Day 1: Kunming
You fly to China’s southwest wonderland, the subtropical Kunming, capital of Yunnan Province. Kunming and Yunnan is a world of a magnificent patch work of minority cultures stitched into a lush and dreamy landscape. The southwest’s secret lies with its unique combination of geography and ethnic culture. Yunnan, (means "South of the Clouds") situated high up on the Yungui Plateau, is overlooked to the north by the roof of the world – Tibet. Kunming Hotel (B,L,D)

Day 2 Kunming - Dali
Board a morning flight to Dali, a wonderful lakeside town considered by many one of the loveliest places in all of China. Dali is located at the crossroads to Burma and Tibet with an exquisite setting, pinched in a narrow band between a lake of Erhai and a snowcapped mountain range of Cang Mountains. Dali was the capital of an indigenous minority kingdom. Today Dali is an antique village, home to the Bai minority. Visit the Bai Minority State Museum to learn the history and custom of this ethnic group. Then stroll through the bustling bazaar to the Old Town. Tour the South Gate Tower to the old city and enjoy a complete view of the town, the nearest mountains, and the Erhai Lake heading north. Lunch at a local restaurant. In the afternoon, visit the Three Pagodas – Dali’s most famous historic landmark, at the foot of the 10th peak of the Cang Mountain range. Admire the beauty of the brick towers and their setting against the snowcapped peaks of Cang Mountains – these 19 peaks (10,000 ft – 13,000 ft) high form a screen of stone and snow paralleling the city walls of Dali and the shores of mile-wide Erhai Lake. Unpaved roads and trails run straight up the mountain from downtown Dali. Then enjoy a boat cruise on the scenic Erhai Lake. Later visit a living Catholic church complete with Chinese decorations – influences of the West reached here in late Qing Dynasty. After dinner stroll on the shopping street in the old town or enjoy a relaxing time at a local café. Asia Star Hotel (B,L,D)

Day 3 Dali - Lijiang
Take a scenic motor coach ride to the fabled Lijiang, passing the lush, flower-laden grassland, rice terraces, and snow capped mountains. Stop en route to visit the well-preserved Dayan Ruin where time freezes for many hundred years. Then explore Xizhou Ethnic Minority Village and a “Bai” minority bazaar, where you relax and sip a “Three Course Tea”; enjoy the singing and dancing show performed by local “Bai” people; and shop the famed wax-print souvenirs and other ethnic handicrafts. Lijiang, China’s Shangri-la, served, for centuries, as the capital of the mountain kingdom of the Naxi, an indigenous people whose origin is a mystery, whose language and way of life are unique, whose rulers are women rather than men. Untouched by any civilizations, Lijiang was the equivalent on Earth of the Western Paradise evoked in Buddhist scriptures. After a lunch at a local restaurant, you enter the Old Town of Lijiang – a maze of traditional Naxi architecture, in a valley sheltered by rugged ridges, right at foot of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain whose peaks tower over 18,000 ft. The Old Town is shophouses, market squares, cobbled lanes, canals and arched bridges. Stroll through the Old Market Square and then visit the Black Dragon Pool with the superb vistas of the nearby Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. Later tour the Dongba Museum that holds a remarkable collection of Naxi relics and cultural display. After dinner, appreciate the timeless Naxi music at a traditional Naxi Folk Music Orchestra Performance. Naxi people developed unique written records and pictographs to pass their culture from generation to generation, tonight you discover the essence of this ancient culture. Jiannanchun Hotel (B,L,D)

Day 4 Lijiang
This morning you visit the remarkable Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. At 18,000 ft, this mighty mountain rises raggedly above Lijiang, encrusted with snow and set against a sharp, blue sky. You travel by cable car to the Yak Meadow, which commands a magnificent view of the glacier. Back to the foothill of the mountain, you visit the Yufeng Monastery, dedicated to Tibetan Buddhism. In the afternoon you tour the Baisha Naxi village for a visit to its religious frescoes. Then back to the Old Town of Lijiang and enjoy the remainder of the day at leisure. The Old Town is a marvel at night, when the Chinese roofs in the new Lijiang city are festooned with lights and sparkle against the evening sky; the old quarter is a dreamscape of dark cobbled streets, gushing canals and paths trailing away from the main street. Wooden doors are thrown open to reveal the cozy interior of Naxi homes. All these remind you of the surreal Shangri-la when you are lost among the cobblestone streets and alleys of the small old town, with its icy, fast-flowing stream and charming arched bridges… (B,L,D)

Day 5 Lijiang
Say goodbye to Lijiang - China’s Shangri-la, and board your flight to Yangtze River. Contact Us for flight suggestions.