Small group tour of Yunnan, China
| country: | China |
| location: | Yunnan |
| departures: | 2009: 28 Nov |
| price: | From £2640 - £2740 (16 days) including flights from the UK, from £1800 excluding flights. Price includes all meals, except lunch on days 3, 5 & 7 & dinner on days 2, 5, 7 & 9 |
| offers: | 5% off 29th November departure |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
When a Yunnanese Prince crossed the cloud covered mountains of Sichuan Province to visit the imperial Chinese court he informed the emperor his kingdom lay ‘south of the clouds' and the Mandarin translation – Yunnan – has stuck to the present day.
Without doubt China's most diverse and fascinating region, both culturally and scenically. Bordering Burma, Laos and Vietnam, this remote, borderland province includes everything from wild elephants and tropical jungles in the far south to yaks and snow-capped mountains of the Tibetan Plateau in the north, and is home to over 25 different ethnic minorities.
Including our regular mixture of essential sites and hidden gems; - cultural highlights and historic towns such as Dali and Weishan and UNESCO World Heritage sites Lijiang and the Stone Forest, the Yangtze's Tiger Leaping Gorge and the dramatic mountains of Eastern Tibet and an exciting return boat trip down the mekong to Thailand as well as leaving plenty of time to explore the exotic markets, check-out the bustling street life and meet the local people, in China's friendliest province.
Highlights include:
Without doubt China's most diverse and fascinating region, both culturally and scenically. Bordering Burma, Laos and Vietnam, this remote, borderland province includes everything from wild elephants and tropical jungles in the far south to yaks and snow-capped mountains of the Tibetan Plateau in the north, and is home to over 25 different ethnic minorities.
Including our regular mixture of essential sites and hidden gems; - cultural highlights and historic towns such as Dali and Weishan and UNESCO World Heritage sites Lijiang and the Stone Forest, the Yangtze's Tiger Leaping Gorge and the dramatic mountains of Eastern Tibet and an exciting return boat trip down the mekong to Thailand as well as leaving plenty of time to explore the exotic markets, check-out the bustling street life and meet the local people, in China's friendliest province.
Highlights include:
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day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Departure from London |
| Day 2: | Arrival in Kunming, transfer to a centrally located hotel and some time to relax and recover form jetlag or explore the area. |
| Day 3: | Free morning in Kunming, relax in one of the local coffee shops, or check-out the city's famous ‘Bamboo Temple', before an afternoon trip to the spectacular karst formations known as the Stone Forest. Added to UNESCO's World Heritage List in 2007 |
| Day 4: | Old Burma Road, Weishan Town, Dali. Morning drive along the route of the old Burma Road, to Weishan Town – one of the oldest and best preserved towns in Yunnan yet one of the least visited – before arriving at our day's destination, Dali. |
| Day 5: | Explore Dali. Day at leisure to explore this scenic old walled town, former capital of the ethnic Bai people and beautifully situated between the slopes of the Azure Mountains and the shores of Lake Erhai. |
| Day 6: | Village of Xizhou, and Shibao Mountain. Early departure to catch the bustling morning market in the lakeside, Bai village of Xizhou, before continuing north to Lijiang by way of the superb cave temples of sacred Shibao Mountain. |
| Day 7: | Lijiang. Discover the ancient centre of the ethnic Naxi Culture and now World Heritage Site of Lijiang - wander the beautifully preserved cobbled streets that line the streams running through the picturesque old town – dramatically situated beneath the towering peaks of the 5,500m Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. |
| Day 8: | Tiger Leaping Gorge. Day hike along the famous and picturesque Tiger Leaping Gorge to the village of Walnut Grove for our overnight stay in a local family run guesthouse. |
| Day 9: | Shangri La. Head up to the Tibetan Plateau itself and the town of Zhongdian – now officially renamed Shangri La by the Chinese Government. Afternoon visit to the monastery and an evening stroll around the old streets of Shangri La with a chance to catch some traditional Tibetan dancing in the town square. Accommodation in a renovated Tibetan house at the foot of the 400 year old Songzanlin monastery. |
| Day 10: | A journey up the Tibet Road: spectacular drive through dramatic mountain scenery, including views of the first bend of the Yangtze and a stop at the remote Dongzhulin Monastery containing, amongst other wonders, the preserved body of the 5th living Buddha himself, before reaching our destination - the awesome views of Bai Ma Snow Mountain Pass and National Reserve situated at 4,250 m. |
