3-Day Dali & Lijiang Tour (Departure from Kunming)

Day 1: Kunming - Dali

Begin your journey through the diverse landscapes of China's most spectacular province in the regional capital of Kunming. One of our English-speaking tour guides and a professional driver will pick you up around the city center in Kunming, and then transfer to Stone Forest.

1.5 hours in car to one of Yunnan greatest wonders, the Stone Forest in Shilin County. Weather and time have sculpted a massive karst labyrinth that feels like you are walking through a forest, with ancient stone trees looking down on you. Every rock formation you pass has its own touching story or thrilling legend, passed on by the natives who have lived in this area for ages. The natives belong to the Sani minority, a branch of the Yi ethnic minority, which you can still find inside the park, jamming together singing folk songs or making embroidery.

After the tour, back to Kunming train station and catch on the high-speed train to Dali. Your tour guide will not join you on the train. Once you arrived at Dali Railway Station in Xiaguan City, your Dali tour guide will be waiting and take you to your hotel. If you have time, take a relaxing stroll around the Dali Old Town. This is the heartland of the prosperous Bai people, with their colourful costumes and traditional lifestyle.

Day 2: Dali - Lijiang

After breakfast, your Dali tour guide will 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.
Later, enjoy a short boat trip on Lake Erhai 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, your guide will take you to Lijiang and check in your hotel. Use your free-time in the evening to have a drink in one of Lijiang’s many cozy little bars or warmly decorated coffeeshops, or stroll around its lively main streets.

Day 3: Lijiang

After breakfast your driver will take you to 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.