Guide to Yunnan Province Attractions

Yunnan Province Attractions

Red Soil Dongchuan

dongchuan is the best place to go if you have a chance to be kunming.

"You can not leave Lijiang without seeing it." So do people say about the Show set at the foot of the Jade Dragon Snow Mt., called Impression Lijiang. With the beautiful sky and the Snow Mountain.as natural backgroud, the show sets outdoor, and it goes on eve...

To many people, it's probably not due to the big name of the director, who also directed the Opening Ceremony of Olypic Games in 2008. The stars in this show though, are the actors and actresses, who acts with thier souls and hearts. Non of them are proffessional. They are all local boys and girls picked by Zhnagyimou from the villages around. The show mainly tells about the drinking, marriage culture among the moutain tribes, and the hard stories along the Tea Horse Caravan Trail which was mainly for bringing Pu'er tea from the southern Yunnan up to Tibet.

No electric light, not much color. All is very simple and natural, yet so powful and impressive. This is the charm of the people, and this is the real Yunnan.

From the chairman Mao Square, take bus No. 7, to the final destination on the Snow Mt..

Luoping Nine-dragon Waterfalls

It's amazing that about 10 falls take shaped within 4 kilometers.

Xiaozhongdian flower sea

June to october is a nice season to see wild flower in xiaozhongdian, shangrila. You can also see Tibetan village, Yaks and other animals. xiaozhongdian is on the way to shangrila from Lijiang. if you are traveling by road in this season, you will not miss it.

Nu River first Bend

Nujiang through Yunnan Gongshan the County Bingzhongluo Township Dan village near due to the the Wang Qing large cliff cliffs barrier, the river flows from north to south, out of more than 300 meters from east to west instead was Danlamountains blocking the path, had to once again turn around Sharp from west to east, formed a semicircle in Grand Bay, Nujiang first Beach. Bay Centre, a village called Hom barrels village river altitude of 1710 meters, magnificent, Bay Nujiang platform is flat and wide, 500 meters above the Nu River, constitute a peninsula surrounded by water like small plains.Small plain surrounded by scenery and pleasant, and every slack season or the holidays, people will be here boating slip, Duige dance, Hom called barrel Village, Canyon Taoyuan, everywhere rural scenery·

Napa Lake Nature Reserve Area

Napa Lake is a seasonal lake. in raining season(from Jun-Sep) streams from snow mountain around made it a beautiful lake.and in dry season it becoming a wetland. paradise for the Local animals and wild birds. Nice farmland and Tibetan villages around made it more charming.
Under a blue Tibetan sky ,Snow mountains and villages around the lake, Yaks are grazing at grassland close to the lake with bell on their necks ringing from time to time and the wild birds seems cooperating with the sound and dancing......

shuhe old town

Lijiang Shuhe old town

Shuhe old town is one of three old town in lijiang, they are baisha old town, shuhe old town and dayan old town, the three old town consist the old town of lijiang, old town of lijiang is 800 years old, it was put into the world cultural heritage list 1997 by UNESCO. shu he has the most beautiful canal in lijiang, you will made to know why water is the spirit of old town when you are walking around here.

Compared with lijiang dayan old town, shu he is less crowded and it is the right place for people who are looking for queit and relaxation atmostphere. here you can easily find a nice bar near the canal.

pudacuo national park

Luoping Duoyi River

Duoyihe River is located in the southeast of Luoping County. She is called as the mother river of Buyi people.

Yuanyang Rice Terraces

Yuanyang County (yuán yáng xiàn 元阳县) is located in Honghe Prefecture (hóng hé zhōu 红河州), Yunnan province (yún nán shěng 云南省), China. It is well known for its spectacular rice-paddy terracing. It covers an area of 2200 square kilometres and has a population of approximately 365,000 (2002), of whic...

Geography
Yuanyang county lies at an altitude ranging from 140 along the Red River up to nearly 3000 metres above sea level in the Ailao mountains (āi láo shān 哀牢山) and is situated about 50 km north of the border with Vietnam.

The climate of Yuanyang county is mainly central sub-tropical monsoon with wet summers and dry winters. Average temperatures range from 26 Celsius down in the Red river valley to 4 Celsius in the upper reaches of the mountains.

