Day 1 Arrival Lijiang (2400m) (D)
Sightseeing: Lijiang Ancient Town
You'll begin our journey to Lijiang, which is the travel highlight of Yunnan. Our local guide will meet us in Lijiang airport. And then we will be transferred to our hotel. The rest time will be free in Lijiang Old Town.
--The Old Town of Lijiang, a well-preserved old city of ethnic minorities with brilliant culture, is a central town of the Lijiang Autonomous County of the Naxi Ethnic Minority in Yunnan Province.
Located on the plateau which is 2,400 meters (7,874 feet) above the sea level and embraced by the tree-covered Lion Mountain in the west, Elephant and Golden Row Mountains in the north, vast fertile fields in the southeast and crystal clear water running through, the old town looks like a big jade ink slab, therefore got the alias the Town of Big Ink Slab (Dayanzhen).
Day 2 Lijiang-Jade Dragon Snow Mountain-Lijiang (B+L)
Sightseeing: Yulong Snow Mountain,Spruce Meadow, Baisha Village and Murals,Baishui River and Terraces
Special Experience:Enjoy the Impression Lijiang Ethnic Show in Ganhaizi Meadow(3100m).
Enjoy the sunrise of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and Lijiang Ancient Town in the morning, drive about 30KM to Ganhaizi Meadow(3100M), you will take the sightseeig bus for a short visiting through the Baishuihe River, take the chairlift up to visit Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. The cableway will be arranged according to the condition of the mountain. You will hike around1 hours in the original forest in Spruce Meadow (3200M).
After lunch, you will enjoy the Impression Lijang Ethnic Show directed in Ganhaizi Meadow(3100M). A cultural show demonstrating the traditions and lifestyles of the Naxi, Yi and Bai peoples of the area. The show takes place inside Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Park at 3500m in an outdoor theater specifically designed to showcase the mountain which is used as a backdrop. The production itself was designed by Zhang Yimou, Fan Yue and Wang Chaoge, a cast of over 500 people, and a number of horses.In the afternoon, you'll stroll through Baisha Village, which is an enchanting traditional Yunnan village. Visit the Baisha Mural about 600 years old, which is one part of the World Cultural Heritage by the UNESCO 1997.
--Jade Dragon Snow Mountain stretches a length of 35 kilometers (22 miles) and a width of 20 kilometers (13 miles). Looking from Lijiang Old Town in the south which is 15 kilometers (nine miles) away, the snow-covered and fog-enlaced mountain resembles a jade dragon lying in the clouds, hence, the name Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. The highest peak named Fan Peak (Shanzidou in Chinese) which is about 5596 meters above sea level. There are three cablecars in the mountain, the fist to the Glacier Park(4500M),the second to Spruce Meadow(3200M),the third to Yak Meadow(3700M).
Day 3 Lijiang (2400m) – Qiaotou (1800m) - Halfway Guesthouse (2500m) (B+L+D)
Sightseeing: Nuoyu Village, 28 Turns Trail, the upper Tiger Leaping Gorge, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain
Trekking Duration: 6-7hours
At 6:00, drive to Qiaotou Town, it takes 2 hours on the trip. Your hiking trip starts from the Qiaotou Primary School,trek two hours to Naxi Family and you will have lunch there.
The 28 zigzagging turns will be a real test. From the top of "28 turns" on the high path further uphill to a place of altitude above 3000m, you can have a view of the panorama of the entire Gorge. The go pass Tea Horse Guest House (5 hours) and arrive at Halfway Guesthouse (2500m) to finish today's trekking. The total trekking route is 26 km, and it takes about 6-8 hours.Overnight at Halfway Guesthouse
Day 4 Halfway Guesthouse (2500m) -Tina's-Middle Rapids (1800m)-Haba Village (2600m) (B+L+D)
Sightseeing: Walnut Grove, Middle Rapids, Middle Tiger Leaping Gorge, Haba Village
Trekking Duration: 6-7 hours
In the early morning, continue hiking to Tina's Inn (2 hours) after another hour walking down the steep cliff to the bank of Jinsha River to the Middle Gorge (Middle Hutiao or Middle Rapids), worship the dangerours shoal of "Starriness", it is the most narrow part of the gorge, where a tiger can easily jump over the Jinsha River.
From Half way Guesthouse to Middle Hutiao or Rapids will take between 3 to 4 hours. Then climb up the gorge to Walnut Grove (Woody’s Guesthouse) using either the Tianti or Yixiantian route. Depending on how tired, choose the one to suit on the day. So from Middle Hutiao to Walnut Grove will take 2 or 3 hours and hence the total for the day from Halfway Guesthouse to Walnut Grove will be about 5 to 6 hours.
When you trek to Walnut Grove Garden, you will take the car to Haba Village, after dinner, prepare for Haba Snow Mountain climbing.Overnight at Haba Mountain Guesthouse
Day 5 Haba Village (2600m)-the Base Camp at the 4200 m of Haba Mountain (B+L+D)
Sightseeing: Haba Snow Mountain climbing, Black Sea, the Base Camp at the 4200 m
Trekking Duration: 5-6hours
From Haba village, we need horses to take our bags and all the camping equipments up to the mountain. We just carry a small bag with some food and drinks, and it takes about five hours and half to hike up to the Lake, through villages, meadows ,forests and small rivers. Black Sea Lake, with an elevation of 4170m,is in front of the Haba Mountain, and you can see the reflection of the Haba in water just from the camping site.
