After breakfast, the driver will take you to visit the houses of the Bai village: Xizhou Village. You can visit typical Bai traditional architecture [Yan’s House] and taste the local refreshments named Xizhou Baba (traditional Bai people’s pancake).

Later, you will go to Zhoucheng, the hometown of Bai Tie-Dying. You can follow the teacher to learn the process of making tie-dying handicrafts. From then on, you can make a special souvenir for yourself.

Then you can take a bike sightseeing around Erhai Lake. It’s a preferable way for tourists to see the landscape of Erhai Lake.

Distance：200KM

Driving Time： Around 2.5-3 Hrs

Accommodation： Boutique Hotels

Meal: Breakfast and recommended local cuisine

Welcome to the [Jade water village] which is under the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. As the holiest mountain for Naxi people, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain is a real paradise for you to see the unique landscape from far away. The Jade Water Village is the water origin of Lijiang. Besides the wonderful natural scenes, you can also learn about Dongba culture, which is an important part of the Naxi culture.

After lunch, we will visit [Yu Hu], the first and the oldest Naxi Village when Naxi people first settle down at Lijiang, you will see some unique houses, built with unique rocks called: Monkey Heads, which make this village look the same as the old times. The famous botanist Dr. Rock came here to study the local plants and culture, he stayed at Yuhu for 27 years and he is the first western scholar to introduce Lijiang’s ethnic culture to the world. You can visit his house in the village, now is a museum.

On your way back to Lijiang, we will go to [Shu He]. Shu He is part of Lijiang Ancient town, you can walk along the old street to enjoy the quaint city scenery and local handicrafts.

Distance: Around 60 KM

Driving Time: Around 1.5 hrs

Accommodations: Boutique Hotels

Meal: Breakfast and recommended local cuisine

Shangri-La in the Tibetan language means “the sun and the moon in the heart” and “Paradise” in English. It also means “a place of idyllic beauty” and represents a state of mind and a dream of people – the yearning for simplicity, honesty, and harmony. Shangr-La is full of magnificent scenic attractions such as snow-covered mountains, deep valleys, great rivers, highland lakes, meadows, unique buildings, and virgin forests. In the morning, we will go to [Pudacuo National park]. As the first national park in mainland of China, Pudacuo is located in the central part of the Three Parallel River World Heritage Zone, with a total area of 1,000 square kilometers. The park abounds in both natural and ethnic cultural resources. As an important wetland park, the park is characterized by biological diversity, complex biological structure, and splendid scenery.

Later, we will go to [Songzanlin Lamasery]. This is really worth visiting as one of the unique buildings. The Songzanlin Lamasery is the largest Tibetan Buddhist lamasery in Yunnan as well as one of the 13 famous Lamaist monasteries in Tibetan regions.

Distance: Around 500KM

Driving Time: Around 5 hrs

Accommodations: Boutique Hotels

Meal: Breakfast and recommended local cuisine

[Stone Forest] is 78 kilometers away from downtown Kunming. The Stone Forest is located in the Shilin Yi Autonomous County in the southeast of Kunming. The Stone Forest is a fantastic natural phenomenon. The Stone Forest is the Karst landform located in the sub-tropical area of the world. The total size of the Stone Forest is 100 square kilometers. Despite the various shapes of limestone formed due to millions of years of earth movement, the gorgeous Karst landform here integrates with the unique culture of the Sani People, hence making Stone Forest an attractive scenic area.

Distance: Around 78 Kilometers to the Stone Forest

Driving time: Around 1.5 hrs to Shilin, around 4 hrs to Yuanyang

Accommodation: Yuanyang

Meal: Will Recommend Local cuisine for consumers

Watch the clouds of Yuanyang Terrace in the early Morning. After that, you will go to visit the traditional mushroom house, to learn about the life of the Hani ethnic minority.

At dusk, you will go to see the sunset of the Yuanyang rice terrace.

