Luoping Nine-dragon Waterfalls

Day 1 Arrive in Kunming, get picked up and sent to hotel in Kunming.  O/N Kunming

Day 2 Visit Stone Forest, then drive 3 hrs to Yuanyang Terraces. O/N Yuanyang

Day 3 Visit the Duoyishu Terraces for sunrise, then Bada Terraces, Xinjie market and ethnique Hani Villages around, then Tiger Mouth terraces for sunset. O/N Yuanyang

Day 4 Drive 3 hrs from Yuanyang to Jianshui, explore Jianshui old town, and try the local snacks around. Visit the Confucious Temple and Zhu Family Garden. O/N Jianshui.

Day 5 Drive 3 hrs from Jianshui back to Kunming, and explore the Bird and Flower Markt near Kunming city center. O/N Kunming

Day 6 Drive 4 hrs from Kunming to Dongchuan, visit the Luoxiagou Valley and Seven Color’s Hill to enjoy the amasing scenery of the red land. O/N Dongchuan

Day 7 Visit Damakan for sunrise, then drive 4 hrs back to Kunming. Explore Green lake Park where local people are entertaining themselves by dancing, singing, practising brush writing on the ground, and even street massage.
  Then can enjoy the most beautiful show in Yunnan Theatre, called Dynamic Yunnan, which is the best performance in this region, if you are interested in the local ethnique art and culture.

Day 8 Take train from Kunming to Dali, about 5 hrs ride only. Then we’ll have a new driver from Dali/Lijiang to pick us up in the train station.  O/N Dali

Day 9 Visit the tea Plantation on Cangshan Mt., where has beautiful scenery, then Xizhou morning market and the interesting old residence of ethnique Bai People, then drive/or bike along the beautiful bank of Erhai Lake. Then drive 2 hrs to Shaxi.

Day 10 Visit the Shibao Mt. near Shaxi, where has antient temples, wild monkeys and grottos from 1300s. Then can trek 2 hrs downhill through pine forest, where has amazing view of Shaxi Valley. O/N Shaxi

Day 11 Drive 1.5 hrs to Lijiang. Visit the beautiful country around Lashi Lake, where grows lots of apple, peaches and plums in this season. You can also do horse-riding and boating here if interested. Then the Lijiang old town. O/N Lijiang

Day 12 Visit the beautiful Black Dragon Pool Park, then explore the interesting villages around Lijiang. First visit a hidden village at the foot of the snow mountain, where has the best scenery of the Lijiang basin, with horses and goats wondering on the plain. Can even visit a local Naxi family here. Then Baisha village, Shuhe old town.

Day 13 Drive to a very beautiful Spring Water village along the Yangtze River, where has natural spring, waterfalls, bamboo forest and beautiful farming fields. Then Tiger Leaping Gorge. Then drive up to Shangrila. O/N Shangrila

Day 14 Visit the Napa Lake where has yaks and other animals wondering on the plain. Can walk through the Tibetan villages, and pay a visit to some local family around here. Then Songzanlin Lamasery, and local market in the Shangrila new town, and the temple with the big praying wheel in Shangrila old town. O/N Shangrila

Day 15 Take flight from Shangrila to Kunming, then connect flight to your next destination.

  Please know that along the travel way, we can be super flexible, and can adjast things around according to your interests. For details, please contact Elena directly.

Day 1: Kunming-Jianshui

Travel for approximately 5 hours from Kunming to Jianshui. Situated 220km south-east of Kunming, this town with a history of 1180 years is home to the Hani and Yi minorities. Visit Wen Miao, the second largest Confuscian Temple in China, built in the Yuan Dynasty with a history of 700 years. In the evening, we climb the Chaoyang Gateway Arch (known as the ‘Miniature Tiananmen’) to drink tea and listen to the local folk singing. Overnight in Jianshui.

Day 2: Around Jianshui 
In the morning visit the Zhu Family Garden, an expansive Qing dynasty residence with 214 rooms and 42 yards. We also visit nearby Tuanshan village, one of the few remaining medieval, fortified villages in south-West China, with its small, cobbled lanes, 900 year old houses and beautiful carvings. Drive along a bumpy road (125km, 3 hours) to Yuanyang, the center of many minority groups and set in magnificent landscapes of terraced fields.

Day 3: Around Yuanyang 
Get up early to park yourself at the best vantage point in Yuanyang for sunrise-viewing- the hills behind Duoyishui village.   Then visit one of the areas’ lively local markets where you will see people from Hani, Yi, Miao and Yao minorities dressed in their traditional clothes.  In the afternoon, visit the mushroom houses in Qingkou Hani ethnic village, then hike up to Luoshuba (40 minute hike) to view the sunset.

Day 4: Yuanyang 
Continue your visit to Yuanyang Rice Terraces, trekking to some local villages to capture more spectacular views and to learn more about the locals’ special techniques of agriculture. In the late afternoon we drive back to Jianshui (3 hours) for overnight.

Day 5: Jianshui-Swallow Cave-Lunan 
In the morning we visit Swallow Cave, a massive grotto of karst formation 30km to the east of Jianshui.  Every year between spring and summer, thousands of swallows will fly here from Malaysia, building nests and giving birth to young swallows.  Hike for approx. 3km through the cave, visiting both the dry cave and the water cave. In the afternoon drive on to Lunan, nearby the Stone Forest scenic area.

Day 6: Stone Forest-Luoping
Arrive at the Stone Forest as the gates open to enjoy the amazing landscape of stone pillars before the crowds arrive. In the late morning, set out for the 4 hour drive to Luoping, stopping for lunch on the way. Ascend Jinjifeng (Golden Cock Peak) as the sun is setting for incredible views over the rapeseed-covered fields. Overnight at Hongfuyuan Guesthouse in Luoping.

Day 7: Around Luoping
Spend a full day exploring the sites of Luoping. Arrive at Jinjifeng (Golden Cock Peak) for sunrise. Then hike for 9km to Nine Dragon Waterfall. After sightseeing the waterfalls, visit the Luositian (Snail Farms) region for another view of rapeseed farms which resemble snail shells when viewed from above. Return to Jinjifeng to capture the sunrise. Overnight in Luoping.

Day 8: Luoping-Kunming
Visit Shiwan Dashan (Hundred Thousand Hills) for sunrise photography. If its market day visit the Duoyi River market. Then drive 4 hours back to Kunming.