Due to recent highway construction, Old Yuanyang can now be reached in about 7 hours by direct bus from Yunnan's capital Kunming (kūn míng 昆明), situated 300 km to the north of the county, a trip which only a few years ago, would take 10 hours or more. Buses also connect Yuanyang with the town of Hekou (hé kǒu 河口) and the border crossing with Vietnam (6 hours).

Vertical distribution of the various ethnic minority groups

The Hani (hā nízú 哈尼族) and Yi (yí zú 彝族), the creators of the monumental rice terraced mountains which have made Yuanyang famous, are the original inhabitants of these regions. Both their languages belong to the Tibeto-Burman group. Their villages can mainly be found between 1300 to 1600 metres above sea level.

The Dai (dǎi zú 傣族) moved here 700 years ago. The Zhuang (zhuàng zú 壮族) 400 years ago. Both their languages belong to the Kradai language group. Their villages are situated in the warmer areas below 700 metres elevation, near and along the rivers. Their main crop is rice grow in paddy fields.

The Miao (miáo zú 苗族) and Yao (yáo zú 瑶族) (of the Hmong-Mien language group) are fairly recent arrivals to the region, only settling here 200 and 270 years ago. Their villages are in the cooler and drier upland areas, between 1600 and 1800 metres above sea level, where they grow maize.

Travel in Yunnan

Vertical distribution of the various ethnic minority groups
The Hani (hā nízú 哈尼族) and Yi (yí zú 彝族), the creators of the monumental rice terraced mountains which have made Yuanyang famous, are the original inhabitants of these regions. Both their languages belong to the Tibeto-Burman group. Their villages can mainly be found between 1300 to 1600 metres above sea level.

Photographers and Chinese tourists flock here in droves to watch sunrises and sunsets turn the terraces into pools of gold, red and silver. Even in poor weather they can be breathtaking. Fog rolling into the terraced valleys leaves hill-top villages the only things visible, and the effect can be dramatic, like islands floating in the clouds.

There are three buses daily from Kunming to Yuanyang (Y90, 6½hrs, 10.40am, 7.30pm, 8pm). Other destinations include Hekou (Y37, four hours) and Gejiu (gè jiù 个旧) (Y22, one hour).

Getting there & away
Buses from Xinjie (xīn jiē 新街) back to Kunming leave at 10.12am, 5pm and 9pm. Or, you can forge on to Xishuangbanna (xī shuāng bǎn nà 西双版纳). At the time of research, there were no direct buses to Jinghong (jǐng hóng, 景洪). To get there, take the 7.30am bus to Luchun (lǜ chūn 绿春) (Y25, four hours), there you’ll have wait to get the Jiangcheng (jiāng chéng 江城) bus at 4pm (Y31, five hours). By the time you arrive, there’ll be now more buses but you can stay at the hotel attached to the bus station which has cheap rooms (dm/d Y10/60). Buses to Jǐnghóng (Y50, 8½ hours) start running at 6am.

Yunnan Province Articles

Short intro of Liming

Li ming in Chinese means the early morning lights,it is one of the most amazing rare national park in Lijiang .the park covers about 1085 square kilometers .the elevation start from 2100 m to 4515 m.its right next to Golden sand river which is also know as the Yangzi .on the...

The main ethnic group lives here are the black Lisu<there is 3 kinds of Lisu ,they are the white Lisu ,the flower Lisu and the black LIsu> who are famous for their sword ladder festival which is the most important festival for them , what they do it ,they make a ladder about 5 meters long and put real sword on each step ,before they climb up the ladder ,they cross a line of burn wooden fire with bare foot then with no protection whatsoever they climb up the ladder without any cut after all ,both man and woman love to climb the sword ladder ,and they believe its the god in heaven protect them .

Besides the Black Lisu there are Naxi ,Bai,Pumi,Yi live in Liming ,most of the Lisu can speak Naxi too as Lijiang is a Naxi territory .

Lisu are also very generous towards their own people ,family ,friends in the village love to share food ,drinks togather even in the times when food and other things are quiet short .they live today with dance ,laugh,music and will think of tommorw when tommorw comes .some of other ethnic group think of them rather silly and too generous .

