Yunnan Old Towns And Lakes – 6 Days

Drive out of the city to the Stone Forest, a vast area of grey limestone pinnacles and narrow passages formed over millions of years and part of the South China Karst UNESCO World Heritage Site. Wander the paths between the towering stones, many named for their shapes, in the homeland of the Sani people, a branch of the Yi minority.

Have lunch at a local restaurant before returning to Kunming.

Explore the Jingxing Flower and Bird Market, a lively old market where stalls overflow with flowers, plants, tea, antiques, crafts and local snacks. It is a good place to watch daily life and pick up small souvenirs. Return to your hotel in Kunming with the evening at leisure.

Board the high-speed train to Dali, a journey of about two hours. Your guide meets you on arrival.

Take a boat ride on Erhai Lake, a long, ear-shaped lake set between the Cangshan Mountains and gentle hills. Then visit a village of the Bai people, the main ethnic group around Dali, known for their whitewashed houses decorated with painted panels.

Have lunch at a local restaurant, then cycle through the countryside along quiet lanes between fields and villages, passing through Xizhou, a Bai village of fine old courtyard houses, with the mountains rising on one side and the lake on the other.

Ride on to the Three Pagodas, three slender white towers standing in front of the mountains, the tallest of which dates to the Tang dynasty. Finish with a walk through Dali Ancient Town, with its stone gates, flowing water channels and lanes of shops and cafes, before checking in at your hotel in Dali.

Drive north by private car to Shaxi, a small, quiet town that was once a trading stop on the ancient Tea Horse Road, the caravan route that carried tea and horses between Yunnan and Tibet. Its square, with an old stage and temple, and its cobbled lanes keep much of their old character.

Have lunch at a local restaurant in Shaxi and enjoy the peaceful pace of the town.

Continue by private car to Lijiang. Check in at your hotel, then walk into Lijiang Ancient Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Naxi people, with cobbled streets, canals and wooden houses beneath Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.

Visit Shuhe Ancient Town, a quieter old Naxi village on the edge of Lijiang, where clear streams run past wooden houses and small courtyards. Then continue to Baisha Village, one of the oldest Naxi settlements in the valley, known for its murals painted during the Ming dynasty.

Have lunch at a local restaurant.

Back in the old town, visit Mu’s Mansion, the former residence and government seat of the Mu family who ruled the Lijiang region for centuries. Then climb up to Wangu Tower in Lion Hill Park, a tall wooden tower with a view over the old town’s grey-tiled roofs to the mountains beyond.

Enjoy a slow breakfast and a last wander through the lanes of the old town, at leisure.

Your guide and driver take you to Lijiang airport for your onward flight.