Distance: Around 6 KM

Driving Time: Around 30 min

Accommodations: Comfortable/Boutique Hotels

Meal: Breakfast and recommended local cuisine

Today you can sleep till you wake up naturally then we will go to visit Zhu Family Garden. Constructed in Jianshui Old Town, Zhu Family Garden is famous as one of the most elaborate and grandest residential gardens in the south of Yunnan. Built in Qing Dynasty by the Zhu brothers whose family was influential in the locality, the garden was completed in 30 years and was orderly designed to include 42 courtyards.

After lunch, you will go to experience potting in the largest pottery workroom of Jianshui county to have a deep understanding of Jianshui culture.

Distance: Around 10KM

Driving Time: Around 3 hrs

Accommodation: Comfortable/Boutique Hotels

Meal: Breakfast and recommended local cuisine

Today you also can sleep till you wake up naturally. Fuxian lake is a beautiful natural scenery that needs you to calm down and enjoy it quietly. You can have a morning biking along the road of Fuxian Lake. Then the driver will take you to Haikou Garden to have sightseeing.

After lunch, you will come back to Kunming.

Distance: Around 90KM

Driving Time: Around 1.5 hrs

Meal: Breakfast

Let’s start with the symbol of Guilin, Elephant Trunk Hill. Take signature pictures, listen to the legend of how an elephant turned into a hill there, and find out the secrets hiding in the belly of this “elephant”.

Then, spend some literally cool time in the Reed Flute Cave. It’s a pleasant temperature year-round and fun to see the amazing array of limestone formations highlighted in neon lights.

After lunch, drive out 40 minutes southeast from Guilin and visit a typical old village of South China, Daxu. Daxu means ‘a big market’. Lots of craftsmen and businessmen lived there and started their businesses on a shoestring budget. Nowadays, people can still find some small traditional Chinese clinics, old residential houses with elegant wooden carvings, and elderly craftsmen still busy with their traditional work. Let’s knock on their doors to discover their lasting stories of Daxu. You can also have the chance to experience traditional Chinese medicine, such as cupping therapy, if you would like to.

At the end of the day, your private guide and driver will transfer you back to your hotel. Enjoy a relaxing evening.

The rice terraces change with the seasons – filled with pure water from the mountains in spring, then green during the growing season in summer, and later, golden-colored in autumn when the rice is ready to be harvested.

Enjoy your time with the magnificent view of the village peacefully as there are few tourists in the morning. No matter what season, you may see farmers tending their crops or maintaining the earthen structures.

After breakfast, start a moderate 1.5 hours hike to Ancient Zhuang Village. This village is a quieter one compared with Ping An Village. The houses and people are more traditional. Local people living in the village belong to the ethnic group, Baiyi Zhuang -White Clothes Zhuang.

During the hiking, your guide points out many of the terrace’s features, from the complicated irrigation system to the engineering that went into creating the terraces more than 600 years ago.

In the early afternoon, our guide and driver will drive you from Longsheng to Yangshuo, reputed for the most beautiful landscape in the entire Guilin region. Hiking, biking, kayaking, and bamboo rafting are popular activities in Yangshuo.

Be a Chinese Villager, Painting Your Own Landscape on a Paper Fan in Fuli

Some say that if you want to see real China, you should go to the countryside. Experiencing the daily lifestyle of the local farmers will allow you to see another side of China.

In the morning, you will experience what it’s like to be a local villager working in the fields. Then you will take a ferry and a local farmer’s taxi (a kind of motorbike with three wheels) to the local market in Fuli.

First, you will drive through the villages near Yangshuo. You might meet someone on his way to the fields with a water buffalo or someone working in the paddy. Say hello to them and they will be happy if you would like to take part in helping to cut the grass for their herd or plowing the field.

After saying goodbye to the villagers, you will continue to drive past the rice paddies with the beautiful mountains in the distance. Then you will take a ferry to Fuli, which is located on the east bank of the Li River. Like the local villagers, you will take a local motorbike taxi to the market.

Your guide will show you around to explain the different types of food and show you the local people’s daily necessities. There is a fair there every 3 days. Local people from nearby villages trade there.

If your travel dates happen to coincide with a rural market day, you will find it is quite busy on the ferry and in the market. You will take the same route back to the west bank of the Li River.

