13 Days Foodie Tour, Stimulate your taste bud with Yunnan specialties

Welcome to the ‘Spring City’ of China. Once arrive, meet the guide at the arrival hall, who is holding your name sign and waiting for you with a warm smile. Be transferred to the hotel by the private transfer with an experienced driver. Rest of the day is on your own arrangement.

Meals: No meal, advice freely available

• Hotels: Green Lake Hotel, Crowne Plaza Kunming City Centre, Ytel Premium

Kunming

After a good night rest, today a 1.5 hours’ drive is needed from Kunming city to visit the Stone Forest. The various shapes of limestone were formed due to millions of years' movement of the Earth, like bamboo shoots, forests and pagodas. Enjoy a local lunch to try the local specialties like Yunnan Rice Noodles and Pressure Cooker chicken soup. After that, you will be transferred back to the city area to visit Green Lake Park, one of the most picturesque parks in Kunming downtown. Here you may take a leisure walk or enjoy the performance (playing Taichi, Mahjong and local opera) by local people. You are welcome to join them if you like.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,

Stone Forest

In the morning, go stroll in the Bird and Flower Market to enjoy the multiple types of flowers, birds, fishes, antiques, featured jewelleries, handicrafts, etc.

Follow on is the visit to Black Dragon Pool, which is well known for its "Four Wonders", namely plum tree in Tang Dynasty, cypress in Song Dynasty, Tea tree and tomb in Ming Dynasty.

At last, feel the Buddhism atmosphere at one of the oldest Buddhist temples of Kunming, Yuantong Temple. 

Take a train to Dali, where our guide is waiting for you at the exit.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,
• Hotels: Hilton Dali Resort & SPA, The Linden Centre

Bird and Flower Market

With a history of 1200 years, Dali Ancient Town attracts visitors from far and wide especially by its city wall, a symbol of the town. Climb up to the city wall and have an overlook of the whole town. Covering covers 250 sq km, Erhai Lake is the seventh-largest freshwater lake in China. Implying that the lake is ear shaped and as large as a sea, hence it was so named. Relax yourself on the boat when taking the cruise in Erhai Lake.

You may have tried the flower cake, but do you really know how it is made? To satisfy your curiosity, you will see and learn how to make Yunnan flower cake with the guidance of the locals.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,

flower cake

There are various kinds of edible wild mushrooms in Yunnan. Today, with the local guide’s instruction, you will seek for mushrooms in the wild and use them as your ingredient for the cooking class.

If you are lucky enough, you will enjoy a feast of mushrooms cooked by yourself. The teacher will also teach you to cook some local Yunnan dishes.

After that, you will be transferred to Zhoucheng to learn Bai Minority Tie-dyeing. You could Tie-Dye a cloth, a handkerchief or even a table cloth and bring them home.

Note: 

• Kindly note that usually wild mushrooms can be found from May to August, but we cannot promise. Rainfall capacity will also matter. 
• The mushrooms grow in mountains, so it needs good physical condition and quite enough energy.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,

Tie-dyeing

Nuodeng Village is famous for its ham. People in the village make Nuodeng ham with the salt extracted from the salt wells. Do not miss it when you visiting the village. 1km north of Yunlong County, the Bijiang river waters winds a "S-shaped" here, forming a natural landform resembling the "Tai Chi Eight diagram Symbol" of Taoism.

You will be transferred to Shaxi hotel after lunch.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,
• Hotels: Shaxi Old Theatre Inn, Shaxi Cato's Inn

Shaxi ancient town

After breakfast, try the bicycle riding or horse riding around Shaxi Ancient Town. Pedal through this ancient town and feel its historical and tranquil atmosphere. Try your hands at making goat milk cake with the guidance of the teacher, which is one of the local specialties in Shaxi.

