Discovering Shangri-La & Tibet
Sign up for this tour if you are interested in nature, the lives of minority groups and inspiring monasteries.
Yunnan province, surrounded by Burma, Vietnam and Laos is the homeland of 26 unique minority groups, such as Bai and Naxi. Its name means "beautiful clouds in the south" and colorful tents and traditional costumes of different ethnic groups can be seen almost everywhere within the province. It was difficult to get close to most places in Yunnan until recently due to its sheer mountain surroundings. Most people believed that the "Shangri-La mentioned in James Milton's book "Lost Horizons" is actually the splendid Yunnan. Enjoy the fabulous sceneries at various attractions such as the Stone Forest (Shilin) in Kunming, the famous Three Pagodas (San Tasi) in Dali, the spectacular Jade Dragon Snow Mountain in Lijiang, both a UNESCO world heritage site and the center of Naxi minority culture; and the Tiger Leaping Gorge-the deepest gorge in the world in Zhongdian before heading to Tibet.
Tibet, known as the -Roof of the World-, has an elevation of approximately 4,000 meters. It contains the largest and highest plateau, various snow-capped mountains and numerous colorful monasteries. Your tour aims to explore Tibet's capital-Lhasa, the Holy Place. The spectacular tours to remarkable temples, such as the Norbulingka Palace (Treasure Park), Drepung Monastery, Sera Monastery and Potala Palace will certainly amaze you!
Tour Overview
Tour Code: DSLT-20
Trip Duration: 14 days/13 nights
Click below for: Tour Price / Accommodations
Guangzhou, Kunming, Dali, Lijiang, Zhongdian, Lhasa, Chengdu, Guangzhou
Departure Dates: Daily Day 1 : LOS ANGELES/GUANGZHOU
meals: n/a
Get onboard your International flight this evening to begin your Shangri-La and Tibet Tour.
Day 2 : EN Route
meals: n/a
Cross the international dateline.
Day 3 : GUANGZHOU/KUNMING
meals: L
Arrive in Guangzhou early this morning and catch your connecting flight to Kunming (Spring City). Your English-speaking guide and driver will bring you to the hotel upon your arrival. Visit the World Horticultural Expo after a delicious Chinese lunch. Since Kunming has a spring-like climate all year round, the gardens are constantly in bloom with camellias, orchids, azaleas and primroses.
Day 4 : KUNMING/DALI
meals: B/L
After breakfast, embark on a full-day tour at the Stone Forest (Shilin). The shape and imagery of the forest was formed by millions of years of weathering; the spectacular sceneries there will certainly amaze you. Return to Kunming this afternoon and get onboard a bullet train to Dali.
Day 5 : DALI
meals: B/L
After breakfast, explore Dali's Three Pagodas (San Tsai). Surviving through storms and earthquakes over ten centuries, the Three Pagodas are still the significant symbols of exceptional architectural technology and the brilliant culture of Dali. After lunch, visit Dali's ancient city, which contains stonewalls, gray tiled roofs, phoenix and dragon carved windows and doors and streams that crisscrossed the city.
Day 6 : DALI
meals: B/L
Visit Erhai Lake this morning. The lake is one of the seven largest freshwater lakes in China where boats and fishing vessels usually sail by; be sure to enjoy the spectacular sceneries of Mt. Cangshan and several small islands nearby. Move on to the top of Mt. Cangshan to view colorful blossoms of azaleas, camellias and rhododendrons.
Day 7 : DALI/LIJIANG
meals: B/L
Visit the Bai minority people's town-Xizhou, a few kilometers away from Dali where many Bai homes still retain their traditional architectures, paintings and layout intact. Browse the crowded market town prior to lunch.Your tour continues at the beautiful Butterfly Spring (Hudie Quan) and the Butterfly Museum, where thousands of butterflies gather in spring. Then attend a special performance of the Bai Nationality Three Course Tea, Singing and Dancing Show. Enjoy the Three Course Tea alongwith the performance of traditional Bai Nationality folk songs and dance. Enjoy a scenic drive from the Yunnan countryside to Lijiang, a UNESCO world heritage site and center of the Naxi minority culture. After lunch, visit Lijiang's Ancient City-Dayanzhen, a town that is carefully laid out around a central square with small cobblestone streets and lanes radiating out in all directions. With the neat brick houses and fabulous views, Dayanzhen is the perfect place to stay away from the bustling activities at metropolitan cities. Move on to the Black Dragon Pool (Yu Quan), also known as the Jade fountain to view its green deep waters and magnificent sceneries of the Jade Dragon Mountain.
