Yunnan: From Snow-Capped Peaks to Tropical Rainforests

Tour Highlights

• One province, four worlds: alpine lakes, Tibetan plateau, ancient tea mountains and tropical rainforest
• Erhai Lake's ecological corridor by electric sightseeing vehicle, with a scenic photography session, and Dali Old Town's historic lanes
• Xizhou's preserved Bai houses, the traditional Three-Course Tea ceremony, and hands-on tie-dye in Zhoucheng
• Shaxi, the former trading stop on the Tea Horse Road, with its stone bridges and Sideng Street
• Tiger Leaping Gorge, Songzanlin Monastery and Pudacuo National Park around Shangri-La
• Lugu Lake by traditional wooden boat to Liwubi Island, and an introduction to Mosuo community traditions
• The UNESCO-listed Cultural Landscape of Old Tea Forests of the Jingmai Mountain, and an introduction to Pu'er tea
• Wild Elephant Valley by scenic cableway, Dai Buddhist heritage at Zongfo Temple and Manting Park, and Xishuangbanna's Starlight Night Market

Itinerary at a Glance

1. Day 1: Australia – Kunming — Depart Australia and travel via a connecting city to Kunming, Yunnan's capital, affectionately known as the City of Eternal Spring. On arrival, our local representative meets you and transfers you to
2. Day 2: Kunming – Dali — Leave Kunming for Dali, set between the Cangshan Mountains and the broad waters of Erhai Lake. Travel the Erhai ecological corridor by electric sightseeing vehicle, passing villages, wetlands and lake
3. Day 3: Dali – Xizhou – Shaxi – Lijiang — Xizhou is known for its beautifully preserved Bai-style houses and rural setting: the morning includes the Bai people's traditional Three-Course Tea ceremony with cultural performances, then tie-dye i
4. Day 4: Lijiang – Tiger Leaping Gorge – Shangri-La — Follow the Jinsha River into Tiger Leaping Gorge, where rushing water cuts between towering ranges — an escalator assists with access to the viewing area. The road then climbs to Shangri-La for Songza
5. Day 5: Shangri-La – Pudacuo – Napa Lake – Lijiang — Explore Pudacuo National Park by park shuttle: high-altitude woodland, alpine lakes and open meadows whose moods change with the seasons, from wildflowers to autumn colour to winter stillness. The ret
6. Day 6: Lijiang at leisure — A full day to discover Lijiang independently — the old town's canals and courtyards, a café with the mountain air, or simply an unhurried morning. The optional excursion runs to Jade Dragon Snow Mount
7. Day 7: Lijiang – Lugu Lake — Journey through mountain country to Lugu Lake, renowned for its clear water and the Mosuo communities who live around its shores. A panoramic viewpoint stops the coach first, then a traditional wooden
8. Day 8: Lugu Lake – Dali — The morning visits the Caohai wetlands and the Walking Marriage Bridge, with an introduction to Mosuo family structures and customs presented in a respectful cultural context, beyond the popular legen
9. Day 9: Dali – Kunming — The road back to Kunming stops at a jade centre for an introduction to local stone craftsmanship. In the city, the Dianchi waterfront and the Daguan area show Kunming's lakeside face, and Kunming Old
10. Day 10: Kunming – Pu'er — Head south as the highland scenery gives way to warmer tea-growing country. The route crosses the Tropic of Cancer region and stops at Nakeli, a former Tea Horse Road settlement whose cobbled lanes an
11. Day 11: Pu'er – Laodabao – Jingmai Mountain — Laodabao, a Lahu village known for its musical traditions and strong sense of community, opens the day. Then it is into tea-growing country for an introduction to Pu'er tea — its cultivation, pressing
12. Day 12: Jingmai Mountain – Xishuangbanna — Weather permitting, the morning starts early in the mountain atmosphere of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Cultural Landscape of Old Tea Forests of the Jingmai Mountain, where tea cultivation has bee
13. Day 13: Xishuangbanna: tea gardens, rainforest and night market — The extensive tea plantations of Dadugang come first, then Wild Elephant Valley, where a scenic cableway offers a different perspective on the tropical forest — sightings of wild Asian elephants are n
14. Day 14: Xishuangbanna: Dai heritage — The day traces the region's cultural history through a jade-processing centre, a museum or exhibition relating to the educated-youth history of the region, and a latex-product centre. Later, the richl
15. Day 15: Xishuangbanna – Australia — Free time until your airport transfer, then the flight home via a connecting city — taking with you memories of mountain lakes, historic towns, living traditions and tropical landscapes.
16. Day 16: Arriving home in Australia — Arrive home, bringing your Yunnan journey — from the snow-capped peaks of the north-west to the rainforests of the south — to a close.

What's Included

• Return economy-class international airfares from Australia, including applicable airline taxes
• Sydney and Melbourne departures at the advertised fare; Brisbane and Adelaide add $400, Perth $600 per person
• Fourteen hotel nights in the listed Ctrip 5-Diamond, 5-star and 4-star properties or similar, twin share
• Daily breakfast
• Ten regionally themed lunches as shown in the itinerary, including Chuxiong-style, Xizhou-style and Tibetan-style lunches
• Private air-conditioned touring vehicle throughout
• Sightseeing admissions, local transfers and park shuttles as detailed