3 Days Lijiang Cultural & Natural Tour with Jade Dragon Snow Mountain

Full Itinerary Day by day

Day 1 Lijiang Arrival & Lijiang (L)

Ni Hao! Welcome to Lijiang, a very impressive ancient city! Upon arrival at the airport or railway station, your guide and driver will meet you at the arrival hall and transfer you to the hotel in ancient town area with a private car which is comfortable, air-conditioned and non-smoking. 

After a short rest, you’ll start a memorable tour in Lijiang Ancient Town (Dayan Ancient Town). Established in the Ming dynasty as a commercial center, Lijiang Old Town is a well-preserved 800-year-old town for Naxi ethnic group, listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. Walk to the central area of the old town and visit Mufu Palace. A saying goes “there is Forbidden City in the North, Mu’s Residence in the South”. Mu’s Residence was called the miniature Forbidden City. Looked from a far distance, it likes a grand imperial palace and it is famous for the grandness and architectural buildings. Getting into the palace, you can know Tusi’s ruling history and appreciate Naxi people’s brilliant culture and fine arts. Then, wander through the old alleys, old bridges, featured shops and bars to Sifang Street Square, a mingling ground to enjoy lively atmosphere and unwind yourself. If time permits, join the Naxi people and tourists to dance happily in a round. (Optional Activity: Take a leisure walk up to the Lion Hill and climb up the 33-meter-tall Wanggu Tower - the landmark building of Lijiang to enjoy a panoramic view of the whole old town and overlook the magnificent Jade Dragon Snow Mountain in the distance.)

After that, head to Dongba Culture Museum where more than 10,000 Dongba cultural relics show mysterious Dongba culture of the Naxi people. Take a gentle walk to Black Dragon Pool Park to enjoy gorgeous view and peaceful surroundings. If weather permits, get to the best spot to overlook the snow-capped Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and shoot some amazing pictures. 

Arrival Ideas: There are direct flights from Kunming, Chengdu, Chongqing, Lhasa, Beijing, Xian, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Guiyang, etc to Lijiang Sanyi Airport. Trains are available from Kunming (about 3-3.5 hours), Dali (about 2-3 hours) to Lijiang Railway Station. 

Day 2 Lijiang & Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (B, L)

In this morning, your guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel and escort you to the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, the southernmost glacier in the Northern Hemisphere. The 13 peaks in this mountain area are the sacred mountains among Naxi people. Take the tramway to the Spruce Meadow at 3,000 meters high, and you can both see the fascinating sightseeing and appreciate the gorgeous look of the whole snow mountain at the best place.

After that, you can choose to enjoy the electrifying Impression Lijiang Show (Optional) performed by about 500 local people under the white snow and blue sky with the background of white Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, which lasts for about 60 mins. (Note: For the ticket is hard to book in peak season, if you are interested in the show, please tell us your likes in advance.)

On the way back, you will enjoy the charming scenery and the crystal clear water various with the weather in Blue Moon Valleyand its White Water River.

After that, head to Baisha Village and appreciate the ancient Baisha Mural Paintings. Visit Dabaoji Palace and Liuli Temple to view murals painted over 1000 years ago which is a combination of Tibetan Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism. (Optional experience: You can have in-depth cultural experience to learn how to make Baisha embroidery instructed by the local masters in Baisha Village.)

Please Note:

1. If you want to visit Yak Meadow (with an altitude of 3,500 meters) which offers a good location to appreciate the 13 peaks of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain; or go to Glacier Park (at 4,680 meters ) to see the wonder of the Green Glacier Peaks; please tell your like to your travel consultant to adjust the itinerary. Different tramways have different prices. Please pay attention that it will be difficult to book the ticket of Glacier Park tramway, you need to tell your likes to us or book the ticket in advance. Besides, it takes about 1-2 hours to queue up for the tramway to Glacier Park.

2. For the tickets of Impression Lijiang Snow are hard to book in peak season, if you want to enjoy the show, please tell us your interest and we will help to book the tickets in advance.

3. If time allows today, you can extend a leisure trip to Shuhe Ancient Town - one of the earliest settlements of Naxi people as well as the well-preserved stop of the Ancient Tea Horse Route.

