Start in: Shanghai
End in: Shanghai
Special Experience: nature scenic view in Lijiang and Jiuzhaidou, Giant Panda Bear in Chengdu
Romantic China Southwest Natural Tour
Day-by-Day Itinerary
Day 1 Shanghai/Lijiang
Accommodations: Jiannanchun Hotel 
Sightseeing: Lijiang Ancient Town,Lion Hill
Transfer via: China domestic flight arranged by us
Upon your arrival at Lijiang County,"an UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site", our local guide will meet you and escort you to your hotel. In the afternoon, you will have an excursion to the Ancient Town and the Lion Hill.
- Lijiang Ancient Town: also called Dayan Town, built in the late Song dynasty and the early Yuan dynasty with a history of more than 800 years. This ancient town consists of clean streams flowing freely through the road network, the colorful cobbled streets, age-old swaying willow trees, age-old buildings and stone bridges. There are over 22 different ethnic minorities making Lijiang their home. Now and then you may see local folks in their own tradtional dress. Strolling around this charming ancient town, you will be attracted by the unique atmosphere and surprised by its ancient yet simple sense of "Harmony of Heaven and Man."
- Lion Hill: the name is derived from its resemblance of a lion playing a ball. The mountain is best known for its vast and green pines and cypresses planted mostly in Ming Dynasty with over 500 years old. From the Tower of Eternity (Wangoulou) on the top of the mountain, you can enjoy a bird's eye view of the ancient town and the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain far away.
Accommodations: Jiannanchun Hotel
Meals: B
Sightseeing: Jade Dragon Snow Mountain,Baisha Mural Paintings,Black Dragon Pool Park
Today, you will have a city tour to the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and the Baisha Mural Paintings, the Black Dragon Pool Park and Museum of Naxi Dongba Culture inside the park.
- Jade Dragon Snow Mountain: it is so called because it looks like a flying jade dragon from afar. The mountain consists of 13 peaks and sprawls 35 km from north to south. Its glacier is the closest to the equator in the Northern Hemisphere. By taking the cable car up to a certain height, you can enjoy the expansive mountains views and snowy scenery.
- Baisha Mural Paintings: located in Baisha Township, 8km north of Lijiang, there are altogether 53 groups of mural paintings in different temples with fine and smooth lines, bright colors,vivid patterns and harmonious composition. Painted from the early days of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) to the early Qing Dynasty (1644-1911),these mural paintings are an artistic representation of the different religious cultures such as Buddhism, Lamaism, Daoism and the Naxi Dongba religion.
- Black Dragon Pool Park: where you can see the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain from afar and the reflection of the mountain in the pool in a clear day. This park is the source of the water system of the Old Lijiang Town as the clean spring from Jade Dragon Snow Mountain gathers here.
Accommodations: Jiannanchun Hotel
Meals: B
Sightseeing: Shigu Village,First Bend of the Yangtze River,Tiger Leaping Gorge
After breakfast, you will visit the First Bend of the Yangtze River and Iron Chain Bridge in the Shigu (Stone Drum) Town, and then Tiger Leaping Gorge. Get back to Lijiang County afterwards.
- Shigu Village: The hypsography is very rugged in Shigu Village, Which is located on the opposite of the First Bend on the Yangtze River.
- First Bend of the Yangtze River: formed by the Yangtze River rushing down from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau with a sharp turn of 45 degrees at Shigu (Stone Drum) Town before the river continues running on to northeast.
- Tiger Leaping Gorge: This gorge is located 92 km north of Lijiang County, between peaks of over 3,000 meters above the Jinsha River (upper course of Yangtze River). The legend goes that tigers often leap to the other side of the river by a huge rock lying in the middle of the river at the entrance of the Gorge, hence the name. This 17-kilometer-long Gorge is honored as the deepest and one of the most marvelous gorges on the earth.
