2 Days Dali and Lijiang Classical Tour

Day 1, In the Morning, your Dali tour guide will be waiting and take you to the ancient market town of Xizhou, just 19 kilometres north of Dali Old Town. Here we will visit the morning market, where locals dressed in traditional minority clothing sell and buy local fruits, freshly cut meat, piles of fragrant spices, livestock and anything else you can think of. You can visit a traditional Three Course Tea ceremony and an exquisite example of traditional Bai-style courtyard homes.

Later, we drop by Zhoucheng Village, also called the “Hometown of Bai’s Tie- Dye Culture” and experience the tie- dye culture in a traditional Tie- Dye workshop, where grandmothers handover this century old tradition to mothers and daughters.

After the tour enjoy a short boat trip on Lake Erhai to Tianjing Tower Island and enjoy the majestic views of the green and clouded Cangshan Mountain Range looming over Dali’s lands from far while swarms of birds fly peacefully around you over the tranquil lake.

After the Tour, back to Dali Old Town. This is the heartland of the prosperous Bai people, with their colourful costumes and traditional lifestyle. When we picture ancient China, Dali is the image that appears in our imagination, wooden houses with ornate eaves and stone streets, well-worn over centuries of use. Dali has long been a melting pot for different cultures, and you will see the Bai people as well as the Yi and the Hui going about their daily business in their traditional garb.
Your tour guide will then take you to check in your hotel. Use your free-time in the evening to have a drink in one of Dali’s many cozy little bars or warmly decorated coffeeshops, or stroll around its lively main streets where local artists sell all kinds of beautiful handicrafts.

Day 2, After pickup from your hotel, your driver will take you from Dali to Lijiang (about 2.5 hour drive). Upon arrival at Lijiang Old Town, we will drop by the Zhongyi Morning Market, another lively local market where the local Naxi people sell food, wares and livestock.

Head to the Black Dragon Pool, one of the most iconic views in China of the impressive Jade Dragon Snow Mountain in the background of a beautiful traditional Chinese garden. Stop by the Dongba Museum right next door, a little gem where you can learn about the Naxi minority and the Shamanic Dongba culture and the unique matriarchic Naxi sub branch of the Mosuo Minority living around Lugu Lake.

At Jade Lake Village, a tiny village – without lake – tucked away in the southern valley in the shadow of the majestic Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.

Before we head back to Lijiang Old Town, we stop by Dongba Culture Museum, exploring the unique culture of the Naxi people, focusing on their Dongba traditions. It features ancient Dongba scriptures, ritual items, folk art, and traditional clothing, offering a glimpse into the history and spiritual practices of this ethnic group.

Later, back to The Old Town of Lijiang, a location that well deserves its reputation as being one of the most romantic spots in all of China. Her pretty streams that wind through a maze of enchanting back alleys is part of an ancient complex water-supply system of that still functions effectively today. Lijiang was a key stopping point of the Tea Horse Road and has long been a magnet for traders, merchants, bandits and slavers. The town is set in a truly exceptional mountain landscape which will remain with you for the rest of your life.