Lisu man in Liming are born to be excellent rock climbers .they use a piece of wood as shape like a small stick and push it into the rock ,when the wood is in the rock ,it opens up ,with no other tools help ,they climb up to the top to some caves up high to get the wild honey .when I was there to see the height of the rock , I really admire these amazing people who lives here ,they are truelly the children of the mighty rock mountains .I have great respect towards them .

What makes Lisu people interested are their believes ,they had been converted into Christianity back in the 19th century by the France missionarys first .the first foreigner came to Liming was a English missionary 200 years ago ,who also bought with him the first Apple tree with his mission .before his time no Lisu knew what a apple was ,some local told me the apple tree he planted back then is still growing somewhere on the hillside .today when you visit Liming you will see lots of old apple orchard waving in the wind on these wonderful hills .

When i was hiking there often I would just walk into someone s hut and ask them can i join them for a home cooked meal ,most people would welcome me with a big smile , I love this place as it reminded me of the perfect balance between people and nature ,cause there are not many people living here and they all look so wild ,both the nature ,the people who live in it and even the animals they keep look so free and wild .

Magic is the word for this wonderland and I hope whoever goes there will travel with a bright heart and a free spirit .

Four seasons Scenery around Lijiang

Because of the monsoon climate, there is a dry season and a rainy season in lijiang, dry season (November to April), rainy season(May to October), here is different scenery in different seasons.

Shangri-La Tiger Leaping Gorge

Shangri-La Shangri-La County in southeastern Tiger Leaping Gorge is located in between, across the Haba snow mountain and Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, 96 kilometers from the county seat, is the first Yangtze River Grand canyon. A total length of 20 km, the narrow river is only 20 meters, the average flow of 1800 cubic meters / sec, is 213 meters, and the gap at the end of the elevation 3900 meters, is a world-class hiking mecca. Tiger Leaping Gorge is 20 kilometers in length, height of 213 meters, is divided into three sections, the tiger jumped in, under the tiger gorge, a total of 18 dangerous shoals. The narrow river is only 30 meters. At an altitude of 1800 meters, the elevation 3900 meters, deep canyon in the world ranking.

Tickets: 60 yuan

Traffic: 1 in Lijiang Metro bus terminal to buy a bus ticket to the bridge, very convenient, you can go to Tiger Leaping Gorge.

The bus about 20 yuan, takes 2-3 hours.

2, if is not the right time you can buy in Zhongdian car, a few yuan, and get off the bridge and into. Chartered (Changan star, 7, 30/ person), take 2 hours.

, 3 from the Tiger Leaping Gorge to the town of Tiger Leaping Gorge, about 12 kilometers, in town to rent a car or take a taxi to go, the fare of about 20 yuan to 30 yuan. General tourists or tourist group were only able to swim on the Tiger Leaping Gorge

4 if you want to go to the tiger jumped the best

4 Tiger Leaping Gorge from the Lijiang Naxi Autonomous County, the county 60 kilometers, the canyon in the upper reaches of the Jinsha River, a total length of 18 kilometers, is divided into upper section, the tiger jumped in, under the tiger jumped three, circuitous road 25 kilometers. If things go well in the two days will be able to complete.

Tiger Leaping Gorge accommodation: Spring Inn, price: 80 yuan, address: Tiger Leaping Gorge Shangri-La County town of Yongsheng village Hetaoyuan, Tel: 0887-820 2223, the boss is American, say English

Top Yunnan Province Tours

$300 Per Day

12 Days Shangri-la Featured Ethnic Culture Tour

Day 01 Arrive in Kunming
Arrive in Kunming. Be met at the airport then transferred to your hotel. Free at leisure for the rest of the day.

Day 02 Kunming

Sightseeing: West Hill and Dragon Gate / Grand View Pavilion

Day 01 Arrive in Kunming
Arrive in Kunming. Be met at the airport then transferred to your hotel. Free at leisure for the rest of the day.

