Classic Lijiang Tour

Upon your arrival at Lijiang County,"an UNESCO World Cultural Heritage" site, our local guide will meet you and escort you to your hotel. In the afternoon, you will have an excursion to the Ancient Town and the Lion Hill. Overnight in Lijiang.
- Lijiang County: located in the northwest of Yunnan Province, 544 km away from Kunming, perched at bottom of the Himalayas and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, it is one of the National Scenic Areas and famed for its Ancient Town of Dayan, the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, rich culture of different ethnic minorities and so many more.
- The Ancient Town: also called Dayan Town, built in the late song dynasty and the early Yuan dynasty with a history of more than 800 years, this ancient town consists of clean streams flowing freely through the raod network, the colorful cobbled streets, age-old swaying willow trees, age-old buildings and stone bridges. There are over 22 different ethnic minorities making Lijiang their home, now and then you may see local folks in their own tradtional dress. Strolling around this charming ancient town, you will be attracted by the unique atmosphere and surprised by its ancient yet simple sense of "Harmony of Heaven and Man."
- Lion Hill: the name is derived from its resemblance of a lion playing a ball, the mountain is best known for its vast and green pines and cypresses planted mostly in Ming Dynasty with over 500 years old, from the Tower of Eternity (Wangoulou) on the top of the mountain, you can enjoy a bird's eye view of the ancient town and the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain far away.

Today, you will enjoy a full day trip to the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and the Baisha Mural Paintings, the Black Dragon Pool Park and Museum of Naxi Dongba Culture inside the park. Overnight in Lijiang.
- The Jade Dragon Snow Mountain: it is so called because it looks like a flying jade dragon from afar. The mountain consists of 13 peaks and sprawls 35 km from north to south, its glacier is the modern oceanic glacier closest to the equator in the Northern Hemisphere. By taking the cable car up to certain height, you can enjoy the expansive mountains views and snowy scenery.
- The Baisha Mural Paintings: located in Baisha Township, 8km north of Lijiang, there are altogether 53 groups of mural paintings in different temples with fine and smooth lines, bright colors, vivid pattern and harmonious composition. Painted from the early days of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) to the early Qing Dynasty (1644-1911),these mural paintings are an artistic representation of the different religious cultures such as Buddhism, Lamaism, Daoism and the Naxi Dongba religion.
- Black Dragon Pool Park: where you can see the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain from afar and the reflection of the mountain in the pool in a clear day, this park is the source of the water system of the Old Lijiang Town as the clean spring from Jade Dragon Snow Mountain gathers here.
- Museum of Naxi Dongba Culture: where you will see the exhibitions of Naxi culture and dress, Dongba script, information on Lijiang's old town and so on.

After breakfast, you will have a full day trip to the First Bend of the Yangtze River and Iron Chain Bridge in the Shigu (Stone Drum) Town, and then Tiger Leaping Gorge. Get back to Lijiang County afterwards. Overnight in Lijiang.
- Shigu (Stone Drum) Town: standing on a green hill, overlooking the First Bend of the Yangtze River with terraced rice fields on the mountains, the town has witnessed many historical events as it has been a natural ferry and a fortress to be seized by the strategists since ancient times. Its sites of interests include Iron Chain Bridge and Opera Platform built in Qing Dynasty, Stone Drum Pavilion and so on.
- First Bend of the Yangtze River: formed by the Yangtze River rushing down from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau with a sharp turn of 45 degrees at Shigu (Stone Drum) Town before the river continues running on to northeast.
- Tiger Leaping Gorge: 92 km north of Lijiang County, between peaks of over 3,000 meters above the Jinsha River (upper course of Yangtze River), the legend goes that tigers often leap to the other side of the river by a huge rock lying in the middle of the river at the entrance of the Gorge, hence the name, this 17-kilometer-long Gorge is honored as the deepest and one of the most marvelous gorges on the earth.

Free in the day until our local guide escorts you to the airport for your flight to your next destination. End of tour.