12-Day Yunnan and Eastern Tibet Tour

You would meet your private guide in the arrivals area of the airport or train station. They would transfer you directly to your hotel in a non-smoking vehicle that is reserved just for your group.

Kunming Stone Forest, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, features a landscape of jagged limestone formations that juts up from the earth like a petrified forest.

Enjoy the famouse Cross-bridge Rice Noodle for lunch.

Drive back to the city and have a relaxing walk on the Old Street to learn the history of Kunming. And taste the local snacks, such as rice noodle salad, deep-fried mushrooms, big sweet dumplings, and milk tea.

Take a bullet train to Dali in the evening

Visit Xizhou in the morning. You will see typical Bai traditions and dresses there. Some buildings are old and typical ancient architecture, which are the real local houses. In a small wet market, you will see how the local bai people start their days

Then, you will visit the Three Pagodas. Between the Cangshan Mountain and Erhai Lake, they are considered the landmark of Dali. Tour the park with an electric car. Appreciate the architecture and the great view of Erhai Lake.

Taste the Dali clay pot fish and the other delicacies of Bai nationality for lunch.

End your day with a relaxing cruise on Erhai Lake. The mountain, the lake and the Dali ancient town create an impressive picture.

You would be driven to Lijiang in the morning.

Enjoy lunch and start the tour in Lijiang. Lijiang Ancient Town is the best-preserved minority ancient city. Enjoy the quaint city scenery and see plenty of handicrafts in a distinctive style only found in this area of China. You can climb up to Lion Hill to have a bird's-eye view of the whole town.

Then pay a visit to the Black Dragon Pool Park, where the view of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain is one of the most famous postcard-perfect sceneries in southwest China. Stay overnight in Lijiang Ancient Town.

Take a cable car up the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain for breathtaking views. The cable car will reach Shanzidou Peak, the main peak of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, you will ascend 1,100 m (3,600 ft) to Glacier Park at an altitude of 4,680 m (15,350 ft).

Explore Yuhu Village at the foot of Yulong Snow Mountain, where Naxi culture thrives. Chat with the local people in a Naxi family. Try on the traditional Naxi dresses and experience some housework as the Naxi people do. Learn to make Dongba paper and write the mysterious Dongba characters.

Your guide and driver will escort you from Lijiang to Tiger Leaping Gorge. Along the way, visit one of the world's deepest and most marvelous gorges — Tiger Leaping Gorge. The dashing water from the magnificent Jinsha River flows into the narrow valley with a stone in the center. There is an ancient saying that the gorge is so narrow that a tiger was able to leap over to the other side of the river, hence the name.

Drive up to a comfortable guest house on the mountain with a breathtaking view of the gorge and peaks. Stay overnight here and have a memorable evening when the golden sunlight paints the peaks at sunset.

Enjoy a 1½ hours transfer to Shangri-la Airport. And then take a flight to Lhasa.

Welcome to the 'Sun City', Lhasa. Your private guide and driver will meet you at the airport and transfer you to your downtown hotel. Relax for the rest of the day to get used to the altitude.

Visit Tibet's most famous landmark — the Potala Palace — in the morning. Enter the palace and see exquisite murals, decorated statues, and antiques. Follow the local people walking around the palace and feel their piety.

Have a change to the traditional Tibetan dress. Walk around the Barkhor Street. Watch religious pilgrims prostrating themselves at the front gate of Jokhang Temple.

Drive from Lhasa to Nyingtri. Enjoy amazing scenery along the highway. Stop at Basomtso — a green lake surrounded by pine trees that is quite different from the austere holy lakes in the west of Tibet.

Explore Lulang Forest and enjoy the forest, grassland, wild flowers, wondering cattle and sheep, Tibetan houses, and the snowy mountains create a picture of paradise.

Dance with local Tibetans around a bonfire in the evening.

Drive back to Nyingchi from Bome. Explore the forest near Gangxiang village, which is one of the ten most beautiful primeval forests in China.

Stop at a platform for a magnificent view of Nnamjagbarwa Mountain. Its main peak is more than 7,700 meters (25,000 ft) above sea level. Hang a prayer flag and make a wish toward the holy mountain if you like.

Note:If you come in winter (late december to early February), and are interested to see a beautiful glacier, it is recommended to stay one more night in Bome and have day tour to visit Ranwu Lake, Laigu villlage and witness the amazing Laigu glacier.

Nyingchi Airport transfer