| Day 11: | Flight to Jinghong Town. Free morning and afternoon transfer to Lijiang for a flight to Jinghong Town in the Xishuangpanna autonomous Dai region of Southern Yunnan. Situated on the Mekong and lying close to Burma and Lao this region has a subtropical climate and vegetation. Note: for those with less time it is possible on day 11 to fly to Bangkok, via Kunming for an evening return flight to London. |
| Day 12: | Ganlanba, and Botanical Gardens of Menglun. Day tour following the Mekong Valley south to the small town of Ganlanba and it's bustling morning market for the surrounding ethnic Dai villages. The Dai are linguistically and culturally related to the Thai and the Lao and indeed the region of Xishuangpanna, a Thai word meaning land of twelve thousand rice fields, is considered by the Thais to be their original homeland, before they migrated south over a thousand years ago. Continuing down the valley we'll visit the magnificent Botanical Gardens of Menglun – the largest in China. |
| Day 13: | Hiking in the Jinghong hills. A day's leisurely hiking in the hills around Jinghong to visit both Aini and Jinuo minority villages and admire the lush tropical mountain scenery. |
| Day 14: | Mekong River cruise. Time for us to migrate south with a memorable boat cruise, down what is one of the least spoilt, most picturesque, yet least visited stretches of the Mekong River. Heading south from Jinhong we'll pass, between Burma and Laos, where for some 300 kms the river forms the border between the two countries, to our destination, the Golden Triangle River port of Chiang Saen at the junction of Thailand, Laos and Burma. |
| Day 15: | Chiang Mai. The last leg of our tour takes us on a scenic mountain drive to the Northern Thai capital, Chiang Mai. Afternoon free to relax by the hotel pool or explore the quiet lanes and temples of the city's old town. |
| Day 16: | Morning departure for London, via Bangkok and evening arrival. |
small group holiday
This is a 'small group adventure' - you will be sharing your experiences with like minded people. Group sizes are limited to a maximum of 11 persons, a genuinely small group. Experience has taught us that smaller groups are less intrusive to local cultures and environments whilst allowing more interaction with local people. Furthermore it means greater flexibility on a day to day basis and on a social level it proves to be fun. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends/family its good value, and a great way to meet new people! The intention is to travel as a group of friends rather than a typical tour group, so don't expect stick-on name badges or any following the umbrella. how this holiday makes a difference
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As a tour operator, we are committed to responsible tourism as follows:
Information: Providing suitable, relevant information for our customers; to help them to gain a wider understanding of our style of tourism that focuses on learning, genuine interaction with the local communities, reciprocity and cultural exchange processes. To be aware of the potential impact of tourism on the local society, culture and environment, and to behave and dress appropriately with a respect and appreciation for local customs, mores and traditions and a respect for the ecology of areas visited. Our guides and leaders thus facilitate communication of our values to both travellers and local communities, educating them in sustainable tourism practices Group sizes: By limiting groups to small sizes we aim to reduce the impact on both local communities and the environment whilst allowing for greater genuine interaction with said communities. It also results in a higher guide/customer ratio thus greater facility for supervision and individual assistance and allows us to use smaller hotels and restaurants and employ the services of more genuinely ‘local’ operators perhaps not otherwise well equipped for larger groups. Destinations: We combine the well known tourist sites with many off-the-beaten-track, rarely visited destinations thus diverting tourist revenue and contact with responsible tourism into areas not usually benefiting as well as providing a more authentic view of the region visited. Local products: As much as possible we aim to employ local personnel, (guides, drivers, agents etc), use local restaurants and smaller privately owned accommodation. Customers are also encouraged to buy and use local products and services as much as possible in order to support and stimulate the local economy. Local awareness: By explaining our methods and the reasons behind them local agents, guides and hotels are encouraged by us to adopt further responsible tourism practices themselves and guides and drivers are provided with additional training in this respect. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |