---
title: "China at Two Altitudes"
description: "12 days from a snow mountain to a teahouse chair where altitude changes everything"
type: "tour"
route_id: "yunnan-sichuan-12-days"
total_days: 12
price: 3900
highlights: ["Kunming", "Lijiang", "Shangri-La", "Tacheng", "Chengdu", "Dujiangyan", "Leshan"]
url: "https://www.lyriktrip.com/tours/yunnan-sichuan-12-days"
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# China at Two Altitudes

12 days from a snow mountain to a teahouse chair where altitude changes everything

Two provinces in one arc. Snub-nosed monkeys, black pottery, pandas, a cooking class and the Leshan Giant Buddha, with English-speaking guides throughout.

- Active — longer walking days, mountain paths, or high altitude possible — Forest trails, gorge paths, temple steps, and Yunnan altitude around 2,400-3,300 m; cable cars handle the major climbs.

## Overview

Most first journeys pick either Yunnan or Sichuan. This one runs them as a staircase: you start high, among the snow mountains, old towns and forest villages of the northwest, sleep a night at more than three thousand meters in Shangri-La, then fly down into the basin, where an ancient waterworks still waters the plain and life runs on teahouse time. Trains, one flight and a private van link the arc; on the high days, oxygen and a pulse oximeter ride along in the van. By the end you will be able to explain what altitude does to a way of life: that answer is what you carry home.

LyrikTrip travel designers

Your route and its notes are settled before you land; licensed English-speaking local guides walk each region with you.

## Summary

- Route ID: yunnan-sichuan-12-days
- Duration: 12 days / 11 nights
- Starting price: $3,900
- Status: active
- Highlights: Kunming, Lijiang, Shangri-La, Tacheng, Chengdu, Dujiangyan, Leshan
- Cover image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/Nrbf96LH.jpg

## Hero tags

- private
- culture
- nature
- food
- moderate

## Highlight notes

- Best for: private travelers, active couples and families, Yunnan and Sichuan visitors
- Begin in Yunnan's high country, then descend into Sichuan's teahouse pace.

## Selling points

- Ride the cable car to Spruce Meadow beneath Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, then watch Impression Lijiang fill the open air.
- Take the slow road to Shangri-La, an old-growth forest by morning and the plateau air by dusk.
- Eat a chicken feast fired in Nixi black pottery by the family who made the pots.
- Spend a morning with Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys, then stand over the gorge where the river tears through.
- Watch pandas at their liveliest hour, then ride a tuk-tuk to the eateries Chengdu keeps for itself.
- Stand beside the Samantabhadra statue on Emei's Golden Summit, then meet the Leshan Giant Buddha from the water.

## City highlights

- Chengdu (3 days): pandas and a Sichuan kitchen
  - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/9WEKeUb9.webp
- Kunming (1 days): where the staircase starts
  - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/5AxlJ94k.webp
- Dujiangyan (1 days): Mount Qingcheng and the water
  - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/8536ecd7fa6d.jpg
- Lijiang (1 days): Jade Dragon Snow Mountain
  - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/9a7dde24bc29.jpg
- Leshan (2 days): Mount Emei, the Giant Buddha and tea country
  - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/85y1A285.webp
- Shangri-La (1 days): the forest road up
  - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/dw3nrRwb.webp
- Chengdu (1 days): the Buddha and the last cup
  - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/9WEKeUb9.webp
- Tacheng (2 days): Nixi pottery and snub-nosed monkeys
  - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/dbe2612f063a.jpg

## Experiences

Two provinces in one arc, from snow-mountain air down to teahouse time.

- Spruce Meadow & Blue Moon Valley (Lijiang): a cable car lifts you into Spruce Meadow, an alpine grassland ringed by spruce forest under Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, one of Yunnan's most recognized peaks. You walk the meadow at an easy pace while your guide explains what the mountain means to the Naxi people who live under it. Below, Blue Moon Valley strings mineral-rich water into pools of blue and turquoise: the color is the mineral load, not a filter.
  - Subtitle: a cable car lifts you into Spruce Meadow, an alpine grassland ringed
  - Tags: Nature
  - Host: Lijiang, Lijiang Lens — Naxi culture and snow mountain
  - Access: Below, Blue Moon Valley strings mineral-rich water into pools of blue and turquoise: the color is the mineral load, not a filter.
  - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/991aeccb0996.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/0ce70ced8401.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/181c55bf010c.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/48f341adb140.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2aecc841a15d.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/16400a1bd80a.jpg
- Impression Lijiang (Lijiang): an open-air performance staged with Jade Dragon Snow Mountain itself as the set. Music, movement and dress from Yunnan's peoples tell stories tied to the Tea Horse Road, the old trade route that carried tea toward the plateau. You sit in the open, so dress for mountain weather.
  - Subtitle: an open-air performance staged with Jade Dragon Snow Mountain itself as the
  - Tags: Show
  - Host: Lijiang, Lijiang Lens — Naxi culture and snow mountain
  - Access: You sit in the open, so dress for mountain weather.
  - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1b657e1fddb0.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/eb9e4e76bbb8.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/896406a71e12.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/d2e17520d9f8.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/a3f4fab6d07c.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/7b0979608116.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/048987cdc936.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/729f51f7e71b.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/d1d4e512e6e4.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/c64f0c8a2f66.jpg
- Wild Mushroom Hotpot (Lijiang): a Lijiang dinner built around Yunnan's wild fungi, cooked as one pot at the table. What goes in follows the season; your guide walks you through the names and the order things go into the pot. Included on the Jade Dragon day.
  - Subtitle: a Lijiang dinner built around Yunnan's wild fungi, cooked as one pot
  - Tags: Food
  - Host: Lijiang, Lijiang Lens — Naxi culture and snow mountain
  - Access: Included on the Jade Dragon day.
  - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/136be942f975.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/9b70c36090b1.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/d4b8612077bd.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/315b14165cbd.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/885263e6834c.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/5b1c2dc5b7f8.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/58fdd5723da9.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/45105d34b9d0.jpg
- Boduo Luo Forest Walk (Shangri-La): an easy walk through old-growth woodland on the road toward Shangri-La: big trees, streams and alpine plants, on a route built as a light outdoor day rather than a trek. Paired with a stop at Shiyu Heting Cultural Park, an introduction to how the communities of these mountains live.
  - Subtitle: an easy walk through old-growth woodland on the road toward Shangri-La: big
  - Tags: Nature
  - Host: Shangri-La, Shangri-La Lens — Highlands and Tibetan culture
  - Access: Paired with a stop at Shiyu Heting Cultural Park, an introduction to how the communities of these mountains live.
  - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/3d544a57cded.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/5bd9346ff682.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/c9d7a3e6c3a1.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/706ef0d2ec61.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/6df60d2d6bfd.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/09de3665b1da.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/a5f8cd0b9de5.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1504081d68c3.jpg
- Nixi Black Pottery & Chicken Feast (Shangri-La): Nixi is a Tibetan village that fires black pottery, shaped, polished and fired the way its families have done for generations. You watch the potters work and hear how the pieces fit into daily life here; then lunch arrives cooked in the same black clay: a chicken feast that is the village's own dish. Feast included.
  - Subtitle: Nixi is a Tibetan village that fires black pottery, shaped, polished and
  - Tags: Craft
  - Host: Shangri-La, Shangri-La Lens — Highlands and Tibetan culture
  - Access: Feast included.
  - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/68f72675d975.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/334b5568afb1.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/181ebf9ea595.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/94eba0d0d73a.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/5f1ce8d78c9e.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/a38e905864f6.jpg
- Highland Ice Wine (Tacheng, Yunnan): a wine château in the Tacheng area, growing grapes at altitude. You hear how high-country growing works, then taste locally produced ice wine with the mountains still in view.
  - Subtitle: a wine château in the Tacheng area, growing grapes at altitude
  - Tags: Food
  - Host: Shangri-La, Shangri-La Lens — Highlands and Tibetan culture
  - Access: You hear how high-country growing works, then taste locally produced ice wine with the mountains still in view.
  - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/dbe2612f063a.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/7201c6ecf9fe.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/305e438b0bd7.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/e0df4ac4c9e1.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/646b1b94c6b9.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/a7b0badbb856.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/a8ddc38d20d2.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/5b39b2c63c34.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/584dbb1ed813.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/eb14f3676dc4.jpg
- Yunnan Snub-Nosed Monkey Park (Tacheng, Yunnan): a national park at Tacheng protecting one of China's rarest primates. You go into the mountain forest with your guide to watch Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys and hear how they live: family structure, feeding, and the conservation work keeping them here. They are wild animals on their own schedule; the visit is set for the morning.
  - Subtitle: a national park at Tacheng protecting one of China's rarest primates
  - Tags: Nature
  - Host: Shangri-La, Shangri-La Lens — Highlands and Tibetan culture
  - Access: They are wild animals on their own schedule; the visit is set for the morning.
  - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/854345650b91.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/84296dbf0d12.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/163865b95cf2.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/9f772dd8226c.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/540d238b64d3.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/03f2c64d91fc.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/d53c5c2ea5dd.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/618989588dc2.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/a2cf36c67464.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/b2c78ff5ff23.jpg
- Tiger Leaping Gorge (Lijiang): Tiger Leaping Gorge offers one of Yunnan's most powerful river-and-mountain landscapes.
  - Subtitle: A dramatic gorge between high mountains
  - Tags: Gorge
  - Host: Lijiang, Lijiang Lens — Naxi culture and snow mountain
  - Access: A high-impact nature stop for travelers seeking dramatic scenery.
  - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/cb6579efc225.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/14eac1b3e45d.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/26c108efbc35.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/f218bb48afa6.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/445f5d2de92d.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1282d93bc45d.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/44805b88486c.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/19674fac4978.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/b2ddff058ec7.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/6ab023e26c57.jpg
- People's Park Teahouse (Chengdu): your first sit-down with the city, on day one. A bamboo chair beside local residents, tea in a gaiwan, the lidded cup China brews in, and your guide on what a teahouse does for a neighborhood: meeting hall, living room and news desk in one.
  - Subtitle: your first sit-down with the city, on day one
  - Tags: City
  - Host: Chengdu, Chengdu Lens — Pandas and Sichuan culture
  - Access: A bamboo chair beside local residents, tea in a gaiwan, the lidded cup China brews in, and your guide on what a teahouse does for a neighborhood: meeting hall, living room and news desk in one.
  - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/77584e962219.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/34f6c86b2f9f.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/89eb340e5ae2.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2726fdc3c516.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/a27d0f4e6224.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/3b775398e844.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/b33e34d550fa.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/3cbc8f748897.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/aa9f96490a8c.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/bb9ce7deea94.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1ea505e390f1.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/221e3aa47210.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/54273121005d.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/02b99824f5c6.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4e4bd21b9b97.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/9d549716c30b.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/46bb3f1c4d8b.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/9cf32f1b02e8.jpg
- Tuk-Tuk Food Night (Chengdu): an evening ride through residential streets and old alleys, stopping at community restaurants and small eateries most visitors never find on their own. Tastings along the route are included; your guide explains who cooks what and why the neighborhood keeps coming back.
  - Subtitle: an evening ride through residential streets and old alleys, stopping at community
  - Tags: Food
  - Host: Chengdu, Chengdu Lens — Pandas and Sichuan culture
  - Access: Tastings along the route are included; your guide explains who cooks what and why the neighborhood keeps coming back.
  - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/b854c8b2ef32.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/61859314af60.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/8c890a267bc0.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/69d740402963.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/b39f5d3503e0.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/da19cf848120.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/7051ae8b5efe.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/214d7bcd2c1d.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/dd2a13455159.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/702176acc348.jpg
- Sanxingdui Museum, Once It Confirms (Chengdu): a museum holding the finds of an ancient culture of the Sichuan Basin: monumental bronze masks, gold objects, jade and human figures in a style unlike anything from China's Central Plains. The day runs with professional interpretation, placing the objects in the longer story of Chinese civilization. Told straight: this visit is arranged only once tickets, English-language interpretation and the added cost are confirmed; if it cannot confirm, the Chengdu city day moves here instead.