Day 02 Kunming

Sightseeing: West Hill and Dragon Gate / Grand View Pavilion

Depart from your hotel in the morning to visit the West Hill and Dragon Gate, which is totally cut on a natural precipice, with an elevation of 2,500 meters, 8 kilometers west of Kunming city. The Dragon Gate is the highest temple on the West Hill. It is famous for its spectacular view. Climbing up the winding old stone stairs leading to the natural cliff-top platform, passing through an archway on which is inscribed "Longmen" (Dragon s Gate), many inscriptions and stiles are found here and there. You will have a birds-eye-view of Kunming city and the Dianchi Lake.
After having lunch at a nice local restaurant, we will visit the Grand View Tower, which located 7 kilometers west of Kunming, at the lakeshore of Dianchi Lake. The Grand View Pavilion was built in 1682, by a Buddhist monk named Qianyin. But it had been in disarray, destroyed and restored several times because of the dynastic changes and the civil wars. Decorated with flying eaves and splendid paintings, the present-day pavilion is a square, three-storied pavilion established in 1883. It is famous for the longest antithetical couplet in China, this couplet of 180 characters is one of the most valued cultural treasures in Yunnan Province. It provides a spectacular view across sparkling Dtanchi Lake to the distant Western Hills.

Day 03 Kunming Dali

Sightseeing: Three Pagodas / Butterfly Spring / Xizhou Village / Ancient Dali town

Depart from your hotel after breakfast. Take the morning flight to Dali. Then visit the Three Pagodas. The Three Pagodas consist of one big pagoda and two small ones. They arise on the Mt. Cangshan slope overlooking the Erhai Lake, known as Chongsheng San Ta in Chinese, meaning the Three Pagodas of Saintly Worship. These outstanding landmarks of the region were once part of the greatest temple complex on the Dali plain. Pagodas are among the most ubiquitous structures throughout the Buddhist world. They are representation of the ancient architectural and cultural arts of the Bai Ethnic Group.
Then visit the Butterfly Spring, which situated at the foot of Yunlong Peak of the Cangshan Mountain, 27 km south of the Dali Old Town. Butterfly Spring is surrounded by ancient camphor trees. In spring when the trees put forth fragrant flowers, thousands of different types of butterflies flutter among the branches and over the spring water forming a dazzling "Kingdom of Butterflies". The phenomenon dates back to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 A.D).
After having lunch, visit the Xizhou Village. Xizhou Village locates 18 kilometers north of Dali, faces Erhai on the east.It grew and flourished in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) along with the fortunes of Dali renowned tea merchants that traded to Tibet. It is not only a historically famous city but also a typical commercial center of Bai Ethnic Nationality. It is now a "must" for the travelers. You can enjoy lovely ethical clothes, fairylike programs, decorative architectures, gifted garden parties and wonderful handicrafts there.
Finally, visit Ancient Dali town, which Located at the foot of the Cangshan Mountain and the west side of the Erhai Lake. Ancient Dali town was set up in 1382 A.D during the Ming Dynasty as the capital of the Dali kingdom. At present, only the south and north gate towers remain standing. There are well-preserved traditional houses of the Bai Ethnic Group people. Walking in the city, you will enjoy many historical relics, ancient buildings and rich minority customs, such as the "Foreigners Street", the ancient Yuxi School, tea houses, antique shops, Chinese and Western restaurants.

Day 04 Dali-Lijiang via van

Sightseeing: Lijiang ancient town / Black Dragon Pool

Be met at your hotel and transferred to Lijiang. Arrive in Lijiang, visit Lijiang ancient town. With a history of more than 800 years, covering an area of 3.8 square kilometers, Lijiang ancient town, also named Dayan (Big Ink Slab) Town, is a well-preserved old city. As a result of the combination of the multinational brilliant culture and the progress of Naxi ethnic minority, the buildings in the town incorporate the best parts of the architectural traits of Han, Bai, and Tibet into a unique Naxi style. In 1997, this old town was put on the list of the world cultural heritages.
After lunch at a local restaurant, visit Black Dragon Pool. The pool is listed in the Collections of Famous Pools of China because of its beauty.

Day 05 Lijiang

Sightseeing: Yak Meadow / Yufeng Temple / Baisha Frescos

Today will be your full day tour in Lijiang. Depart from your hotel after breakfast. Visit Yak Plateau (Maoniuping). With an area of 16.6 square kilometers, the Yak Plateau is located at the middle of Jade Dragon Snow Mountains. The beautiful natural scenery there is an important part of the mountain. Looking around the snow mountain, you would feel your soul is distilled with those white clouds high above the blue sky. You will not only see many yaks on the plateau, but also horses and donkeys.
Then visit Yufeng Temple, which was built in the Qing Dynasty and famous for camellias in the temple.
After that, visit Baisha Frescoes. There are some invaluable frescoes stored and preserved and displayed in some venerable temples located in Lijiang old Town. Among of that, the Baisha Frescoes are the best. Most of the frescoes were created from early Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 A.D) to the early Qing Dynasty (1644-1911A.D) when those beautiful temples were built. These fresco paintings are very special and reflect the different religious cultures and artistic forms of Buddhism, Lamaism, Taoism and the Naxi Dongba religion. They are the artistic representations of economic development, mutual acculturation of multinational culture, and the growth of religions.

Day 06 Lijiang - Shangrila via van

Sightseeing: Tiger Leaping Gorge / Stone Drum / First Bend of the Yangtze River

After an early breakfast, we set off for Tiger Leaping Gorge. With a drop of 3,000 meters, Tiger Leaping Gorge is believed to be one of the world´s deepest canyons. The torrential Jinsha River, roaring and crashing over grotesque shaped rocks, produces a thrilling and stirring sight here. According to local legend, the gorge acquired its name because, at its narrowest point (90 feet), a tiger once leaped over the swirling waters.
We will then head to The First Bend of the Yangtze River. About 70 kilometers (44miles) from Lijiang city, on the north side of the highway leading from Dali to Lijiang, locates the ancient town named Stone Drum Town. It is here, the Yangtze River to make a sudden V-shaped bend and flow to the northeast. This extraordinary turn, nearly180-degrees, creates beautiful and marvelous views that startle the imagination. This bend is called the First Bend of the Yangtze River. It has been of strategic importance since ancient times. Many famous historical events happened here.
Today we take bus to Shangrila. Upon your arrival in Shangrila, our tour guide will help you to check in the hotel.

Day 07 Shangrila

Sightseeing: Bita Sea, Napa Sea, Songzanlin Lamasery and Tibetan family

We will spend the day touring around the city, including visits to Bita Sea, Napa Sea, Songzanlin Lamasery and Tibetan family.

-Bita Sea is situated about 32 kilometers (about 19.9 miles) away from Shangri-La County (Shangrila) and covers an area of 166 hectares. It is an intact natural attraction with various species of flora and fauna and picturesque landscapes.

-Napa Sea, also called Yila Prairie, is a lake in rain season, while grassland in other season. In the autumn, thousands of sheep, horses and yaks scatters on the grasslands. It just likes a necklace broken on the lawn. It is the habitat of about 150 black neck cranes. The total number of black neck cranes is around 1000 in the whole world.

-Songzanlin Lamasery or "Little Potala" as it is affectionately known, is a spiritual hub for people to discover the mystery and traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. Located at the foot of Mt. Foping, faces a vast grassland that used to be smothered by a lake, the Songzanlin Monastery is the largest and the most important Lamasery of Tibetan Buddhism in Yunnan province, as well as one of the 13 large lamaseries in the joint area of Tibet, Sichuan and Yunnan.

In the afternoon, you will visit Tibetan families, to see the daily life of Tibetan, and to taste Tibetan Tea with snacks. Then you will be transferred back to your hotel and feel free at leisure for the rest of the day.

Day 08 Shangrila Kunming

Sightseeing: Stone Forest

Depart from your after your breakfast. Take morning flight back to Kunming. Then take full day tour to Stone Forest. The Stone Forest is in Lunan Yi Nationality Autonomous County, which is about 120 kilometers (75 miles) from Kunming. It covers an area of 400 square kilometers (96,000 acres). It has long been one of the most famous scenic spots in China, at least since the Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644 A.D. The Stone Forest is divided into several scenic areas with names like Greater Stone Forest, Lesser Stone forest, Outer Stone Forest, Underground Stone Forest, Stone Forest Lake, and Da Dieshui Fall. The Stone Forest was formed by karst two million to thirty million years ago. It contains peaks, pillars, stalagmites, depressions, underground rivers, and caves. The fantastic stone pinnacles rising abruptly from the ground resemble a huge, dense forest.

