CS-28 Yunnan Photo Tour

Day 1 Arrive in Kunming, meet the local guide and transfer to the hotel. In the afternoon visit Western Hills. Western Hills which 15 km west of Kunming City. The Dragon Gate in the Western Hills is close to the west shore of the Dianchi Lake. It consists of the Sanqing Temple Complex and the Dragon Gate Grotto Complex. The buildings of the Sanqing Taoist Temple are arranged in nine tiers: They are the Lingguan Hall, the Chunyang Pavilion,the Sanqing Hall, the Yuhuang Temple, the Taiqing Palace, the Zhenwu Hall, the Luzu Temple, the Qisheng Temple, Lingxiao Pavilion, the Laojun Pavilion and the Taiji Palace. The Dragon Gate Grotto Complex, on the other hand, includes Lanhaichu, the Ciyun Cave, the Yunhua Cave and the Datian Pavilion. In the evening have the local flavor -- Mushroom Hot Pot as dinner.

Day 2 After breakfast visit Stone Forest, a typical Karst formation, which covers an area of more than three hundred square kilometers. Scientificresearch has shown that what is now the Stone Forest was 270 million years ago an immense expanse of water with a vast stretch of limestone sediment formed over the years on the seafloor. As a result of the crustal movement, the seabed rose gradually and a large piece of land thus came into being. Exposed to rains and winds, eroded by the elements, the strange-looking limestone ranges were shaped by time. About 200 million years ago numerous stone peaks, pillars, and stalagmites rose abruptly from the ground and towered into the sky, extending now as far as the eye can see, looking like a vast forest of stone, hence the name "the Stone Forest". In the afternoon drive to Jianshui. Visit the 400 years old Chaoyang Tower which is even 24 years elder than Tian An Men in Beijing.. The small city Jianshui is the cultural center of southern Yunnan province. In the past, the people of this city became very rich due to the natural deposits of tin. So now, you can see many private houses with typical Chinese architecture style in the city. You will have a chance to visit one of them - Zhu Family Garden which is formed by 250 rooms and 42 courtyards, It’s even much better than the gardens in Suzhou. You can also visit the second largest Confucian-temple in China.  

Day 3 Drive to Yuanyang and experience one of the high points of the trip. Get up early in the morning to see the beautiful cloud sea on the way then the first wonder in the world: endless terraced rice fields on the mountains, made by local Hani people for thousands of years. Take photo at Terraced Rice Fields.   

Day 4 Early morning go to take photo for the Terraced fields. In the afternoon drive back to Jianshui.   

Day 5 After breakfast visit Zhang Family Garden ( Tuanshan Village ), just over 20 minutes drive away from Jianshui City, the Tuanshan village is a typical countryside tour. It looks neglected and deserted, quietly moving along at its own tempo. About 400 years ago, many of the villages managed to make a fortune in the outside world and following Chinese tradition, they sent the money home to build grand houses, with exquisite carvings.The wood carvings along the roof and the equally exquisitely carved stone mantle skirting, which protects the wooden pillar, tells us how people in the past enjoy the finer things in life. Then drive back to Kunming via Fuxian Lake which is the second deepest fresh water lake in China ( over 170 M deep), have a fresh fish lunch in local fisherman’s house. Take photo at the bank of Fuxian Lake.   

Day 6 Morning flight to Dali. Meet the local guide and cruise on Erhai Lake, is the largest highland lake next to Dianchi Lake and one of the seven biggest fresh water lakes in China. It means, "sea shaped like an ear", in Chinese. Implying that the lake is ear shaped and as large as a sea, hence it was so named. The lake covers an area of 250 square kilometers and is located about two kilometers east of Dali. In the afternoon you could take a pleasant stroll in Dali Old Town which was the capital city of Nanzhao Kingdom 1000 years ago. Half day for optional photo at the bank of Erhai Lake. 

Day 7 In the morning go to East Bank of Erhai Lake ( named Haidong, one hour on bus riding ) and Shuanglang Town, which is original Bai Nationality’s Village in which Bai people lead a peaceful fishing and farming life. The people there are very simple and pure because no any tourist disturbing their life in the village. It’s a good place for photo to the Erhai Lake and Bai people. The whole day is for photo. Then back to Dali.  

