Arrive at Kunming Airport during the day. Meet your driver and transfer to the 5* Grand Park Hotel, located in a pleasant neighborhood in central Kunming. The rest of the day is free to recover from your long flight and take a leisurely stroll from the hotel to visit some of the local sights. You can walk to Emerald Lake, where locals like to stroll, sing, dance, and play music. You can also extend your walk to the Yuantong Buddhist temple, located 5-10 minutes away on foot. Dinner is not included.

Meet your English-speaking guide and driver at 8:00 a.m. Drive to Shilin to explore the Stone Forest. We offer a 2-hour walk inside the site, between rocky peaks and sometimes along narrow paths, away from the trails trodden by the many Chinese tourists. Back in Kunming, take a stroll in the western mountains. Dinner on your own. In the evening, enjoy the beautiful show of dances and songs of the minorities of Yunnan entitled “Dynamic Yunnan” (8:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.), before transferring to Kunming train station for the night train (soft sleeper) to Dali.

Meet your driver at Dali train station. Transfer to Dali Old Town for breakfast (not included) and a stroll through the old town. Continue to the charming village of Xizhou. We recommend a beautiful boutique hotel in a traditional Bai residence: the Linden Center. Rest of the day free (without driver) to explore the morning market on foot, then cycle around the village (bikes can be rented at the hotel). The hotel can also arrange a short boat trip on Erhai Lake to experience cormorant fishing. Please note that the Linden Center organizes a tour of the hotel every day at 5:00 p.m. in English, presenting the history and architecture of the site. The hotel has a very good restaurant.

Meet your driver at 9 a.m. for a private transfer to the great valley of Shaxi, with a stop along the way at the large Bai minority village of Zhoucheng, particularly known for its artisans who make batik fabric. Before arriving in Shaxi, discover the Shibaoshan site (entrance fee: 65RMB per person + shuttle bus: 40RMB per person), a beautiful collection of Buddhist sculptures carved into the rock and Zen temples. Continue to Shaxi. Accommodation in the heart of Shaxi’s old town at the former Laomadian Inn caravanserai, superbly refurbished with all the necessary comforts, which once served as lodging for merchants traveling along the great tea and horse caravan route, of which Shaxi was one of the major trading centers. The hotel has a good restaurant.

Meet your driver at 9:00 a.m. for a private transfer to Lijiang. Arrive in time for lunch (not included) in the village of Baisha. You will also discover the village of Yuhu, located at the foot of Jade Dragon Mountain. Continue to the old town of Lijiang and check in at the Green Village Inn hotel.

Free day to explore the old town of Lijiang and its many narrow streets. Discover the morning market and the Mu Palace. Stroll to Black Dragon Pool Park, just outside the old town, and visit the Dongba Museum. Meals not included. Overnight stay at the Green Village Inn.

Meet your driver at 9 a.m. for transfer by private vehicle to the Tibetan region of Shangri La. Stop en route at Shigu village (site of the Yangtze River’s first bend) and Tiger Leaping Gorge. Arrive in Shangri La in the afternoon. Accommodation at Hazel Tibetan Home guesthouse.

Meet your English-speaking Tibetan guide at 9:00 a.m. Spend the day visiting Shangri La and the surrounding area, starting with the magnificent Tibetan monastery of Songzanlin. Stroll through the local market, then walk through the old town, including the Bai Ji Si temple, which offers beautiful views of the Shangri La area and the Shika Mountains. Lunch on your own. In the afternoon, you can stroll around Napa Lake or in the Ringha Valley, rich in authentic Tibetan villages. Return to Shangri La. If you wish, watch and participate in the spontaneous evening dances of the locals in the old town square. Dinner on your own. Overnight at Hazel Tibetan Home guesthouse.

Free time before transfer to Shangri La Airport for direct flight to Chengdu, capital of Sichuan. End of our services. Reception, then transfer to the charming Buddha Zen Hotel. Rest of the day at leisure.

At 9:00 a.m., meet your guide and driver, then depart for the site of the Great Seated Buddha of Leshan. From a height of 71 meters, it contemplates the junction of three great rivers and protects boats from the turbulent waters. Then, continue your journey to the village of Baoguosi at the foot of Mount Emei, one of the four sacred mountains of Chinese Buddhism. Overnight stay at the Century Sunshine Hotel.

In the morning, ascend to the summit of Mount Emei by cable car at an altitude of 3,099 m. If you are lucky with the weather, you will have a panoramic view of the plain where the three rivers Minjiang, Qingyi, and Dadu flow. In the distance, you can see the peaks of Mount Daxue and Mount Gongga, the latter being the highest peak in Sichuan province. Descend by cable car to visit Wannian Monastery, which was built to commemorate the birthday of Emperor Shenzhong’s mother during the Song dynasty in the 12th century. Then descend the mountain, stopping at Qingyinge (Clear Sound Pavilion), where it is not uncommon to encounter groups of monkeys. Overnight at the Century Sunshine Hotel.

In the morning, departure for the city of Ya’an. Crossing the Sichuan plain until reaching the foothills of the Himalayas, where the deep valleys interspersed with green mountains begin, leading to the Tibetan plateau further west. Visit the old village of Shangli, where many of the local inhabitants still live. Arrival in Dujiangyan in the afternoon and visit to the ancient Dujiangyan irrigation system. Overnight stay at the Holiday Inn Express hotel.

Today, spend the day volunteering at the Dujiangyan panda base. You can learn all about the panda’s daily life, prepare food, feed the large mammals, clean the cages and various areas of the park, and get up close to the young pandas to feed them. Transfer to Taoping Village, famous for its stone houses built by the Qiang ethnic group, which lives only in Sichuan. Spend the night with a Qiang family.

Continue on to Songpan. En route, visit the Qiang Museum in Maoxian County, arriving in Songpan in the afternoon for free time to explore the old town of Songpan. Overnight at Jiarong Xingong Hotel.

Drive to Jiuzhaigou. En route, visit Huanglong Valley, consisting of a multitude of small limestone pools nestled between forests and waterfalls (cable car available on site for an additional fee of 85RMB per person). Continue the drive. Overnight stay at Gesang Hotel.

Morning visit to the valley to the east, Nuorilang Falls, and Long Lake. These sites, considered the most beautiful in the park, are ideal for a morning visit away from the crowds. Next, visit the lower part of the park, including Tiger Lake, Shuzheng Falls, Reclining Dragon Lake, and a few Tibetan villages. Overnight stay at the Gesang Hotel.

Free time, then transfer to Jiuzhaigou Airport for your flight to your next destination. End of this combined Yunnan and Sichuan tour.