Tibet Tours: Shangri la to Lhasa Explore Trip

from only $4,172

This enticing adventure takes you to explore the beautiful southwest of China. Commencing in colorful Kunming and then on to, Dali, Lijiang, Shangri-La and Holy Tibet. Driving from Shangri-la pass through Deqin, Bomi and Nyingchi, you will see exotic minority cultures as they live their daily lives. What are you waiting for? Come and taste this extraordinary part of China!

 

 

 

Day by day itinerary:

Day 1

Place & Transport: Arrive in Kunming, Flight not included
Today's Activities: Airport Transfer (Kunming), A Free CH cell phone package

 

Day 2

Place & Transport: Kunming
Today's Activities: The Stone Forest, Jiuxiang Caves
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch at Chinese Restaurant of Stone Forest Ashima Hotel

- The Stone Forest (2 hours): A fantastic natural phenomena located 90 km southeast of Kunming. The various shapes of karst landscape was formed due to the millions years movement of Earth. The Stone Forest area is the home of the Sani people, their folk customs has become one spectacular scene, the colorful embroidery and minority dances combine with the natural sceneries, which will surely leave you a deep impression.

- Jiuxiang Caves (2 hours): The Jiuxiang Caves are situated in Jiuxiang Township, about 70 kilometers from Kunming. There are more than one hundred karst caves in Jiuxiang scenic area. The caves at Jiuxiang are the largest cave group system in China. Inside the cave are many well-developed and wonderful stalactites and stalagmites, which look like pretty fairies welcoming their guests. Names have been given to them such as "Fairies Welcoming Guests", "Woman Weaver", and "The Fairy is coming out of bathing".

 

Day 3

Place & Transport: Kunming to Dali, Flight No. TBA
Today's Activities: Hotel to airport Transfer (Kunming), Airport Transfer (Dali), Ancient City of Dali, Cruise on the Erhai Lake, Houses of Bai People in Xizhou, ZhouCheng tie-dye family workshop
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch at Kaiyi's Kitchen

- Ancient City of Dali (1 hour): the Ancient City of Dali is 13 kilometers away from Xiaguan, Dali city, and is located at the foot of Cangshan Mountain. The Ancient City of Dali was built in the year Hongwu 15 of Ming Dynasty (1382AD).

- Cruise on the Erhai Lake (2 hours): The area around Lake Erhai is blessed with a mild climate and fertile land with forests containing valuable stocks of timber, medicinal herbs and rare animals. A cruise around the lake and its islands is an excellent way to explore the area and visit a working fishing village.

- Houses of Bai People in Xizhou (30 minutes): The Houses of Bai people in Xizhou are located in the Xizhou Town which is 16 kilometers away from the Ancient City of Dali. Xizhou is not only a famous historic city, but also a typical commercial town of Bai people. It is one of the cradles of National capitalism of Bai people, and a famous hometown to overseas Chinese in Yunnan.

 

Day 4

Place & Transport: Dali to Lijiang
Today's Activities: Our guide and driver will escort you from Dali to Lijiang, Wangu Tower, Lijiang Ancient Town
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch at No.8 Lv Xue Zhai Restaurant

- Lijiang Ancient Town (2 hours): It is situated in the middle area of the county, which is more than 2400 meters high above sea level. It enjoys beautiful scenes, an indeed famous city with long history and splendid culture, it is very rare in China that such well-preserved minority ancient city still exists. The old town is quite busy in the afternoon and evening with an active atmosphere of the lights and crowd. An early morning visit will be less crowded.

- Wangu Tower (1 hour): The landmark building of Lijiang ancient town--the Wangu building is located on the top of Lion Hill. This is the best pure wood building in the world, which is 33 meters high.

 

Day 5

Place & Transport: Lijiang
Today's Activities: Baisha Village(include the mural), The Jade Dragon Mountain (with Large Cable Car from Ganhaizi), The Black Dragon Pool
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch at Baisha Shiguang Restaurant

- Baisha Village(include the mural) (30 minutes): Baisha village is one of the Naxi Minority villages in Lijiang and is more special because of the collection of murals in the village. Painted over a thousand years ago, they combine the cultures of Han, Tibetan and Naxi people displaying the life stories of the Tibet Buddhism, Confucian and Taoism. The unique artistic style and precious historical content of the murals attract visitors from home and abroad.

