A School Trip with Culture and Adventure
This 7-day Yunnan tour, including the popular destinations Dali, Lijiang, and Shangri-La, is designed for junior or senior high school groups and their teachers.
During this tour, you will experience Chinese minority cultures flourishing in the landscapes of Southwest China. Walk into the history of the Ancient Tea Horse Road. Go adventure in the "most magnificent gorge". And interact with local people to experience their lifestyles.
Expert local guiding and flexible tour design from China Highlights will enable this tour to fit your educational and extra-curricular goals, while being a fun and enjoyable break.
Tour 'Wow' Points
Experience Intangible Cultural Heritage — Bai Tie-Dye
Dive into the peaceful life of the Bai people in a village at the foot of the Cangshan mountains. Discover the beauty of their old stages, house doors, headwear, and family tie-dyeing workshops. Learn the secrets of the dye, and dye your own handkerchief the traditional Bai tie-dye way.
Taste Home-Cooked Cuisine in a Bai Lady's Home
Sit in the traditional courtyard of a Bai lady's home. The hostess will warm your stomach and your heart with her home cooking. Also enjoy the amazing beverage that Bai people treat important guests to.
Soar on the Wind of the Erhai Lake
Have a bike ride alongside Erhai Lake. Feel the wind, enjoy the flowery meadows and rice fields, and see the clouds floating above the majestic Cangshan mountains.
Follow the Footprints of Caravans on the Ancient Tea Horse Road
Visit the last remaining market town on the Ancient Tea Horse Road — Shaxi. The old buildings still tell stories about the horse caravans. Enjoy a moderate hike on a country road that horse caravans took. Recall the memories of the Tea Horse Road cherished in the most beautiful bookstore and old stage hidden in the village.
Experience the Daily Life of Naxi People in Yuhu Village
Visit a Naxi family living at the foot of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. Learn about the customs of building a traditional house, their traditional dresses, daily food, and some mysterious Naxi characters. Help local villagers to shuck the corns and collect the firewood.
Explore One of the Most Magnificent Gorges in China
Hike in the most wonderful section of Tiger Leaping Gorge. Admire the peaks of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain reaching to the sky and the rushing torrents of the Jinsha River flowing off into the distance.
Paint Your Own Thangka
Feel the Tibetan spirit in Shangri-La. Learn about the valuable Thangka pigments and how to paint a thangka. Take the good luck and energy of Shangri-La back home with you.
Discover real reviews of Highlights Travel Family's best-rated service across trusted platforms.
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Yunnan tour with China Highlights
This visit to Yunnan was 10 days long with stops at Dali, Lijiang, Shangri-La and Kunming. We had 4 different guides - Dali with Daisy, Shangri-La with Peter, Lijiang with Li and Kunming with Doyle. Our guides, Daisy, Peter and Doyle was outstanding in their service. They were sensitive to our needs, flexible when we wanted any changes and did their job with enthusiasm and pride. The measure of how good a travel agency provides their service is not only in the planning of the itinerary but the follow through with good guiding service. Daisy, Peter and Doyle were exemplary in this regards! Well done, China Highlights for having guides of this quality. more
Mar 2025, Michel Siew Ngo... F
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Unforgettable 7 Day Travel Experience in Yunnan
Our 7 days Yunnan trip with China Highlights started at Kunming then took us all the way to Dali, Lijiang and Shangri La. Visiting Yunnan in December during winter time was interesting, less crowded and most importantly enable us to see Yunnan in a different landscape. A special mention to our fantastic guides, May (in Kunming) and Sunny (in Dali) and their respective drivers who were personable and shared a wealth of knowledge and insights of the places we visited. They spoke good English, helpful with our requests and ensured that we were comfortable and satisfied with our tours. We will not hesitate to use China Highlights again for our next trip to China! more
Jan 2025, Jess W
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Lijiang- family trip Dec 2024 Eleanor
My family really enjoyed our time with Eleanor in Lijiang. She was able to pass on a lot of knowledge about her city which made the trip lots more interesting! We enjoyed having her guide us to amazing places. She was really attentive when one of us were feeling sick at the top of the mountain and provided us all with adaquete preparation for the 4000km+ altitude ascension. more
Jan 2025, Nicole L
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Tour Map
Itinerary Quick Look
Here is a suggested itinerary. We are happy to customize a tour to make it adapted to your school group and your educational and experiential goals.
Meet your guide at the airport and transfer to your hotel. Enjoy a welcome dinner in a local restaurant in Dali Old Town.
Morning:
Visit an authentic Bai village at the foot of Cangshan — the 'Dark-Green Mountains'. Learn and experience the unique tie-dyeing of the Bai people and find the wind, the flowers, the snow, and the moon depicted on their Bai traditional dress. Enjoy the privilege of tasting home-cooked cuisine in a private Bai house.
Afternoon:
Have a bike ride of 12 km (7 miles) along Erhai Lake in the afternoon. Feel the wind, enjoy the flowery meadows and rice fields, and see the clouds floating above the majestic Cangshan mountains.
Stop at the Square for a group picture with the landmark of Dali, the Three Pagodas
Morning:
Drive from Dali to Lijiang via Shaxi Town. Listen to the stories behind the shining wall, the aged stage and bridge, and grand courtyard.
Afternoon:
Walk out of the town and follow the country road along the river. Enjoy the peaceful countryside. Local people might be working in the fields. Stop at Beilong Village and visit a beautiful bookstore. The building used to be a factory for processing crops. It has a large collection of books about the Bai minority and the Ancient Tea Horse Road.
The hike is about 4 km (2 miles). When you get to Duanjiadeng Village, you can find a well-maintained old stage with a history of more than 150 years.
Morning:
Visit to Black Dragon Pool Park, where the view of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain is one the most famous postcard-perfect sceneries.
And then head for the Yuhu Village at the foot of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. It is a well-preserved and less-touristy Naxi Village with traditional houses built with stone and wood. You will stop at Yuhu Lake first. Discover the secret of how to cool the snow mountain when there is global warming.
Visit American explorer Joseph Rock's former residence in the village and listen to stories about his adventures and relationships with local Naxi people.
Afternoon:
Be invited into a Naxi family home, where you will learn about every aspect of Naxi people's daily life. Study the construction of courtyard, try on traditional Naxi clothing, experience making Naxi paper and tofu, taste homemade snacks, and learn to write the mysterious Naxi Dongba characters.
Help the family to do the cornhusking and collect the firewood in the bushes nearby.
Morning:
Drive from Lijiang to Shangri-La. Stop at Tiger Leaping Gorge on the way. Enjoy an exciting hike taking in the highlights of the gorge. Enjoy incredible views of the mountains and river.
Afternoon:
Drive from Tiger Leaping Gorge to Shangri-la.
Evening:
Explore Shangri-La Old Town in the evening. Dance with local people on the square in the old town.
Morning:
Visit the largest Tibetan Buddhist Lamasery in Yunnan — Songzanlin. Discover the beating heart of local Tibetan belief, which reflects the elevated purity and awe of its surroundings. Walk to the back of the monastery to experience a Tibetan ceremony of blessing..
Afternoon:
Visit Shangri-La Thangka Center. Appreciate exquisite thangkas and discover the secrets of making a thangka. Learn to paint your own thangka with a Tibetan artist.
Evening:
Enjoy a farewell dinner in a local Tibetan restaurant. Taste a Tibetan hotpot and dance around a bonfire after dinner.
Transfer to the airport for your flight back to your city.
Hotel Selection
—Gurong Hotel, Dali
—Lijiang Wangfu Hotel
—The 5th Meteorite Grace Hotel, Shangri-la
Price includes:
- Private air-conditioned bus with big windows and ample space
- English speaking local guide
- Activities, hotels, and meals listed in the itinerary
- 24/7 helpline for while you are traveling
Tour code: dal-3a