General Information

Duration:

13 Days

Location Start:

Kunming

Location Finish:

Guiyang

Payment Types:

• Cash
• Credit Card
• Cheque
• Travellers cheque
• Paypal
• Wire Transfer

We Speak:

English

Last updated: 02/26/2008

Itinerary

Day 1

Fly to KunmingVisit a private Embroidery Museum owned and opened by Mr. Zhanglongyuan, a 75-year-old man who is well-known in Yunnan for his personal embroidery collection from 1949. The museum exhibits more than 2100 pieces of embroidery from rural places in Yunnan Province, and provides a great opportunity to demonstrate the charm of embroidery art.

Day 2

Kunming to DaliFly to Dali in the morning, and take one hour to cross scenic and bustling farm fields on the bus to Zhoucheng, which is known for its tie dyeing village, consisted of 1561 Bai families, most people living in Zhoucheng make tie died crafts by themselves. Here we learn how to make the Bai people¡¯s local craft.

Day 3

Dali to Lijiang via ShaxiMorning drive from Dali to Lijiang, en route we pass by Shanxi town, which had been a very important and prosperous trading post along the Tea and Horse Caravan Trail, a business passage connecting the south of Yunnan where tea grows and Lhasa, Tibet. After a local family lunch, we continue the drive to Lijiang and arrive in the late afternoon. Optional program of Naxi Music performance will be provided in the evening.

Day 4

Lijiang to ZhongdianMorning drive to Zhongdian and stop on the way to visit the Yi village and focus on a Yi family, sitting down at the fireplace, talking to them and share a cup of tea to get a feeling of their daily life. Afterwards, we visit Longtan Naxi village where local life has remained unchanged for centuries. Scenery is magnificent as the road runs through the Lijiang valley filled with wheat fields and drying haystacks, and one of the world's deepest gorges: the Tiger Leaping Gorge, with 34 rapids of the Yangtze River, called the Jinsha in this area.

Day 5

ZhongdianDrive for 3 hours in the morning to Nixi Village where we visit a local NGO--The Yunnan Mountain Heritage Foundation, which is founded to protect and promote Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts, and Eco-Tourism in Shangri-La County. We have lunch with a local family and drive back to Zhongdian in the mid-afternoon. On the way, we stop to hike for 1 hour to Songzanlin Monastery, one of the largest Tibetan monasteries in Yunnan. The snow covered peaks, combined with the chanting and incense from the Tibetan monasteries, bring to life the "Shangri-La" described in Hilton's Lost Horizon.

Day 6

Zhongdian to Kunming to GuiyangMorning flight to Kunming and then connect flight to Guiyang. The rest of today will be open to you.

Day 7

Guiyang to Jichang VillageMorning we drive for 1.5 hours to reach Jichang village. Women here are still dressed in traditional Ming dynasty costumes, and houses remain faithful to the Ming architectural styles. If time permits, we watch a local opera performance, famed for the performers¡¯ symbolic masks.

Day 8

Guiyang to KailiMorning we embark on a 3-hour¡¯s drive to Kaili. After lunch, we will spend time at Wengxiang Miao village to learn about folded embroidery craft techniques. Afterwards, we visit the Kaili museum with exhibits about local handicrafts and history. We return to Kaili in the late afternoon.

Day 9

Qingman Miao VillageToday we depart for Qingman Miao village, where we learn about the traditional silk-felt and cloth weaving arts. Afterwards, we drive to visit the villages of Matang and Wangba Gejia where they craft unique batik cloths and embroidered belts.

Day 10

Gulong VillageThis morning we drive to Gulong Miao town to experience their village crafts of cloth-dyeing and cross stitching. Whole day will be spent in this charming village before returning to Kaili in the late afternoon.

Day 11

Kaili to LeishanOne fascinating pinch and two- needle embroidery techniques of Langde, Nanhua and Datang villages, all in the Leishan area.

Day 12

Leishan to GuiyangFree time or take an optional tour to Qingyan Old Town, which is one of Guizhou¡¯s major ancient towns.

Day 13

Back HomeFly back home, catch our return flight home.

Extra Information

Inclusions -

All domestic airfare as indicated in the itinerary

Exclusions -

SOS Evacuation insurance

Extras -

The current price quotation is based on the present exchange rate of RMB ¥7.15 to US $1.00. In the event of change of exchange rate of 2% or more, we reserve the right to adjust this quotation in a fair and reasonable manner.