Day 8 : LIJIANG
meals: B/L
After breakfast, visit the spectacular Jade Dragon (Yulong) Snow Mountain, which towers over the land at an elevation of 18,360 feet at its highest point; an optional cable car ride to the Dragon Spruce Meadow is available for those who are interested. Your tour continues at the Jade Peak Lama Temple (Yufeng Si), a small lamasery that is famous for its ancient Camellia Tree of 10,000 blossoms. After lunch, visit the White Water River to enjoy the extraordinary views in the area before exploring the Ming Dynasty Baisha Mural Paintings that Lijiang is famous for. If time allows, you may attend an optional performance of Baisha music performed by the Naxis.
Day 9 : LIJIANG/ZHONGDIAN
meals: B/L
Day 10 : ZHONGDIAN
meals: B/L
Zhongdian, heavily influenced by the Tibetan culture, is located in the northwestern corner of Yunan Province. Visit Bita Lake (Blanket of Oak Trees in Tibetan), which has crystal clear waters and surrounded by species of rhododendron and azaleas. From May through June, "drunken fishes" could be seen in the lake due to their consumption of the slightly toxic petals of both azalea and rhododendron. In the afternoon, visit the home of a local Tibetan family to enjoy a tea-drinking ceremony and program of tradition Tibetan songs and dance.
Day 11 : ZHONGDIAN/LHASA
meals: B/L
Fly to Lhasa this morning and your local English-speaking guide and driver will meet you at the airport. After lunch, explore the Norbulingka (Treasure Park), which used to be the summer residence of the Dalai Lama.
Day 12 : LHASA
meals: B/L
Visit the Drepung (Rice Heap) Monastery, Tibet's largest and richest monastery. Then explore the Sera (Wild Rose Garden) Monastery founded in 1419. Approximately 300 monks continue to stay at one of the monastery's three colleges today.
Day 13 : LHASA
meals: B/L
This morning, visit the most recongnized Tibetan symboy - the Potala Palace. It is said to contain 1,000 rooms, 10,000 alters and 200,000 Buddhist statues.Then move on to the Jokhang Temple, which has numerous and the golden statue of Sakyamuni from Xian. After lunch, stroll along Barkhor Street(Octagon Street) located in the center of old Lhasa. You can shop for religious artfacts, prayer flags scriptures, jewelry and other Tibetan handicrafts at the busy market.
Day 14 : LHASA/CHENGDU
meals: B/L
After breakfast, get onboard your flight to Chengdu. Your English-speaking guide and driver will meet you at the airport and take you to a wonderful lunch upon your arrival. Visit the Silk Embroidery Institute and see some incredible artists at work. Enjoy the People's Park with Tea House and Garden in Chengdu. This evening, relax and enjoy some down time or explore the city on foot.
Day 15 : CHENGDU
meals: B/L
Embark on an extraordinary journey to the Panda Breeding Research Base this morning. After lunch, visit the fascinating SanXingDui Museum. Little is known about the mysterious cultural and religious beliefs of the people of SanXingDui, yet visitors could gain a sense of the culture through intriguing displays of ancient and rare artifacts used in daily life and religious ceremonies.
Day 16 : CHENGDU/GUANGZHOU/LOS ANGELES
meals: B/L
Get onboard a mid-morning flight to Guangzhou and visit the Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall and Liurong Temple; the memorial hall was built in 1929 when Sun became China's Provisional President. Then explore the reputable ancient Buddhist Liurong (Six Banyan tree) Temple that houses the 57-meter tall "Flowery Pagoda", Banyan Garden and the three six-meter tall brass Buddhas: Sakyamuni, Amitabha and Maitreya. Transfer to the airport in the late afternoon to catch your International flight back to Los Angeles.
