15 Days Yunnan Train Travel Plus Cute Pandas

Welcome to China, welcome to Beijing. Our guide will meet you outside the baggage claim area at the airport or the railway station and then transfer you to the hotel. The rest of the day is on your own to explore the city.

Meals: No meal, advice freely available

• Hotels: Hilton Beijing Wangfujing, Regent Beijing, Park Plaza Beijing Wangfujing, Beijing Double Happiness Courtyard Hotel

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Start your day with the symbol of new China, the Tian'anmen Square. From there you will walk from the new into the old China, Forbidden City, the largest and best-preserved ancient imperial palace with time-honored history. While most tour groups only visit the six halls on the central axis, your private guide will take you to the hidden halls for a deeper understanding of the history and to dodge the crowds.

Enjoy your first Chinese lunch in a local restaurant. After lunch, you will climb the Jingshan Park for the panoramic view of Beijing city and the Forbidden City, which will let you know more about the principles of Chinese Fengshui theory. Next is the leisure walk in the Hutongs. You can see the local life there.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch at Jindingxuan Dim Sum Restaurant with a la carte menu

Feature Dinner option: Peking Roast Duck(Dadong Peking Duck, Qianmen Quanjude Peking Duck), Fangshan Restaurant, Mei Family Restaurant, Bai Family Restaurant)

Optional evening activity: Kungfu show or Peking opera

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,
• Hotels: Hilton Beijing Wangfujing, Regent Beijing, Park Plaza Beijing Wangfujing, Beijing Double Happiness Courtyard Hotel

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After breakfast, you will meet the guide at the hotel lobby and head to Temple of Heaven, where emperors prayed to 'heaven' for a good harvest in the past. You may arrive early to see the locals practicing martial arts and doing other activities that you may never see in your country.

In the afternoon, you will visit the less crowded and less commercial part of the Great Wall – Mutianyu Great Wall. Cable car and toboggan are available there for you to save energy. Just tell your guide your preference.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch at Xin Shuang Quan Restaurant with a la carte menu

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,
• Hotels: Hilton Beijing Wangfujing, Regent Beijing, Park Plaza Beijing Wangfujing, Beijing Double Happiness Courtyard Hotel

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On the first day, you visit the residence of the emperors. Today, you will visit the imperial garden, Summer Palace. It is still a nice place to escape the heat of summer. Weather permits, you may have a big boat cruise on Kunming Lake. This is your last attraction in Beijing. After lunch, you will head to the airport for the flight to Kunming, which is said to be a city of perpetual spring.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch at Dayali Restaurant with a la carte menu

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,
• Hotels: Intercontinental Kunming, Crowne Plaza Kunming City Centre, Ytel Premium

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After a good rest, today a 1.5 hours’ drive is needed from Kunming city to visit the Stone Forest. The various shapes of limestone were formed due to millions of years' movement of the Earth, like bamboo shoots, forests and pagodas. Enjoy a local lunch here. After that, you will be transferred back to the city area to visit Green Lake Park, one of the most picturesque parks in Kunming downtown. Here you may take a leisure walk or enjoy the performance (playing Taichi, Mahjong and local opera) by local people. You are welcome to join them if you like.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch at local restaurant with a la carte menu

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,
• Hotels: Intercontinental Kunming, Crowne Plaza Kunming City Centre, Ytel Premium

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There are various kinds of flowers in Kunming. Today your tour will start with Bird and Flower Market. It is an interesting places either for a leisurely stroll or to purchase some lovely things to take home. Follow on is the visit to the Black Dragon Pool, which was named after a legend stating that in ancient times there was a black dragon living in this pool. Then you will take a 2 hours’ bullet train from Kunming to Dali. The Dali guide will escort you to the hotel and help you do the check-in.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch at local restaurant with a la carte menu

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,
• Hotels: Hilton Dali Resort & SPA, The Linden Centre

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Dali Ancient Town is a historic town with rich culture located between Cangshan Mountain and Erhai Lake with profound Bai culture. It can be dated back to more than 600 years ago. Step on the ancient city wall and feel the trace of time. It is also a good place to overlook the whole ancient town.

Erhai Lake is named so because of its resemblance of human’s ear. With a vast area, Erhai Lake has seven main functions: water supply, agriculture irrigation, power generation, climate regulation, fishery, shipping and tourism. A boat cruise is included in the lake.

Often regarded as the symbol of Dali, The three Pagodas are 1.5 kilometers northwest of Dali Ancient Town, facing Yinglefeng of Cangshan in the west and Erhai Lake in the east.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch at local restaurant with a la carte menu

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,
• Hotels: Hilton Dali Resort & SPA, The Linden Centre

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With numerous cultural relics and scenic spots, Xizhou Bai Minority Village is a famous historical and cultural town and one of the key overseas Chinese townships in Yunnan Province. Today, use your feet to measure its streets and lanes and use your heart to listen to his thousands of years of events. Xizhou Farmer's Market is the best place to get to know the local life and culture. You will see varieties of agricultural products, handmade crafts and local snacks.

