Yunnan 8-Day Journey: Tibetan Highlands & Sacred Peaks

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# Day 1

* Arrival in Kunming

@ Flight arriving at Kunming. Self-exploration. Dinner at a recommended restaurant. Drop off to Kunming hotel.

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# Day 2

* Train to Lijiang · Lijiang Ancient Town

~ Morning

@ 4-hour train to Lijiang (acclimatise to high altitude).

~ Afternoon

@ Pick up from station. Check in to hotel after 2 PM. Zhongyi Market — Lijiang's daily market for local produce and Naxi handicrafts. Lijiang Ancient Town (Dayan) — UNESCO World Heritage cobblestone lanes and Naxi wooden architecture.

~ Night

@ Dinner at a recommended restaurant. Drop off to Lijiang hotel.

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# Day 3

* Tiger Leaping Gorge · First Bend of the Yangtze · Dukezong Ancient Town

~ Morning

@ First Bend of the Yangtze River (Shigu). Tiger Leaping Gorge — one of the world's deepest gorges.

~ Afternoon

@ Tiger Leaping Gorge continued. Optional: White Water Terraces. The Great Prayer Flag of Shangri-La.

~ Night

@ Dukezong Ancient Town. Prayer Wheel. Drop off to hotel.

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# Day 4

* Songzanlin Monastery · Pudacuo National Park

~ Morning

@ Morning mist at Songzanlin Monastery — attend the sunrise chanting ceremony. Thangka painting and black pottery handcrafting introduction.

~ Afternoon

@ Pudacuo National Park — pristine alpine lakes, meadows and old-growth forest at 3,500–4,159 m.

~ Night

@ 17:25–22:00 bullet train from Shangri-La to Kunming. Drop off to hotel.

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# Day 5

* Napa Hai · Nixi Black Pottery

~ Morning

@ Napa Hai (Yila Grassland) — a vast highland meadow that becomes a lake in summer, home to black-necked cranes in winter.

~ Afternoon

@ 1-hour drive to Nixi village. Black pottery handcrafting — learn the ancient Tibetan technique of making unglazed black ceramics without a wheel, a living cultural tradition.

~ Night

@ 1-hour drive back to city. Drop off to Shangri-La hotel.

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# Day 6

* Winery Tour · Meili Snow Mountain · Feilai Monastery

~ Morning

@ 1.5-hour drive to winery. Winery tour, vineyard visit and wine tasting.

~ Afternoon

@ 2-hour drive to Meili Snow Mountain. Check in after 2 PM. Feilai Monastery — with direct views of the sacred Kawagebo peak (6,740 m).

~ Night

@ Drop off to Naer (Feilai Monastery area) hotel.

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# Day 7

* Golden Sunrise · Shangri-La Grand Canyon · Balagezong Scenic Area

~ Morning

@ 7–8 AM: golden sunrise over the snow peaks. Drop back to hotel for rest. Drive to Shangri-La Grand Canyon.

~ Afternoon

@ Shangri-La Grand Canyon and Balagezong Scenic Area. Rafting option.

~ Night

@ Drop off to hotel.

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# Day 8

* Farewell

@ Breakfast and check out. Drop off to Lijiang Airport.

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