Brilliant China Minority Culture Tour

When you arrive in Shanghai, our guide (CET representative) will meet you at the airport and transfer you to the hotel.

Stay overnight in Shanghai.

Meals: (B, L)

After a leisurely breakfast, we will go to visit the [Yuyuan Garden]. It demonstrates perfectly the sophisticated art of combining several different elements to create a world in miniature -- ingeniously mingling pavilions and corridors, small hills and carefully selected and well-placed rocks, lotus ponds, bridges, winding paths, and trees and shrubs. Next we will go to visit the [Jade Buddha Temple], an elegant structure famous for its Buddha statue which is carved of a complete piece of solid white jade and decorated by jewels. Your lunch is arranged in a characteristic Shanghai restaurant. 

After lunch our guide takes you to the [Outer Bund], for a grand view of Shanghai and you may marvel at how modern this metropolis is while still containing its old traditions. You can enjoy a walk on the [Nanjing Road], the most prosperous commercial street. You can find lots of world famous brands setting along the street and enjoy a good shopping time.

Stay overnight in Shanghai.

Meals: (B, L)

Today we will discover more about Shanghai; we will visit the [Shanghai Museum].After lunch you will be transferred to the airport for a pm flight to Kunming.

Stay overnight in Kunming.

Meals: (B, L)

Let’s have a day tour to the [Stone Forest]. There are magnificent stone masterpieces, various strange and steep intricate formations, and countless labyrinthine vistas there, so it is no wonder that it won the name of “First Wonder of the World”. And there goes a local saying, “It is a waste of time without being in the Stone Forest while visiting Kunming”. So you should really take this opportunity to fully appreciate its charming beauty. Later this afternoon we will drive to Kunming Train Station to catch an overnight train to Dali.

Stay overnight in Dali.

Meals: (B, L)

You will be picked up by your guide at Dali Train Station in the morning, transferred to your hotel in the Old Town. The rest time in the morning will be your own. 

After lunch, we will set out to visit a typical sight of Dali-the [Three Pagoda Temple]. Three Pagodas are made of three ancient independent pagodas forming a symmetrical triangle. Later we will enjoy a walk along the old street in [Dali Ancient Town]. It was an important gateway to the Silk Road in Southwest China, and also served as a seat of government and a major military barracks for Yunnan Province in the ancient times. You can explore the mystery history of this city by witnessing some parts of the city wall and the tower remained. The Dali City layout was uniform, with five main streets from south to north and eight main streets from east to west, while marketplaces were neatly arranged within the city, which has remained unchanged to this date. Then we will continue to [visit a local Bai Minority Family] for the first-hand experience of the local daily life. Their traditional way of life and exquisite handicrafts will surely impress you.

Stay overnight in Dali Old Town.

Meals: (B, L)

Today we will depart for Lijiang by private van/car/bus after lunch. It is roughly a 3.5 hours to drive there. The beautiful scenery on the way will surely give you some special feeling, and we may stop on the way for you to relax and take some photos. We will arrive in Lijiang by dinner time.

Stay overnight in Lijiang.

Meals: (B, L)

Lijiang has retained a historic townscape of high quality and authenticity. Its architecture is noteworthy for the blending of elements from several cultures that have come together over many centuries. This morning we will go to the [Jade Dragon Snow-capped Mountain]. There you will see skyscraping snow-capped peaks and its imposing body, plus the flowing rivers under the old town. We [take cables to climb the mountain] and be intoxicated in the picturesque scenery. And then we will move to [Ancient Lijiang City] which has no city walls. Lijiang also possesses an ancient water-supply system of great complexity and ingenuity that still functions effectively today. The Yuquanshui River includes three mainstreams, which flow towards the west, east and in the middle. The river running into the ancient city includes many branch canals, so the network of rivers mixed with the roads of the five-flowered stones. You will see that every house is surrounded by the rivers and the drooping willows, so it is highly spoken by the architects of China and abroad.

Stay overnight in Lijiang.

