5 Days Kunming Spring Nature Tour with Jiaozi Snow Mountain

Full Itinerary Day by day

Day 1 Kunming Arrival

Welcome to Kunming, the Spring City of China! Upon arrival at the Kunming airport/train station, the local tour guide and driver will meet you in the arrival hall and escort you to your hotel and help you check in. The rest of the day is on your own to explore the comfortable cityscape and leisure atmosphere there! Have a good rest!

Arrival Ideas: You can take a direct flight from more than 110 domestic cities and some international destinations including Hong Kong, Macao, Singapore, San Francisco, Tokyo, London, and Los Angeles. Also, you can take a bullet train from Chengdu (5.5 hours), Chongqing (4 hours), Guilin (8 hours), Guiyang (2 hours), Guangzhou (7 hours), Beijing (11 hours), Shanghai (11 hours), Hong Kong (7.5 hours), etc. with convenience!

Day 2 Kunming - Jiaozi Snow Mountain - Dongchuan (B, L)

Good morning! After breakfast, your guide and driver will meet you at your hotel and then escorted you to Jiaozi Snow Mountain for 3.5 hours’ riding (180km north from Kunming downtown).

Jiaozi Snow Mountain (Sedan Chair Snow Mountain) reaching 4,227 meters with the highest peak like a bridal sedan chair enjoys the typical mountain glacier landscape in central Yunnan and is a top popular snow resort for locals and visitors to enjoy its famous snow mountain and icefall, sea of azalea flowers, alpine lakes, sea of clouds, sunrise and light of Buddha. You will enjoy a classic discovery of Jiaozi Snow Mountain for around 4 hours.

You will first take a sightseeing bus at Sifangjing (3,210 meters) for about 1 hour to Xiapingzi (3,500 meters) where to immerse into the fascinating view of fragrant azaleas, emerald alpine bamboo forest, murmuring stream and silk like waterfall. From here, take the cableway up to see the grand group of waterfalls along the way to Daheiqing (3,850 meters). Continue up to Shenxiantian (3,950 meters) to embrace the nutritious alpine meadow grown from 1,000 years ago. After that, meet the mysterious sea of cloud at the high peak and have a little break at Foguangya (4,200 meters). Then, catch the awesome sightseeing of emerald deep valley and powerful mountains surrounded by at Qixing Viewing Deck. Later, walk down to visit Mubanghai Lake and Tianchi Lake (4150 meters) for a nice glimpse of the “pearl of the snow mountain”. You shall not miss to admire the abundant trunks of thousand-year old azalea trees at Aogu Forest. Then, pass the Fir Forest to appreciate the rich scenery of ocean of azalea blossoms in various shapes and colors. After that, walk along the plank road at Yixiatian Lower Cliff (3987 meters) to admire the towering peak at a different angle, pass the pleasant Yezhu Pool, and hear the stream chanting with the rocks at Flower Stream.

After that, take the cable car down to exit and be escorted to Dongchuan Red Land for about 2 hours’ driving (90km). Have a nice sleep!

Day 3 Dongchuan Red Land (B, L)

Good morning, today you will have a full nature exploration of Dongchuan Red Land at 1,800-2,600 meters above sea that is the most typical, featured and grand red land in the whole world. Favored by azure sky, white clouds and unpredictable light beams, it is also loved by world nature lovers and photographers to capture its unique spectacular beauty of lines, patches and colors!

You will get up early to take awesome pictures of the sunrise at Damakan at 2,600 meters high that is the best place to admire sunrise there. Enjoy the terrific idyllic scenery of kitchen smoke curling up from the rural houses, poplar trees sparkling under the slanting shining morning glows, and the village half showing in the morning fog. All those will make you feel standing in a dreamland! Continue your trip to visit Jinxiu Garden, the master work there and famous for its abundant colors and graceful layers. Prettier red and green land pieces connecting are quite suitable for local shooting. Appreciate the sightseeing at different angles along the plank road. Next, go to Qicai Slope (Colorful Slope) to admire the famous scenery of colorful land in iridescent hue, and the distinct patched colors look really like painted by the deity fond of painting. When the wind blows, layers of green, white, red, golden and more colors roll particularly like waves running to the ends of the earth.

