+1More Photos
Eight days across Yunnan from Kunming to Dali, Lijiang and Tibetan Shangri-La, with Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and Tiger Leaping Gorge.
This eight-day journey follows the old Tea Horse Road north through Yunnan. From Kunming a high-speed train takes you to Dali for Xizhou’s Bai red walls and Dali Ancient Town, then you drive via Shaxi to Lijiang for its UNESCO-listed old town, the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain cable car, Impression Lijiang and the Lijiang Royal Banquet.
Beyond Tiger Leaping Gorge you reach Tibetan Shangri-La: Dukezong Old Town, a Tibetan chieftain banquet, Pudacuo National Park, Songzanlin Monastery and Napa Lake. A high-speed train returns you to Kunming for Daguan Pavilion and the old city. Hotels are Wyndham-branded, resort and local hotels, or similar.
Private tour. Just your own party with a private guide and vehicle, starting on any day you choose in 2027 (minimum two travellers). Travelling on a budget? The group version of this tour costs less and leaves on fixed dates.
How the price works: CAD $2,525–2,800 depending on the season per person sharing a twin or double room (land only — flights to Kunming and home from Kunming are not included). Gratuities for your guide and driver, CAD $160 per person (CAD $20 a day), are added at checkout; the estimate on this page already includes them. The single supplement is CAD $438–675 by season.
Welcome to Kunming, the “Spring City” and capital of Yunnan. You are met at the airport and transferred to your hotel. The rest of the day is free.
Take the high-speed train (second class) from Kunming to Dali. Your first stop is a Santorini-themed café for afternoon tea, a popular photo spot with blue-and-white buildings by the water.
Continue to Xizhou Ancient Town, known for its well-preserved Bai houses, red walls, turrets and open farmland. Later you walk the crisscrossing old streets of Dali Ancient Town, set between Cangshan Mountain and Erhai Lake, and finish on Foreigners’ Street, lined with small boutiques and shops.
Drive to Shaxi Ancient Town, a well-preserved stop on the Ancient Tea Horse Road, with Sideng Street, its old opera stage and Yujin Bridge.
Continue to Lijiang and visit Black Dragon Pond Park, where the clear pool frames a view of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. Then explore Lijiang Ancient Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site of Naxi canals, small bridges and lanes, and its busy central square, Sifang Street.
Ride the cable car up and down Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, the snow-capped peak that dominates Lijiang. At its foot you watch Impression Lijiang, an open-air show staged against the mountain that presents Naxi folk culture.
Take the electric shuttle through Blue Moon Valley, with its blue water and stepped travertine terraces, then visit Yushuizhai, a sacred site of Naxi Dongba culture. Dinner is the Lijiang Royal Banquet (regular seat): Naxi hot pot served with palace-style and Naxi song and dance, recreating the banquets of the Mu chieftains.
Drive north to Tiger Leaping Gorge, where the Jinsha River surges between steep mountain walls (the gorge’s sightseeing elevator is not included).
Continue to Shangri-La and Dukezong Ancient Town, a centuries-old post on the Ancient Tea Horse Road and home to a giant prayer wheel. Dinner is a Tibetan Chieftain Banquet with traditional food and interactive folk performances.
Take the electric shuttle through Pudacuo National Park, a reserve of old-growth forest, alpine lakes and meadows. Next is Ganden Sumtseling (Songzanlin) Monastery, the largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Yunnan, often called the “Little Potala Palace”, also visited by electric shuttle.
In the afternoon you see Napa Lake, a seasonal highland lake ringed by grassland, and the nearby Heavenly Gate and Highland Barley Road viewpoints.
Take the high-speed train (second class) from Shangri-La back to Kunming.
Visit Daguan Pavilion beside Dianchi Lake, famous for its long classical couplet, then walk Kunming Old Street, where Ming- and Qing-dynasty buildings house long-established local brands and snack stalls. See the Golden Horse and Jade Rooster Archway, the city’s landmark gateway, and end on Nanping Pedestrian Street, Kunming’s main commercial street.
After breakfast, transfer to the airport at the scheduled time for your flight.
4 hand-picked hotels over 7 nights of this itinerary. Open any property for photos, video, a full introduction and what's on site.
A 26-floor Wyndham Garden opened in 2025 on Beijing Road, Kunming's main north–south avenue, an 8-minute walk from Linyuqiao metro station.
See the hotel › 9 photos
A lakeside resort on the shore of Erhai Lake, opened in 2020, with lake-view rooms, a spa and three restaurants. It sits outside the old town, about 11 km from Dali Airport.
