10 Days Upper Yangtze River Rafting and Tiger Leaping Gorge Trekking Tour

After breakfast, you will be driven to visit the Stone Forest which is the most famous tourist site and the must-see in Kunming. The Stone Forest is consisted of groups of stone forests that are formed by sculpture of nature-crust movement. There you will see the wonders of stone masterpieces in different formations and the bewitching karst landscapes.

After lunch, drive back to Kunming and you will visit the Golden Horse and Phoenix Archway. The Golden Horse and Phoenix Archway is regarded as the landmark of Kunming as its architectures are of typical Kunming characteristics and have long history. After, go and have a strolling along the Green Lake, which is a great place to spend some casual time as there are many tea houses and small boutiques. You can buy some local handicrafts and paintings as gifts and souvenirs. The Flower and Bird Market which is the most popular bazaar in Kunming will be the last stop to visit for today. In the market, you can see and buy various kinds of flowers, birds, jewelry, porcelains, and many other kinds of items.

At last, you will take flight to Lijiang. After your check in at the hotel, take some time to enjoy the beautiful night scenes of Lijiang Old Town. It is amazing!

Today is the rafting day! But you will have to drive for four hours to get to Tacheng before you can go for the exciting rafting.

After breakfast, drive all the way to Tacheng along the beautiful Jinsha River. The journey covers 140 kilometers and takes four hours. Along the way, you will pass through Shigu Town, ZHongxing Town, Judian Town, and Shangjiang Town. Landscapes along the road are very beautiful and you will also see charming Naxi ethnic villages on the way. Lunch will be arranged in Juxian Restaurant in Judian Town and you will enjoy delicious local food. If you happen to go there in the 5th or 10th of the traditional Chinese calendar, you will be lucky to meet the local bazaar to have some fun.

After lunch, continue driving to Tacheng Town. When arrived in Tacheng, you will get to the highlight of today’s trip, rafting. But before you get start, you have to unload the floating equipment include tent. Sleeping bag, water-proof bag, fridge, paddles, LPG container, gas cooker, life jacket and other items needed from the car. Inflate the drifting boat, equip yourself with safe jacket, and there you go! During your rafting, you will find the most beautiful scenery and exciting part at the Rooster Stone Islet, which is located in the middle of Jinsha River. The Rooster Stone Islet gets its name because there is a sharp peak which looks like a flying rooster when looking from a distance. Because of the rapids, whirlpools and waves at the foot of the Rooster Stone Islet, it becomes an adventure when you raft to Rooster Stone Islet. You will raft for four hours. After, build the camp on the beach island near the Judian Town and stay overnight there.

Jinsha River is the upper stretches of Yangtze River. Jinsha River runs through provinces of Qinghai, Sichuan, and Yunnan in China, and also passes through the Tiger Leaping Gorge. Together with the Langcang River and Nujiang River, these three rivers make up the scenic Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas. 

Get up early this morning to enjoy the beautiful sunrise of the Jinsha River and the surrounding green mountain ranges. After breakfast, you will continue rafting today. The rafting destination for today will be Zhongxing Town. During today’s rafting, you will get some special interesting experiences. When you raft through islands in the middle of Jinsha River, you will see green willow trees and casual cows in the islands. Also you will meet farmers are fishing with small canoes and children swimming in the river. All these would be memorable memories for this trip. Also along the rafting, you will pass through Hengduan Mountain Ranges and Miao ethnic Village.

When you land Zhongxing Town, have a simple lunch to refuel some energy. Take arrest and then built the tent in the willow forest in the afternoon. For the evening, you will have a bonfire party to have some fun.

Get up early to enjoy the sunrise of the Jinsha River. After having coffee and milk for breakfast, you will get to continue the rafting trip to Shigu Old Town. Along the rafting, you will first meet a big “S” turn Stone Gate Pass which had military importance in history. With the Biluo Snow Mountain and Gaoligong Mountain on both sides, the Stone Gate Pass has grand and spectacular vies. The next important spot you will pass through is the First Bend of the Yangtze River, where you will have a big turn from the south to the east. When you raft to the Shigu Port, you will land the Shigu Town and this is where you finish the rafting part of the tour. You will have lunch in Jiangnan Restaurant. Fresh river fish, wild vegetables and local flavors will be prepared to serve you.

After lunch, you will meet you driver who will drive you to Qiaotou Town where you will start the Tiger Leap Gorge trekking. Trek for two hours and you will arrive at a Naxi Family Guesthouse in Zhongnuoyu Village.Stay overnight at the Naxi Family Guesthouse and have a good rest. If possible, there may hold a bonfire party with local Naxi ethnic people in the courtyard.