REMARKS:
- B = Breakfast L = Chinese Lunch D = Chinese Dinner
CA= Air China CZ=China Southern Airline MU=China Eastern Airlines
 | 1 Person | 2-5 Persons | 6-9 Persons | Hotel Single Supplement |
| Standard Class | $8340.00 | $5480.00 | $4325.00 | $570.00 |
| Deluxe Class | $8450.00 | $5520.00 | $4370.00 | $620.00 |
| Superior Class | $9330.00 | $5970.00 | $4815.00 | $960.00 |
| City | Standard Class | Deluxe Class | Superior Class |
| Kunming . | Kunming U Choice Hotel | JinJiang Hotel | Grand Park Hotel |
| Dali . | Landscape Hotel | Landscape Hotel | Dali Regent Hotel |
| Lijiang . | E-Outfitting Boutique Hotel at Shuhe | Wang Fu Hotel | Guan Fang Hotel Lijiang |
| Zhongdian . | E-Outfitting Boutique Hotel | Mao Yuan Hotel | Hilton Garen Inn Shangri-la |
| Lhasa . | GangJian Lhasa Hotel | TangKa Hotel | The St Regis Lhasa Resort |
| Chengdu . | Chengdu Ibis Hotel | Minshan Lhasa Grand Hotel | Chengdu Tibet Hotel |
| Hotel | Indoor Pool | Outdoor Pool | Gym | Safe Box | Refrigerator | Hair Dryer | Kitchen |
| Kunming U Choice Hotel | √ | √ | √ | ||||
| JinJiang Hotel | √ | √ | √ | ||||
| Grand Park Hotel | √ | √ | √ | √ | |||
| Landscape Hotel | √ | ||||||
| Dali Regent Hotel | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | ||
| E-Outfitting Boutique Hotel at Shuhe | √ | ||||||
| Wang Fu Hotel | √ | √ | √ | ||||
| Guan Fang Hotel Lijiang | √ | √ | |||||
| E-Outfitting Boutique Hotel | √ | ||||||
| Mao Yuan Hotel | √ | √ | |||||
| Hilton Garen Inn Shangri-la | √ | √ | |||||
| GangJian Lhasa Hotel | √ | ||||||
| TangKa Hotel | √ | √ | √ | ||||
| The St Regis Lhasa Resort | √ | √ | √ | √ | |||
| Chengdu Ibis Hotel | √ | √ | √ | ||||
| Minshan Lhasa Grand Hotel | √ | √ | √ | √ | |||
| Chengdu Tibet Hotel | √ | √ | √ | √ |
Inclusions
- Tour price includes hotel accommodations, sightseeing and meals as noted in the itinerary, intra-China airfare, private transfers and ground transportation, and the services of an English- speaking guide and driver.
- Kunming/Dali soft seat train ticket.
- All prices are quoted in US Dollars, and are subjected to change without notice. Please check at the time of reservation.
- All prices are quoted per person, based on two travelers sharing a room (double occupancy). Single supplement applies for single travelers.
Exclusions
- Passport or Chinese visa application fees.
- Tips to guides and drivers.
- Expenses of a personal nature.
- International Airfare (Please contact our travel advisors for the consolidator rate of international air ticket).
- Entrance ticket for Baisha music performed by the Naxis.
- Optional Program.
Terms & Conditions:
- Deposit:A $500 per person non-refundable deposit needs to be sent to us within one week in order to guarantee the above quotes.
- Balance:Balance is due 60 days before departure.
- Airfare:Airfare is due at time of ticket issuance.
- Terms & Conditions:Our terms are listed on our homepage www.lotustours.net, located on the bottom of the page, right above "Resources".
Note: Customer Commitment - Each Lotus agent is committed to respond to each email with an acknowledgement of receipt within 24 hours. If you do not receive email acknowledgement within 1 business day, please check your spam box for our agents'response e-mail or send your notice to louie@lotustours.net or call 1-800-956-8873.