- The Jade Dragon Mountain (with Large Cable Car from Ganhaizi) (3.5 hours): It's a snow capped mountain with an altitude of 5596 meters above sea level. The mountain has 13 peaks of which the highest is 18000 feet above sea level. Its high mountain and meadow views setting off the snow and rivers, construct amazing picture.

- The Black Dragon Pool (1.5 hours): The park holds the Black Dragon Pool and gets name because of it. The pool is listed in the Collections of Famous Pools of China because of its beauty.

 

Day 6

Place & Transport: Lijiang to Shangri la
Today's Activities: Our guide and driver will escort you from Lijiang to Shangri la, View the first bent of Yangtze River at The Stone Drum Town(Shigu Town), Tiger Leaping Gorge
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch

- View the first bent of Yangtze River at The Stone Drum Town(Shigu Town) (30 minutes): Stone Drum Town stands the base of the mountain flanking First Bay on the Yangtze River. This town derives its name from a white marble carved monument in the shape of a drum. It has a diameter of 15 m and is 0.7 m tall. This historically relevant stone monument was erected during one of the earliest periods of history of the Lijiang area.

- Tiger Leaping Gorge (1.5 hours): As one of the deepest and most marvelous gorges, Tiger Leaping Gorges are located in Hutiaoxia Town, 105 kilometers away from Zhongdian/Shangri-La County. Spring is the best time to visit, as melting snow flowing down from mountains makes the river turbulence at its peak.

 

Day 7

Place & Transport: Shangri la
Today's Activities: Pudacuo National Park, Songzanlin Lamasery
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch at Arro Khampa

- Pudacuo National Park (4 hours): Located near Shangri-La in China's Yunnan Province in southwest China, the Pudacuo National Park covers a total area of nearly 2,000 square kilometers. This park has an average altitude of 3,500 meters and retains a well-preserved ecosystem within the virgin forests. The must-see scenery in this park includes Lake Bita and Lake Shudu. “Bita” means “a place with a dense oak forest” in the Tibetan language and "Bitahai" means a quiet lake. The Bitahai Lake is surrounded by mountains covered with ancient pines, oaks and rhododendrons, and appears like an emerald in the heart of the mountain. Shudu Lake is located in northeast of Shangri-la and it is one of the largest fresh water lakes on the Diqing plateau. The lake is surrounded by a forest of fir, spruce and silver birch, and is home to lots of wild animals such as bears, golden cats, deer and pheasants.

- Songzanlin Lamasery (2 hours): The largest Tibetan Buddhist lamasery in Yunnan Province. Occupying an area of 33.3 hectares, Songzanlin was built in the style of Potala Palace in Lhasa and represents the Tibetan culture, the statue of Buddhists and many precious cultural treasures will leave you with unforgettable memory .

 

Day 8

Place & Transport: Shangri la to Deqin
Today's Activities: Gedan Eastern Grove Monastery and Feilaisi Monastery, Our guide and driver will escort you from Shangri la to Deqin
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch

- Gedan Eastern Grove Monastery and Feilaisi Monastery: Gedan Eastern Grove Monastery: It was built in 1667,also one of the "thirteen most well-known monasteries", and can hold 2,000 monks sitting and chanting scriptures . Feilaisi Monastery:Built in Ming Dynasty, located 10km away from Deqin County, it is one of the best place to view Meili Snow Mountain.

 

Day 9

Place & Transport: Deqin to Markham
Today's Activities: Our guide and driver will escort you from Deqin to Markham, Meili Snow Mountain, Mingyong Glaciers
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch, Chinese Dinner

- Meili Snow Mountain (1 hour): Meili Mountain has long been famous for its Kang Karpo Peak, which, at 6,740 meters above sea level, is Yunnan's tallest. Thirteen lesser peaks, each more than 6,000 meters above sea level, surrounds Kang Karpo Peak, which looks like it is being covered in gold as the sun rises in the east.

- Mingyong Glaciers (4 hours): One 12km-long glacier of Kawa Karpo Peak covering from 5500m high down to an altitude of 2700m into the forest in winter, a glacier of this size is rarely seen at such low altitude.The mountain and glacier has been a pilgrimage site for Tibetan Buddhists for thousands of years.

