Travelers will move by train through the scenic province and will have the chance to visit iconic sites such as the Jade Dragon Mountain, Erhai Lake and the remarkable Three Pagodas at the foot of the Changshan Mountain.
Backyard Travel, the online boutique travel agency specializing in unique and insider tours to Asia?, have released news of a new China tour giving travelers the perfect opportunity to discover the poetic province of Yunnan with stops in Kunming, Dali and Lijiang. Travelers will move by train through the scenic province and will have the chance to visit iconic sites such as the Jade Dragon Mountain, Erhai Lake and the remarkable Three Pagodas at the foot of the Changshan Mountain.
Travelers begin their insightful six-day, five-night trip in Kunming, the capital of the Southwest China province, where they will discover the ‘temple of understanding everything’, otherwise known as Yuantong Temple, built during the Tang Dynasty. There will also be the chance to visit the Yunnan Ethnic Minorities Museum to learn about the ethnic diversity they’ll see while in the region.
From Kunming the journey moves by overnight train to Dali, home to the Bai hill tribes and several regions of extreme natural beauty including Erhai Lake and the Changshang Mountains. While in Dali, travelers can discover the old town – a maze of white-walled homes fronted by beautiful porches which the local Bai community tend to with great pride.
Travelers can also visit the Three Pagodas at the Chongsheng Temple which lies at the foot of the impressive Changshang Mountains, a temple also refered to as the ‘Pagoda of a Thousand Awakenings’ and was built in the 9th century.
Lijiang is the next stop after a 2.5hr train ride where travelers can enjoy the magnificent labyrinth of traditional redwood and brick houses topped with grey slate roofs interlaced with quaint canals and stone bridges.
Populated mainly by the Naxi people, Lijiang is lovingly refered to as the ‘Big Inkpot’ due to its network of canals that spread as if originating from an overturned pot of ink. While in Lijiang, travelers can visit the Mu Palace (named after Imperial Chinese warlords) and spend time in the old part of town to experience the local markets.
Day five of the fully customizable China tour provides travelers the opportunity to venture to the Yak Prairie viewpoint to see the magnificent Jade Dragon Mountain from a less crowded spot. For active and ambitious travelers there’s eve the chance to climb to Ganzidou to oversee the landscape from an elevation of 5,600m.
Finally the tour gives travelers the chance to understand the tribulations of olden-day couriers with a horseback ride along the Tea Horse Road near Lashi Lake in the National Wetland Park.
“Southwest China is a veritable wonderland for lovers of culture and natural surroundings,” said Backyard Travel’s General Manager Maeve Nolan. “This tour will give travelers the opportunity to explore the unique, antique towns of Dali and Lijiang and appreciate the majestic wonder of Yunnan’s natural beauty.”
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