Accommodations: Golden Dragon
Meals: B
Transfer via: China domestic flight arranged by us
Free in the day until our local guide escorts you to the airport for your flight to your next destination--Kunming. Upon your arrival in Kunming, our local guide will meet you and escort you to hote. The rest of the day is at your own leisure.
Accommodations: Golden Dragon
Meals: B
Sightseeing: Stone Forest
Today, you will enjoy your trip to the Stone Forest which is about 90km to the south of Kunming.
- Stone Forest: a 270-million-year-old limestone karst formation of tightly bundled gray rocky outcrops, a natural wonder acknowledged as "World Karst Landscape Museum", the Stone Forest shows a variety of unique shapes, such as sword, mushrooms, tower, pillar and castle, representing the greatest miracle that nature can present to human beings.
Accommodations: Yinhe Dynasty Hotel
Meals: B
Sightseeing: West Hill and Dragon Gate,The bird and flower market
Transfer via: China domestic flight arranged by us
After breakfast, you will have a city tour including the West Hill and Dragon Gate, and the bird and flower market before your transfer to the airport for your flight to Chengdu. Upon your arrival at Chengdu airport, our local guide will meet you and escort you to your hotel. The rest of the day is free at your own leisure.
- West Hill and Dragon Gate: located by the Dian Lake, known as "Sleeping Beauty," it is a natural forest park in Kunming with a series of winding steps, tunnels, and statue-filled grottoes leading to the top. After taking the cable car up to the Cablecar Station, you can walk along the path in the mountain, and stop now and then to enjoy the beauty of the scenery: blue skies, green water with slow sailing fishing boats and so on.
- The bird and flower market: located in the old section of the city, it is a bustling market not just selling birds, flowers, but also jade, so-called "antiques", handicrafts and so on together with lots of food stands for local specialities.
Accommodations: Yinhe Dynasty Hotel
Meals: B
Sightseeing: Giant Panda Breeding Research Base,Du Fu's Thatched Roof Cottage, Wangjianglou Park
Today you will have a visit to the Giant Panda Breeding Research Base first, then Du Fu's Thatched Roof Cottage and Wangjiangluo park.
- Giant Panda Breeding Research Base: 18km from the city center, housing 12 pandas in natural environments: it is the best place to see Chengdu's most famous residents and you can get to know more about this precious species in the museum there.
- Du Fu's Thatched Roof Cottage: located on the side of the Flower Washing Brook in the western suburbs of Chengdu. It is the former residence of the celebrated Tang dynasty poet, Du Fu (712-770AD) who was born in Henan province. At the age of 20 he left his home to travel within China. He used to be an official for 10 years in Chang'an (present Xian), the capital of the Tang dynasty, and was captured by rebels after an uprising. He then fled to Chengdu where he built this humble cottage and stayed for about four years.
- Wangjianglou Park: Wangjianglou means River Viewing Tower. It is a lovely, historic place with forests of 100 varieties of bamboo. The tower overlooking the Jin River in the park is more than 30 meters tall and was once the symbol of Chengdu. The extremely splendid tower itself was built in memory of Xue Tao, a Tang Dynasty female poet who loved bamboo and wrote many poems here.
Accommodations: Jiuzhaigou hotel
Meals: B
Sightseeing: Huanglong Scenic Area
Transfer via: China domestic flight arranged by us
After breakfast, you will be transferred to the airport for your flight to Jiuzhaigou. After 40 minutes late, you will arrive at Jiuhuang airport where you will be met by our local guide. The excursion for today will be Huanglong Scenic Area-65km away from the airport which is about 1-hour drive through Mt. Xueshanliangzi at 4200m altitude. Drive to Jiuzhaigou Town 2000m altitude (128km, about 2.5-hour drive through Mt. Xueshanliangzi again) after the tour and overnight at Jiuzhaigou Town.