  - Subtitle: a museum holding the finds of an ancient culture of the Sichuan
  - Tags: Culture
  - Host: Chengdu, Chengdu Lens — Pandas and Sichuan culture
  - Access: Told straight: this visit is arranged only once tickets, English-language interpretation and the added cost are confirmed; if it cannot confirm, the Chengdu city day moves here instead.
  - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/faf0e5b4ef79.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/3363cf0b2429.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/d8027d54aaf9.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2e3b515ee6b1.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1c391e422dd6.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/92ba6119fb7b.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/731f8189927b.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/7d60315abec3.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/a8807808c7fa.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/89b132fb089a.jpg
- Chengdu Panda Base (Chengdu): the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, visited in the morning: that is when pandas eat, climb and actually move. You watch them at close range and hear how breeding research and conservation work here.
  - Subtitle: the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, visited in the morning
  - Tags: Nature
  - Host: Chengdu, Chengdu Lens — Pandas and Sichuan culture
  - Access: You watch them at close range and hear how breeding research and conservation work here.
  - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/8e596b76ae58.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/201ef19af23f.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/c910f00284ac.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/fb8f2b170763.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/f84d52332ce8.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/3e8e1eba78b6.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/106d08f5e8be.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/df22c3d68f08.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/cdab22c7bcf5.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/bcdc08962f93.jpg
- Market Walk & Sichuan Cooking Class (Chengdu): you go to a local market with the cooking instructor first: fresh vegetables, chilies, spices, pickles and sauces, the working pantry of Sichuan cooking. Then the studio: hands on, selected dishes, and the meal you made becomes dinner. Included.
  - Subtitle: you go to a local market with the cooking instructor first: fresh
  - Tags: Food
  - Host: Chengdu, Chengdu Lens — Pandas and Sichuan culture
  - Access: Included.
  - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/b854c8b2ef32.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/004c2f626e6d.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/7e2703a293af.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/612876a0f3a6.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/c5397fe7bb4f.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/48b58d7a2b0a.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/680f19c6619b.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/990bf3ea9324.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/b1a4fb6904b4.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2c6cd8334285.jpg
- Qingcheng Tai Chi & Vegetarian Lunch (Dujiangyan): Mount Qingcheng is one of China's most important Taoist mountains. You follow a quiet forest route to a secluded Taoist setting, take an introductory Tai Chi session built on breathing, balance and controlled movement, then sit down to a vegetarian lunch in the Taoist tradition. Lunch included.
  - Subtitle: Mount Qingcheng is one of China's most important Taoist mountains
  - Tags: Wellness
  - Host: Dujiangyan Local Host, Dujiangyan culture and logistics specialist — A local host who tunes the Dujiangyan chapter around access, timing and food.
  - Access: Lunch included.
  - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/a3eabf347aee.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/9307c900297e.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/37480b0f8f9d.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/c2ac08f4b885.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/f21585bf1b36.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/ce595a251ee1.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/eb0c00602291.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/65f3c687ac1c.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4d69ecab996b.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/c9f01ed4cff1.jpg
- Dujiangyan Waterworks (Dujiangyan): an irrigation system from ancient times that still waters the Chengdu Plain, working with the river instead of blocking it. On site you see how its parts divide the flow, steer sediment and take the violence out of floods, and why the plain below stays farmland.
  - Subtitle: an irrigation system from ancient times that still waters the Chengdu Plain
  - Tags: Heritage
  - Host: Dujiangyan Local Host, Dujiangyan culture and logistics specialist — A local host who tunes the Dujiangyan chapter around access, timing and food.
  - Access: On site you see how its parts divide the flow, steer sediment and take the violence out of floods, and why the plain below stays farmland.
  - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/510f00cab43f.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4219cb235eba.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/ce3d6d1ff035.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/ce25c7e954f6.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/f12326d3279b.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/5185e0e08b89.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/b01d20980b27.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/73712e678adf.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/271e2d47194f.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/de2bd1ca7ce1.jpg
- Emei Crafts & Kung Fu (Mount Emei): a traditional town in the Emei area where regional heritage is still made by hand. You meet the craftspeople, then get an introduction to Emei Kung Fu and how it grew up alongside the mountain's Buddhist culture.
  - Subtitle: a traditional town in the Emei area where regional heritage is still
  - Tags: Culture
  - Host: Leshan Local Host, Leshan culture and logistics specialist — A local host who tunes the Leshan chapter around access, timing and food.
  - Access: You meet the craftspeople, then get an introduction to Emei Kung Fu and how it grew up alongside the mountain's Buddhist culture.
  - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2b16118611f4.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/b5b158713303.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/e98acc9307e2.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/fb1999923520.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/46f8d15b5ef1.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/ffb012ee67d4.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/8206cd260b04.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/0160d2eb08a5.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/0a90b224a1b0.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/d263c328b708.jpg
- Baoguo Temple at Dusk (Mount Emei): an evening visit, after the day's visitors have gone. The courtyards quiet down, the halls keep their incense, and the temple reads differently than it does at noon.
  - Subtitle: an evening visit, after the day's visitors have gone
  - Tags: Temple
  - Host: Leshan Local Host, Leshan culture and logistics specialist — A local host who tunes the Leshan chapter around access, timing and food.
  - Access: The courtyards quiet down, the halls keep their incense, and the temple reads differently than it does at noon.
  - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/177ae8ca7f59.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/b06b7e8adad3.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/e98acc9307e2.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/46f8d15b5ef1.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/ffb012ee67d4.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/e169077cd601.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/0160d2eb08a5.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/0a90b224a1b0.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/d263c328b708.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/aaa321a1f85b.jpg
- Golden Summit (Mount Emei): the high point of the Mount Emei visit: through the scenic area to Leidongping, then a cable car to the summit and the ten-direction Samantabhadra statue. The panorama is the reward; on the right day the clouds drop below you into a sea. Weather decides that part, and the statue and temples stand either way.
  - Subtitle: the high point of the Mount Emei visit: through the scenic area
  - Tags: Nature
  - Host: Leshan Local Host, Leshan culture and logistics specialist — A local host who tunes the Leshan chapter around access, timing and food.
  - Access: Weather decides that part, and the statue and temples stand either way.
  - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/d539eafbbfe1.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/c7cb8eda51fb.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/e98acc9307e2.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/fb1999923520.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/46f8d15b5ef1.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/ffb012ee67d4.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/3e4276044bae.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/0160d2eb08a5.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/0a90b224a1b0.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/d263c328b708.jpg
- Leshan Giant Buddha by Boat (Leshan): a Buddha carved into the river cliff at the meeting point of three rivers. From the deck of the sightseeing boat the whole figure reads at once, head to feet, with the mountains behind it: the scale only makes sense from the water.
  - Subtitle: a Buddha carved into the river cliff at the meeting point of
  - Tags: Heritage
  - Host: Leshan Local Host, Leshan culture and logistics specialist — A local host who tunes the Leshan chapter around access, timing and food.
  - Access: From the deck of the sightseeing boat the whole figure reads at once, head to feet, with the mountains behind it: the scale only makes sense from the water.
  - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2757cfc485d9.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/c54ce54d0ebb.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/ad1f007549b8.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1315256e101f.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/77f80238fd32.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/772754800c9a.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/e0fe53c60569.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/65e993e984ab.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/664c8d2746e5.jpg
- Tea Farmer Visit (Leshan): a tea-growing community near Leshan. You meet a farming family and follow tea from bush to cup: growing, picking, processing. In season, you join selected stages yourself; a simple meal at the family's table is included.
  - Subtitle: a tea-growing community near Leshan
  - Tags: Food
  - Host: Leshan Local Host, Leshan culture and logistics specialist — A local host who tunes the Leshan chapter around access, timing and food.
  - Access: In season, you join selected stages yourself; a simple meal at the family's table is included.
  - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/26251f37a451.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/6ae5ecaf2dbd.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/962634862a44.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/56c20c4aa477.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1f9f87f6cbf2.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/d24d0ce7ec46.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/c17209792789.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/b6633860461b.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/eec569534584.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4cef1503717f.jpg
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## Itinerary