 

Day 10

Place & Transport: Markham to Basu
Today's Activities: Our guide and driver will escort you from Markham to Basu
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch, Chinese Dinner

 

Day 11

Place & Transport: Basu to Pomi to Nyingchi
Today's Activities: Our guide and driver will escort you from Basu to Pomi, Rawok Lake, Overlook The Namjagbarwa Peak, Overlook The Midui Glacier, Our guide and driver will escort you from Pomi to Nyingchi, Lulang Forest Area
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch, Chinese Dinner, Chinese Lunch, Chinese Dinner

- Rawok Lake (2 hours): The Ranwu Lake, the largest in southeast of Tibet, is in the Village of Ran about 90 km from the Baiba Town neighboring the Nyingchi Prefecture.

- Overlook The Namjagbarwa Peak: In Tibetan, Namjagbarwa means a "long lance piercing into the sky." The sky-scraping Namjagbarwa Peak, with its majestic appearance, precipitous shape and unpredictable climate, has was an ambitious aim of mountain-climbing organizations from various countries for many years.

- Overlook The Midui Glacier: Ranked as "One of Top Six Most Beautiful Show Caves in China" by China National Geography Magazine, Midui Glacier is located in is located in Yupu Town, about l 00 kilometers east of the Bomi County in Nyingchi Prefecture, Tibet. Its altitude is from 2,400 meters to 6,800 meters and it has snow and ice all year round.

 

Day 12

Place & Transport: Nyingchi to Lhasa
Today's Activities: Basomtso, The Gigantic Cypress Wood in Nyingchi, Our guide and driver will escort you from Nyingchi to Lhasa
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch

- Basomtso (2.5 hours): Covering 26 square kilometers (10 square miles), the pristine waters of the green lake reflect the picturesque snow-capped peaks surrounding the lake.Basomtso lies in the Cuogao Village Gongbujiangda County, Nyingchi.

- The Gigantic Cypress Wood in Nyingchi (2 hours): The giant cypress wood is in the valley of the lower reaches of the Yaluzhangbu River and the Niyang River at the latitude of 3,000 to 3,400 meters. In the Giant Cypress Nature Reserve of the Bajie Township, there scatter hundreds of such huge cypresses only seen in Tibet, which are noted for their huge tree crowns and upright trunks.

 

Day 13

Place & Transport: Lhasa
Today's Activities: Barkhor Street, Jokhang Temple, Potala Palace
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch at Kechu Hotel

- the Potala Palace: perched upon the marpo ri hill, 130 meters above the lhasa valley, it is the greatest monumental structure in Tibet.

we kindly suggest you take taxi to the top of the palace which costs about 10 and then walk down after your visiting.

- the Jokhang Temple: the jokhang is the most celebrated temple in Tibet. because the temple is not controlled by a particular sect of Tibetan buddhism it attracts adherents of all the sects as well as followers of bon-po, Tibet's indigenous religion.

- Barkhor Street: the barkhor is the oldest street in lhasa as well as the center of old lhasa and remains very traditional. it is a place where Tibetan culture, economy, religion and arts are assembled.

 

Day14

Place & Transport: Lhasa
Today's Activities: Norbulingka, Sera Monastery, Tibet Museum
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch at Lhasa Kitchen

- sera monastery: it is known as one of the three greatest monasteries of Tibet.
it costs 15 to take a taxi to go, however, you can bargain with the taxi driver.

- trupeng monastery: it is one of the biggest monasteries in Tibet.

- norbulingka: norbulingka means "jeweled garden". it was constructed as a summer palace for the dalai lama and later served the whole governmental administration.

- Tibet Museum (2.5 hours): An attractive modern building in Tibetan style, there’s a wonderful variety and quality of items on display here illustrating the rich history, traditions and customs of Tibet, both ancient and modern. Audio commentary is available.

 

Day 15

Place & Transport: Depart Lhasa, Flight not included
Today's Activities: Hotel to airport Transfer (Lhasa)
Meals: Breakfast

Serivce ends.

tour price:

Your Group Size	Tourist class	Single room supplement
1 person	$ 7,473
2-5 persons	$ 4,172	660
6-9 persons	$ 3,274	660
hotels in this tour	Lhasa	shangbala hotel