See the hotel › 9 photos
A 241-room Wyndham opened in 2022 next to Lijiang Railway Station, with views toward Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. The Old Town is about 7 km away, roughly 15 minutes by car.
See the hotel › 9 photos
A 258-room resort hotel opened in 2019 on Kangzhu Avenue in Shangri-La, a 2-minute walk from the Songzanlin Monastery ticket office and about 10 minutes' drive from Dukezong Old Town; the airport is about 10 km away. Rooms mix Khampa Tibetan motifs with modern fittings (Deluxe rooms 36 m²). Chinese restaurant serving yak hot pot, lobby bar, Chinese and Western breakfast, oxygen supply, meeting rooms and parking; platforms rate it 5-star.
See the hotel › 9 photosWhere a day says “or similar”, a comparable property of the same standard may be used on some departures. Room photos are representative; the room category is set by your booked package.
Your tour price covers:
The following are not covered by the tour price:
Practical guidance to help you prepare for and get the most out of this trip.
How the price is built. Per person in Canadian dollars, two travellers sharing a twin or double room. Children pay the adult price and have their own bed. Gratuities of CAD $160 per person are added at checkout. The single supplement is CAD $438–675 by season; a room cannot be shared with a stranger, so a solo traveller pays it.
Private tour. Your guide and vehicle are for your party only and you pick the start date. Every booking needs at least two travellers; if you are travelling alone, ask us.
Altitude. Lijiang sits at about 2,400 m and Shangri-La at about 3,300 m; the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain cable car climbs to roughly 4,500 m. Take the first evening in Shangri-La gently, drink water and talk to your doctor before travelling if you have heart or breathing conditions.
Tiger Leaping Gorge. The gorge visit is included, but the sightseeing elevator there is not.
Trains and long drives. Kunming – Dali and Shangri-La – Kunming are by high-speed train in second class. Dali – Lijiang and Lijiang – Shangri-La are full road days.
Shopping streets. Foreigners’ Street in Dali, Sifang Street in Lijiang and Nanping Pedestrian Street in Kunming are shopping streets; there is no obligation to buy.
Dates and validity. Prices apply to departures in 2027. Dates over China’s public holidays (Spring Festival, May Day and National Day week) and major conferences are not sold at these prices — ask us for a quote. The hotels named are the usual ones; another hotel of the same standard may be used, and the order of visits can change for weather, train times or local conditions.
“We had a great time on our trip to China. Great thanks to Karen who organized all our papers and documents, flight, train schedule and tickets with super duper efficiency and patience. Karen always returned our calls and answered…”
“We joined two tours with Ali Travel — Jiangnan and Jiuzhaigou in March and April. The tours were amazing and the tour guides knowledgeable and caring, with good arrangements. The scenery was beautiful and the hotels were nice. We…”
“Ali Travel's service is excellent, and the advisors at every store are professional. We are two seniors and have travelled with them to Cuba, Yellowknife, the Dominican Republic, Cancún and China — every experience was fantastic.…”
Verbatim excerpts from public Google reviews of Ali Travel’s five GTA stores — 4.4–4.7★ across 281 reviews as of August 2026. These are reviews of our service, not of this specific departure. Read all reviews on Google →
Reserve online and pay the CAD $300 per-person deposit right away (unless a different amount is stated for this tour) — that secures your booking. We then confirm availability, usually within 24 hours, and update your booking status — if we cannot confirm your reservation, your deposit is refunded in full. The balance is due 30 days before departure. The deposit option applies to bookings made more than 60 days before departure — within 60 days of departure, full payment is required at booking.
Price adjustments (Travel Industry Act, 2002 — O. Reg. 26/05): increases resulting from retail sales or federal tax changes excepted, if the total price rises by more than 7% you may cancel for a full refund — and no price increase is permitted after you have paid in full.
Card details are entered directly into Moneris, Canada’s largest payment processor — your card number never reaches our servers.
Cancellation charges, from the date we receive written notice:
Once airline tickets have been issued, the air portion is non-refundable regardless of the schedule above.
Ali Travel Inc. is registered with the Travel Industry Council of Ontario as a travel retailer (#50025124) and wholesaler (#50026847) — both checkable on TICO’s public register. Ontario’s Travel Industry Compensation Fund may reimburse you if we, or an end supplier such as an airline, become insolvent and the travel is not provided.
The Fund has a per-person limit, exclusions and a claim deadline — TICO’s page sets out what it covers.
One named consultant stays with your booking from confirmation to your return — the same person for documents, seat and room requests, changes, and anything that comes up while you are away. Call (416) 560-5888 or visit any of our five stores across the Greater Toronto Area.