The First Bend of the Yangtze River refers to the famous scenic geological phenomenon when the Yangtze River is forced to make a sudden V-shape bend to flow to the northeast from its previous southeastward direction. The turn is nearly 180 degrees and it creates extraordinary scenery with the wide and gentle river flows, the verdant willows trees alongside the river, lush green vegetation, and steep mountains on the bank.

After breakfast, you will start the trekking from the Naxi Family. You will have the most difficult part of the trekking as you will trek through 28 zigzag turns which will 6-8 hours to finish. After the tough 28 turns, trek further to the place that has an elevation of 3,000 meters where you can enjoy the marvelous panoramic views of the entire gorge.

Have lunch in Tea Horse Guesthouse and continue the trekking to Halfway Guesthouse. The Halfway Guesthouse is located in Bendiwan Village and it has an altitude of 2,500 meters, which enable you to get a magnificent view of the Yangtze River below and the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain in front. Also the place where the Halfway Guesthouse situated is a great place for photographer wanting to take best views of the Yangtze River and Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.

But the trekking for today has not come to come to the end. You will have to continue trekking for another two hours to arrive at the Middle Tiger Leaping Gorge. Along the way you will visit some beautiful valleys, Guanyin Waterfall, Guanyin Temple, and Bamboo Forest. Today’s trekking will be completed when you arrive at Tina’s Guesthouse. Have a good dinner in Tina’s Guesthouse and enjoy good night views of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and Jinsha River from the guesthouse.

Get up early for breakfast and then you will continue the trekking trip to the Middle Rapids of the Middle Tiger Leaping Gorge. Continue trekking along the Jinsha River to Walnut Groove Garden where you will have your lunch. After lunch, go on the trekking the some easy road and you will get to Heika Village. The Heika Village is a traditional Naxi ethnic village which faces Daju Town.

Have a short break in Halong Men’s Inn. The Men’s Inn is a beautiful garden guesthouse from which you will enjoy the great views of Jinsha River that flows through the Heika Village. After the short break, walk down to the Old Ferry of Daju. Take a small boat to cross the Jinsha River and arrive at Daju Town. You will have time for free exploration at the Daju Town in the late afternoon. Stay overnight at Daju Inn.

The highlights for today’s trip will be the beautiful scenery of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and the interesting Impression Lijiang Ethnic Show in Ganhaizi Meadow.

After breakfast, you will be driven to Ganhaizi Meadow. Then take a sightseeing bus to enjoy the fantastic views of Baishuihe River. After, take the cableway to the Yak Meadow in the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. The Yak Meadow has an elevation of 3,700 meters. After, come back to Ganhaizi Meadow and have a simple lunch at Dongba Restaurant. After lunch, you will watch the Impression Lijiang Ethnic Show which is directed by Zhang Yimou for the purpose of demonstrating the traditions and lifestyles of the Naxi, Yi, and Bai people. This cultural show takes Jade Dragon Snow Mountain as backdrop and is shown in the outdoor theater.

In the afternoon, you will go to visit the Baisha Village which is a traditional ethnic village and you will see the impressive Baisha Murals that have 600 years’ history. Also you will visit the Black Dragon Pool and Dongba Museum from which you will have better ideas of the Naxi ethnic culture.

After breakfast, you will first go to visit Shuhe Old Town. The Shuhe Old Town is located only 5 kilometers northwest of Lijiang Old Town at the foot of the beautiful Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. Shuhe Old Town is especially charming for its beautiful scenery and strong ethnic culture. The Qianlong Bridge, Long Pool, and the local Naxi people and their unique culture are the main charms of Shuhe Old Town. Even you can rent a bike to ride to Shehe Old Town from Lijiang.

In the afternoon, you will visit the Wangu Pagoda which is situated on the top of the Lion Hill on the behind of Lijiang Old Town. Standing on the Wangu Pagoda you can enjoy the marvelous panoramic view of the entire Lijiang. Walking down from the Lion Hill and you will come to the Mu Palace. The Mu Palace was the residence of the Mu clan who has led the Naxi ethnic groups and ruled Lijiang for more than 700 years. The Mu Palace covers about 8 acres and is consisted of about 100 buildings. Buildings in the Mu Palace are of styles of Naxi, Tibetan and traditional Chinese Ming and Qing. There are also pavilions, halls, bridges, pools, and delicate carvings to see in the Mu Palace.

After dinner, you can enjoy the rich nightlife in Lijiang Old Town. If you like, you can take the optional activity to attend the Naxi Orchestral Music in Naxi Concert Hall. It will be a very special experience and you will enjoy the essence of the Naxi culture.

After breakfast, you will be transferred to the airport to take your flight to the next destination.