4 Day Lijiang Tour

On arrival into Lijiang Sanyi International Airport, a dedicated tour guide will meet you outside the baggage claim area and transfer you to the heart of Lijiang Ancient Town, a UNESCO-listed town with a history dating back more than 800 years. Feel the vibrant, enduring spirit of the multi-cultural mix of people, individual ethnic characteristics expressed in building design and decoration, as you tread the stone streets and quaint bridges and explore shops, cafes and cultural artefacts in this ancient trading hub.

Picturesque scenery awaits at Black Dragon Pond Park, where temples, towers, pavilions and stone tablets from past ages reflect mirror-like in the pond against the backdrop of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. Gain an understanding of the local Nakhi minority culture at the Dongba Culture Museum, where more than 12,000 cultural relics are on display.
At the end of the day, you will be transferred to the pre-booked hotel for check-in.

Meals included: None

After the breakfast, you will be driven to the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, the holy mountain in Nakhi culture, renowned for its spectacular setting of peaks, plateaus, glaciers, frozen waterfalls and forests. Travel by shuttle bus to reach an area where you will be entertained by the great show, Impression Lijiang, directed by Zhangyimou, the famous and talented director of the 2008 Olympics Opening and Closing Ceremonies. The show is performed at the outdoor theater against the backdrop of the Jade White Snow Mountain, by about 400 locals of 10 ethnic groups and 100 horses. Unsophisticated local people reproduce the traditional culture of Nakhi with sincerity, offering tourists a memorable experience of an ancient culture and civilization.

A cable car will take you to the Spruce Plateau, a vast lawn hidden by a primitive spruce forest, shrouded in lingering mists. Savor this fairyland of stunning natural beauty of spruces, plateaus, pines, and clouds and the fascinating views of the surrounding snow-capped mountain ranges. From a distance, Snow Mountain appears like a giant white dragon nestled in the clouds, which is how it was given its name.

Arriving at Baisha Village there is much to admire in the distinctive cultural characteristics, precious historical artifacts and especially the unique Baisha Murals. Different religions appear in the same wall painting, including Buddhism, Taoism and even Lamaism, indicative of an important cultural relic in the study of Chinese history of arts and religion. After the day’s tour, you will be returned to the hotel in Lijiang.

Meals included: Breakfast

Set off for a 3-hour (100 kilometers) drive on freeway to Tiger Leaping Gorge. Along the way, first stop is at the First Bend of Yangtze River, where the headwaters of the Yangtze River take a sharp ninety degree turn towards northeast slowing its pace. In a broader area, the river flows quietly through the picturesque scenery framed with overlapping peaks, terraced fields and local villages.

In the afternoon, continue exploring at Tiger Leaping Gorge, formed by the convergence of steep vertical ridges on opposite banks rising more than 3900 meters, forcing the flowing waters of the Jinsha River into a narrow gap, causing thunderous whirlpools and dangerous rushing waters. From well-paved pathways you can observe, hear and feel the spectacle of fast waters rushing and slamming into large rocks, or you can stand up close on the viewing deck to gaze at the torrents roaring between mountains.

On the way back to Lijiang, you’ll have an opportunity to admire the mysterious stone tablet with Sanskrit verses at Zhiyun Lamasery. Built in the ninth year of the reign of Emperor Yongzheng in 1727, the Lamasery is renowned for its mysterious legends, enchanting landscape and colorful blend of architectural and artistic characteristics from the Han, Tibet, Bai and Nakhi minorities. Gracing the courtyard you will find five ancient trees planted two or three hundred years ago that enhance the spirit of the buildings on a beautiful site overlooking the lake.
At the end of the tour you will be transferred back to the hotel.

Meals included: Breakfast

After breakfast, drive to Shuhe Ancient Town, an important trading village on the ancient Tea Horse Road. Charming and authentic Shuhe retains quite a laid-back vibe. Wandering around, you can enjoy the quiet cobbled alleyways, old stone bridges as well as slow paced lifestyle of the Nakhi people, undisturbed by the throngs of tourists. In the center of the town is Sifang Street, a lively market square surrounded by all sorts of shops with quaint wooden facades, reminders of thriving trade in past eras.

Afterwards, your guide and driver will escort you to the airport or the train station for your departure to the next destination.

Meals included: Breakfast