Meals: (B, L)

We will set out for Shangri-la from Lijiang by private van/car/bus after breakfast. It will be o long drive, and we will stop to enjoy the First Bend of the Yangtze River and the Tiger Leaping Gorge. During the way, you will find that the scenery all the way is fantastic. You will have your lunch in the half way. We will arrive in Shangri-la by dinner time.

Stay overnight in Shangri-la.

Meals: (B, L)

Let’s go to visit [Songzanlin Monastery]. It is a famous Tibetan style Buddhist temple in China and a spiritual hub for people to discover the mystery and traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. Tourists are attracted to this scenic spot where they can enjoy the view and be lucky to take photos of girls wearing exquisite Tibetan costumes holding perfectly white fluffy lambs against the imposing mountains and blue sky. A visit to the [old part of the town] and a [Tibetan family] are included in today’s tour as well. The Tibetan built their houses in distinctive religious styles influenced by Buddhism. Tasting Tibetan specialties of yak butter tea, local yogurt and Tibetan barley will be a special experience for you. Later this afternoon is on your own to walk around. We suggest you to visit the local market.

Stay overnight in Shangri-la.

Meals: (B, L)

Today we take a morning flight back to Kunming. In the late afternoon, we catch another flight from Kunming to Guiyang.  

Guiyang situates in southwest China with a population of about 3.5 million, of which 65% is Han and the rest a mixture of minorities such as Miao, Bouyei, Dong, Yi, Shui, Hui, Gelao, Zhuang, Yao, Bai, Tujia, etc. Miao ethnic group takes up the most of the population, and the less populous are the Bouyei, the Dong, and the Tujia. It is the place where you can find beautiful scenery, pleasant climate and abundant tourist resources, and it is a developing tourist resort of China. Upon arrival, your guide will welcome you at the airport and transfer you to the hotel. You can spend the rest of the day to relax.

Stay overnight in Guiyang.

Meals: (B, L)

Today we will drive to Kaili after breakfast. On the way we can enjoy beautiful sceneries, and we will pass the [Nanhua Miao Village] as well as other minority villages. Then we arrive at [Langde Miao Village]. Langde Shang Village has graceful environment with green mountains surrounded. And it situated at the foot of a mountain and beside a crystal stream. Row upon row of roofed wooden bridges, called "Wind and rain" bridges by the locals, stretching over the stream and making a picturesque scene. The [Diaojiao buildings] (wood houses propped up by wooden supports with ladders leading up), tier upon tier peaks rising one higher than another, are covered in the green forest. You will see people wearing colorful and exquisite minority costumes, singing their graceful songs. Their traditions and cultures will be very impressive to you. Lunch is arranged in a local restaurant to taste the special sour fish dishes. Then we continue to visit another village and their traditional methods of paper making techniques.

Stay overnight in Kaili.

Meals: (B, L)

This morning we leave Xijiang Village for Rongjiang. En route, we will visit the [Leigong Mountain]. It has a distance of 15 kilometers (nine miles) from east of Kaili. Leigong Mountain is the most attractive scenic area of the Miaoling Mountains. It gained its reputation as a National Nature Reserve because of its abundance of overlapping mountain ridges, flourishing verdant plants, precious and rare animals, and valuable historical war remains. With the sight of a large number of rare animals wandering among the virgin forests, people may feel they have really returned to nature. 

After the Leigong Mountain, we will continue to drive (for about 5 hours) to Rongjiang.

Stay overnight in Rongjiang.

Meals: (B, L)

This morning we will leave for Congjiang from Rongjaing (about 3 hour drive). Upon arrival at Congjiang County Town, we will directly go to explore the [Biasha Miao Village], a special and old Miao Ethnic village, and it is a place that is seldom disturbed by violent and noisy modernization. It is a place where ancient culture is most completely protected, and this group is quite different from other Miao groups in terms of clothing and daily life. It is legal for people to have hunting guns in that village in China. 

In the afternoon, we will drive to Zhaoxing Dong Village (about 1.5 hours). [Zhaoxing Dong Village] is the largest Dong village in China. It is also called Qianhu (meaning a thousand households) Dong Village because about 1,000 households of Dong people live here. The magnificent wood-structure complex will surprise you. Zhaoxing village is also a cradle of Dong festivals and dances.

