10 days 9 nights
Specific Tour
14 people
English
Quick answer
A 10-day private Yunnan tour from Kunming and the Stone Forest to Dali, Lijiang and Shangri-La. High-speed trains link the first three stops, with a scenic road through Tiger Leaping Gorge and a short flight back to Kunming.
From US$1,400 per person for the whole tour, as an indicative price for a small private group in 4★ hotels. It changes with group size, hotel level and season, and is confirmed in your tailor-made quote.
| Day | Route and highlights | Overnight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arrive in Kunming | Kunming |
| 2 | The Stone Forest | Kunming |
| 3 | Train to Dali, the Three Pagodas and the old town | Dali |
| 4 | Erhai Lake, Xizhou and Zhoucheng | Dali |
| 5 | Train to Lijiang and the old town | Lijiang |
| 6 | Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and Baisha | Lijiang |
| 7 | Tiger Leaping Gorge to Shangri-La | Shangri-La |
| 8 | Songzanlin Monastery and Dukezong Old Town | Shangri-La |
| 9 | Pudacuo National Park and fly to Kunming | Kunming |
| 10 | Depart Kunming | — |
Private tour with your own English-speaking guide · 10 days / 9 nights · Kunming – Stone Forest – Dali – Erhai Lake – Lijiang – Tiger Leaping Gorge – Shangri-La
This Yunnan private tour follows the old tea and horse route north from Kunming into the foothills of the Himalaya. Yunnan is China's most varied province, home to more than twenty ethnic groups, and each stop on this trip has its own architecture, food and festivals. You start in Kunming, the mild-weather capital known as the City of Eternal Spring, with a day among the limestone pinnacles of the Stone Forest.
Modern high-speed trains then carry you to Dali, where the Bai people live between Erhai Lake and the Cangshan mountains, and on to Lijiang, a UNESCO-listed old town of canals, cobbled lanes and Naxi wooden houses. A cable car takes you up to the meadows of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, and the road to Shangri-La passes the dramatic cliffs of Tiger Leaping Gorge.
The last stop is Shangri-La, on the Tibetan plateau at about 3,300 meters, for Songzanlin Monastery and the lakes of Pudacuo National Park. A short flight brings you back to Kunming for your journey home or onward to Vietnam.
Moderate. Walking is mostly on the flat in old towns, with some steps at the Stone Forest, Tiger Leaping Gorge and Songzanlin. The road day from Lijiang to Shangri-La takes about four to five hours with stops. Shangri-La sits at about 3,300 meters and Jade Dragon Snow Mountain's meadows are higher, so travelers with heart or breathing conditions should check with their doctor. Suits families with children over 10 and fit older travelers.
Nine nights at 4-star level: a 4-star hotel in Kunming, a 4-star boutique hotel in or near Dali Old Town, a 4-star courtyard-style hotel in Lijiang and a 4-star hotel in Shangri-La. 5-star options are available in Lijiang and Shangri-La.
March to May and September to November are the best months, with dry, clear days and comfortable temperatures. Rhododendrons bloom in spring, and autumn brings golden grassland around Shangri-La. June to August is the rainy season, with greener scenery but cloud on the mountains. Winter is sunny in Kunming and Dali but cold in Lijiang and freezing at night in Shangri-La.
Your guide and driver are yours alone for the whole trip, so the pace, the stops and the start time each morning follow you. The standard version has an English-speaking guide; guides who speak French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Hebrew, Arabic, Chinese or Vietnamese can be arranged on request.
More ideas: All private tours in China · China's Great Landscapes: Zhangjiajie, Guilin and Yangshuo in 10 Days · Classic China: Beijing, Xi'an, Guilin and Shanghai in 12 Days · China Essentials: Beijing, Xi'an and Shanghai in 8 Days
Photos: CEphoto, Uwe Aranas, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; mattbuck (category), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Ngguls, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Ngguls, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Fong Chen, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; CEphoto, Uwe Aranas, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; CEphoto, Uwe Aranas, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Chensiyuan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Fong Chen, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Yunnan Discovery: Kunming, Dali, Lijiang and Shangri-La in 10 Days is a starting point. Our Hanoi travel designers adjust every day to your pace, interests and hotel style, then run the trip with your own guide and driver.
Your guide meets you at Kunming Changshui airport and takes you by private car to your hotel. Kunming sits at almost 1,900 meters and has mild weather all year. In the late afternoon, take an easy walk around Green Lake Park, where local people gather to dance, sing and play cards, and through the old streets nearby. Your guide will go over the plan for the trip and suggest where to try crossing-the-bridge noodles, the city's best-known dish.