Day 8 In the morning drive to Lijiang. Upon arrival, meet the local guide and transfer to hotel. Then take a visit to Lijiang Old Town, which is one of the best-preserved ancient towns of the minority ethnic people of China. Lijiang old town belongs to the World Culture Heritage of UNESCO. The rest day take photo at the Lijiang Ancient Town.    

Day 9 In the morning drive to Laojun Mountain which is nature reserve area. Viewing birds in Lashi Lake on the half way. You have chance to see and photo more than 50 kinds of birds here. Then continue drive to Laojun Mountain ( 2- 3 hours ). Upon arrival, take photo at Qianguishan ( Thousands Tortoise Mountain ).

Day 10 In the morning drive to Liming Town ( Lisu People Town ), take photo at Liming Town. Then drive to Tiger Leaping Gorge ( about 2 hours ). Visit Tiger Leaping Gorge, which is believed to be one of the deepest gorge in the world. From the top of the gorge you look down the steeply angled ( 70-90 degrees ) mountain sides to the rushing Golden Sands River ( up reach of Yangtze River ) with its 18 frothing rapids more than 200 meters ( about 700 feet ) below. Take photo at Tiger Leaping Gorge and Yangtze River. 

Day 11 In the morning drive to White Water Terraces ( Baishuitai ), crossing the Middle Tiger Leaping Gorge, Upper Tiger Leaping Gorge and Haba village ( ibetan Village ) on the way. 

Day 12 In the morning take photo at White Water Terrace. In the afternoon drive to Shangri-la. 

Day 13 In the morning visit Songzanlin Tibetan Buddhism Monastery, which is 5 km from the seat of Shangri-la County. Construction began in 1679 and was completed in 1681. It is said that the Fifth Dalai Lama chose the site of the monastery through divination and named it "Gedan Songzanlin Monastery". In 1724, during the reign of Emperor Yongzheng in the Qing Dynasty, the monastery was renamed the "Guihua Monastery". During its time of greatest prosperity, there were more than 3,000 monks in the temple, now there are still 700 monks inside. In the afternoon visit the Napahai ( nature reserve area ) and take photo at Napahai. Napahai Nature Reserve is situated 8 km north of Zhongdian County, with grasslands and lakes which attract many bird species that winter here, including the endangered Black-necked cranes (Grus nigricollis). Black-necked cranes, of which only 6,000 remain in the world, usually breed in high-altitude wetlands but spend the winter at lower altitudes on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau or on the Yunnan-Guizou Plateau, of which, Napahai is the main wintering spot. The breeding population of these exquisite birds, however, is in rapid decline due to habitat loss and changing agricultural practices which have affected the availability of food.             

( B/L/D )   Overnight in Shangri-la

Day 14 In the morning drive along Yunnan – Tibet Road about 2 hours through mountain scenery & Yangzi River to deep mountain for Dong Zhu Lin Monastery, 105 km away from Zhongdian. Dong Zhu Lin Monastery was first built in 1667, the 6th year during the reign of Emperor Kang Xi of Qing Dynasty. It was where the Monlam Festival of the Prayer for the Emperor’s birthday was held. The main hall in the center is a four-story wood and earth structure, surrounded by 82 tall trees. The hall on the 1st floor is for reciting Buddhist scriptures, where enshrines the statues of Tsongkhapa, founder of the Ge-lug-pa sect, together with Damarenqen, one of Tsongkhapa’s disciples, and Khedrub Je, the 1st Panchen Lama, and other Buddhist statues of Sakyamuni, and Guanyin, a Bodhisattva. The monastery also enshrines a 6.8 meter high, gildedbronze, statue of seated Buddha of Qiangba (Maitreya), and a 10.5 meter tall statue of Sakyamuni, gifts from the Sera Monastery in Lhasa. The monastery also collects an 8.5 meter long, 5.2 meter wide image of Buddha, which is sunned once a year when the Monlam Festival of Prayer is held. Then go ahead to Deqin, across Baimang Snow Mountain ( a nature reserve area, 4250 meters above sea level ) on the way.

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