shaxi, yunnan

  Day 1 Arrive in Kunming, and tour around Kunming city if time allows.

  Day 2 Visit the Stone Forest, which is about 2 hrs drive from Kunming

city. Then can enjoy the amazing Ethnique Performance called Dynamic

Yunnan in the Grand Yunnann Theatre, at 8-9:30pm.

  Day 3 Fly to Dali. Then Dali Old Town, hike to the Tea Plantation on

Cangshan Mt., then bike along part of the Erhai Lake if interested.

  Day 4 Visit Xizhou morning market, then drive 2 hrs to Shaxi, and

visit the Hnaging Temple and grotos in the Shibao Mt., Shaxi old town

in the evening.

  Day 5 Drive 1.5-2 hrs from Shaxi to Lijiang. Can check out the horse

riding and boating activities around Lashi Lake if interested. Then

visit Lijiang old town and Black Dragon Pool Park.

  Day 6 Explore the interesting villages around Lijiang. Visit a hidden

village where has the best view over Lijiang Basin, with cows and goats

wondering around. Can also visit a local Naxi family here if

interested. Then Baisha Village and Shuhe old town.

  Day 7 Visit Jade Dragon Snow Mt., take cable car up to the Spruce

Meadow, where has the best view of the main peaks of the snow mountain,

and you can take beautiful walks through the forest to the meadow,

where has horses and sheep around. Then Blue Moon Valley where the

glacier water is naturally blue and green. Can also enjoy the show at

the foot of the snow mountain, called Impression Lijiang.

  Day 8 Drive 1.5 hrs to Tiger Leaping Gorge, visit the upper gorge

where most tourists go but also very grand and beautiful. Then hire a

local mini van up to somewhere near Tea Horse G.H., and hike about 1.5

-2 hrs to Halfway G.H., then take the minivan down to visit the tourist

part of the Upper Tiger Gorge, if interested. Then 2 hrs further up to

Shangrila, with a stop for beautiful mountain views.

  Day 9 Visit the interesting villages and temples around Shangrila.

First drive to Dabaoji Palace Temple, where local people still go and

pray even it is a quite small and hidden temple. We can also pay a

visit to some local Tibetan family around here. Then the famous

Songzanlin Lamasery. Then Napa Lake area where has lots of yaks,,

horse, piggs wondering, with lovely Tibetan villages around.

  Day 10 Departure flight from Shangrila (Diqing Airport).

Day 1 Lijiang-Shaxi-Shibaoshan(Stone Treasure) Mountain-Shaxi
 

Sightseeing: Shibaoshan Mountain, Shizhong(Stone Bell) Temple and Grottoes, Baoxiang Temple, Wild Monkey Forest

From Lijiang, driving about 2.5hrs to Shibaoshan Mounntain  .In this area about 3 hundred wild monkeys live with kulapatis around the Baoxiang temple. You shoud prepare some food for these monkeys if you want to paly with them. If you do not have food, please do not do any guesture to these monkeys. otherwise they will be very angry and bite you because they usually misunderstand guesture lunguage.

Visit the Shizhong temple in the mountain. There are eight grottoes of Shizhong temple for 1000 years old. You will trek in the forest from Shizhong Temple to Baoxiang Temple, you hike 3 hours to look around that area, in the mountains there are many small old temples. On the path, you can see very nice views , Baoxiang temple is a Chinese Buddhism Temple from Yuan Dynesty.

After the tocur wen can hike downhill to shaxi or drive to Shaxi,  shaxi  is nestled deep in the Himalayan foothills of southwest China's Yunnan Province. Shaxi (pronounced 'Shah Shee'), is a culturally diverse town and to the Bai and Yi minority peoples. You will walk around the Shaxi Old Town, Shaxi River, Xinjiao Temple, stage in the square and some ancient coutyards with local people.  Shaxi once played an important role as a bustling trade station on the Tea and Horse Caravan Road, an important branch of the Silk Road. Just over one thousand years ago, this ancient trade route connected Tibet with Eastern China. In exchange for teas from Yunnan, Tibetans traded their famous breed of horse to Song Dynasty officials in eastern China, who were busy defending their territory from invaders from the north. Thus the Tea and Horse Caravan was born. Shaxi became the main trade station along this route.            Overnight at Laomadian Lodge

Day 2 Shaxi-Tiger leaping gorge-Tea horse guesthouse (Breakfast)

Sighseeing:  First bend of Yangtze river, iron-chain bridge, Naxi village,  Tiger leaping gorge

Drive 1.5h to First bend of Yangtze river.  visit Shigu village(stone drum town), its one of the oldest village of Naxi people, visit Iron chain bridge which was an important bridge on the Tea-horse trading road.  enjoy the spetacular view of First bend of Yangtze river.  Drive 1 hour to Qiaotou where we start hiking,  hike 4.5 hour uphill and enjoy the breath-taking view of Tiger leaping gorge and Snow peaks of Jade dragon snow mountain.            Over night at Tea-hore guest house

Day 3. Tiger leaping gorge-Qiaotou-Lijiang  (Breakfast)

Sightseeing: Tiger leaping gorge, Lijiang old town.

After breakfast,  we will hike 4 hour today,  You can see authentic naxi village in the hiking trail, take a good  rest at Half way guest house,  continue hiking pass by beautiful waterfall and drive to Lijiang after lunch at Tiger leaping gorge.  Visit Lijiang old town.     Transfer to Hotel or LiJiang airport,  service ends.