Overnight: Kunming
Drive about 90 minutes southeast of Kunming to the Stone Forest at Shilin, a maze of tall limestone pinnacles formed over 270 million years. Paths lead between the rocks to small lakes and viewpoints, and your guide will share the legends of the local Sani people, including the story of Ashima, a girl said to have turned into stone. After lunch nearby, return to Kunming for a free afternoon or a visit to the Yunnan Provincial Museum.
Overnight: Kunming · Meals: B, L
Take the high-speed train from Kunming to Dali, about two hours. Your Dali guide meets you at the station. Start at the Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple, whose tallest tower dates from the 9th century, set against the Cangshan mountains. Then walk into Dali Old Town, with its stone gates, small shops and Bai-style houses with white walls and painted eaves. Check in to your hotel and spend the evening exploring the lanes at your own pace.
Overnight: Dali · Meals: B
Spend the day along the western shore of Erhai Lake. In Xizhou, an old trading village of the Bai people, visit a family courtyard house and the morning market, and try a local baba flatbread. Nearby Zhoucheng is known for its blue-and-white tie-dye cloth, and you can watch the process in a small workshop. In the afternoon, cycle a quiet stretch of the lakeshore path, or follow it by car, before returning to Dali.
Overnight: Dali · Meals: B, L
Take the morning train north to Lijiang, about 90 minutes. After checking in, walk to Black Dragon Pool, where on clear days the white peaks of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain are reflected in the water. Then explore Lijiang Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage site of canals, stone bridges and wooden houses built by the Naxi people. Climb to Lion Hill for a view over the tiled roofs, and enjoy the lanes as the lanterns come on in the evening.
Overnight: Lijiang · Meals: B
Drive about 45 minutes to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. A cable car takes you up to one of the high meadows on its slopes, chosen on the day according to weather and your comfort with altitude, for close views of the peaks and glaciers. Below, visit Blue Moon Valley, where turquoise pools step down the valley. In the afternoon, stop at Baisha, a quiet Naxi village known for its Ming-era murals, and return via the old town of Shuhe.
Overnight: Lijiang · Meals: B, L
Drive northwest along the Jinsha River, the upper Yangtze, to Tiger Leaping Gorge. Walk down the path at the upper gorge to a viewing platform beside the rapids, where the river squeezes between cliffs that rise thousands of meters above. Continue climbing onto the Tibetan plateau to Shangri-La, about four to five hours in total with stops. Take the rest of the day easy to adjust to the altitude, with a short evening walk if you feel well.
Overnight: Shangri-La · Meals: B, L
Visit Songzanlin Monastery, founded in the 17th century and home to several hundred monks. Its golden roofs rise up a hillside above a small lake, and your guide will explain the Tibetan Buddhist traditions practiced in its halls. In the afternoon, walk through Dukezong Old Town, once a stop on the tea and horse route to Tibet, and up to Guishan Park, where visitors turn one of the largest prayer wheels in the world. Dinner is free to choose.
Overnight: Shangri-La · Meals: B, L
In the morning, visit Pudacuo National Park, a protected area of forests, meadows and lakes. Eco buses and wooden boardwalks take you around Shudu Lake, where yaks graze on the shore and the air is clear and still. After lunch, transfer to Diqing airport for the short flight back to Kunming, about one hour. Your driver meets you and takes you to your hotel for a relaxed final evening in the city.
Overnight: Kunming · Meals: B, L
Enjoy breakfast and some free time before your driver takes you to Kunming Changshui airport for your onward flight. If you would like to continue into Vietnam, the high-speed train from Kunming to the border at Hekou, followed by the short crossing to Lao Cai and the drive to Sapa, makes an easy link. Ask us about joining this trip to a northern Vietnam itinerary.
Meals: B
Most travelers manage well with an easy first day in Shangri-La. The town is at about 3,300 meters and the meadows on Jade Dragon Snow Mountain are higher, so we keep exertion low, and your guide can adjust the cable car choice on the day. If you have heart or lung conditions, please check with your doctor before booking.
Yes. The trains are short, the old towns are easy to walk, and activities such as cycling by Erhai Lake and the tie-dye workshop keep younger travelers busy.
Yes. From Kunming a high-speed train runs to Hekou on the border, and from Lao Cai it is about an hour by road to Sapa. See our Yunnan and northern Vietnam itinerary for a full route.
Yes. This is a private tour with your own English-speaking guide. We also arrange private guides who speak French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Hebrew, Arabic, Chinese or Vietnamese: tell us when you enquire and we confirm your guide in the quote. Book early for the busiest seasons, such as spring and autumn.
Nothing is payable until you approve your written quote. We then ask for a 30% deposit to confirm, and the balance 45 days before arrival, by bank transfer or card. Bank details come with your booking confirmation; always confirm them with us by phone or WhatsApp (+84 812 247 572) before any transfer.
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