After the Dali tour and the lunch, your driver will transfer you directly from Dali to Lijiang, where your Lijiang guide will meet you. Have a leisure walk through Lijiang ancient town, which reveals its simple, elegant, old houses with stone foundations, brick walls, sloping roofs and red doors. Adding to the charm of the narrow cobblestone streets is a network of canals. Next you will visit Black Dragon Pool Park, which provides a haven for bird and water-life, with spectacular plants. As a monumental building located in the ancient city of Lijiang, Wangu Tower is an example of wooden Dougong architecture with sets of brackets on top of the columns supporting the beams within and the roof eaves.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch at local restaurant with a la carte menu

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,
• Hotels: Aman Hotel Dayan, InterContinental Resort Lijiang Ancient Town, Lijiang Ivy Garden Resort, Banyan Tree Lijiang

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Today, you will visit the Highlights of Lijiang, the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, the Yak Meadow. It is the holy mountain of the Naxi people. Use the cable car and find yourself in a real paradise as you overlook stunning and variant natural beauty, including spruces, meadows, pines, and clouds. Appreciate the ancient murals at Baisha Ancient Town at the end of the tour.

You may see the Impression Show of Lijiang (optional) here if you like. It is a magnificent outdoor singing and dancing performance demonstrating the tradition and lifestyle of the local ethnic people.

Notes: 

• Do not do violent exercises in the high land to avoid the altitude sickness.
• Prepare a jacket even though during the summer time as the temperature difference between day and night is very big.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,
• Hotels: Aman Hotel Dayan, InterContinental Resort Lijiang Ancient Town, Lijiang Ivy Garden Resort, Banyan Tree Lijiang

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Your Lijiang guide will escort you from Lijiang to the town of Tiger Leaping Gorge. Here your Shangri-La guide will meet you and escort you to visit the upper section of Tiger Leaping Gorge. It is known for its precipitousness and is one of the deepest gorges in China with 3 sections – upper, middle and lower section. Get close to the dashing water makes your hearts beat quicker. You will also visit the Stone Drum Town including the First Bend of Yangtze River before heading to Shangri-La hotel.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch at local restaurant with a la carte menu

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,
• Hotels: Shangri-La Resort, Songtsam Shangri-La (Lvgu) Lodge

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After breakfast, immerse yourself in the breathtaking natural beauty and holy religious atmosphere of the unspoiled Shangri-La. Pudacuo National Park retains a well-preserved ecosystem within the virgin forests. In the reserve itself, century-old pines and cypresses grow around Bita Lake, in which the water is crystal clear. Built in 1679, Songzanlin Monastery is the oldest and largest Tibetan Buddhism temple in Yunnan province. It was built along the mountains with a magnificent facade. The present monastery is a faithful imitation of the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet. After the natural scenery, pay a visit to a local Tibetan family, have a view of the life of a local Tibetan family. Do some simple communication with the family members via the guide.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch at local restaurant with a la carte menu

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,
• Hotels: Shangri-La Resort, Songtsam Shangri-La (Lvgu) Lodge

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Zhongdian is also called "Shangri-La". Its Ancient County is divided into two areas: Dukezong Ancient Town and a more modern city-like area. Dukezong, located in the southeast section of the county, has a history dating back over 1300 years. Almost all the buildings are white in color and feature the Tibetan style architecture. If you want to get to know more about local life, a visit to the local market is a must. After lunch in a local restaurant, you will head to the airport with the escort by the guide and driver. Take the flight to your next destination, Chengdu, the hometown of the cute pandas.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch at local restaurant with a la carte menu

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,
• Hotels: The Ritz-Carlton, Chengdu, Chengdu Xijinge All Suites Apartment

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Get a close encounter with the cute pandas. Today, your dream will come true. Take the one day panda keeper program in Dujiangyan Panda Base (feasible for traveler from 10 to 65 years old) suits you well. As a Panda keeper, your tasks include feeding the pandas with bamboo and apple and making panda breads with the teachers. You might have to do some cleaning duties in the enclosure, or collect and weigh the panda poop. This panda keeper tour is recommended for the panda lovers and family traveler with kids and needs almost one whole day.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch in the panda base

Feature Dinner option: Lao Ma Tou Hotpot, Huang Cheng Lao Ma

Optional evening activity: Face changing show and taste the local tea in Shufengyayun Theater

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,
• Hotels: The Ritz-Carlton, Chengdu, Chengdu Xijinge All Suites Apartment

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In the morning, you will visit a local park, People’s Park, where you will see locals dancing, water calligraphy, and kite flying. Our guide will also find a local tea house for you to taste the local tea and have some rest. Explore the Jinli Ancient Street to try the local snacks and experience more about the local life. Coming out from Jinli Ancient Street, you will visit the nearby Wuhou Ancestral Hall, which is in memory of Marquis of Wu, Zhuge Liang, the outstanding military strategist immortalized in "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms". After that, drive about 5 km from downtown district to Jinsha Site Museum. Thousands of gold plates, jade articles, stone wares, bronze wares and ivories of Kingdom of Shu (221 - 263) were discovered form the site.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch at local hot pot restaurant with a la carte menu

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,
• Hotels: The Ritz-Carlton, Chengdu, Chengdu Xijinge All Suites Apartment

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As your journey concludes, your tour guide and driver will meet you at your hotel and transfer you to the airport. They will assist you with your luggage and check-in, and accompany you until the security checkpoint to wave goodbye.

Meals: Breakfast

• Meals: Breakfast,

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