### The Yunnan High Country - 5 days

Snow mountains, forest roads and one high night

#### Kunming (1 days)

- Subtitle: where the staircase starts
- Recommendation: Kunming is where the route lands. Yunnan's capital sits low and mild, and the rails climb northwest from here.
- Transport: High-speed rail · 3.5 hours
- Transport mode: train

Keep the arrival day clear of sightseeing. Meet the representative, transfer to the railway station, and let the train do the climbing.

- Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/5AxlJ94k.webp
##### Day 1: Kunming in, the rails up to Lijiang

- (transport) — Transfer to the railway and continue to Lijiang.

#### Lijiang (1 days)

- Subtitle: Jade Dragon Snow Mountain
- Recommendation: Lijiang starts the route under Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, with the first altitude shift visible from the train window.
- Transport: Private vehicle · 4 hours
- Transport mode: car

Keep the arrival day soft, then use the mountain day for Spruce Meadow, Blue Moon Valley, Impression Lijiang and wild mushroom hotpot.

- Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/9a7dde24bc29.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/169wm5C5.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/3qiKFSrZ.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/412A0Clw.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/136be942f975.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1b657e1fddb0.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/485467f86820.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/991aeccb0996.jpg
##### Day 2: Jade Dragon Snow Mountain

- (sight) — Cable car to the meadow
- (sight) — Open-air performance with Jade Dragon Snow Mountain as the set; schedule follows the venue calendar.
- (dining) — Included dinner cooked at the table.

#### Shangri-La (1 days)

- Subtitle: the forest road up
- Recommendation: Shangri-La lifts the journey to its high point: forest roads, Tibetan mountain communities and a night kept deliberately gentle for altitude adjustment.
- Transport: Private vehicle
- Transport mode: car

Take the road slowly through Boduo Luo forest and Shiyu Heting, then leave the evening free.

- Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/dw3nrRwb.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/5jIVKrwz.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/bd91UNcB.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/bHTd35TE.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/3d544a57cded.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/64bdf9333e28.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/68f72675d975.jpg
##### Day 3: The forest road up to Shangri-La

- (sight) — Light forest walk before the drive to Shangri-La.
- (transport) — Continue by private vehicle to Shangri-La and keep the evening free for altitude adjustment.

#### Tacheng (2 days)

- Subtitle: Nixi pottery and snub-nosed monkeys
- Recommendation: Tacheng here is the Yunnan mountain town near the snub-nosed monkey forest, not Xinjiang's Tacheng city.
- Transport: Flight
- Transport mode: airplane

Schedule the wildlife forest in the morning, then use Tiger Leaping Gorge and the return drive to close the Yunnan highland section.

- Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/dbe2612f063a.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/854345650b91.jpg
##### Day 4: Nixi black pottery, on to Tacheng

- (sight) — Watch the potters and eat the included village dish.
- (transport) — Continue by private vehicle from Nixi to Tacheng.
- (sight) — Taste locally made ice wine at an unnamed château.

##### Day 5: Snub-nosed monkeys and Tiger Leaping Gorge

- (sight) — Morning wildlife and conservation visit; sightings are not guaranteed.
- (sight) Hu Tiao Xia (Tiger-Jump Gorges) — Walk maintained viewpoints on the Shangri-La side.
- (transport) — Return to Lijiang by private vehicle after the gorge visit.

### Down to the Sichuan Basin - 7 days

Teahouses, pandas and temple mountains

#### Chengdu (3 days)

- Subtitle: pandas and a Sichuan kitchen
- Recommendation: Chengdu is the low-altitude reset: teahouses, pandas, Sichuan food and a possible Sanxingdui day.
- Transport: Private vehicle · 1.5 hours
- Transport mode: car

Make People's Park the moment when the route changes register from highland air to basin time.

- Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/9WEKeUb9.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/18sksaPz.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1BPFDek8.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2iDGv07g.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2sL1auf0.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/37Mf4mO1.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4BqwVBVY.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4mDgLfna.webp
##### Day 6: Down to the basin: Chengdu

- (transport) — Domestic flight quoted separately unless confirmed otherwise.
- (sight) — Teahouse time and restored lanes.
- (dining) — Included neighborhood tastings.

##### Day 7: Sanxingdui, once it confirms

- (sight) Sanxingdui Museum — Arrange only when tickets, English-language interpretation and the added cost are confirmed; otherwise use the Chengdu city-day fallback.

##### Day 8: Pandas and a Sichuan kitchen

- (sight) — Visit in the morning.
- (dining) — Shop with the instructor and cook the included dinner.

#### Dujiangyan (1 days)

- Subtitle: Mount Qingcheng and the water
- Recommendation: Link Mount Qingcheng and the ancient waterworks.
- Transport: Private vehicle
- Transport mode: car

Use the forest route and keep climbs measured.

- Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/8536ecd7fa6d.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2TkDaHfp.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/0b714d59f119.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4219cb235eba.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/510f00cab43f.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/69eea3ce5a13.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/9143314f4af5.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/9d9a43ba2c4d.jpg
##### Day 9: Mount Qingcheng and Dujiangyan

- (sight) — Introductory session and included Taoist vegetarian lunch.
- (sight) — See how the ancient system divides flow and steers sediment.
- (transport) — Leave Chengdu by private vehicle for Mount Qingcheng and Dujiangyan.

#### Leshan (2 days)

- Subtitle: Mount Emei, the Giant Buddha and tea country
- Recommendation: Hold the Emei mountain days under one city-level stop.
- Transport: Private vehicle · 2.5 hours
- Transport mode: car

Let weather set expectations for the summit, then keep the mountain days paced for walking.

- Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/85y1A285.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/3YWidhuR.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/cbgxR0g7.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/kCW2cZiZ.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/177ae8ca7f59.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/26251f37a451.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2757cfc485d9.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2b16118611f4.jpg
##### Day 10: To Mount Emei: crafts, kung fu, a dusk temple

- (sight) — Meet craftspeople and hear a martial-arts introduction.
- (sight) Baoguo Temple — Visit at dusk.
- (transport) — Leave Dujiangyan and travel to Mount Emei by private vehicle.

##### Day 11: Emei's Golden Summit

- (sight) Golden Summit Temple — Cable car to the summit; cloud views depend on weather.
- (sight) Wannian Temple — Historic temple and forested valley.

#### Chengdu (1 days)

- Subtitle: the Buddha and the last cup
- Recommendation: The route ends where the long-haul flights leave from. The last day runs out through Leshan and the tea country before the transfer to Chengdu airport.
- Transport: Private transfer
- Transport mode: car

Time the Giant Buddha boat and the tea farmer's table against the departure flight, then allow room on the road back into Chengdu.

- Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/9WEKeUb9.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/18sksaPz.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1BPFDek8.webp
##### Day 12: Leshan Giant Buddha and a tea farm

- (sight) Leshan Giant Buddha — See the cliff carving from the water.
- (dining) — Follow tea from bush to cup; family meal included.
- (transport) — Private departure transfer.
- (transport) — Leave Mount Emei and travel to Leshan by private vehicle.

## Daily plan

### Day 1 — Kunming in, the rails up to Lijiang

The staircase starts at the bottom. No sightseeing today, on purpose.

- Kunming arrival: you land in Yunnan's capital, meet your representative and transfer to the railway station; the plateau proper is still ahead of you.
- High-speed rail to Lijiang: the train carries you northwest as the land climbs, provincial city giving way through your window to the mountains of northwest Yunnan.
- Lijiang, at your own pace: you meet your Lijiang guide and check in; nothing formal is scheduled, so the old town streets are yours after a long travel day.
- Stay: Lijiang
- Meals: At leisure

### Day 2 — Jade Dragon Snow Mountain

The snow mountain at eye level, and a stage set against it.

- Spruce Meadow: a cable car lifts you into an alpine grassland ringed by spruce forest under Jade Dragon Snow Mountain; you walk the meadow at an easy pace while your guide tells you what the peak means to the Naxi who live beneath it.
- Blue Moon Valley: below the meadow, mineral-rich water strings into pools of blue and turquoise: the color is the mineral load in the water, not a filter.
- Impression Lijiang: an open-air performance with the snow mountain itself as the set; music, movement and dress from Yunnan's peoples carry stories tied to the Tea Horse Road. You sit in the open, so dress for mountain weather.
- Wild mushroom hotpot: back in Lijiang, dinner is one pot of Yunnan's wild fungi cooked at the table; your guide walks you through the names and the order things go in.
- Stay: Lijiang
- Meals: Breakfast at the hotel; wild mushroom hotpot dinner included

### Day 3 — The forest road up to Shangri-La

The road climbs to about 3,200 meters. Tonight you sleep higher than any night on this trip.

- Boduo Luo forest walk: an easy walk through old-growth woodland on the road north: big trees, streams and alpine plants, built as a light outdoor morning rather than a trek.
- Shiyu Heting Cultural Park Shiyu Heting: a stop to meet how the mountain communities here live, before the road climbs on.
- Drive to Shangri-La: a private vehicle takes you up onto the plateau; the evening is kept free on purpose, so your body meets the altitude gently. You'll notice it first in your breath, then in your voice: up here, you slow down without deciding to.
- Stay: Shangri-La
- Meals: Breakfast at the hotel

### Day 4 — Nixi black pottery, on to Tacheng

A village fires its pots the way it always has, and lunch comes out of them.

- Nixi black pottery & chicken feast: Nixi is a Tibetan village that fires black pottery, shaped, polished and fired the way its families have done for generations; you watch the potters work, then lunch arrives cooked in the same black clay, a chicken feast that is the village's own dish.
- Drive to Tacheng: the road drops off the highest ground toward Tacheng, lower and greener.
- Highland ice wine: a château growing grapes at altitude; you hear how high-country growing works, then taste locally made ice wine with the mountains still in view.
- Stay: Tacheng
- Meals: Breakfast at the hotel; black pottery chicken feast included

### Day 5 — Snub-nosed monkeys & Tiger Leaping Gorge

A morning with one of China's rarest primates, an afternoon over a roaring river.

- Yunnan snub-nosed monkey park: you go into the mountain forest with your guide to watch Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys and hear how they live: family structure, feeding, and the conservation work that keeps them here. They are wild animals on their own schedule, so the visit is set for the morning.
- Tiger Leaping Gorge: you follow maintained paths through selected sections on the Shangri-La side: sheer walls above, fast water far below. The name carries a legend, that a hunted tiger cleared the river in one leap at its narrowest point. Standing over the noise, you'll find you've stopped talking.
- Return to Lijiang: your vehicle brings you back down to Lijiang for the night.
- Stay: Lijiang
- Meals: Breakfast at the hotel

### Day 6 — Down to the basin: Chengdu

You fly off the plateau and land where life runs on teahouse time.

