Memorable Tour in Yunnan

Welcome to Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province. Kunming has always enjoyed the fame of “Spring City” because of the temperate climate. Your wonderful 7-day tour will start here. Our guide, holding your name sign, will be waiting for you at the airport arrival hall. After meeting you, we will drive you to the hotel. And you can have a good rest.

As the capital of Yunnan Province, Kunming is known as “the City of Eternal Spring” for its pleasant weather and good scenery that flowers bloom all year long. With a history of over 2,400 years, it was the gateway to the well-known Ancient Tea Horse Road which had facilitated trade with Sichuan, India, Tibet, Myanmar, and so on. Now, it is the political, economic, and cultural center of Yunnan Province as well as the most popular and attractive tourist destination in southwest China.

Option: If you want a VIP airport pick-up service, please contact us in advance. We can prepare flowers for you at the airport. We can arrange any car you want to pick you up, such as Mercedes Benz, BMW, Maybach, Ferrari, Bentley, etc. If necessary, we can arrange wine and snacks for you in the car. No matter what kind of VIP service you want, we will help you achieve it.

Today, your journey will start. You will feel comfortable here because of the temperate climate. First, we will drive for about 70 minutes and nearly 80 KM to visit the well-known Stone Forest which is located in Shilin Yi Autonomous County in Kunming. The forest covers an area of 1,100 square kilometers. It is a national 5A tourist attraction and has been rated as “World Geopark” and “World Natural Heritage scenery” by UNESCO. It is the only karst scenic spot in the subtropical plateau area in the world, known as “the most spectacular attraction in the world” and “Stone Forest Museum”, which was formed about 270 million years ago. It has developed through long geological evolution and complex paleogeographical environment changes to form the extremely precious geological relics. It covers all kinds of types of karst landforms on the earth. All the types of the stone forests at other countries in the world can be found here, such as stone forests in Malaysia, stone forests in the Americas, and stone forests in Africa. Although the height difference here is fewer than 500 meters from highest point to lowest point, there are rich landforms you can see such as peak clusters, karst hills, karst caves , as well as karst lakes and waterfalls. 

Lunch will be in a local restaurant. After lunch, we will drive for about 90 minutes and nearly 90 KM from Stone Forest to visit Yuantong Temple first. Located on Yuantong Street in the urban area of Kunming, Yuantong Temple is one of the oldest Buddhist temples in Kunming. It is also the largest temple in Kunming with a history of more than 1,200 years. It was built in 765 of the Nanzhao Period (738 - 937) and was originally named Potalaka Temple (Putuoluo Temple). Yuantong Temple is composed of Buddhist temples of three major Buddhist sects including Mahayana Buddhism (also known as Northern Buddhism), Theravada Buddhism (commonly known as Hinayana Buddhism), and Tibetan Buddhism (also known as Lamaism), with Mahayana Buddhism as the main one. Here, you do not have to go to many places to get a sweeping view of the temples of the three major Buddhist sects.

After that, we will go to Kunming Green Lake Park, which is situated in the center of Kunming and facing Yunnan University. The park is also called “Nine Dragon Pond”. There is a spring in the northeast of the lake and the water is from nine holes and it is said that nine dragons lived in the nine holes, and that’s why it is so named, Nine Dragon Pond. It covers an area of 21 hectares, of which the Green Lake itself is about 15 hectares. It is one of the most famous and beautiful parks in Kunming city. Divided by the two causeways, Ruan Causeway and Tang Causeway, the park has five main sections — Bamboo Forest Islet (Zhu Lin Dao) in the northwest, Goldfish Islet (Jin Yu Dao) in the southeast, Palm Garden (Zong Lv Dao) in the southwest, Mid-lake Islet (Hu Xin Dao) in the center and the Mid-sea Pavilion (Hai Xin Ting) in the west. With lucid water and lush trees, the lake enjoys the reputation of “jade in the city”. If you like taking photos, it is the best choice for you. Here, you do not even need a filter. Nature is the best filter. 

Tips:

1. You would better wear mountaineering shoes or jogging shoes because there are many stone steps, and there will be a lot of walk.

2. The terrain and the routes are very complicated here. So don’t go to far away from your guide, in case you get lost alone.

3. Wear sunglasses on sunny days to protect your eyes.

Yuantong Temple

Kunming Green Lake Park

This morning after checking out from your hotel, you will visit the Kunming Flower and Bird Market which is in the center of Kunming city. Walking on the street, you will see many kinds of shops and stores, especially those featuring birds, flowers, and fish. Here, you can hear a lot of bird songs from parrots, thrushes, mynahs, and cuckoos, most of which are for sale. Apart from these, the market is also a popular trading place for antiques, such as ink stones, porcelains, potteries, jade, jewelry, and so on. Here, you can even bargain with sellers for reasonable prices if you want to buy something.

Your Kunming tour is about to end now. And then you will be transferred to the train station and take an estimated train C8317 14:26/16:01 to Jianshui. After your arrival, your local guide in Jianshui will transfer you to the hotel.

Located on the north bank of the Red River in the south of Yunnan Province, Jianshui County covers an area of 3,789 square kilometers. Han, Yi, Hui, Hani, Dai, Miao, and other minority nationalities are living here. It is listed as a famous historical and cultural city and a key scenic area in China.