Day 09 Kunming Gulin

Sightseeing: Guilin- Elephant Trunk Hill / Reed Flute Cave

Free at leisure until to be transferred to the airport for your flight to Gulin. Upon Arriving at Guilin, be met and transferred to your hotel with private vehicle and tour guide. After checking in the hotel, have private city tours to the Reed Flute Cave, which known as "the Palace of Natural Arts" where you can see beautiful stalactites & stalagmites,learn how they are formed. Then visit Elephant Trunk Hill. The hill located at the conjunction of the Li River & the Peach Blossom River, the whole hill looks very much like a giant elephant with a long trunk, it is the symbol of Guilin city.

Day 10 Gulin

Sightseeing: Li River Cruise

Depart from your hotel in the morning and be transferred to the Zhujiang Pier (about 1 hour drive) for a 4.5 hours wonderful Li River Cruise. You will enjoy the picturesque mountains, peaceful green fields, farms and villages with water buffaloes, cows wondering around on both sides of the river bank. You will have lunch aboard. Disembark at the one-thousand-year-old town Yangshuo in the afternoon.

Free at leisure to explore the old town after check in the hotel in Yangshuo.

Day 11 Yangshuo

Sightseeing: Ancient Banyan tree Park / Moon Hill

In the morning, we start early this morning (or biking via country road) through the countryside with rice paddies to visit the Ancient Banyan tree Park and the Moon Hill, you may also climb 890 steps up to the moon hill to see the beautiful scenery.

Day 12 Depart Gulin for next city

Be transferred back to Guilin or to the airport straightly in the afternoon.

$2000 Per Day

guiding a U.S couple 6days

Here is your itinerary according to your latest travel information:
1/11 arriving Dali at 07:02, pick up from Dali train station, transfer to hotel in Dali old town, visit Xizhou village morning market, see cormorant fishing performance, view Three Pagoda, overnight in Dali
2/11 travel to Shaxi, visit Shiboshan Temple and Shaxi old town, stay in Shaxi
3/11 travel to Lijiang, visit Lijiang old town and local market, stay in Lijiang old town
or
3/11 visit Jade Dragon snow mountain, see Impression Lijiang show, stay in Lijiang old town
4/11 travel to Tiger Leaping Gorge for hiking, stay in Tea Horse GH
5/11 Tiger Leaping Gorge hiking to Tina's GH, travel to Shangrila, stay in Shangrila
6/11 visit SongZhanLin Tibetan monastery, Naba Lake and Tibetan village, transfer to Deqin airport for flight 22:00 to Kunming

$157 Per Day

Lijiang highlights tour

Day 1 Take direct flight to Lijiang, or transfer from Kunming to Lijiang. Day 2 Tour around the Old Town, including the Sifang Square, Lion Hill and Zhongyi fruit and vegetable market; Black Dragon Pool; Luch in beautiful leisure Shuhe Old Town, then drive 1/2 hrs to Lashi Lake for horse riding around Naxi villages and boating on the peaceful lake. Dinner in a Naxi family. For culture lovers, you may check out the Naxi Antient Music Concert at 8pm.. Mr. Xuanke, the conductor of the band, who stayed 29 years in prison as a high scholar in last century, has amazing stories sharing with you. Day 3 Drive 40 kms to the Jade Dragon Snow Mt., watch the show Impression Lijiang, which is something you can not miss coming to this area ( 70 munites long). Then take cable car to the Glacier Park ( altitude at 4500 meters), or Yak Meadow ( 3800 meters high), or Spruce Meadow ( 3300 meters high); Blue Moon Valley, where the water is naturally blue and green; Yufeng Lama Temple and Baisha Fresco on the way back. In Lijiang, 10 percent of population is Tibetan. Tibetan Buddhism came to Lijiang and Naxi people in 700 A.D.. Day 4 Drive 2.5 hrs to Tiger Leaping Gorge. Due to your health and energy level, we can either go to the Middle Tiger Leaping Gorge, which is the most beautiful part, or just the normal tour spots for 2 hrs walking along the river. Drive back to Lijiang. Day 5 Take a morning flight to your next destination.

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