Day 3Lijiang & Lijiang Departure (B, L)

After breakfast, your guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel. First, drive about 52 kilometers from Lijiang to view the First Bend of Yangtze River. The upper reach of the Yangtze River is Jinsha River coming down from Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and when it arrives at Shigu Town, it is obstructed by Hailuo Mountain and forms a V-shape turn. Then it changes the direction and goes to the northeast. You’ll reach the observation deck to catch a panoramic view of the bend, an extraordinary turn nearly about 180 degrees with beautiful and marvelous views like a wonderful landscape painting unfolding before your eyes. You’ll have a look at local market and Red Army’s Long March Memorial Monument in Shigu Town.

Later, be transferred to visit the one of the deepest and most spectacular river canyon in the world - Tiger Leaping Gorge. It is also a part of UNESCO World Heritage Site called Three Parallel of Yunnan Protected Areas. This steep gorge is situated between the 5596 meters Jade Dragon Snow Mountain to the south and 5396 meters Haba Snow Mountain to the north. Measuring 17 kilometers in length, the whole gorge is divided into three parts: upper, middle and lower gorge and you’ll pay a visit to the maturest section - Upper Tiger Leaping Gorge. Walk about 1,000 stairs along the plank road from the entrance to the Tiger Leaping Rock. Take a moment to enjoy the magnificent gorge view and rolling waves. (Travel tip: This gorge is suitable for most travelers with easy walk. Comfortable shoes are recommended.)

After the tour, drive back to Lijiang. Your guide and driver will escort you to the airport or railway station to catch your flight / train (after 17:00) to next destination. (Note: If the departure time will not match your trip schedule, our travel consultant will help you adjust the itinerary to well suit your time. Please feel free to contact us.)

The quotation for this trip is from $434 Per Person

1. This price is for one person, based on a group of 2 adults sharing one standard double-bed room in 4-star hotel and traveling with our private tour in low seasons.
2. This price is subject to change according your traveling season, group size, hotel class, change of activities in your itinerary and possible fluctuation of currency exchange rate. If you want a lower price, you can get more people to join you, or use economy class hotels.
3. This price is only valid to March 31, 2025.
4. Reference exchange rate of USD 1=RMB 7.00. The final quote is based on current exchange rate. It may change according to the currency fluctuation, while the RMB quotation will be remained the same.

How Our Teams Serve you at China Discovery

"Highest Standards of Quality and Honesty" is the core value of each specialized team at China Discovery.

Eveyone in our company is working hard for only one goal, which is to ensure the highest level of service, luxury, and attention to detail from the minute you begin planning your trip, to the day you return home.

1-on-1 Travel Consultant

Our travel consultants are professional, experienced and responsible, helping you from the very beginning to the end of your China trip!

After sending us an inquiry, one of our travel consultants will get back to you within 0.5~23.5 hrs. In the next few days, he/she will be working closely with you to formulate a customized tour plan, as well as providing professional suggestions based on your travel interests, time, and budget.

Beside, he/she will keep in contact with you during your entire tour in China, continually checking if everything is going well as planned.

We're working at Chengdu Bamboo International Tours, local based in Chengdu.

Local Tour Guides

Our local guide in every destination is not only very friendly, enthusiastic but also very informative and knowledgeable.

Once you arrive in the destination, the patient and punctual guides will pick you up and take you to get under skin of the city at your own pace. By in-depth discovery and explanation, they’ll show you more about the history, culture, customs and authentic local life. Throughout the journey, they're not only expert guides who take care of all the details but also fellow travelers who are dedicated to help you explore in comfort and style.

Our guides are passionate about what they do, and it shows all the way!

Local Drivers & Vehicle

Using our private transfer service makes you comfortable, relaxed and worry free all the way!

Our private service includes licensed drivers with many years’ driving experience and air-conditioned, non-smoking, clean and well-maintained cars/vans. Drivers are local, polite, friendly and helpful, taking you to your tourist sites, hotels, airport/train stations in safety. All kinds of vehicle are offered, and yours depends on the size of your group. Usually, we offer sedan cars, SUVs, business vans (MPV) and different types of buses, all with extra space for your luggage.

Our private transfer service guarantees you the highest comfort!

Comfortable & Homelike Hotels

In each destination, you’ll enjoy a comfortable stay in a great location!

