Lijiang Shangri-La 5-Day Tour

• Lijiang Arrival - Free Time
• 4-Star Hotel
• None

Upon your arrival in Lijiang, our professional guide will be waiting for you at the airport. You will be transferred comfortably by private vehicle to your hotel in the city center. After check-in, take some time to rest and adjust to the time difference. If you're eager to explore your surroundings, our guide will provide practical suggestions.

Recommended itinerary:

Lijiang Ancient Town is one of the four best-preserved ancient towns in China (the other three are Pingyao Ancient Town, Langzhong Ancient Town, and Huizhou Ancient Town). It was listed as a World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO in 1997. You can go to the central square of the ancient town, Sifang Street, which was once a commercial distribution center on the Ancient Tea Horse Road and is now full of shops and bars. Climb the Lion Mountain Wangu Tower, the best place to overlook the panoramic view of Lijiang Ancient Town, and you can see the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain in the distance. You can also find delicious food in the ancient town: Naxi grilled fish, chicken bean jelly, Lijiang baba, cured pork ribs hot pot, butter tea, etc.

• Lijiang Baisha Village - Jade Dragon Snow Mountain - Blue Moon Valley
• 4-Star Hotel
• Breakfast & Lunch

In the morning, follow Intoexplore to Baisha Village, which is the original settlement of the Naxi people in Lijiang Basin and the birthplace of the Mu family. Compared with Dayan and Shuhe, this place retains the most primitive Naxi life atmosphere, with few tourists, suitable for travelers who pursue in-depth cultural experience. Here, you can drink a cup of "Snow Mountain Coffee", or go to the copperware shop, tie-dye workshop, and Dongba paper workshop to experience the traditional skills of China's ethnic minorities in person.

In the afternoon, go to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and go to Ganhaizi (3100 meters above sea level). You can take very beautiful photos overlooking the snow-capped mountains. Then take the cable car to Glacier Park (4500-4600 meters above sea level). When you ascend from the cable car, you can observe the gradual landscape of Yunnan pine forest → fir forest → alpine meadow → exposed glacier. This is the core scenic spot of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, which consists of ancient glacial relics and modern glacial landscapes. It is the lowest marine glacier in China and the snow mountain glacier area closest to the equator in the world. When the weather is good, you can also overlook the entire Ganhaizi.

Other routes: If you are worried that the Glacier Park is too high and you cannot adapt, you can choose to take a small cable car to Yunshanping (3,500 meters above sea level). Yunshanping is a circular meadow surrounded by tall spruce forests. In summer, wild flowers are everywhere, and in winter, snow is like a blanket. Or you can take the middle cable car to Yaoniuping (3,700 meters above sea level), which is one of the best places to overlook the panoramic view of the thirteen peaks of Yulong Snow Mountain and a great place to experience the original Tibetan customs. You can also consult Intoexplore's travel consultant to recommend a suitable route for you.

Then go to Blue Moon Valley (2,800 meters above sea level). Blue Moon Valley consists of 4 connected lakes, each of which presents different colors due to mineral content and light refraction. Standing by the lake, you can take pictures of the blue lake, white travertine beach, and snow-capped mountains at the same time. The reflection of snow-capped peaks in winter is particularly spectacular.

• Lijiang - Shangri-La The First Bay of the Yangtze River - Tiger Leaping Gorge
• 4-Star Hotel
• Breakfast & Lunch

After breakfast, drive to Shangri-La. Passing Shigu Town, you will enjoy the First Bay of the Yangtze River, which is the only 180° turn of the Jinsha River in the Hengduan Mountains, forming a rare "Ω"-shaped river channel. The altitude here is 1,850 meters, and the river surface is wide and gentle, which is in sharp contrast with the steepness of the Tiger Leaping Gorge downstream. It is not only a landscape of geography textbook level, but also a historical witness of the Ancient Tea Horse Road and the Long March of the Red Army. Continue to drive to Tiger Leaping Gorge, which is located at the junction of Lijiang and Shangri-La. The Jinsha River roars between Haba Snow Mountain (5396m) and Yulong Snow Mountain (5596m), forming one of the deepest canyons in the world (the height difference between the river surface and the peak is 3,900 meters). It is famous for its "danger" and was rated as "China's Top Ten Most Beautiful Canyons" by National Geographic. Finally, arrive at Shangri-La and check in to the hotel for rest.

• Ganden Sumtseling Monastery - Pudacuo National Park
• 4-Star Hotel
• Breakfast & Lunch

In the morning, we visited Ganden Sumtseling Monastery, which is the largest Tibetan Buddhist temple in Yunnan and is known as the "Little Potala Palace". The temple combines Tibetan and Han architectural features. The "Horse Racing Meeting" (also known as the "Heavenly Horse Festival"), which is held for three consecutive days starting from the fifth day of the fifth month of the Tibetan calendar every year, is an important festival in Shangri-La County. In addition to horse racing, singing, dancing and food are also important parts of the festival. Horse traders gather here wearing their best fur or silk clothing. Each family brings a tent to camp on the meadow at an altitude of 3,288 meters where the horse racing is held.

Visiting tips: The prayer wheel needs to rotate clockwise; taking photos is prohibited in the Buddha Hall; you cannot point at the Buddha with your fingers.

In the afternoon, we came to Pudacuo National Forest Park, which is the first national park in mainland China. The name of the park means "the boat lake that saves all living beings and reaches the other side of the sea of ​​suffering" in Tibetan. It completely preserves the complex ecosystem of alpine lakes, virgin forests, plateau wetlands and Tibetan culture in the Hengduan Mountains.

Pudacuo is beautiful in all four seasons, but each has its own unique characteristics: in May, alpine azaleas are in full bloom; in July, the grasslands are full of wild flowers; in October, the forests are full of colors; in December, it is a snowy wonderland. Each season has its own beauty. In the scenic area, you can take a sightseeing bus to visit Shudu Lake →→ Militang → Bitahai in turn, saving time and energy.

• Shangri-la Departure
• Breakfast

We will take you to the airport according to your flight schedule.

Note: Shangri-La currently does not have international flights. Direct flights to cities in China include Chengdu, Chongqing, Kunming, Guangzhou, and Lhasa. Shangri-La is about 1 hour away from Chengdu and Kunming, and international flights can be transferred through these two cities.