Kunming Flower and Bird Market

Jianshui

After having breakfast, we will go to see the Jianshui Ancient Town, which is one of the famous historic and cultural towns of China. The ancient town, built in the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907), has a history of more than 1,200 years. It was the political, economic, and cultural center of Southern Yunnan in the Yuan (1271 - 1368), Ming (1368 - 1644), and Qing (1644 - 1912) Dynasties. There are more than 50 well-preserved ancient buildings in it, so it is also called the “Museum of Ancient Buildings and Residential Houses”. Jianshui Ancient Town remains the traditional style of the original town in the Ming Dynasty, which boasts many brick walls and a gate tower. Besides ancient buildings, there is a famous course in Jiangshui, Roast Tofu. The Roast Tofu here was selected by the famous food program “A Bite of China” on CCTV(China Central Television). If you like tofu, you must have a try.

Then, you will visit Confucius Temple. Built in 1285, the temple has a history of more than 700 years. After more than 50 times of expansion and renovation, it covers an area of 76,000 square meters. It is one of the largest Confucian temples in China and is a key cultural relic site under state protection. The most attractive place of Confucius Temple is undoubtedly Dacheng Hall, which is the main building of the temple. There are many plaques and statues, most of which were inscribed by emperors of past dynasties and the portraits are celebrities who have contributed to the promotion of Confucian culture. Here, you can trace the profound and significant culture of Confucianism under the interpretation of our knowledgeable tour guide.

Lunch will be provided in a local restaurant. In the afternoon, we will visit the Zhu Family Garden, which is also known as “the Grand View Garden in Southwest China”. It is a huge residential complex built by the local billionaire family of Zhu in the late 19th century with an area of more than 20,000 square meters. It is a typical traditional residential building in Jianshui. The garden is a precious historical and cultural heritage of Jianshui in architecture for the combination of Han architectural art and local minority architectural art. There is a famous TV series called Zhu Jia Hua Yuan, which is named after Zhu Family Garden(Hua Yuan means Garden in Chinese), with Chinese famous actors Chen Kun and Hao Lei as leading roles. It tells the stories that happened in the Zhu Family Garden. If you are interested in it, you can watch it to help you learn more about Zhu Family Garden and the story behind it.

Jianshui Ancient Town

Confucius Temple

It is time to say goodbye to Jianshui. We will pick you up from your hotel, and then drive for about two hours to Yuanyang County. Yuanyang County is about 80 kilometers south of Jianshui County. After arriving, you will check in at the Hotel.  

Yuanyang County is one of the counties under the jurisdiction of Honghe Prefecture in Yunnan Province. The county is located in the south of Yunnan Province, covering an area of about 2,200 square kilometers. It covers 74 kilometers from east to west and 55 kilometers from north to south. The county is dominated by terraced fields, which is the core area of Honghe Hani terraced fields. In addition, it is one of the important producing areas of tropical fruits, Yunwu Tea, and gold in Yunnan Province.

After checking in at the hotel, you can go to the local restaurant to have lunch by yourself. You will have a free afternoon. If you are tired, you can have a rest in the hotel. If not, you can stroll around and experience the life of the local people. There is a supermarket nearby, and you can go shopping there to buy things you need. We will go to watch the sunrise in the second morning, so you would better sleep early tonight. Hope you have a nice night!

Free Time Suggestion: If you have no idea what to do, you could go to a local market to have a look at local people’s bustling life which is full of life and vitality. People here are almost of minority nationalities. You can ask your guide for advice about the market. They wear their unique and attractive costumes and ornaments, some even with a bamboo-weaved basket on their back for carrying the baby. The people there are friendly. You can learn about their habits, customs, and living conditions through close contacts.

This morning, we need to get up early to the Duoyishu Rice Terraces to watch the sunrise. The temperature is relatively low in the morning, so please wear warm clothes to avoid catching a cold.

Yuanyang is famous for its terraces. In fact, to make a living, local people have to create cultivated land because of the poor terrain. Among them, the Duoyishu Rice Terraces are the wonders of farming civilization invented by the people of some ethnic groups, dominated by the Hani, utilizing the local geographical and climatic conditions. Duoyishu Rice Terrace is located in Duoyishu Village, Yuanyang, with an altitude of 1,900 meters. The terraces are the photographer’s favorite place because this is the best place to watch the sunrise. The terraces here are surrounded by clouds and mist all year round. It is said that every morning the viewing platform here is crowded with people, and there is no place to put a tripod when you are late. So please meet your guide on time in the morning, your guide will try to take you to avoid the crowd.

After lunch, we will head to Jingkou Hani Ethnic Village to enjoy the beautiful idyllic scenery. Qingkou Hani Ethnic Village is a village inhabited by a single Hani ethnic group just as its name shows. It is located in the core area of Honghe Hani Terraces Scenic Area, featuring the typical landscape of the Hani village, which integrates mountain forests, streams, villages, and terraces. In the village, there is an exhibition hall for the production and living facilities and utensils as well as the scene of terracing. In addition, there are two clear springs, namely “Bailong Spring” and “Longevity Spring”. It is said that sterile women will have children after drinking the water from the “Bailong Spring” and can live a hundred years after drinking the water from the “Longevity Spring”. If you want to know whether it is true or not, you can have a try. After finishing the visit, we will drive back to Yuanyang hotel.

Duoyishu Rice Terraces

Jingkou Hani Ethnic Village

After that, we will transfer you to the Kunming airport or train station for your next destination. The whole trip takes around 4 hours, and please tell your guide about your train or flight schedule in advance, then she or he can arrange accordingly.

We hope you have a nice journey and look forward to serving you next time!

Author: Wang Chen

Proofreader: Summer Hou