Yunnan has 25 different ethnic groups, and half of them can only be found in Yunnan. Many groups are still living their traditional life, which we can see from their dresses, festivals, handicrafts, etc. On this tour, we will see about ten of the ethnic groups in Yunnan and understand their unique cultures.
Day 1 – Arrive in Kunming, city tour.
Day 2 – Minority Museum of Yunnan, the biggest of its kind. Botanical Garden; BambooTemple.
Day 3 – Kunming to Dali, visit Chuxiong, and Yi people center on the way. Dinosaur Fossil site at Lufeng, which experts found more than 28 different kinds of dinosaur fossils.
Day 4 – Dali is the Bai people’s hometown. Bai villages and markets. Making tie-dye batiks with indigo plant.
Day 5 – Dali to Lijiang. Dali has the best marbles in China. Visit a marble workshop. Then drive to Heqing town. Xinhua village which is well-known for its handicrafts of silver, copper, and iron. Songgui town and hand-making paper in traditional ways.
Day 6 – Lijiang Lashi Lake. hiking around the lake and local Naxi people’s village. Zhiyunsi Temple. Dongba Culture Museum. Lijiang old town which is a world heritage site.
Day 7 – Lijiang to Qiaotou. Jade Dragon Snow Mountain with the peak of 5596 meters. Tiger Leaping Gorges, one of the deepest gorge in the world. Trekking along the gorges to Qiaotou town.
Day 8 – Qiaotou to Zhongdian(Shangri-la), a hometown of the Tibetans on Eastern Tibetan Plateau. Enjoy the snow mountains, and the yaks on grasslands. Napa Lake, a seasonal lake for the migrating birds, including black-necked cranes which are in danger. Tibetan village and visit a family.
Day 9 – Songzanglin Monastery, one of the biggest and the most important monastery for Tibetans, a treasure house of the ethnic Tibetan culture. Free in the afternoon.
Day 10 – Zhongdian to Deqin along the Jinsha River, the upper reach of the Yangtze. Visit Nixi villages where Tibetan people have been making black pottery and wood wares in history. Baima Snow mountain, an important habitats of the Golden Monkey.
Day 11 – Meili Snow Mountsin, the highest in Yunnan with the elevation of 6740 meters. Mingyong glaciers and the monastery in Mekong River valley.
Day 12 – Deqin to Bingzhongluo town by the Salween River; a hometown of Lisu; Nu and Dulong people. Jiasheng, Shuangla, Wuli, and Shimen villages in the afternoon.
Day 13 – Bingzhongluo to Liuku, downstream of the Salween River. The first bend of Salween. Biluo Snow Mountains. Zhiziluo town to enjoy the excellent views of the Salween gorges, the second deepest in the world. Lisu village and their ziplines for crossing the river.
Day 14 – Liuku to Baoshan city, fly to Kunming.
Day 15 – Kunming to home and trip ends.