The hotels we choose are based on star rating, great locations, well-equipped facilities, cozy bed, high quality service and guests’ feedbacks. Choices are a lot ranging from luxury 5 star, comfortable 4 star to budget 3 star. You could decide where to stay to best suit for your budget and likes. Generally, the hotels have both Western and Chinese breakfast with a wide choices.

If you have already got an ideal hotel, please feel free to tell our travel consultants and they'll book the hotel for you.

Have good sleep in our well-selected hotels in all the destinations of China.

Meals & Dining

We can satisfy all the dietary requirements no matter you want Chinese local food, western food, vegetarian food or muslin food.

The restaurants we will take you for lunch or dinner are all designated tourist restaurants approved by local tourist administration bureau. They have very good sanitary conditions and the food is prepared fresh and clean.

There will be some meals excluded in your itinerary as you like, and your private guide will be delighted to give you some suggestions and take you to the local restaurants to taste like Beijing Roast Duck, Xian Dumpling Dinner, Sichuan Hotpot, etc., if you are interested in local food tasting.

All the dining options will satisfy your stomach!

Check What our delighted customers are saying about our services

Hi Wonder,

Thanks for your email. We are back home now after our three weeks tour to S. Korea and China, in which the Yangtze River cruise was a key part of the trip.

I have to tell you we enjoyed the cruise very much. Everything was as what we expected. And thanks for your help for not only booking the cruise for us but also answered all the questions we had...which helped us a lot in preparations.

The Century Oasis was a very nice river cruise ship and the people are professional. The room was very nice and food was very good. We were arranged with other English speaking people as a small group for local excursions which is a great experience. Overall, I would highly recommend this cruise.

We are planning more sightseeing trips to China such as Chengdu, Chongqing, Xinjiang, etc. We hope your company can help us for the arrangements in the future.

As 2024 is quickly drawing to close, we wish you all the best for the new year.

Yours sincerely,

Andy

Andy‚ USA, November 30, 2024

Dear Mr Leo Li,

Good evening to you.

Thank you for planning my trip to Yunnan on 16-26/5/2024.

Although the trip started with an unwanted incident on the day of our arrival but overall it was a good trip especially in Dali and Lijiang. Both the tour guides, Sally and Rodney were attentive with good service and are knowledgeable.

I would say that the Kunming tour guide, Jenny was not at fault for not meeting us at the airport because she was given the wrong information that our flight was rescheduled to arrive at night instead of afternoon. She showed us the WeChat message. She is a friendly tour guide.

For your information, our visit to Shangri-la was average only. We missed out going up to turn the big wheel. Only realised it when we went back to the hotel. Anyway, it’s in the past.

Overall, the trip is wonderful with our bucket list ticked!

I am thinking of another trip to China also in May next year and would like to have your suggestion. Are you still with China Discovery?

Regards,

Ms Chai

Chai‚ Malaysia, November 30, 2024

Hi Shirley,

Thanks for all the good arrangement. Special thanks to Jessica for taking good care of us. She made a very memorable Huang Shan trip for us. The accommodation and transport arrangements were flawless. Looking forward to have my next visit with you all.

Thong

Thong‚ Malaysia, November 30, 2024

Dear Rita,

Tqvm again for all your support & your professionalism and great friendship. Below are our team appreciative & constructive feedback for your attention.

Keep in touch and god bless you always.

Thanks and regards,

Chew

• 
• 
• 
• 

Chew‚ Malaysia, November 30, 2024

Hi Phoebe!

Our tour was fantastic! Jane was a wonderful guide and the views were amazing.

Thank you so much helping organize the tour, and for the little gifts too!

It was great weather! We got to see so much!

Esther

Esther‚ USA, November 29, 2024

Check What our customers are saying about us on Tripadvisor.com

excellent assistance, helpfulness and courtesy. My contact 'was Shirley, prepared friendly and punctual. Highly recommended...

Luciano P

"Travel consultant Mr Wonder Wang was so helpful and he planned our trip to Xi’an and Beijing so well. Mr Waldner is an amazing guide. His knowledge and enthusiasm made our tour very memorable..." read more »

Reviewed on December 13, 2024

Luciano P

"excellent assistance, helpfulness and courtesy. My contact 'was Shirley, prepared friendly and punctual. Highly recommended..." read more »

Reviewed on December 13, 2024