CHINA TRAVEL SPECIALIST 020 3750 1655 click for opening times

Contact Us

Our friendly and experienced team are ready to take your call today. Call us at the number below, our phone lines are open:

×

 

Sorry, this map has failed to load. Please refresh or select itinerary view to view itinerary as a list

Yunnan Discovery

Highlights

  •  See minority tribes of Yunnan
  •  Explore stunning Lijiang and Dali
  •  Discover Shangri-La
  •  Stay at a converted Bai manor house
  •  Price for 2 people. From 4 pp or more the price decreases
see full itinerary
from £ 2650

Have a question? Ask the expert!

  020 3750 1655

Enquire

Overview

Remote, mysterious and blessed by a year-round spring climate, Yunnan has long evoked images of an unspoiled paradise where people live in harmony with nature. It is home to 25 different minority tribes, many originally descended from Tibetans, who cling onto their traditional way of life, colourful costumes, dialect, religion and history.

Body: 

All the suggested prices on our website are based on a 2-people private group price. As the number of people in a group increases the price per person decreases.

Price Includes

* Economy class domestic flights
* Twin-shared accommodation with breakfast
* Transfers, transportation, meals and sightseeing as listed
* This tour is escorted by local guides
* Most air taxes

Not Included

* International flights
* Tipping payable locally £70 per person
* Optional excursions, travel insurance, personal expenses and gratuities 
* Any government taxes or compulsory charges introduced after brochure publication
* Chinese visa

Business Class Upgrades

Air China Business Class upgrades available.

Extensions

Extensions to Hong Kong, Sichuan, Beijing and Xian, and a Yangtze Cruise available.
Further details and prices on request.

Explore the map

Yunnan Discovery

Yunnan Discovery

17 days visiting the highlights of Yunnan Province

Day 1
London, Chongqing

Depart London Heathrow at 21:45 on the Tianjin Airlines direct flight to Chongqing.

Day 2
Chongqing

Arrive in Chongqing at 16:40 then transfer to the Hotel.

Day 3
Chongqing, Chengdu

Morning take the bullet train to Chengdu. Spend the rest of the day visiting the Giant Panda research Centre. (BL)

Day 4
Chengdu, Shangri-La 2 nights

See the People’s Park and join in one of Chengdu’s favourite pastimes, drinking tea. Continue to the interesting Wide Alley and Narrow Alley. Fly to Shangri-La and the 4-star Paradise Hotel. (BLD)

Day 5
Shangri-La (11,000ft)

Visit the magnificent, treasure- filled Songzanlin monastery that resembles Lhasa’s Potala Palace and drive out to the picturesque Bita and Shudu lakes. Visit a Tibetan village and enjoy a traditional dinner. (BLD)

Day 6
Shangri La, Lijiang 3 Nights

Morning visit to Dukezong, an important staging post on the old tea-horse trading route. Drive past fields where yaks graze, past Tibetan-style hamlets and farms to the first bend of the Yangtze and the dramatic Tiger Leaping Gorge, a dizzyingly deep and narrow 10-mile long canyon. Continue to Lijiang and the Zen Garden Hotel. Nestling in a beautiful valley against the backdrop of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, this town is home to the Naxi minority people, descended from Tibetan nomads and whose society is matriarchal. (BLD)

Day 7
Lijiang

This morning take an escorted walk within the old cobbled streets of Lijiang. Visit Mu's Mansion and continue to Black Dragon Pool. Visit Shuhe village. Optional evening performance of Dongba music played on ancient wind and string instruments. (BL)

Day 8
Lijiang

Morning visit to the stunning outdoor theatre home to the 'Impressions of Lijiang' show. Take a short chair-lift ride up the Naxi's mythical 'Third Kingdom of the Jade Dragon' also called Spruce Meadow. (BL)

Day 9
Lijiang, Xizhou 2 nights

Admire delicate 1,300-year-old grotto carvings of Buddha and eminent foreign visitors of the day at picturesque Shibaoshan, Stone Treasure Mountain. Continue to Shaxi, a delightfully authentic ancient village and historically one of Yunnan’s major hubs on the tea-horse trading route, but almost forgotten by the outside world for over 50 years - here you can watch the local Yi and Bai people simply going about their business as they have done for more than a thousand years. Drive onwards to Xizhou on the banks of Lake Erhai, and stay at the exquisite Linden Centre, a protected Bai-style courtyard manor that offers charming accommodation. (BLD)

