Yunnan and Sichuan Combined (17 days)

Arrive in the day at Kunming Airport. Welcome by your driver then transfer to the 5 * Grand Park Hotel located in a pleasant area in the center of Kunming. Rest of the day free to recover from your long flight, and make some first visits quietly on foot from the hotel. You can walk to the Emerald Lake, where locals love to walk, sing, dance and play music. Possibility to extend to the Buddhist temple of Yuantong located 5 / 10min walk. Dinner free.

Meeting with your guide and driver at 8:00. Road to Shilin, for the discovery of the site of the Stone Forest. We offer you a walk of about 2 hours inside the site, between rocky peaks and sometimes through narrow paths, away from the trails crossed by many Chinese tourists. Back in Kunming, ride in the mountains of the west. Dinner free. In the evening, attend Yunnan’s beautiful Yunnan minority dance and song show titled “Dynamic Yunnan” (8: 00-21: 30) before transfer to Kunming Station for the night train (soft berth) to Dali.

Meet with your driver at Dali station. Transfer to Dali Old Town for breakfast (free), and a stroll through the old town. Continue to charming village of Xizhou. We offer you a very charming hotel in a traditional Bai residence: the Linden Center. Rest of the day free (without driver) to explore on foot the morning market, then by bike around the village (bike rental possible at the hotel). It is also possible to arrange a short boat tour on Lake Erhai to experience cormorant fishing. Note that a tour of the hotel is organized by the Linden Center every day at 17:00, in English, presenting the history and architecture of the places. The hotel has a very decent restaurant.

Meeting at 9:00 with your driver for transfer by private vehicle to the great Shaxi Valley, with a stop at the large village of Bai minority Zhoucheng, especially known for its artisans fabric batik fabric. Discovery also before the arrival in Shaxi Shibaoshan site (entrance: 65RMB per person + shuttle: 40RMB per person), beautiful set of Buddhist sculptures carved into the rock and very Zen temples. Continue to Shaxi. Accommodation in the heart of Shaxi Old Town at the old Laomadian Caravanserai Inn, superbly refurbished with all the comforts of home, having once been used to house shopkeepers along the Tea and Horse Caravan Route, of which Shaxi was one of the major trading centers. The hotel has a good restaurant.

Meeting at 9:00 with your driver for transfer by private vehicle to Lijiang. Arrival for lunch (free) taken in the village of Baisha. You will also discover the village of Yuhu located at the foot of the jade dragon mountain. Continue to Lijiang Old Town and check into Green Village Inn.

Day of free visit of the old city of Lijiang, through its many alleys. Discovery including its morning market, the palace of Mu. You will stroll to the Black Dragon Pond Park, just outside the Old City, and also visit the Dongba Museum. Free meals. Overnight at the Green Village Inn.

Meeting at 9:00 with your driver for transfer by private vehicle to the Tibetan region of Shangri La. Stop en route to the village of Shigu (site of the first curve of the Yangtze) and the Gorges du Saut du Tigre. Arrival in the afternoon at Shangri La. Accommodation at Hazel Tibetan Home.

Meet with your Tibetan English guide at 9:00. Visit Shangri La and its region, starting with the beautiful Tibetan Songzanlin Monastery. Walk to the local market, then walk through the old town, including the Bai Ji Si temple with beautiful views of Shangri La and the Shika Mountains. Free lunch. In the afternoon, you can wander around Napa Lake, if not in the Ringha Valley, rich in authentic Tibetan villages. Return to Shangri La. If you wish, attend and participate in the spontaneous dances in the evening of locals in the Old Town Square. Dinner free. Overnight at Hazel Tibetan Home.

Free time before transfer to Shangri La Airport for direct flight to Chengdu, capital of Sichuan. End of our services. Welcome, then transfer to the boutique hotel Buddha Zen. Rest of the day free.

At 9:00, meet with your guide and driver, then departure to the site of the great sitting Buddha of Leshan. From its height of 71 meters, it contemplates the junction of three large rivers and protects boats from tumultuous waves. Then continue the journey to Baoguosi village at the foot of Mount Emei, one of the four sacred mountains of Chinese Buddhism. Overnight at Century Sunshine Hotel.

In the morning, climb to the top of Mount Emei by cable car at 3,099 m altitude. 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 Daxue and Gongga mountains, the latter being the highest peak in Sichuan province. Cable car ride down to visit the Wannian Monastery, which was built to commemorate the birthday of Emperor Shenzhong’s mother under the Song in the 12th century. Then go down the mountain with a break in Qingyinge (clear sound pavilion) where it is not uncommon to meet monkey gatherings. Overnight at Century Sunshine Hotel.

In the morning, departure to the city of Ya’an in the morning. Crossing the Sichuan plain to reach the foothills of the Himalayas where the deep valleys interspersed with verdant massifs leading to the Tibetan plateau further to the west, visit the old village of Shangli, where many of local inhabitants. Arrival in the afternoon in Dujiangyan and visit the old Dujiangyan irrigation system. Overnight at the Holiday Inn Expresse hotel.

Today, spend the day volunteering at the Dujiangyan Panda Foundation. You will be able to discover everything about the pace of life of the panda, prepare the food, feed the big mammals, clean the cages and different sites of the park, approach you closer to the young people to feed them. Transfer to the village of Taoping, famous for its stone house, built by ethnic Qiang, an ethnic group that lives in Sichuan. Night in a Qiang family.

Continuation of the road to Songpan. En route, visit the Qiang Museum in Maoxian District, arriving in the afternoon in Songpan and free ride in the ancient city of Songpan. Overnight in Jiarong Xingong hotel.

Road to Jiuzhaigou City. En route, visit the Huanglong Yellow Dragon Valley, consisting of a multitude of small limestone basins staggered between forests and waterfalls (gondola possible on site for a supplement of 85RMB per person). Continuation of the road. Overnight at hotel Gesang.

Morning tour of the valley to the east, Nuorilang Falls and Long Lake. These sites, considered the most beautiful in the park, lend themselves to a morning visit away from the crowds. Then, approach the park in its lower part including the Tiger Lake, Shuzheng Falls, the lake lying dragon and some Tibetan villages. Overnight at hotel Gesang.

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