This 7- day adventure school trip in Yunnan follows the route of Kunming – Lijiang – Zhongdian (Shangri-La). We offer a great opportunity to complement the existing curriculum, be equipped with knowledge and understanding of safety when having firsthand experience in hiking, cycling and so on. Teachers and students will gain great local knowledge with solid experience in outdoor activities, stay close to nature and learn a new lifestyle, have fun and learning invaluable skills for life. Join share with us the feeling of the wind and sunshine, the rain and thunder, the moonlight and morning dew.
General Information of China School Tour
Duration: 7 days
Start/ End: Kunming/ Kunming
Tour Route: Kunming – Lijiang – Zhongdian
Tour Type: Exploration and Experience
Tour Category: China School Tour
Tour Customizable: Absolutely! (Inform us)
Guide: Local Guide (Local Tour Guide)
Transportation: Private first-class air-conditioned vehicles
Accommodation: Listed below or equivalent.
Brief Itinerary
Day 1: Kunming Arrival (D)
Day 2: Kunming – Lijiang (B, L, D)
Day 3: Lijiang Cycling Tour (B, L, D)
Day 4: Lijiang (B, L, D)
Day 5: Lijiang – Tiger Leaping Gorge Hiking (B, L, D)
Day 6: Tiger Leaping Gorge – Zhongdian (Shangri-La) (B, L, D)
Day 7: Zhongdian – Kunming – Home (B)
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Kunming Arrival (D)
Upon your arrival at Kunming Airport, the tour guide will greet you and drive you to the downtown hotel. Check-in and enjoy a delicious welcome dinner. We will have a taste of “Crossing-over bridge rice noodles”. Yunnan famous for Crossing Bridge Rice Noodle is one of the top well-known dishes in Yunnan cuisine. The dish is served with a large bowl of boiling hot broth and the soup ingredients.
The rest time is at your leisure. Feel free to relax or go down the streets for a walk.
Day 2: Kunming – Lijiang (B, L, D)
Tour route: Stone Forest Park, Kunming City Tour
After breakfast, teachers and students will enjoy the Stone Forest Excursion. Through the maze of enormous stone pillars, you will be impressed by the beautiful views of all the most typical karst stone forest landforms in just one place. As the “First Wonder of the World”, this typical Stone Karst Geopark consists of 80 hectares of innumerable bizarre-shaped ancient limestone cliffs and peaks created by wind and water erosion some 270 million years ago.
In the afternoon, go for the city tour including Yuan Tong Temple. The temple, seated at the southern foot of Luofeng Shan (Luofeng hill), was built in the Tang dynasty with a history of over 1,000 years. It is the biggest temple in Kunming and is famed for its grand architecture and design.
Day 3: Lijiang Cycling Tour (B, L, D)
Activities: Tai Chi Class, Cycling, Dongba culture lecture
Arrive in Lijiang in the morning, meet our experienced tour guide in the railway station and transfer to the hotel. The Lijiang Old Town, a well-preserved old city of ethnic minorities with brilliant culture, was firstly built in the late Song Dynasty and the early Yuan Dynasty. It was put in the list of the World’s Relics by the World Cultural Heritage Commission of the UNESCO in 1997. We can walk down the cobblestone streets over 800 years and see the traditional way of life of the rugged mountain people of Nakhi (Naxi) Minority.
After breakfast, take a short drive to the Black Dragon Pool Park where will learn Tai Chi with the local teacher. Here is the perfect place to take a photo of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain with reflection in the Pond.
From here we will start with a breezy cycling tour on a paved road to explore Baisha Frescoes in the Baisha Village, where we will have the opportunity to get better acquainted with the Naxi people. If it is possible, we may attend a Dongba culture lecture at the Dongba Museum where we can taste national culture from the layout of its yard and building facilities. We will bike 30 minutes to Shuhe, which is an ancient trading post that once served a prominent role in supporting tea caravans between China and the Red Sea. At the end of the day, we may choose to leave our bikes with the luggage van and drive back to the hotel by car or bike back to the hotel directly.
Day 4: Lijiang (B, L, D)
Activities: Mu`s Palace, Farm Working, Self-Cooking Course
After breakfast, transfer to visit Mu Prince Residence. Get better known for the history of Lijiang. Before going to the next destination, buy fruit and vegetables as planned yourselves for dinner in a local market. Learn skills in communication. Then take the private bus to the Wenhai Village where you could experience the idyllic farm life, such as feeding pigs. Tonight you could learn to cook Chinese food and enjoy a self-cooked meal for dinner. Then back to Lijiang.
Mu`s Palace is the former residence of the Tusi Mu in Lijiang. Although the original buildings were damaged throughout the ups and downs of its long history. However, the World Bank recognized the value of the Mu’s Residence after an earthquake in 1996, then they made a heavy loan for its restoration. That the Mu’s Residence reappears in the world can be looked back on the image of a phoenix reborn from the ashes.
Wenhai Village: The unique climate and soil in this area nourished a variety of vegetative covers and plant species. You will be amazed at over twenty unique species of rhododendrons that bloom all four seasons. The village is also home to a variety of economically viable mushrooms and precious medicinal herbs.
Overnight in Lijiang.
Day 5: Lijiang – Tiger Leaping Gorge Hiking (B, L, D)
Activities: Yangtze River, Tiger Leaping Gorge Hiking
Drive to Tiger Leaping Gorge Town, with a panoramic view of the First Bend of Yangtze River on the way. Start hiking at the Upper Tiger Leaping Gorge, and then reach the Naxi Family Guesthouse where you could have lunch.
We will continue hiking up though the 28-Bend. This may be the hardest part of this trail before we reach the Tea Horse Guesthouse, but do not give up. Overnight at a local guesthouse. Useful information about Tiger Leaping Gorge: This place is also considered as one of the deepest river canyons in the world. It situated between Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and Haba Snow Mountain under steep 2000 meter cliffs. There is a legend about the canyon, they say that a tiger jumped across the river to escape from a hunter. That explains its name.
Day 6: Tiger Leaping Gorge – Zhongdian (Shangri-La) (B, L, D)
Activities: Thang-ga painting, Cycling to the Songzanlin Monastery
Today, teachers and students will get up early in the morning. Our tour route will start by trekking down to Tina’s Guesthouse, going though a high waterfall along the way. From that house, you will have the best view of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. After that, we transfer to Shangri-la. Once arriving in Shangri La, you will make way to the Tibetan cultural area and a landscape of barley fields. Take a stroll around Dukezong Ancient Town, which is an important town of the Ancient Tea-horse Trade Caravan. Admire the unique 7thcentury style of painting in the Tibetan area.
Next, teachers and students will ride to Songzanlin Monastery. This structure was built in 1679 and nowadays, it becomes the largest Tibetan Monastery in Yunnan. The local name is the “Lesser Potala” because it resembles the magnificent structure in Lhasa. Before it gets dark, we will escort you to the hotel. Relax and have a delicious dinner.
Day 7: Zhongdian – Kunming – Home (B)
Wake up and enjoy your last breakfast at the hotel. We gather at the meeting point and wait for transferring to Kunming, then take the next flight back home. The tour draws to an end. We wish you have the best experience in China and have a nice trip home.
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