The next stop would be the Fuli Ancient Town. It is called ‘Chinese Painted Fan Town’ because of its exquisitely painted fans. These paper fans are all handicrafts made of local rice paper and bamboo found on the banks of the Li River. They range from small hand fans for everyday use to large canopies for wall decorations.

You will have the chance to visit a workshop and learn from a local artist how to paint a traditional landscape on a paper fan. You will have your own handmade fan to keep as a souvenir. This is another way to take the landscape of Guilin back home with you. After the fan-making, your guide and driver will take you back to Yangshuo, and enjoy your last night in Yangshuo.

Reed Flute Cave, Elephant Trunk Hill, Discover the Folk Culture of South China in Daxu Ancient Town

Let’s start with the symbol of Guilin, Elephant Trunk Hill. Take signature pictures, listen to the legend of how an elephant turned into a hill there, and find out the secrets hiding in the belly of this “elephant”. Then, spend some literally cool time in the Reed Flute Cave. It’s a pleasant temperature year-round and fun to see the amazing array of limestone formations highlighted in neon lights.

After lunch, drive out 40 minutes southeast from Guilin and visit a typical old village of South China, Daxu. Daxu means ‘a big market’. Lots of craftsmen and businessmen lived there and started their businesses on a shoestring budget. Nowadays, people can still find some small traditional Chinese clinics, old residential houses with elegant wooden carvings, and elderly craftsmen still busy with their traditional work.

Let’s knock on their doors to discover their lasting stories of Daxu. You can also have the chance to experience traditional Chinese medicine, such as cupping therapy, if you would like to.

At the end of the day, your private guide and driver will transfer you back to your hotel. Enjoy a relaxing evening.

The rice terraces change with the seasons – filled with pure water from the mountains in spring, then green during the growing season in summer, and later, golden-colored in autumn when the rice is ready to be harvested.

Enjoy your time with the magnificent view of the village peacefully as there are few tourists in the morning. No matter what season, you may see farmers tending their crops or maintaining the earthen structures.

After breakfast, start a moderate 1.5 hours hike to Ancient Zhuang Village. This village is a quieter one compared with Ping An Village. The houses and people are more traditional. Local people living in the village belong to the ethnic group, Baiyi Zhuang -White Clothes Zhuang.

During the hiking, your guide points out many of the terrace’s features, from the complicated irrigation system to the engineering that went into creating the terraces more than 600 years ago.

In the early afternoon, our guide and driver will drive you from Longsheng to Yangshuo, reputed for the most beautiful landscape in the entire Guilin region. Hiking, biking, kayaking, and bamboo rafting are popular activities in Yangshuo.

Today’s Activities: Be a Chinese Villager, Painting Your Own Landscape on a Paper Fan in Fuli

Some say that if you want to see real China, you should go to the countryside. Experiencing the daily lifestyle of the local farmers will allow you to see another side of China.

In the morning, you will experience what it’s like to be a local villager working in the fields. Then you will take a ferry and a local farmer’s taxi (a kind of motorbike with three wheels) to the local market in Fuli.

First, you will drive through the villages near Yangshuo. You might meet someone on his way to the fields with a water buffalo or someone working in the paddy. Say hello to them and they will be happy if you would like to take part in helping to cut the grass for their herd or plowing the field.

After saying goodbye to the villagers, you will continue to drive past the rice paddies with the beautiful mountains in the distance. Then you will take a ferry to Fuli, which is located on the east bank of the Li River. Like the local villagers, you will take a local motorbike taxi to the market.

Your guide will show you around to explain the different types of food and show you the local people’s daily necessities. There is a fair there every 3 days. Local people from nearby villages trade there.

If your travel dates happen to coincide with a rural market day, you will find it is quite busy on the ferry and in the market. You will take the same route back to the west bank of the Li River.

The next stop would be the Fuli Ancient Town. It is called ‘Chinese Painted Fan Town’ because of its exquisitely painted fans. These paper fans are all handicrafts made of local rice paper and bamboo found on the banks of the Li River. They range from small hand fans for everyday use to large canopies for wall decorations.