Then, pay a visit to Yuepuao. You will not miss the lovely sightseeing of layers of paralleled curving fields like a giant colorful musical notation composing the beautiful song of nature and agriculture with the cultivating villagers and rural houses being the dynamic notes together. You can shoot sunset glow with good lights at dusk. Continue to visit Shuipingzi that is also called Yueliangtian (Moon Farmland) and featured with canyon scenery and terraced fields. Fill your eyes with the endlessly reaching red land hills rolling gently. The layers of fields will be irrigated into various geometric mirrors in spring and dress by golden carpets in autumn for your visual capture.

Then, go to have a close look at the thousand-year-old Ancient Tree which is a giant ancient fir tree over 1,000 years old like a god protecting the vast red land. Later, visit Luoxiagou (Sunset Valley) to see the picturesque landscape of various bright and dark red colors with several white rural houses dotted on in the middle, which is one of the most beautiful sceneries of Dongchuan Red Land. You will catch the resplendent sunset with soft light shining down on the pieces of red and green land like a fairyland on earth or a luxury attire of corduroy. With villagers riding their little vehicle back home after cultivation, the scene in front is a real idyllic painting of nature and people.

After that, be escorted back to your hotel. Have a good sleep!

Photography Tips:

1). Damakan: 06:00-07:00 is best to shoot sunrise with rural kitchen smoke, morning glow and fog. 2). Jinxiu Garden and Qicai Slope are cultivated with colorful crops, and April to May is best to shoot red land pictures with beautiful flowers including potato flowers, buckwheat flowers, etc. 3). Yuepuao: The short time after sunrise is best to shoot the fluent line of the field ridges with front light, and sunset hour is also great with backlight. 4). Shuipingzi: April to May is best to see fields irrigated with water, when blue sky and white clouds are well mirrored in the water; Autumn is the best season to enjoy the sea of golden crops. 5). Luoxiagou sunset is best to shoot during 16:30-17:30 with best light.

Day 4 Dongchuan - Stone Forest - Kunming (B, L)

After breakfast, your local guide and driver will meet you at your hotel and then escort you to Stone Forest for about 3.5 hours’ riding (250km)!

Kunming Stone Forest as the “Essence of World Karst Landform” has been listed as the UNESCO World Natural Heritage with the incomparable coverage of 12 square kilometers’ stone pinnacle groups. Take the sightseeing bus to visit the Greater Stone Forest Scenic Area to admire the typical concentrating cinerous stone pinnacles by walking through the maze of stone peaks and jumping high for the panorama of the forest of protruding stone peaks. Also, you will see the famous peak on many photos and even stones towering over 40 meters.

Then, continue to ride the bus to explore the Lesser Stone Forest to closely look at the iconic stone “Ashima” like a young lady, listen to the touching love story of Ashima, and fill your eyes with the emerald garden-like park of wilder stone peaks surrounded by lush green plants and blossoms. Take the sightseeing bus to exit the scenic park.

After today’s visiting, be escorted back to your hotel in Kunming downtown. Have a good sleep!

Day 5 Kunming & Kunming Departure (B, L)

Today, your guide and driver will escort you from your hotel to visit the famous Western Hills which is called “Sleeping Beauty Hills”, looking like a beautiful young lady lying beside Dian Lake (the largest freshwater in Yunnan and famed as the “Pearl on the Plateau”). It is a particularly pleasant experience to walk in such verdant forest mountain park with elegant sightseeing and a series of cultural relics and sites, including some old temples. You will not miss the symbolic visit to the magic Dragon Gate as it says “If you do not visit Western Hill, you haven't visited Kunming; if you do not come to Dragon Gate, you haven't been to Western Hills”, where to admire the colorful old grottoes on the wall and catch the panoramic view of the large peaceful Dianchi Lake and Kunming City. (You can visit the temples if interested. Huating Temple and Taihua Temple are included in the ticket.)

After that, drive back to Yunnan Nationalities Museum for a wonderful understanding of the 25 ethnic minority groups in vast Yunnan. This largest minority museum in whole Asia boasts a collection of over 20 thousand pieces (units) of precious cultural relics to show you the beautiful costumes, diverse ethnic festivals, daily life scenes, exquisite musical instruments, brilliant cultural texts, and so on to know the essence of Yunnan culture!