- Direct flight to Chengdu: a direct flight carries you off the Yunnan highlands and down into the Chengdu Basin, about two thousand meters lower than where you woke.
- People's Park teahouse: the park where Chengdu goes to do nothing in particular; you take a seat with a gaiwan, the lidded cup China brews in, and stay as long as the afternoon allows. After the high days, you'll feel your shoulders drop: down here nobody is in a hurry, and neither are you.
- Kuanzhai Alley: three restored lanes of courtyard architecture, walked at an easy pace.
- Tuk-tuk food night: an evening ride through residential streets and old alleys, stopping at community restaurants most visitors never find; the tastings along the route are included and your guide explains who cooks what.
- Stay: Chengdu
- Meals: Breakfast at the hotel; tuk-tuk food tastings included

### Day 7 — Sanxingdui, once it confirms

A bronze face from a culture unlike any other in China. If it confirms, the day is yours.

- Sanxingdui Museum: a museum of the finds of an ancient culture of the Sichuan Basin: monumental bronze masks, gold objects, jade and human figures in a style unlike anything from the Central Plains; the day runs with professional interpretation that places the objects in the longer story of Chinese civilization.
- Told straight: this visit is arranged once tickets, English-language interpretation and the added cost are confirmed; if it cannot confirm, the Chengdu city day moves here instead.
- Stay: Chengdu
- Meals: Breakfast at the hotel

### Day 8 — Pandas & a Sichuan kitchen

Pandas at their busiest hour, then dinner you cook yourself.

- Chengdu Panda Base: the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, visited in the morning, when pandas eat, climb and actually move; you watch them at close range and hear how breeding research and conservation work here.
- Market walk: you go to a local market with the cooking instructor: fresh vegetables, chilies, spices, pickles and sauces, the working pantry of Sichuan cooking.
- Sichuan cooking class: then the studio, hands on: you cook selected dishes and the meal you made becomes dinner.
- Stay: Chengdu
- Meals: Breakfast at the hotel; cooking class dinner included

### Day 9 — Mount Qingcheng & Dujiangyan

Tai Chi under Taoist trees, then a waterworks that has run for two thousand years.

- Qingcheng Tai Chi & vegetarian lunch: Mount Qingcheng is one of China's most important Taoist mountains; you follow a quiet forest route to a secluded Taoist setting, take an introductory Tai Chi session built on breathing, balance and controlled movement, then sit down to a vegetarian lunch in the Taoist tradition.
- Dujiangyan waterworks: an irrigation system from ancient times that still waters the Chengdu Plain, working with the river instead of blocking it; on site you see how its parts divide the flow, steer sediment and take the violence out of floods.
- Stay: Dujiangyan
- Meals: Breakfast at the hotel; Taoist vegetarian lunch included

### Day 10 — To Mount Emei: crafts, kung fu, a dusk temple

Heritage still made by hand, and a temple after the crowds go.

- Drive to Mount Emei: you leave Dujiangyan and travel toward the mountain.
- Emei crafts & kung fu: a traditional town in the Emei area where regional heritage is still made by hand; you meet the craftspeople, then get an introduction to Emei Kung Fu and how it grew up alongside the mountain's Buddhist culture.
- Baoguo Temple at dusk: an evening visit, after the day's visitors have gone; the courtyards quiet down, the halls keep their incense, and the temple reads differently than it does at noon.
- Stay: Mount Emei
- Meals: Breakfast at the hotel

### Day 11 — Emei's Golden Summit

The trip's last high point, reached by cable car. What the weather gives, it gives.

- Golden Summit: through the scenic area to Leidongping, then a cable car to the summit, about 3,000 meters, and the ten-direction Samantabhadra statue; the panorama is the reward, and on the right day the clouds drop below you into a sea. Weather decides that part, and the statue and temples stand either way.
- Wannian Temple: one of Mount Emei's most historically significant Buddhist temples.
- Qingyin Pavilion: you walk the forested valley to Qingyin, where temples, streams and bridges close the day quietly.
- Stay: Mount Emei
- Meals: Breakfast at the hotel

### Day 12 — Leshan Giant Buddha & a tea farm

One last look from the water, one last cup at a farmer's table. Then the answer you carry home.

- Leshan Giant Buddha by boat: the Buddha sits carved into a river cliff where three rivers meet; from the boat the figure resolves as one piece with the other carvings around it, and the scale only adds up from the water.
- Tea farmer visit: a tea-growing community near Leshan; you meet a farming family and follow tea from bush to cup, and in season you join selected stages yourself. A simple meal at the family's table is included. By the last cup, you'll have your own answer to what altitude does to a way of life: that answer is the souvenir.
- To Chengdu Airport: after the visit, a private transfer to Chengdu Airport for your departure.
- Meals: Breakfast at the hotel; simple tea farmer meal included

## Hotels

### Halfway Hostel

- City: Lijiang
- Description: The most famous on in Hu Tiao
- Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/0b9b9a34fe35.jpg

### Chang Palace

- City: Shangri-La
- Description: A luxury palace-style hotel in Dukezong Old Town, Shangri-La, Yunnan.
- Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/e957ff27f5ed.jpg

### Songtsam Tacheng

- City: Tacheng
- Description: Songtsam Tacheng. A selected stay in Tacheng.
- Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/df95a4fc28a8.jpg

### Atour Hotel Chengdu Taikoo Li Chunxi Road Pedestrian Street

- City: Chengdu
- Description: A simple Chengdu stay near Chunxi Road, good for travellers who want easy walks, food stops, and short city transfers.
- Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/bUOsDqAb.webp

### Atour Hotel Dujiangyan Imixpark

- City: Dujiangyan
- Description: Atour Hotel Dujiangyan Imixpark. A selected stay in Dujiangyan.
- Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/917aef3cca54.jpg

### Mozhuang Chanyi Hotel

- City: Mount Emei
- Description: Mozhuang Chanyi Hotel. A selected stay in Mount Emei.
- Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/8aedf00cd24f.jpg

### Rezen Select Leshan Zhanggongqiao

- City: Leshan
- Description: Rezen Select Leshan Zhanggongqiao. A selected stay in Leshan.
- Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/865402f9b373.jpg

### Habuda Yungu Homestay Weixi

- City: Tacheng
- Description: Habuda Yungu Homestay Weixi. A selected stay in Tacheng.
- Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/41f559140941.jpg

### Songtsam Linka Shangri-La

- City: Shangri-La
- Description: Boutique Tibetan-design retreat with prayer-flag courtyards and Songzanlin Monastery views.
- Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/j03SFnwt.webp

### Hilton Chengdu Chenghua

- City: Chengdu
- Description: A practical Chengdu base for travellers who want easy city access, relaxed days out, and a comfortable return after sightseeing.
- Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/3pup59R7.webp

