Quotes:
Kunming:
“Kunming is a laid back place away from the larger, hustle bustle markets in the south of China.”
“Flowers are everywhere, a real delight to the eyes and senses…Folk culture is real here.”
Jianshui:
“The age-old history, splendid culture and glorious tradition have produced many historic sites in Jianshui.  With more than 100 ancient temples, 50 ancient bridges and 56 state-protection cultural relics, Jianshui enjoys the fame ‘the Museum of Ancient Constructions’, which highlights the ancient Chinese culture and art.”
Yuanyang:
“Yuanyang is renowned for its rice terrace and what a sight! I have been to such terraces in Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam before, but the scale here is just breathtaking!!  The terraces were great to look at especially when they are full of water (in the spring) at sunset, sunrise-like little mirrors.  Also had a good time mingling with the local tribes -- Yi, Hani and Dai.  Highly recommended before this becomes a major tourist destination.”
Dali:
“Great food, relaxed streets and souvenirs galore.  What more can you ask for?”
“The cultural experience of Dali is great.  The colorful dress of the minorities, the hectic village markets and imposing mountains makes this place a blitz of colors and flavor.”
Lijiang:
It’s amazing that the locals have adapted so well to time, yet preserved so much of their culture.”
“These are people who have long roots and love their history.”
Tiger Leaping Gorge:
“This is a great sightseeing stop with enormous photo opportunities.  Bring your camera, wear skidproof shoes, and be prepared to be astonished.”
Zhongdian:
“So far, there is no evidence that a certain area in this world is the Shangri-la mentioned in James Hilton’s novel entitled Lost Horizon.  But everyone who has been to Zhongdian agrees that it is a secluded place like a fairyland on earth – or the Shangri-la in people’s hearts.”

Itinerary:

Day 01   Kunming (-/-/D)
We’ll begin our journey to the diverse and captivating province of Yunnan from the capital city, Kunming.  Upon arrival at the Kunming International Airport, our local guide will meet us.  And then we will be transferred to our hotel.  Though being the capital of Yunnan with a population of 4.55 million, Kunming remains an ideal, laid-back place for us to relax ourselves.  We will visit the landmark of Kunming — the Golden Horse and Phoenix Archway, which is located at the corner of Sanshi Road and Jinbi Road.  The archway is 12 meters in height, and 18 meters in width.  It is a typical architecture of traditional Kunming style.  To the north, there is another archway called Zhong’ai Archway.  All of them are one group of the most important places of interest in Kunming.  And then, we’ll take a stroll along the pedestrian street between the Dongsi Pagoda (East Temple Pogoda) and the Xisi Pagoda (West Temple Pagoda).
Overnight at: New Era Hotel (****) 

Day 02   Kunming – Stone Forest – Yuanyang (B/L/-)
We will drive 86 km to the World Natural Heritage and the World Geopark Park- the Stone Forest.  There is a local saying: "It is a waste of time not to visit the Stone Forest while visiting Kunming", which vividly expresses the deep love of the local people toward this world wonder.  The quintessential karst landscape makes every tourist lost in wonder.  After this, we will drive around 3.5 hours to Yuanyang and enjoy the sight of terraced fields of Laohuzui (Tiger Mouth) at sunset. 
Overnight at: Yunti Hotel

Day 03   Yuanyang -- Jianshui (B/L/-)
We’ll visit Doyishu Village to enjoy the sight of terraced fields when the sun appears above the eastern horizon.  The terraced fields are ring upon ring and cascade one by one.  They go along the hillside up to the sky.  We will see the scenery of the terraced fields from the top of the mountains to the bottom.  They are all farms under the sunshine and cloud and mist.  The landscape is spectacular.  And then, we will visit Qingkou Village of Folklore where Hani people inhabit for generations.  After then, we’ll transfer to Jianshui.  On the way, we’ll visit the Swallow Cave.  It is named because there are more than ten thousands of swallows living in the cave; once they fly up, the scene just looks like a swallow river.  We may degust the food made of swallow nest.  We might also have a chance to see how people climb up to get the nest.  After arrival in Jianshui, we’ll visit the Old Jianshui City and the Chaoyang Gateway Tower, which was built in Ming Dynasty (1389).  It is also known as “Miniature Tian’anmen” because the out shape of it is similar to Tian’anmen Square in Beijing.  At last, we will visit a typical southern private garden –- the Garden of Family Zhu.
Overnight at: Jianshui Zhu’s Garden Hotel (****)

Day 04   Jianshui – Kunming (B/L/-)
In the morning, we will visit the Confucian Temple, which has a history of over 700 years.  It is the second largest Confucian Temple in China.  After that, we’ll visit Tuanshan Village and the Garden of Family Zhang.  Tuanshan Village is a rare surviving example of an intact-albeit neglected-traditional walled Yunnan village compound in southwestern China, and has been added to the 2005 list of internationally significant sites by the World Memorial Fund for Architecture (WMF), an international fund for the protection of world heritage sites.   And then, we’ll drive back to Kunming.  On the way, we’ll visit a Mongolian village called Xingmeng Township .   There are reputedly more than 5,000 Mongol descendents of Kublai Khan’s army garrison from when he came down to conquer the south.  Some of the army got left behind, who are now fishermen and blacksmiths.  They still retain some elements of their traditional dress, which obviously wasn't suited to the climate and was shortened and altered.
Overnight at: New Era Hotel (****)