Next, go to enjoy a cultural visit to Yuantong Temple that is one of the top oldest Buddhist temples in Kunming with more than 1,200 years’ history. Take your stroll there to feel the rich Buddhist atmosphere of three Buddhist sects filling the antique halls and houses specially designed into a traditional Chinese garden layout for a quite different appreciation of temple in China.

Then, walk to Kunming Green Lake nearby. This pretty park with a lovely lake, old-styled pavilions, corridors, flowers, etc. is the most popular place for an authentic feeling of local Kunming people’s leisure life with citizens singing, dancing, talking, exercising, etc. During November to the next March, Black-headed Gulls from Siberian will never be late to fly there for their expecting comfortable warm winter holiday. Do not miss playing with those adorable and vigorous elfin during your relaxing roam!

After the visiting, you’ll be escorted to the airport or train station to catch your flight/train (after 17:00) to next destination or home! (Note: If the departure time will not match your trip schedule, our travel consultant will help you adjust the itinerary to well suit your time. Please feel free to contact us.)

The quotation for this trip is from $813 Per Person

1. This price is for one person, based on a group of 2 adults sharing one standard double-bed room in 4-star hotel and traveling with our private tour in low seasons.
2. This price is subject to change according your traveling season, group size, hotel class, change of activities in your itinerary and possible fluctuation of currency exchange rate. If you want a lower price, you can get more people to join you, or use economy class hotels.
3. This price is only valid to March 31, 2025.
4. Reference exchange rate of USD 1=RMB 7.00. The final quote is based on current exchange rate. It may change according to the currency fluctuation, while the RMB quotation will be remained the same.

How Our Teams Serve you at China Discovery

"Highest Standards of Quality and Honesty" is the core value of each specialized team at China Discovery.

Eveyone in our company is working hard for only one goal, which is to ensure the highest level of service, luxury, and attention to detail from the minute you begin planning your trip, to the day you return home.

1-on-1 Travel Consultant

Our travel consultants are professional, experienced and responsible, helping you from the very beginning to the end of your China trip!

After sending us an inquiry, one of our travel consultants will get back to you within 0.5~23.5 hrs. In the next few days, he/she will be working closely with you to formulate a customized tour plan, as well as providing professional suggestions based on your travel interests, time, and budget.

Beside, he/she will keep in contact with you during your entire tour in China, continually checking if everything is going well as planned.

We're working at Chengdu Bamboo International Tours, local based in Chengdu.

Local Tour Guides

Our local guide in every destination is not only very friendly, enthusiastic but also very informative and knowledgeable.

Once you arrive in the destination, the patient and punctual guides will pick you up and take you to get under skin of the city at your own pace. By in-depth discovery and explanation, they’ll show you more about the history, culture, customs and authentic local life. Throughout the journey, they're not only expert guides who take care of all the details but also fellow travelers who are dedicated to help you explore in comfort and style.

Our guides are passionate about what they do, and it shows all the way!

Local Drivers & Vehicle

Using our private transfer service makes you comfortable, relaxed and worry free all the way!

Our private service includes licensed drivers with many years’ driving experience and air-conditioned, non-smoking, clean and well-maintained cars/vans. Drivers are local, polite, friendly and helpful, taking you to your tourist sites, hotels, airport/train stations in safety. All kinds of vehicle are offered, and yours depends on the size of your group. Usually, we offer sedan cars, SUVs, business vans (MPV) and different types of buses, all with extra space for your luggage.

Our private transfer service guarantees you the highest comfort!

Comfortable & Homelike Hotels

In each destination, you’ll enjoy a comfortable stay in a great location!

The hotels we choose are based on star rating, great locations, well-equipped facilities, cozy bed, high quality service and guests’ feedbacks. Choices are a lot ranging from luxury 5 star, comfortable 4 star to budget 3 star. You could decide where to stay to best suit for your budget and likes. Generally, the hotels have both Western and Chinese breakfast with a wide choices.

If you have already got an ideal hotel, please feel free to tell our travel consultants and they'll book the hotel for you.

