Sichuan Yunnan Tour: SYK02 Panda Base, Sanxindui, Emeishan, Dazu Chongqing, Lijiang, Daling, Kunming 13 days Tour

Visit The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in the morning. It is located in the northern suburb of Chengdu on Futou Hill about 10 km from downtown Chengdu. Giant pandas live in large naturalistic habitats, which help the visitor to understand how these animals live in the wild. The Research Base is one of the important centers in China for the captive conservation of giant pandas. After lunch, we drive 40km to visit Sanxindui Museum, it is situated in the northeastern part of the state-protected Sanxindui ruin by the bank of the Yazi Rive. Two large sacrificial pits were found in 1986 boast the most important archaeological finds on the Sanxindui Ruins for the past half century. The exposure of a large number of spectacular relics created a great sensation, making the Sanxindui site well known to the world.

Visit River-Viewing Pavilion Park (Wang Jiang Lou Gong yuan), it has more than 150 kinds of bamboo brought from all over Asia, and the lush bamboo forests provide plenty of shade in the summer. There is a four-story wooden ’river-viewing pavilion’ that was built in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) in memory of Xue Tao, a Tang Dynasty poetess who often wrote about bamboo (thus bamboo is the park’s specialty). The pavilion overlooks the Jingjiang River. It is a good place for the local people to drink tea and play Taichi or Chinese Gongfu After lunch drive to Mt. Emeishan, enjoying countryside views of the Chuanxi Plain.on the way, visit Qianfoya (Then thousand Buddha Cave) in Jiajiang county. Continue drive to Mt. Emeishan .Upon arrive, visit Baoguosi temple—the largest temple at the foot of Mt. Emei and Fufusi temple.

Set off from the hotel at 7:00am by tour bus to the cable car station, where you will begin your ride to the the highest summit of Mt. Emei, the Golden summit. Have a look around the Golden summit including Huazang temple. After lunch, take the cable car down and take the bus to Wanniansi parking lot which is located halfway up Mt. Emei. Take another cable car to visit Wanniansi temple., return to hotel.

Drive half an hour to Leshan, board a tour boat have a panoramic view of the biggest carved Buddha statue in the world, with 71 meters tall and age of over 900 years. Then continue drive about 3 hours from Leshan to to Zigong. Visit the Dinosaur Museum. Established in the noted site of dinosaur fossils, Dashanpu, it is about 11 kilometers from the center of Zigong City. Together with the American National Dinosaur Park and the Canadian Dinosaur Park, it is one of the world’s three largest dinosaur museums. Then visit Zigong Salt-mining Museum. Zigong has a long-standing civilization as well as rich underground resources in China. The city is also called the ”Salt Capital” in the past because of its salt resources and production. The museum to show how people make salt in traditional way.

Set off from Zigong in early morning drive to Dazu, visit Dazu Grottoes in the morning. The Dazu Grottoes spread across more than 75 sites in the county, and contain over 50,000 stone sculptures carved from the Tang Dynasty (618-907) to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). The two major sites are Beishan (North Hill) and Baodingshan (Baoding Hill). Afterwards, we will drive to Chongqing (117km).

Visit the People’s Congress Hall, a giant traditional building with a large square, where plenty of people do morning and evening exercise everyday. Then visit the General Stilwell Museum, a museum to commemorate General Stiwell during The World War Two. Move on to visit the Eling Park, where people can have a bird’s view of the whole Chongqing city and get a general idea of the Yangtze River. If time permits, then visit the Ciqikou Old Town, an old town with traditional Chongqing style buildings, tea houses and Sichuan Opera houses. Fights to impressive Lijiang. Upon arrival at Lijiang Airport; your local guide will meet you. And then you will be transferred to your hotel.

Sightseeing: the First Bend of the Yangtze River, Shigu Town, Tiger Leaping Gorge,. From Lijiang, you’ll drive about 60KM to the First Bend on the Yangtze River with imposing gorge scenery, and the Iron Chain Bridge in the Stone Drum town. The town of Stone Drum got its name from a large, cylindrical, marble tablet shaped like a drum. The scenery is magnificent as the road running through the Lijiang valley which is filled with wheat fields and drying haystacks. Continue the driving 40KM more to visit the Tiger Leaping Gorge, the deepest gorge in the world. With 34 rapids of the Yangtze River, it is called the Jinsha in this area because you can find gold in the river. Afternoon, you will drive back to Lijiang.

Visit Ganhaizi Meadow, Baishui(White Water) River; take the chairlift to Yak Meadow(3700M) in the Yulong Snow Mountain —Jade Dragon Snow Mountain stretches a length of 35 kilometers (22 miles) and a width of 20 kilometers (13 miles). Looking from Lijiang Old Town in the south which is 15 kilometers (nine miles) away, the snow-covered and fog-enlaced mountain resembles a jade dragon lying in the clouds, hence, the name Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. The highest peak named Fan Peak (Shanzidou in Chinese) which is about 5596 meters above sea level. There are three cable cars in the mountain, the fist to the Glacier Park(4500M),the second to Spruce Meadow(3200M),the third to Yak Meadow(3700M). In the afternoon, you’ll stroll through Baisha Village, which is an enchanting traditional Yunnan village. Visit the Baisha Mural about 600 years old, which is one part of the World Cultural Heritage by the UNESCO 1997. After dinner, Enjoy the Naxi Orchestral and Show in Dongba Palace.

After breakfast, travel (200 km – 4 hrs) south on the old road to the ancient city of Dali, Dali, a historically and culturally famous city of China, is renowned for her historical interest. If this day happens to fall on a Monday you will call in at Shaping for a visit to the colorful Bai market. In Dali you will visit the Three-pagoda in Chongshen Temple, which is a typical historical symbol of Yunnan. It is also one of the oldest sublime architecture in South China. At last, you will walk around the Old Dali Town, which is located at the foot of Cangshan Mountain.

Travel in the Erhai Lake by boat and visit Jinsuo Island. After landing, you will head for Xizhou Town to fully appreciate Bai-style architecture, taste their fragrant three-course tea and explore their distinctive culture. Erhai Lake is the largest highland lake next to Dianchi and one of the seven biggest fresh water lakes in China. It means, ’sea shaped like an ear’, in Chinese. Implying that the lake is ear shaped and as large as a sea, hence it was so named. The lake covers an area of 250 square kilometers and is located about two kilometers east of Dali. It is like a crescent lying between Cangshan and Dali city as seen from Cangshan Mount. At last, you will visit Zhoucheng Town, and Bai people’s Tie-Dyed Cloth Work Shop.

Drive 86 km to the Stone Forest. There is a local saying: ’It is a waste of time not to visit the Stone Forest while visiting Kunming’, which vividly expresses the deep love of the local people toward this world wonder. The quintessential karst landscape makes every tourist lost in wonder. After lunch drive back Kunming to visit the landmark of Kunming-the Golden Horse and Phoenix Archway, which is located at the corner of Sanshi Road and Jinbi Road. And then, you will take a leisurely stroll along the Green Lake, a charming area of teahouses and small boutiques selling handicrafts and beautiful local paintings.

In the morning you will be transferred to Kunming International Airport to Beijing.