There are some small lakes, grasslands and mountain passes in the area near the Lake, so we spend the day here to walk around the lakes and climb up to the mountain passes to get acclimatized to the altitude here. There are different kinds of the flowers and plants which grow in the area, esp. azalea, and you will see the different sceneries in different seasons.
Day 6 the Base Camp at the 4200 m- the Camp 1 at 4800 of Haba Snow Mountain (B+L+D)
Sightseeing: Lakes and Mountain Passes, Haba Snow Mountain, the Camp 1 at 4800M
Trekking Duration: 6-7hours
Continue climb up for about 6 km to build Camp 1 at 4800m, which will take about 6 hours. Our professional mountaineering guide will choose the right path for you to climb up. Our guide will set up the Camp 1 for you.
There is the other option to walk to the Base Camp at 4200m within an hours and half via a couple of Lake and some mountain passes where you can have good views of Haba Mountain and the area. And then, walk up to 4800m from the Base Camp for some training and back to the Base Camp.
Day 7 the Camp 1 at 4800 m-the top of Haba Snow Mountain at the 5396-Haba Village (B+L+D)
Sightseeing: the top of Haba Snow Mountain,Jade Dragon Snow Mountain,Meili Snow Mountain from a far
Trekking Duration:8-9hours
Get up at 5:00 am, try to climb to the top of the Haba Snow Mountain at the 5396m, which will take about 5 hours, you will climb about 4 km, you can leave most of your luggage at the Camp 1, you just need to take your mountaineering tools, such as the rope, ice axe, ice pick, etc.,
You need to use ice crampons and ice axes to get to the top of the mountain. On the top, you can have a very good view of the mountains in distance, including Jade Dragon Snow Mountain in Lijiang, Meili Snow Mountain in Deqen, Three Holy Mountains in Yading and many other nameless mountains.
You will have a picnic lunch, then trek down to Camp 1 to take your luggage, then continue trek down to the Base Camp. Our service clerk at the BC will prepare good meals and waiting for you.
Day 8 the Base Camp at the 4200 m-Haba Village-Baishuitai-Shangri La (3300m) (B+L+D)
Sightseeing: Sanba Village,Baishuitai (White Water Terrace), Dukezong Ancient Town
Trekking Duration:4hours
Trek down from Base Camp to the Long Wang Bian Village, with yaks taking your luggage, after lunch, drive to Shangri La, you will visit Baishuitai (White Water Terrace).
--Baishuitai is the cradle of the Dongba culture of the Naxi people. It is said that the founding father of Dongba culture settled here to spread his beliefs on his way back from Tibet. On the eighth day of the second month of the lunar calendar, that is, the day when the founding father held his founding ceremony, people of various groups congregate round the terrace, singing and dancing and slaughtering chickens to pay tribute.
After Baishuitai, you will drive about 100 Km more to Shangri La. Then relax in Shangri La Old Town and enjoy Tibetan’s life.
Day 9 Shangri La (B+L+D)
Sightseeing: Sogzanlin Monastery, the Bita Lake & Shudu Lake, Dukezong Ancient Town, the largest Prayer Wheel
Special Experience:Enjoy the bonfire party in the Tibetan family at night with butter oil tea and Tibetan snack.
In the morning, visit the Ganden Sumtseling Monastery, the largest Tibetan monastery in Yunnan. Songzanlin Monastery has another alias - 'the little Potala Palace ', so named because the whole monastery is in the traditional style with mysterious atmosphere.And afterwards you'll visit the tranquil Bita Lake & Shudu Lake in Pudacuo National Park which is located in one of the most biologically-diverse regions of the world. While the region comprises only 0.7 percent of China's land area, it contains more than 20 percent of the country's plant species, about one-third of its mammal and bird species and almost 100 endangered species.
Visit Dukezong Tibetan Ancient Town in the late afternoon, climb up to the top of Guishan Hill or tortoise Hill, you will see the largest Prayer Wheel of the world and have a panoramic view of shangrila county and Dukezong Ancient Town. Finally, you will have an option to visit a Tibetan's family to experience the local life in the bonfire party with Tibetan dance and music and you will try Tibetan home-made yak and cheese.
--Shangri-La is the "Eden in dream". Since it first appeared in British novelistJames Hilton's Lost Horizon in the 1939, it has been associated withthe mystique of a place which could not possibly exist here on Earth. In Tibetan,Shangri-La means the "sun and moon in heart", an ideal home only found in heaven.There the lofty and continuous snowy mountains, endless grasslands, steep andgrand gorges, azure lakes and the bucolic villages always leave a deep impressionon visitors.
Day 10 Departure from Shangri-La (B+L+D)
Sightseeing: Dukezong Ancient Town
Take the flight to Kunming and change the flight for your next destination.
Before leaving and finish your Yunnan trip, you will get a nice gist from our guide in Shangri-la, this will give you unforgetable experience in China.
Service ends.
Qiaotou
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