Day 05   Kunming – Dali (B/L/D)
We’ll take a morning flight to Dali.  Dali, a historically and culturally famous city of China, is renowned for her historical interest. During the Tang and Song Dynasties, it was the capital of Nanzhao and Dali Kingdoms, the political, economic and cultural center of Yunnan, an important gateway of cultural exchange and trading with southeastern Asian countries, and an important pass of the ancient "Silk Route of the South".  It has long enjoyed the reputation of "a land of literature".  We’ll travel in the Erhai Lake by boat and visit Jinsuo Island.  After landing, we will head for Xizhou Town to fully appreciate Bai-style architecture, taste their fragrant three-course tea and explore their distinctive culture.  And then, we will visit the Three-pagoda Temple, which is a typical historical symbol of Yunnan.  It is also one of the oldest sublime architecture in South China.  At last, we will visit the Old Dali Town, which is located at the foot of Cangshan Mountain.  The Old Dali Town was built in the reign of Emperor Hongwu of Ming Dynasty (1382 AD), and it is one of the National Historic and Cultural Cities.  On the east, it faces Erhai Lake, back on Cangshan Mountain.  The city tower is a grand historical architecture.  There is a road going through the town, on each side of which people are selling marble products, Dali blue dyed cloth, grass handicraft products etc, and some special Dali flavor food as well.
Overnight at: Landscape Hotel (****)

Day 06   Dali -- Lijiang (B/L/-)
In the morning, we’ll embark on a scenic drive with Mt. Cangshan on one side and the Erhai Lake on the other, driving to Lijiang (“Beautiful River", a name given by Kublai Khan in 1254.).  We’ll head for the scenic Black Dragon Pool and the Dongba Museum to explore the rich Naxi minority culture.  Once passing the Waterwheel at the entrance of the Old Lijiang Town, we will find ourselves transported into a world of narrow cobblestone streets bordering canals of crystal clear freshly melted snow.  It has kept unchanged since the Ming Dynasty (A.D.1368—1644) when the town was founded.  Lijiang, possibly the best-preserved old town in China, is one of the last places in this country where we can witness and experience a historical, traditional, ancient urban culture.  Remarkably, the old houses with stone foundations, plastered whitewashed brick walls, red wooden doors, shutters and balconies, and sloping tiled roofs, survived a recent earthquake without much damage, while the new concrete buildings were flattened.  The canals are lined with weeping willows and decorative arched bridges linking one alley to the next.  After dinner, we will attend the concert of the ancient Naxi music in the evening.
Overnight at: Lijiang Yinxiang Gucheng Wenyuan Hotel (****)

Day 07   Lijiang (B/L/D)
We’ll visit Ganhaizi Meadow, Baishui River; visit the Maoniuping (Yak) Meadow in the Yulong Snow Mountain by chairlift.  The much famed mountain is situated some 15km north of Lijiang County, located in the southern section of the Hengduan (transversely faulted) Mountain ranges. With thirteen peaks resembling jade pillars holding the sky, it stands majestically on the east side of the Jinshajiang River. The main peak, Mount Fan (Shanzidou), is 5,596 m. above sea level, and is annually snowcapped. The summit's semblance to a crystalline jade dragon gives the mountain its name.  In the afternoon, we’ll stroll through Baisha Village, which is an enchanting traditional Yunnan village, and we’ll drive to visit Yufeng Lamasery.  And then, we’ll go to Xuesong Village and visit the former residence of Joseph Rock, famous Austian-American botanist and expert on Naxi culture.  At last, we’ll head for Huangshan Village where traditional Naxi people inhabit and we’ll take our dinner of local flavor at a Naxi home there.
Overnight at: Lijiang Yinxiang Gucheng Wenyuan Hotel (****)

Day 08   Lijiang – Tiger Leaping Gorge – Zhongdian (B/L/D)
From Lijiang, we’ll travel north by road into the mountains stopping at the First Bend of the Yangtze River.  The scenery is magnificent as the road running through the Lijiang valley which is filled with wheat fields and drying haystacks.  We will visit the Tiger Leaping Gorge, the deepest gorge in the world.  With 34 rapids of the Yangtze River, it is called the Jinsha in this area.  And the magnificent Tiger Leaping Gorge looks like that the mighty Yangtze has carved the world’s deepest chasm.  And then, we’ll head for Zhongdian.  Upon arrival in Zhongdian, we will have entered the Tibetan cultural area and a landscape of barley fields and yaks scattered in the valleys.    Towards evening we’ll take yak butter tea and take dinner at a house of a local Tibetan family at Trinye Village.
Overnight at: Gyaltang Dzong Hotel (****)

