7 Days Yunnan Journey to the Lost Horizon
English Speaking Guide
Max Group size of 12 people
All accomodations included
Our tours get great reviews!
We have over 15 years experience
Price of tour: $690*
* (Price can be 10% lower or higher depending on the season. Please tell us your preferred travel month in the booking form)
Tour summary
Embark on a spectacular adventure with this 7-day Yunnan Journey to the Lost Horizon. Begin in Dali, exploring its historic old town, serene Erhai Lake, and the iconic Three Pagodas. Experience local traditions and the vibrant markets of this lakeside city.
Travel north to enchanting Lijiang, wandering the UNESCO-listed Lijiang Old Town, with its cobbled streets and Naxi heritage. Discover the majestic Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and enjoy dramatic views at the breathtaking Tiger Leaping Gorge.
Continue to mystical Shangri-La, where Tibetan culture comes alive. Visit the impressive Songzanlin Monastery, stroll through traditional villages, and admire the highland meadows dotted with yaks and prayer flags.
Relax each night in comfortable, hand-selected hotels. All main admission fees, private transfers, daily breakfasts, and the expertise of a local English-speaking guide are included. This tour brings you the highlights of Yunnan—natural wonders, colorful cultures, and legendary scenery—in one perfectly organized trip.
Tour Itinerary
Tour Table of Contents
Day 1: Fly to Lijiang
Pick up at airport, transfer to reserved hotel in Shuhe, a previous stopover station on the Tea Horse Road 4km from Lijiang. It is known as the “Village Under the Peak”, the rest of the day is yours to explore the peaceful old town.
Day 2: Lijiang
After breakfast, visit Black Dragon Pond (Heilongtan) Park and Dongba Culture Museum where you can learn Naxi pictograph character and explore the rich Naxi minority culture. Continue visit Lijiang Ancient Town. Next, drive to Baisha, a small village with many ancient temples. Visit Baisha Mural, the unique art treasure stands for the peak of Chinese religious frescoes. Next, stop by Naxi Embroidery Institute, it teaches local women embroidery. Learn to make a small one by yourself. Afterwards, drive to Yuhu Village at the foot of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, enjoy its unique architecture and culture seen nowhere else. The national geographic explorer-Joseph Rock stayed here over 20 years, visit the museum which was turned by his former residence.
Day 3: Drive to Tacheng 180km, 3hrs30min
Depart at 8am, 1hr’s drive take us to the ancient village of Shigu, it lies on a unique point: on the first bend of Yangtze river. Today you will meet locals coming from all around for the traditional wet market, that sells vegetables, fruits, farm produce. After that, drive to Tacheng.
Day 4: Drive to Shangrila 138km, 2hrs30min
This early morning drive to Yunnan Wild Snub-nosed Monkey National Park. Switch to the sightseeing bus, and with around half an hour’s hiking, arrive at the viewing spot. Those rare monkeys come very close to you when they get down to feed. Continue to Nixi village, it is famous for making black pottery, watch and learn to make a pottery item by yourself. Finally, arrive to Shangri-la, stay in the ancient city dukezong tonight, explore on your own for the rest of the day.
Day 5: Shangrila
In the morning, drive to Songzanlin Monastery to see the largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Yunnan. The castle like complex is also known as Little Potala Palace, experience the mystery and traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. Continue to Napa Lake Grassland, enjoy the beautiful highland meadow full of yaks, horses. Lastly, pay a visit to a local Tibetan family to experience the local daily life.
Day 6: Drive to Tiger Leaping Gorge and back to Lijiang 180km, 3hrs40min
After breakfast, drive to Tiger Leaping Gorge, the deepest gorge in the world, you can walk about 2.6km to Tiger Leaping Rock. It is a lovely walking along the Jinsha River and stone trail, enjoy the breath-taking view. Afterwards, drive back to Lijiang.
Day 7: Lijiang Departure
Transfer to Airport, tour ends.
Included in the price
- Airport and train station pickup and drop services on arrival and departure dates
- Experienced, knowledgeable English-speaking guide for scheduled tours and activities
- Transportation via air-conditioned vehicle/coach for the duration of the tour
- Accommodation in comfortable hotels, based on double occupancy room sharing
- Daily breakfast at hotels
- Entrance fees for attractions and activities listed in the itinerary
- Experiences of embroidery, pottery making, and visiting a Tibetan family
- 1 bottle of water per person per day
- Basic travel insurance
Excluded from the price
- International or domestic flights/train tickets
- Meals not specified as included such as lunches and dinners
- Single room supplements
- Gratuities for guides and drivers
Enquiry & Booking
Please complete this short form and we’ll send you an itinerary and booking options for this tour. Thank you for your trust, and we look forward to welcoming you on this incredible tour!
Price from: $3394
- Country: Japan
Price from: $1330
- Country: Sri Lanka
Reviews from Our Travelers
What Makes Us the Best Travel Agency for Asia?
Meet Our Expert Local Team
Our multilingual team’s passion ensures you receive personal, attentive, and friendly guidance—from planning to the last day of your trip.
Jessie | Founder
10 years experience in organizing expat tours in China.
Jessie first worked as travel consultant for many years, her excellent organizing skills and great travel route planning have won the trust of many customers. In 2018 she founded experiencetibet.org, an agency offering tours in Tibet autonomous region and other Tibetan areas in China such as Gansu, Yunnan and Sichuan. In 2020 she started yellowbirdtour.com, with destinations all over China.
Penny | China travel consultant
Penny has rich experience in organizing foreigners tours to many places in China, such as Tibet, Gansu, Yunnan, Xinjiang, Zhangjiajie. She is very responsive, always quick and patient. Customers like her, they always come back for more tours, and also recommend many of their friends to join.
Dawei | Tour guide / operator
Dawei is a Tibetan Buddhist, and comes from the most north edge of the Tibetan plateau in Qinghai province, Western China. He has travelled as a tour leader to many South Asian countries such as India, Bhutan and also nearly the entire country of China. He focuse especially on guiding in Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan, Ningxia provinces and Tibetan regions. The activities of these various tour groups have included adopting family, horse racing, hiking, bird watching, cycling, camping, overseas students, cultural and religious sightseeing.
Andrew | Touir guide / operator
Andrew was born and grew up in a small village of Zhangjiajie, Hunan. From 2009-2012 he works for royal Caribbean International cruise as an onboard guest services officer. After that, he dedicates his life/time to guiding and operating tours in Zhangjiajie and around. As a native person, he knows all the corner of the scenic area, such as good restaurants, souvenir shops and cultures. He is very experienced and super flexible, he knows how to avoid the crowds and take advantage of the weather and offer the best travel experience to customers, all you need to do is just relax and enjoy!