Stay overnight in Zhaoxing Village.

Meals: (B, L)

Today we head for Sanjiang from Zhaoxing Village. Then we will visit the [Tang'an Dong Village] (6 km from Zhaoxing) renowned as the "most primitive Dong Village" in China. There are lots of things for you to explore such as village gates, drum tower, drama tower, ancient graveyard, and ancient well, water-powered roller for grinding grain, barns and the pit to worship the female ancestors of Dong people. They will surely bring much joy to your journey there. You will find ancient stone paths and wood houses still exist in the village. All of these make it a perfect place for people to return to nature. 

Afterwards we will set out for Sanjiang (about 3 hours) to visit the [Chenyang Wind and Rain Bridge]. It's a pure wooden architecture made up of pillars, purlins and balusters of different sizes and shapes. The whole bridge is made of wood with mortise and tenant joints and without any iron nails. These magnificent structures are another typical example of the influence of the Dong in an area.

Stay overnight in Sanjiang.

Meals: (B, L)

This morning we depart Sangjiang by driving to Longsheng County (about 1.5 hours). We will stop in town to visit a [local market]. Then we continue to drive for roughly 40 minutes to Ping’an Zhuang Villlage where you will have the chance to see the magnificent [terraced rice paddies]. It is locates in Heping Township, Longsheng County. There you may have the chance to take some wonderful pictures of minority people wearing exquisite costumes along the way. Located southeast of Longsheng, the rice terraces are built into the hillsides which look like great chains or ribbons as they wind from the foot to the top of the hill. The local people are smart enough to build this ingenious construction to make the best use of the scare arable land and water resources in the mountainous area.

Stay overnight in Ping' an.

Meals: (B, L)

Today you have a free morning to explore this village and its area yourself. After lunch, we go downhill to take our van/bus to go to the city of Guilin. And we will stop to visit the [Huangluo Red Yao Village], where all women keep their hair to a length of more than one meter. Their red costumes are very impressive.

Upon arrival at Guilin City, you will be transferred to the hotel to enjoy a leisure afternoon..

Stay overnight in Guilin.

Meals: (B, L)

This morning, let’s start our [Li River cruise]. As one of the most beautiful river in China, Li River is quite different from other river in China. When taking a boat and cruise along the river, you will attracted by the bamboo shoots looked mountains, The Li river valley was formed long time ago, These unique limestone mountains are all line up both side of the river, they just look like a nature art gallery, and you will see the local old villages, water buffalo, bamboo groves, caves and fishers, waterfall from the boat along the way. After we arrive in Yangshuo, we will take a walk in West Street, which has received countless foreigners from all over the world and reputed as "Global Village in China". There you will have lots of things to explore such as cafes, restaurants, hotels art crafts and tourist stores, foreign language clubs, internet centers and Kungfu schools. 

This afternoon you are free at leisure. You can enjoy a coffee time in the West Street, or walk around the small Yangshuo town. You will surely have a great time there.

Stay overnight in Yangshuo.

Meals: (B, L)

In the morning, we will drive back to Guilin city. We will spend some time to discover the unique beauty of Guilin. The [Elephant Trunk Hill] is the symbol of Guilin. The whole hill looks exactly like a huge elephant stretching its trunk drinking water of the Li River. It is the masterpiece of karst landscape, composed of pure limestone deposited on seabed 360million years ago. And we will pay a visit there first. Next we will go to [Reed Flute Cave], one of the most spectacular caves displaying karst geographical formation in various shapes. After the visit, we will continue to the nearby [South China Sea Pearl Museum], where you can learn some knowledge of pearls. Besides, real sea pearl at competitive prices are also available to you. 

After dinner, you can take a cruise in the city's central area on a water system, which will absolutely give you a deep impression of Guilin.

Stay overnight in Guilin.

Meals: (B, L)

Today is on your own to relax and until you are ready to be transferred to the airport for a flight to Hong Kong to continue your tour or for your back home. 

Our service ends at the Guilin airport.Meals: (B)