### Borrman Hotel (Leshan High-Speed Railway Station Wanda Plaza)

- City: Leshan
- Description: Borrman Hotel (Leshan High-Speed Railway Station Wanda Plaza). A selected stay in Leshan.
- Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/c990e50af0a9.jpg

### Pullman Lijiang Resort & Spa

- City: Lijiang
- Description: Five-star Naxi-design resort with private courtyards and Jade Dragon Snow Mountain views.
- Image: https://ak-d.tripcdn.com/images/0100z12000nuux88t5279_C_500_280.jpg?proc=source%2ftrip

### Howard Johnson Conference Resort Chengdu

- City: Dujiangyan
- Description: Howard Johnson Conference Resort Chengdu. A selected stay in Dujiangyan.
- Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/569d8c730415.jpg

### Lapu Zangyun Lodge Weixi Tacheng

- City: Tacheng
- Description: Lapu Zangyun Lodge Weixi Tacheng. A selected stay in Tacheng.
- Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/c55637fb9cc7.jpg

### Hylandia by Shangri-La

- City: Shangri-La
- Description: Shangri-La Group hotel offering a spa, pool, and premium facilities in Shangri-La County, Yunnan.

### The Temple House

- City: Chengdu
- Description: Boutique luxury hotel inside a restored Qing-dynasty courtyard near Taikoo Li with one of Chengdu's strongest design statements.
- Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2Dh9ApbX.webp

### Gongxin Hotel

- City: Leshan
- Description: Gongxin Hotel. A selected stay in Leshan.
- Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/a41e7cf844da.jpg

### Shan Quan Guesthouse

- City: Lijiang
- Description: Wife of the host is from France, so much convenient for French travelers.

## Included / Excluded

### What's Included

- Private vehicles: Air-conditioned private vehicles for all listed sightseeing and transfers, with station and airport pick-ups
- High-altitude support: Supplemental oxygen and a pulse oximeter arranged for the van on the highland Yunnan days
- Guides: Licensed English-speaking guides through every region
- Rail: Kunming to Lijiang high-speed train ticket, first class
- Hotels: 11 nights in selected four-star, five-star or quality boutique stays, breakfast daily
- Tickets and experiences: All listed attractions, cable cars and scenic-area shuttles, the Blue Moon Valley shuttle, the Lijiang old-town maintenance fee and the Tiger Leaping Gorge escalator, plus the hands-on and cultural experiences in the confirmed itinerary
- Included meals: Wild mushroom hotpot · Nixi black pottery chicken feast · tuk-tuk food tastings · Sichuan cooking class dinner · Taoist vegetarian lunch · tea farmer meal
- Also: Travel accident insurance

### Not Included

- Long-haul: International flights into Kunming and onward travel from Chengdu
- Domestic flight: The Lijiang to Chengdu flight is quoted with your confirmation unless stated otherwise in the final quotation: one figure, no surprises
- Sanxingdui: Sanxingdui Museum tickets, specialist interpretation and related costs, until confirmed in your final itinerary
- Meals: Beyond the included meals, lunches and dinners stay flexible: each day your guide recommends and books around the group's tastes
- Personal: Visas, gratuities, single-room supplement, personal spending, and optional activities not in your confirmation

### Special Notes

A few things on this route depend on weather, seasons or operators. Here they are, told straight: with the backup already planned.

- Altitude: The Yunnan days run between about 2,400 and 3,300 meters, the highest night is Day 3 in Shangri-La, and from Day 6 you are down at the Chengdu Basin's roughly 500 meters; the Shangri-La evening is kept free to let your body adjust, and oxygen and a pulse oximeter are arranged for the van on the highland days.
- Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys: They are wild animals on their own schedule, so the visit is set for the morning; sightings are never guaranteed, and the forest walk and conservation talk go ahead either way.
- Golden Summit: The sea of clouds depends on the day's weather; the summit, the Samantabhadra statue and the temples stand either way.
- Impression Lijiang: An open-air, seasonal performance that runs on the venue's own calendar; seating is outdoors, so dress for mountain weather.
- Tea farmer participation: The stages you can join yourself depend on the tea season; the visit and the family meal go ahead either way.
- Sanxingdui: Arranged only once tickets, English-language interpretation and the added cost are confirmed; if it cannot confirm, the Chengdu city day moves to that day.
- Hotels and venues: Named in your confirmation; or similar always means the same class and comparable location, never a quiet downgrade.

## Is Twelve Days Your Length?

Tell us your dates and who's coming: we will shape the length around you.

### Have the full window?

This is the whole staircase: Yunnan's high country first, then the Sichuan basin, in their proper order.

### Shorter on days?

We trim a region, not the pace: keep Yunnan, keep Sichuan, or tell us what matters most and we will cut the line to fit.

### Traveling with older parents or kids?

The highland days can soften further, and every climb has a cable-car answer.

## Good to Know

- Group: Private; from 1 guest: no minimum
- Altitude: The Yunnan days run between about 2,400 and 3,300 meters, highest night Day 3 in Shangri-La; from Day 6 you are down at roughly 500 meters
- Language: English-speaking guides throughout
- Shopping Policy: No shopping stops or commission detours on the route; your time is dedicated solely to the places listed here.
- Tailoring: Fully flexible. Days, stops, and pace can be added, removed, or swapped. We'll reshape the plan together before you confirm and pay.
- Payment: A 10% deposit, minimum $399, locks your dates and resources; the balance is due 14 days before departure
- Flexibility: Walking distances adapt to your pace throughout; weather-dependent items and their backups are listed in Special Notes
- Best season: Spring and autumn ideal across both provinces; summer runs green and full, winter quiet and crisp
- Ports: Kunming In · Chengdu Out
- Gateway markets: Lead country marker: FR. Gateway markets from inventory: WEU, SEU, UK, ANZ. Kunming-side access may need a connection.
- Advance booking: Shiyu Heting Cultural Park needs to be reserved 7 days ahead; your travel designer handles it once your dates are confirmed

## Your Private Concierge

- Name: Jason Hu
- Title: Private China Route Concierge
- Tagline: A bilingual planning desk for tailor-made China journeys.
- Bio: Our China team tunes pacing, hotels and local hosts around each route style.
- Avatar image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/c0TBypRh.png

### Stats

- 20+ Years
- 300+ Trips designed
- 24/7 On-trip care

### The Conversation

Every LyrikTrip journey begins with a conversation. Tell us your dates and who's coming — and if this length isn't right for you, we'll say so and shape a shorter arc. First reply within four hours; a clear price for your dates within one business day.