Passport names and dates of birth are needed because flights are ticketed in your legal name; we never sell your personal information, and it is shared only with the suppliers delivering this trip. Privacy Policy →
Land package · plus Gratuities $160 (mandatory, per person)
CAD $2,525–$2,800 per person · double occupancy · departures 1 Jan–31 Dec 2027
Price notes
Prices shown are the land package. Gratuities $160 per person is mandatory and is added at checkout.
International flights not included — quoted from your city.
Peak dates (public holidays, summer): est. +CAD $438 per person, confirmed before you pay.
Maplelux Holidays serves travel agencies. Choose how you would like to continue.
Wyndham Garden Kunming Panlong opened in 2025 in the Yonghe Fu commercial centre on Beijing Road, at the corner of Linyu Road. The 26-floor building has 132 rooms and is rated 5 diamonds on Trip.com. It is a city hotel aimed at business and leisure travellers.
Rooms include city-view queen and twin rooms, triples, executive rooms with large panoramic windows, family rooms and suites. Accessible rooms are available.
The restaurant offers both buffet and à la carte service. There is also a café, a lobby bar and 24-hour room service, and halal meals can be provided.
Linyuqiao station on metro Line 1 is about 550 m, roughly 8 minutes on foot. Kunming Square is 1.7 km away and the Harmony shopping centre 1.4 km.
There is a free gym, a tea room, a garden and a children's playground. The hotel lists only Mandarin as a spoken language, so your guide is the best help with requests.
Argyle Resort Dali Yueyun opened in 2020 on Jichang Road by Erhai Lake, the large lake beside Dali. It is rated 5 diamonds on Trip.com. This is a resort stay by the water rather than an old-town hotel.
Most room types face the lake (named "sea-view" locally, as Erhai is often called a sea), including rooms with 180° and 270° views, lake-view suites and family suites. Some rooms allow smoking, so ask for non-smoking if it matters to you.
There are three restaurants: a Chinese restaurant for lunch and dinner, a lake-view restaurant serving all day from 07:00 to 21:00 with outdoor tables, and a bar for afternoon tea. Room service runs 24 hours.
The resort has a spa and massage room, a free gym, a tea room, a garden and a children's playground.
Erhai Jade Cabbage Wetland Park is 1.2 km away, Dali Passenger Transport Terminal about 5.5 km and Dali Airport 11.4 km. You will need transport to reach Dali Old Town.
Wyndham Lijiang Yulong Hotel opened in 2022 beside Lijiang high-speed railway station, facing Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. It has 241 rooms and is rated 5 diamonds on Trip.com. It is a quiet, modern base rather than an old-town inn.
Many rooms look toward Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, including king and twin rooms, 180° panoramic rooms, triples, family rooms and two-bedroom suites.
The all-day restaurant serves breakfast from 06:30 to 10:00. There is also a café, a bar and a lobby bar.
The hotel has a gym (10:00–20:00), a spa (extra charge), a sky garden, a tea room and a sunbathing area. The outdoor pool is seasonal and is listed as closed until 31 December 2026.
Lijiang Railway Station is 330 m away, about 5 minutes on foot. Lijiang Old Town is 7.4 km, roughly 15 minutes by car, and Jade Dragon Snow Mountain about 45 minutes by car.
Tanshan Hotel, now trading in Chinese as Tang Xiang Jia Xiu Grand Hotel (Songzanlin Monastery Scenic Area), stands at No. 288 Kangzhu Avenue on the northern edge of Shangri-La, beside Songzanlin Monastery (the 'Little Potala Palace') and Lamuyangcuo Lake. The monastery ticket office is a 2-minute walk away, Dukezong Old Town is about 10 minutes by car and Trip.com lists the airport at 9.75 km and the bus station at 1.8 km. Rooms on the upper floors look towards the monastery's golden roofs.
All 258 rooms are decorated in a Khampa-palace style; Deluxe rooms are 36 m² with two double beds or a queen plus a double for families, and there are suites up to a 400 m² presidential suite. Every room has free Wi-Fi, air conditioning and daily housekeeping, and butler service is listed. The Tang Yuan Chinese restaurant serves local dishes such as yak hot pot and farm-style cooking, the Xilang lobby bar does ginger tea and black tea, and breakfast is a Chinese and Western buffet. The hotel has oxygen supply facilities for altitude comfort (Shangri-La is at about 3,300 m), a café, snack bar, convenience store, laundry, conference rooms, a business centre and public parking. Trip.com lists check-in from 14:00 and check-out by 14:00.