- Huanglong Scenic Area: Huanglong means Yellow Dragon. It is so called because of the legend that 4000 years ago a yellow dragon helped the King of the Xia Kingdom dredge the floodwater into the sea and create the Min River, and later a temple was built in memory of the yellow dragon. Edged by snow-capped peaks and glaciers, the Huanglong Valley is praised for its colorful limestone ponds of blue, yellow, white and green, and is full of waterfalls and hot springs, flowers and animals. You need to spend at least three to four hours here seeing one scenic spot after another by walking up on the planks for 4.2km: Yinbing Pond, Flying Waterfall, Body Washing Cave, Golden Sand on the Earth, Striving-for-Beauty Pond, Huanglong Temple, Huanglong Cave, Five-Colored Pond and so on. The climbing is from 3100m altitude at the bottom to 3600m altitude on the top.
Accommodations: Jiuzhaigou hotel
Meals: B
Sightseeing: Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area
Today, you will enjoy a tour to the fairland--Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area, the highest part is Long Lake at 3100m altitude. Take the tourist bus of the Scenic Area to the top part of Zechawa Valley, then walk down on the planks for 18km to appreciate the view along the way thoroughly before the lunch stop at NuoRiLang Restaurant, continue to walk down on the planks for 14km to tour Shuzheng Valley.
- Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area: located in Aba Autonomous Prefecture, Jiuzhaigou means "Nine Village Gully" due to the nine Tibetan villages scattered throughout the valley, it is famed for its jade green sea, layers of water falls, snow-covered peaks, the colorful forest and the folk lore of Tibetans. Listed by UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage, it is the home to rare animals and plants as well. The area opened for public consists of three valleys-Shuzheng, Rize and Zechawa in the shape of a "Y", where you can see Sparkling Lake, Shuzheng Waterfall, Promising Bright Bay Waterfall, Mirror Lake, Pearl Shoal Waterfall, Panda Lake, Long Lake, Five-Coloured Pool and so on, offering a dazzling view of natural beauty. The highest part is Long Lake at 3100m altitude. You can take the tourist bus of the Scenic Area to the top part, then walk down partly and take the bus down partly.
Accommodations: Jiuzhaigou hotel
Meals: B
Sightseeing: Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area
In the morning, take the tourist bus of the Scenic Area to the top part of Rize Valley-a Virgin Forest, then walk down on the planks for 18km to appreciate the view along the way before the lunch stop at NuoRiLang Restaurant, continue to walk down on the planks for 14km to tour Shuzheng Valley.
- Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area: located in Aba Autonomous Prefecture, Jiuzhaigou means "Nine Village Gully" due to the nine Tibetan villages scattered throughout the valley, it is famed for its jade green sea, layers of water falls, snow-covered peaks, the colorful forest and the folk lore of Tibetans. Listed by UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage, it is the home to rare animals and plants as well. The area opened for public consists of three valleys-Shuzheng, Rize and Zechawa in the shape of a "Y", where you can see Sparkling Lake, Shuzheng Waterfall, Promising Bright Bay Waterfall, Mirror Lake, Pearl Shoal Waterfall, Panda Lake, Long Lake, Five-Coloured Pool and so on, offering a dazzling view of natural beauty. The highest part is Long Lake at 3100m altitude. You can take the tourist bus of the Scenic Area to the top part, then walk down partly and take the bus down partly.
Meals: B
Transfer via: China domestic flight arranged by us
Free in the day until our local guide escorts you to the airport for your onward flight to your next destination--Shanghai. you need tranferd to Chengdu airport first and then fly to Shanghai.the rest of the time is free by your own.
China domestic flights as specified in the itinerary 
Accommodations for 10 nights, including
7 nights at four star or higher hotels, 3 nights at three star hotels
10 meals, including 10 full breakfasts, 0 lunches and 0 dinners
Round-trip transfers---between airports, hotels and scenic spots in each city by private air-conditioned motor coaches with experienced drivers
A local English-speaking guide in each city
Entrance fees to scenic spots listed in the itinerary
Luggage transfers between airports and hotels
China Life Tourist Accident/Casualty insurance
Government taxes and service charges except tips for tour guides and drivers
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- Bruce Alan Wallce,USA
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