Next, enjoy the fascinating and beautiful landscape at Shibaoshan, with a broad view consisting of row upon row of mountain peaks, tranquil valleys, dense green forest, clear springs, and deep-buried ancient temple houses created by skilled Bai workers and talented artisans.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,

Shibaoshan Grottoes

Jianchuan County is famous as the “hometown of craftsmen. The craftsmen are deft at sculpturing the wood or bamboo into different figures, like flowers, birds, dragons or landscape, which are used to decorate the doors and windows. Join in a wood carving lesson with a master and make your own ‘masterpiece. After the lesson, you will go to Lijiang by private transfer.

Upon arrival at Lijiang, you will first wander around Lijiang Ancient Town, where you could appreciate the he architecture, blending of elements from several cultures — Naxi, Bai, Yi, Tibetan, and Han.

Head to Black Dragon Pool Park, where you could get a good chance to shoot the reflection of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. As a monumental building located in the ancient city of Lijiang, Wangu Tower is an example of wooden Dougong architecture with sets of brackets on top of the columns supporting the beams within and the roof eaves.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,
• Hotels: Aman Hotel Dayan, InterContinental Resort Lijiang Ancient Town, Lijiang Ivy Garden Resort

Lijiang Ancient Town

Today, your first stop is Shuhe Ancient Town, alive with the strong culture of primitive simplicity. It is an ideal place to get rid of the hustle and bustle of city life.

Continue to the holy Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, which will purify your soul when you go up to it. Yak Meadow is a representative pastureland with colourful and breath-taking scenery.

Optional activity: Impression Show of Lijiang

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,

Shuhe Ancient Town

Local family visit is a good way to have a closer view of the local life. Today, you will step in a local Naxi family, chat with the minority people, watch them how to prepare local dishes and learn their unique language.

Next, go to Baisha Village to appreciate the Baisha Murals, which depict religious stories from Taoism, Buddhism, and Tibetan Buddhism. It gathers the labour of Han, Zang, and Naxi minority ethnic painters.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,

Baisha Murals

Today you will listen to the deafening voice of water flapping at the stones and feel your heartbeat fasten by visiting one of the deepest gorges in the world, the Tiger Leaping Gorge. The upper section is the narrowest section and also a popular part for those with limited time.

Follow on is the Stone Drum Town including the First Bend of Yangtze River, a well-known geological phenomenon and an extraordinary panoramic scene. Running from the north of China to the south, the Jinsha River makes a sudden V-shaped bend and flow to the northeast here in Shigu Town, hence the name “First Bend of the Yangtze River".

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,
• Hotels: Songtsam Linka Shangri-La, Songtsam Shangri-La (Lvgu) Lodge

Tiger Leaping Gorge

Morning tour to Pudacuo National Park, which is considered the wonderland and the real Shangri-La in Shangri-La. Here you could see the clear lakes and endless grassland. And then you will pay a visit to a local Tibetan family, where you will have the chance to get a closer view of local life and communicate with the local people with the guide’s interpretation. The host will also teach you how to make high land barley wine and buttered tea (two unique drinks of Tibetans). Lunch will be also arranged here with the local dishes.

In the afternoon, immerse yourself into the Tibetan Buddhism atmosphere at Songzanlin Monastery, which is known as ‘The Little Potala Palace’. This temple is built against the mountain and looks like an ancient castle. Also known as the "Museum of Tibetan Art", it is a collection of the greatest achievements of Tibetan plastic arts.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,

Songzanlin Monastery

Today, a tour to Napahai Nature Reserve is arranged for you, which is a paradise for migrant birds. In winter and spring, the lake surface of Napahai shrinks and turns into a large swampy meadow -- Yila Grassland, the largest spring pasture in Yunnan.

After lunch, come back to Zhongdian Ancient Town. Zhongdian was renamed "Shangri-La" for marketing reasons. Its Ancient County is divided into two areas: Dukezong Ancient Town and a more modern city-like area. Almost all the buildings are white in colour and feature the Tibetan style architecture in the ancient town. If you want to get to know more about local life, a visit to the local market is a must. Go to the airport after the tour.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,

Napahai Nature Reserve