Have good sleep in our well-selected hotels in all the destinations of China.

Meals & Dining

We can satisfy all the dietary requirements no matter you want Chinese local food, western food, vegetarian food or muslin food.

The restaurants we will take you for lunch or dinner are all designated tourist restaurants approved by local tourist administration bureau. They have very good sanitary conditions and the food is prepared fresh and clean.

There will be some meals excluded in your itinerary as you like, and your private guide will be delighted to give you some suggestions and take you to the local restaurants to taste like Beijing Roast Duck, Xian Dumpling Dinner, Sichuan Hotpot, etc., if you are interested in local food tasting.

All the dining options will satisfy your stomach!

Check What our delighted customers are saying about our services

Hi dear Vivien,

our journey is about to end. We are on our way to Guilin airport. It has been an awesome trip indeed. Each destination was well chosen and everything went smoothly. I am super happy for my sister and me to be able to experience such a wonderful travel through the most stunning landscapes in China. Thank you for the perfect organization. And thank you for the nice gift we got in Guilin. Really appreciate it.

My sister with her fan. We also got a beautiful stamp and ink. Thank you very much!

Francesca

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Francesca‚ Germany, March 31, 2024

Hi Vivien,

just want to record our thanks to you for your good planning, coordination and arrangement for our recent holidays to Dali, Lijiang and Xianggelila. The tour guides and drivers were warm and friendly and we felt safe, and enjoyed the trip very much.

All the best to you.

Janet/Richard/Claire

Janet‚ Malaysia, March 27, 2024

Hi Phoebe,

1. Yes - questions were promptly addressed to my satisfaction. Excellent service overall.

2. The local guide is knowledgeable and has good command of English. He's also patient, considerate, and takes good care of his customers.

Hee

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Hee‚ Singapore, March 27, 2024

Hi Samantha,

Sunrise was very nice and checked us in to a nice room at 8:30 am. It’s been a while since we were in Shanghai, and it is a wonderful, clean city that’s very vibrant. It has been sunny and warm the last four days.

Jordan

Jordan‚ Canada, March 26, 2024

Dear Wing Zeng,

My family and I have now arrived safely back at home in Bangkok. We had a wonderful time on the cruise, and we would like to thank you very much for assisting us on the whole process, from booking the cabins to arranging transportation from Jingzhou to Maoping port. We are very impressed with your service.

As for your questions, here is my response:

1A: Wing Zeng always responds to our emails very promptly. At the beginning when I planned to book the cruise, Wing Zeng has been very patient to respond to all my questions about the cruise itinerary and the cabin types. I am very happy with her service.

2A: With Wing Zeng's help, our tour arrangements were very smooth. Our family travel with one senior and one small child, so we were very careful about transportation to and from the port. On the day of embarkation, Wing Zeng helped us book a van transfer directly from our hotel in Jingzhou to the port, which made the embarkation process very smooth and enjoyable.

3A: Definitely. I highly recommend your service to anyone who wants to take the Yangtze cruises.

4A: I'm very satisfied with your service. Our travel consultant is very helpful and professional.

5A: It would be nice if you could give a little warning that the water level in Chongqing might be too low around this time of year. Originally, our cruise was scheduled to end at Chongqing Chaotianmen port. But because of the low water level, we had to disembark somewhere else and took a 2-hour drive to Chaotianmen. The cruise arranges the transfer smoothly and it worked out fine in the end. But if this is something that happens usually around this time of year, it would be nice to be given a little warning beforehand.

Sira

Sira‚ Thailand, March 26, 2024

Check What our customers are saying about us on Tripadvisor.com

We are one of the few China travel agencies who have kept active and received lots of feedbacks and reviews during pandemic years

Antal L

"My wife and me took a 21-day private customised tour through China organised by Wonder, China Discovery. Wonder is an ideal travel consultant. He is highly competent, absolutely professional..." read more »

Reviewed on April 14, 2024

Antal L

"My wife and me took a 21-day private customised tour through China organised by Wonder, China Discovery. Wonder is an ideal travel consultant. He is highly competent, absolutely professional..." read more »

Reviewed on April 14, 2024