. With a more mixed population and cosmopolitan background, it is considered a must for travelers. Here, you can enjoy lovely local clothes, decorative architectures, and wonderful handicrafts.

Afterward, we are going on a cruise on close Erhai Lake to Jinsuo Island – a local fishing village. Enjoy the green Cangshan Mountain Range and the Three Pagodas from far as well as lots of birds flying over the lake.

After lunch, get driven to Lijiang (about 170 km, 2.5 hours, mostly highway), check in your hotel and enjoy your free and easy evening in Lijiang.

Day 5: Lijiang

The next morning starts with a visit at the Black Dragon Pool and Dongba Museum to explore the rich Naxi minority culture. Then we'll visit the Jade Lake Village (Yuhu Village): from here, you will enjoy a fantastic view over the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. We visit the museum dedicated to the life of Joseph Rock, an explorer, and biologist who lived in the area in the early 20th century.

We then have the opportunity to join a 2-hour guided horse trek leading you along the mountain slopes. The trek passes ancient Naxi deer farms, the ruins of Jujian Temple, the King Ranch of the Naxi, ancient tree populations, stone inscriptions and many other nice and interesting places. We meet our driver again afterward and get driven back to the hotel.

Lijiang became known in the 'western countries' through a book written by an American commissioner who traveled in and out of Yunnan province in the late 19th century. And then it was the earthquake in 1996 that brought Lijiang back to the world's attention.

The Old Town of Lijiang, which is perfectly adapted to the uneven topography of this key commercial and strategic site, has retained a historic townscape of high quality and authenticity. Its architecture is noteworthy for the blending of elements from several cultures that have come together over many centuries. Lijiang also possesses an ancient water-supply system of great complexity and ingenuity that still functions effectively today. It is an exceptional ancient town set in a dramatic landscape which represents the harmonious fusion of different cultural traditions to produce an urban landscape of outstanding quality.

Day 6: Lijiang (Departure)

Have breakfast in your hotel. Your driver is already waiting for you to take you wherever in town you need to be brought to this morning (Lijiang Airport, bus terminal, etc.). This tour comes to an end and we’d be happy welcoming you in Yunnan again!