You will have the chance to visit a workshop and learn from a local artist how to paint a traditional landscape on a paper fan. You will have your own handmade fan to keep as a souvenir. This is another way to take the landscape of Guilin back home with you. After the fan-making, your guide and driver will take you back to Yangshuo, and enjoy your last night in Yangshuo.

Different from other ancient towns in China, Fenghuang Ancient Town is a secluded and tranquil town located on the bank of the river and surrounded by mountains. It preserves its original folk houses and architecture built more than 300 years ago. Populated by Miao and Tujia ethnic groups, Fenghuang is famous for its rich history, ethnic customs, and beautiful natural scenery.

You will have a full day to explore and relax in this ancient town. It is a good idea to stroll in this ancient town and visit some interesting shops and homes, and to discover some interesting nooks. Ethnic handicrafts are really delicate and special in this region. At night, the town becomes quieter and more peaceful. Sitting in a bar and appreciating the sunset is wonderful.

Tips:
There are 9 famous sights of Fenghuang Ancient City: 1. Tuojiang River 2. Hongqiao Art Building 3. The Former Residence of Shencongwen 4. The Former Residence of Xiongxiling 5. The Ancestral Hall of Yang 6. Wanshou Palace 7. Chongde Hall 8. The Eastern Gate Tower 9. The Museum of Ancient Town

Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, Yuanjiajie (including the Hallelujah Mountains), Mt.Tianzishan, Bailong Sightseeing Elevator

Zhangjiajie has breathtaking natural beauty, including magnificent mountain ranges, deep valleys, mysterious caves, lush vegetation, cascading waterfalls, and grotesque stone pillars. And Zhangjiajie National Forest Park is located in Wulingyuan Scenic Area, about 40 minutes drive from the city. Tianzi Mountain and Yuanjiajie are the most classic and popular sites in Zhangjiajie.

Take a cable car up to Tianzi Mountain, and you will see large areas of grotesque peaks thrusting up. Walking along with the steps spectacular views unfold in front of you from different angles.

In the afternoon, ride a public shuttle bus to Yuanjiajie Scenic Area, whose mountains are said to be the inspiration for Avatar’s Hallelujah Mountain. This area is the most visited area due to its fame. It takes about 1 hour to walk the tourist trails before you take the shuttle bus for the cable car down the mountain.

There is another option for getting down the mountain – Bailong Elevator. This glass elevator was built on the side of a cliff, and it claims to be the world’s highest of its kind. It takes only 2 minutes, but at peak times you might need to queue for one or two hours to take it. If you are interested in taking the elevator, tell your guide in advance, so that he/she can arrange it beforehand to avoid the long queues.

Take a good rest in the evening and be prepared for hiking the next day.

Tips:
In the summertime, to avoid waiting in long queues, our tour guide will suggest the best time to start the day and might suggest you get up early or alter your attraction schedule. Thanks for your understanding and cooperation.

Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon is a recently developed natural wonderland. It incorporates mountains, streams, caves, cliffs, and forests. The world’s longest & highest glass-bottomed bridge is located in this area. The bridge stretches between two dramatic cliffs – 380 meters long and 300 meters above the canyon floor. When walking on the bridge you can see all the way down to the bottom of the canyon through the glass bridge.

Your personal tour guide will take photos and videos for you, with which you can show off your courage to the whole world!

Then drive to Baofeng Lake. The Lake is in a basin in the middle of this mountainous area. A shuttle bus will take you from the entrance to the pier.

At the lake, we’ll take you on a wooden boat for a 30-minute boat ride. It is a leisurely experience as you boat on the clear water, see the hills of various shapes, and enjoy entertainment from the local minority people as they sing their traditional songs.

Tips:
The world’s longest and highest glass-bottomed bridge, Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass Bridge, started a trial operation on Aug. 20th, 2016. During the trial operation, entrance tickets can only be obtained by reservation, and travel agencies have priority for ticket purchase. Tickets are limited to 8,000 per day. Book with us as soon as possible and seize the opportunity! To prevent heavy objects from falling, the camera is not permitted to be carried when you are on the bridge, the cell phone is allowed.

Arrive in Kunming at around 00:50. Keats School will pick you up at the airport and take you to the school if this trip is taken during your Mandarin Chinese language course at Keats.