Day 10
Xizhou

Explore ‘happy town’ whose Bai residents were once famous for their wealth and education. Their elegant and highly decorative style of architecture reached its apogee here during the Qing dynasty and has been well preserved since - visit the typical courtyard mansion of a prosperous merchant. (BLD)

Day 11
Xizhou, Dali 2 nights

Drive to Dali on the opposite shore. Visit Dali’s old town. Explore around the water’s edge of lake Erhai visiting some local villages. Visit the beautiful Song Dynasty Three Pagodas dating back to the 9th century. Stay at the 4-star Landscape Hotel. (BL)

Day 12
Dali

Up to 300 years ago there were thousands of monks and pilgrims in the many temples on sacred Jizushan Mountain, one of the five sacred Buddhist mountains in China. Nowadays only a temple, a pagoda and a gateway are intact but the views of Erhai Lake, Cangshan Mountain, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain are still fantastic, and you can reach the Golden Summit by cable car. Afternoon at leisure. (BL)

Day 13
Dali, Chongqing1 night

Morning at leisure. Fly to Chongqing for a final night. Enjoy a traditional Hot Pot dinner and Sichuan Opera arranged this evening. (BD)

Day 14
Chongqing, London

Fly to London with Tianjin Airlines arriving at around 18:40 the same day. (B)

Hotels

Zen-Garden-Hotel-Lijiang.jpg

Zen Garden Hotel, Lijiang

This hotel has a fabulous central location, in the heart of the old city. The sound of music and people enjoying their evening will filter in from the streets around. There are just 16 rooms, all are en-suite with bath and shower and the comfortable guest rooms have safety deposit boxes and tea/coffee making facilities. 

Tibet Hotel, Chengdu.jpg

Tibet Hotel, Chengdu

The Tibet hotel has a selection of 300 guest rooms with modern comforts and conveniences.  There are 2 restaurants providing both Chinese and Western cuisine, and a bar.  There is also a beauty salon, fitness room, massage room and sauna.

Linden Centre Xizhou.jpg

Linden Centre, Xizhou

The award winning Linden Centre offers the cultural traveller a true immersion into authentic China. The accommodation is in expansive and luxurious courtyard mansions, some of the largest of their kind in China, in a pristine village in Southwest China’s Yunnan Province.  

Landscape Hotel, Dali.jpg

Landscape Hotel, Dali

The Landscape Hotel is located in a traditional Chinese building and exudes local character and charm.  There are a range of comfortable guest rooms and the hotel has been furnished with lots of intricate Chinese wooden furniture.  The restaurant offers a selection of Chinese and Western dishes and the bar provides a cosy place to relax with a drink.

Your Stories

Vessels

Related Tours

  • Tour Sichuan.jpg

    Sichuan Discovery

    The homeland of civilisations where nature and technology coexist in harmony

    See Itinerary

    from £2500

  • china tour water town.jpg

    Water Towns & Gardens of China

    A picturesque Journey through Chinese traditional waterways

    See Itinerary

    from £1380

  • chuxiang or juxiang huangshan.jpg

    A Tale of Art and Porcelain

    A fascinating exploration of Chinese arts, porcelain tradition and ancient history

    See Itinerary

    from £1900pp x6p

  • Shandong tour cover taishan.jpg

    The Spiritual Heart of China

    A journey through Shandong to discover the roots of Confucianism and Chinese spirituality.

    See Itinerary

    from £2520

  • wall3.jpg

    Discovering the Great Wall

    No Extraordinary Experience is Obtained Ordinarily!

    See Itinerary

    from £950/pp

 

Tailor Made holidays

For a more independent travel experience, our expert travel advisors will help you create your perfect holiday

Let us design your perfect trip

 

 

Feeling Inspired?

Email Us Now!
 
Email

Sign up to our newsletter

 
1 Start 2 Complete

Get the best of what CTS Horizons has to offer, delivered right to your inbox!

Please enter a valid email address.



Interested in our Brochures?

View them here...