Day 09   Zhongdian (B/L/-)
In the morning, we’ll visit the Ganden Sumtseling Gompa, the largest Tibetan monastery in Yunnan.  The snow-covering peak combined with the chanting and incense from the Tibetan monasteries, we may be brought to the life of "Shangri-La" described in Hilton's Lost Horizon.  And afterwards we go and visit the tranquil Pudacuo National Park (Bita Lake and Shudu Lake).  These two high mountain lakes are surrounded by alpine meadows and wildflowers on one side with a temperate rain forest on the other.)  After having finished touring the park, we visit the Old Town of Zhongdian and the Public Hall of Zhongxin Town, which is located at the east foot of the Dagui Mountain, southeast of Zhongxin Town, and is one of the national key historical relics, where local Tibetans meet, discuss and chant scriptures.
Overnight at: Gyaltang Dzong Hotel (****)

Day 10   Zhongdian – Kunming (B/L/-)
We'll take a morning flight return to Kunming.  After having returned, we'll drive 15km to the Western Hills and visit Huating Temple which is one of the largest Buddhist temples in Kunming.  We'll catch a chairlift to skip the fairly steep ascent to the summit, and we'll reach the Dragon Gate that is a group of grottoes, sculptures, corridors, tunnels and pavilions that were hacked from the cliff between 1781 and 1853 by a Taoist monk and co-workers.
Overnight at: New Era Hotel (****)

Day 11   Kunming – Departure (B/-/-)
We'll spend some time exploring the bustling Flower and Bird Market before our farewell.  Our journey will conclude with our airport transfer.
Overnight at: N/A

Notes:
1. Inclusion
 Four-star hotel accommodation (twin occupancy) as listed in the itinerary; (Yuanyang’s Yunti Hotel is a 3-star one.)
 Meals as specified in the program; (B=breakfast, L=luncheon, D=dinner)
 Transfers and tours with English-speaking guide on the whole way;
 Air-conditioning sightseeing van;
 All entrance fees of the scenic spots and cultural activities in the itinerary;
 Service charge & government taxes;
 Domestic airfares, airport fees and fuel taxes (Kunming—Dali, Zhongdian—Kunming);

2. Exclusion
 Visa Fees;
 Excess baggage charges;
 Personal expenses, such as drinks, souvenirs and laundry;
 Any meal which is not specified with "B", "L", or "D";
 Single room supplement;
 Gratuities, tips to guides or drivers.

3. Hotel Brief
New Era Hotel, Kunming (4-star): http://www.erahotel.com/x-html/xjy.asp
Modern, centrally located, high comfort 4-star hotel with good facilities and breakfast. Comfortable rooms and convenient to shops and restaurants.
Yunti Hotel, Yuanyang (3-star):
Comfortable, the only one 3-star hotel in Yuanyang, near the rice terrace.
Zhu’s Garden Hotel (4-star):
Traditional Chinese architecture, a haven of peace and a trip back into the past.
Landscape Hotel, Dali (4-star): http://www.landscapehotel.com
Welcoming Bai people’s style hotel, centrally located at the center of the Old Dali Town. 4-star hotel with comfortable rooms and friendly staff.
Lijiang Yinxiang Gucheng Wenyuan Hotel (4-star): http://www.oldtown-hotel.cn/Web/Welcome.aspx
One of the best in this remote town. Naxi people style hotel. Great location in the old town with pleasant rooms.
Gyaltang Dzong Hotel (4-star): http://coloursofangsana.com/gyalthang
Boutique Tibetan style hotel surrounded by beautiful wild rugged countryside. Lovely colorful local décor and furnishings make this a cozy and unique place to stay.

4. Arrival/Departure
Your trip begins and ends in Kunming, Yunnan Province, China.  Arrivals may be at anytime on Day 1 and departures may be after the noon on Day 11.  Transfers will be provided both upon arrival on Day 1 from Kunming International Airport (KMG) and on Day 11 for your return flight.

5. About Your Other Domestic Flights
Contact DreamlandGo for the information about your other domestic flights.  Maybe we can obtain a better discount from airlines than you can.

6. Recommended Reading
Lost Horizon – James Hilton
Forgotten Kingdom – Peter Goullart
From Rice to Riches: A Personal Journey through a Changing China – Jane Hutcheon
Red China Blues: My Long March from Mao to Now – Jan Wong
China Wakes: The Struggle for the Soul of a Rising Power – Nicholas Kristoff and Sheryl Wudunn

7. Payment and Cancellation Policy
A deposit of 70% of the trip total is due 30 days prior to departure.  Final payment is due upon your arrival on Day 1.  Please see DreamlandGo Terms and Conditions.

8. A Responsible DreamlandGo
DreamlandGo practices a thorough, realistic Responsible Travel Policy, full details of which can be found in our website. Our policy includes a “Guide to Responsible Travel”, full of useful pointers which will make you a more “responsible” traveler in Yunnan.

 

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