- CTA: Start the conversation

### Step 01: Tell us what excites you

Not your dates and budget — your curiosity. Where have you always wanted to go? What do you want to feel? We start there.

- 24h: First concept delivered

### Step 02: We design it around you

Your specialist builds the itinerary from scratch — routes, hosts, hotels, and experiences you won't find anywhere else.

- 100%: Bespoke, never off-the-shelf

### Step 03: Lock it in with 10%

When the plan feels right, a 10% deposit holds your entire trip. Balance due 30 days before departure.

- 10%: Deposit to secure everything

### Step 04: Travel. We handle the rest.

Your Trip Pack arrives before you fly. On the road, your concierge is one message away — for the expected and everything you didn't plan for.

- 24/7: Support throughout your journey

- Free cancellation up to 30 days
- English-speaking concierge
- Secure payment via Stripe

- CTA: Talk to Us

## Guest Reviews

- Overall rating: 4.9
- Total reviews: 523
- Count label: from 523 verified reviews

4.9 / 5

### Platforms

- google: 4.9 (312 reviews)
- tripadvisor: 5.0 (211 reviews)

- Filter tabs: All, Google, TripAdvisor
- Emily Carter (🇺🇸 Seattle, USA · 5★ · May 2026 · google): Perfect for couples - My partner and I had an amazing time in China. Everything was arranged for us — transfers, hotels, guides. No stress at all.
- Claire Brooks (🇬🇧 London, UK · 5★ · Apr 2026 · tripadvisor): Great for families - Traveled with my two kids and had zero issues. The team made sure the pace wasn't too rushed and included things the kids would enjoy. Communication was easy throughout. Will definitely use them again for our next Asia trip.
- Laura Bennett (🇨🇦 Toronto, Canada · 5★ · Mar 2026 · google): Alisa made the whole experience easy - Alisa was our point of contact throughout and she was brilliant — patient, knowledgeable, and always quick to reply. The trip itself was wonderful. Beijing and Guilin were highlights.
- Mark Henderson (🇺🇸 Denver, USA · 4★ · Feb 2026 · tripadvisor): Good service, minor hiccup but sorted quickly - Really good service. There was a small mix-up with one of our restaurant bookings but it got sorted quickly. The rest of the trip was seamless.
- Rebecca Miller (🇺🇸 Boston, USA · 5★ · Jan 2026 · google): Really listened to what we wanted - Really helpful team. They listened to what we wanted and delivered. Beijing and Xi'an were incredible.

## China Ready

We've solved the hard parts. Here's everything a first-time Western traveler needs to know before arriving.

### VPN & Internet Access

- Badge: Do this before you fly
- What's blocked: Google, Gmail, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, and most Western news sites are inaccessible in China without a VPN.
- Download before you leave: It's nearly impossible to download a VPN once inside China. Install and test at home. Recommended: Astrill (most reliable), Mullvad, ExpressVPN — subscribe to at least two in case one stops working.
- Hotel Wi-Fi tip: Some hotels block VPN connections on their Wi-Fi. Use your phone's mobile data as a hotspot if the VPN drops.
- Good news: WhatsApp works perfectly through a VPN, so your messaging stays unchanged. Apple iMessage and Signal also work.

### Paying in China

- Badge: Your concierge sets this up on Day 1
- China is cashless: Alipay and WeChat Pay are used for almost everything — restaurants, taxis, markets, tickets. Cash is rarely accepted in cities.
- International cards now work: Foreign Visa/Mastercard can now link directly to Alipay (set up in minutes, $5,000 single transaction limit). Your concierge walks you through the setup on your first morning.
- Carry some cash: We recommend ¥500–800 RMB in cash for the rare vendor that won't accept digital payment, and for small towns.
- Booking this trip: Your deposit and balance are charged via Stripe — the same trusted platform used by Airbnb and Booking.com. USD billing, no surprise conversion fees.

### Visa & Entry

- Badge: We handle the paperwork
- Do you need a visa?: Most US, UK, EU, Australian, Canadian, and New Zealand passport holders need a tourist (L) visa for stays over 10 days. We provide a visa invitation letter with every booking — it significantly speeds up approval.
- 240-hour visa-free transit: Citizens of 55+ countries (including USA, UK, most of EU, AUS, NZ, Canada) can enter China visa-free for up to 10 days if transiting through eligible ports. This covers our 12-day itinerary only if you have a confirmed onward flight.
- Processing time: Apply 4–6 weeks before departure. Standard processing: 4–7 business days. Express (3 days) and same-day options available at most Chinese consulates.
- What we provide: Visa invitation letter, hotel confirmation for all nights, suggested itinerary document — everything the consulate needs, formatted correctly.

### Safety & Practical Tips

- Badge: Our responsibility, always
- Is China safe?: China consistently ranks among the safest countries for foreign tourists. Violent crime against visitors is extremely rare. Cities have extensive CCTV coverage and a visible police presence.
- Emergency numbers: Police: 110. Ambulance: 120. Your concierge is your first call for any non-emergency situation — she has local contacts for every city on the itinerary.
- Health & medications: Bring a full supply of any prescription medication. International pharmacies exist in major cities but may not carry your brand. Travel insurance is required — we can recommend policies that cover China specifically.
- Language: English fluency outside hotels and tourist sites is limited. Your guides all speak English. We provide a printed pocket card with essential Chinese phrases and emergency contacts for every traveler.

## Before You Book

Everything worth knowing before you book.

### Twelve days across two provinces: will it feel rushed?

No. The line works as a staircase with two or three nights in each region and cable cars or shuttles for the climbs.

### How high do we go, and what if the altitude affects us?

The source places the Yunnan stretch at about 2,400-3,300 m with the highest night in Shangri-La. Altitude affects people differently so the high days stay gentle and the figures require final confirmation.

### Is Sanxingdui guaranteed?

No. It is arranged only after tickets, English interpretation and added cost confirm; otherwise the Chengdu city day moves here.

### Why aren't all meals included?

Daily breakfast and six named meals are included. Other lunches and dinners remain flexible around the group's tastes.