5 Days Lijiang Lugu Lake with Mosuo Matriarchal Society Experience

Full Itinerary Day by day

Day 1 Lijiang Arrival

Ni Hao! Welcome to Lijiang, a very impressive ancient city! Upon arrival at the airport or railway station, your guide and driver will meet you at the arrival hall and transfer you to the hotel in ancient town area with a private car which is comfortable, air-conditioned and non-smoking. 

After a short rest, you’ll start a memorable tour in Lijiang Ancient Town (Dayan Ancient Town). Established in the Ming dynasty as a commercial center, Lijiang Old Town is a well-preserved 800-year-old town for Naxi ethnic group, listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. Walk to the central area of the old town and visit Mufu Palace. A saying goes “there is Forbidden City in the North, Mu’s Residence in the South”. Mu’s Residence was called the miniature Forbidden City. Looked from a far distance, it likes a grand imperial palace and it is famous for the grandness and architectural buildings. Getting into the palace, you can know Tusi’s ruling history and appreciate Naxi people’s brilliant culture and fine arts. Then, wander through the old alleys, old bridges, featured shops and bars to Sifang Street Square, a mingling ground to enjoy lively atmosphere and unwind yourself. If time permits, join the Naxi people and tourists to dance happily in a round. (Optional Activity: Take a leisure walk up to the Lion Hill and climb up the 33-meter-tall Wanggu Tower - the landmark building of Lijiang to enjoy a panoramic view of the whole old town and overlook the magnificent Jade Dragon Snow Mountain in the distance.)

Arrival Ideas: There’re direct flights from Kunming, Chengdu, Chongqing, Lhasa, Beijing, Xian, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Guiyang, etc to Lijiang Sanyi Airport. Trains are available from Kunming (about 3-3.5 hours), Dali (about 2-3 hours) to Lijiang Railway Station. 

Day 2 Lijiang (B, L)

After breakfast, your guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel. First, you’ll be transferred out of Lijiang Old Town to Yuhu Village which is located at the foot of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. Walking into this authentic Naxi Village, you’ll see unique stone houses, Naxi ladies dressing in traditional clothes, kids playing, a tranquil Yuhu Lake…explore leisurely around the village and then go to explore the Former Residence of Joseph Rock, who was an Austrian-American Botanist came to Lijiang and stayed in Yuhu Village for 27 years and made huge research work on Naxi minority.

Later, head to Baisha Village and appreciate the ancient Baisha Mural Paintings. Houses here are arranged on a north-south axis around a central, terraced square. Visit Dabaoji Palace and Liuli Temple to view murals painted over 1000 years ago which depict subjects relating to Buddhism, Taoism and the life of the Naxi people, incorporating cultural elements of the Bai people. (Optional experience: You can have in-depth cultural experience to learn how to make Baisha embroidery instructed by the local masters in Baisha Village.)

Then, it is followed by a relaxing trip to Shuhe Ancient Town - one of the earliest settlements of Naxi people as well as the well-preserved stop of the Ancient Tea Horse Route. This ancient town is less crowded than Lijiang Dayan Old Town. Take a nice stroll here to explore local cultures, folk customs and traditions over several centuries. 

After that, transfer to Dongba Culture Museum where more than 10,000 Dongba cultural relics show mysterious Dongba culture of the Naxi people. Take a gentle walk to Black Dragon Pool Park to enjoy gorgeous view and peaceful surroundings. If weather permits, get to the best spot to overlook the snow-capped Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and shoot some amazing pictures.

Day 3 Ljiang - Lugu Lake (B, L)

Today, you’ll be driven about 200 kilometers (4~5 hours) on the spectacular mountain road to visit the mysterious Lugu Lake , situated on the border of Yunnan Province and Sichuan Province. Lugu Lake is called the mother lake by Mosuo people and this land is considered as “the Kingdom of Women” and “Home of the Matriarchal Tribe”.

Upon arrival, check in your hotel first. After a short rest, you will take a canoe to sail leisurely on the tranquil lake, appreciate the mirror-like lake view and enjoy the whisper of the soft breeze and visit one of the three magical islands of Lugu Lake - Liwubi Island. Go shore excursion to Liwubi Island and explore a lama monastery of yellow sect.

After that, you will enjoy some quiet time to walk along the Luguhu Lake by yourself. Enjoy the sunset wonder of Lugu Lake in Luoshui Village. Later, transfer to Lige Village embraced by water on three sides. In this evening, enjoy Mosuo Bonfire Party with ethnic singing and dancing performance. You will take part in singing and dancing with Mosuo boys and girls around a big bonfire in the outdoor square.

Day 4 Lugu Lake - Lijiang (B, L)

In the morning, get up early to enjoy beautiful sunrise over Lugu Lake. After breakfast, you'll first drive to visit Zhamei Monastery. Built in Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644), it is the largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery for Yunnan Mosuo people and Pumi group. You can enjoy the 12-meter-tall Maitreya Buddha, exquisite murals and splendid color-engravings.

Then, continue your memorable trip by visiting around Lugu Lake - appreciating the famous Sweetheart Trees in Nisai Village, exploring the last tribe of Mosuo with only 24 households in Little Luoshui Village. Transfer to visit a Mosuo family to know better about Mosuo people’s matriarchal system, visiting marriage customs, festivals, religion, costumes and daily life. Later, drive to visit Mosuo Museum, the only museum in China to present Mosuo people’s history, culture and folk customs.

After the tour, be driven back to Lijiang.

Day 5 Lijiang - Tiger Leaping Gorge - Lijiang Departure (B, L)

After breakfast, your guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel. First, drive about 52 kilometers from Lijiang to view the First Bend of Yangtze River. The upper reach of the Yangtze River is Jinsha River coming down from Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and when it arrives at Shigu Town, it is obstructed by Hailuo Mountain and forms a V-shape turn. Then it changes the direction and goes to the northeast. You’ll reach the observation deck to catch a panoramic view of the bend, an extraordinary turn nearly about 180 degrees with beautiful and marvelous views like a wonderful landscape painting unfolding before your eyes. You’ll have a look at local market and Red Army’s Long March Memorial Monument in Shigu Town.

Later, be transferred to visit the one of the deepest and most spectacular river canyon in the world - Tiger Leaping Gorge. It is also a part of UNESCO World Heritage Site called Three Parallel of Yunnan Protected Areas. This steep gorge is situated between the 5596 meters Jade Dragon Snow Mountain to the south and 5396 meters Haba Snow Mountain to the north. Measuring 17 kilometers in length, the whole gorge is divided into three parts: upper, middle and lower gorge and you’ll pay a visit to the maturest section - Upper Tiger Leaping Gorge. Walk about 1,000 stairs along the plank road from the entrance to the Tiger Leaping Rock. Take a moment to enjoy the magnificent gorge view and rolling waves. (Travel tip: This gorge is suitable for most travelers with easy walk. Comfortable shoes are recommended. )

After the tour, drive back to Lijiang. Your guide and driver will escort you to the airport or railway station to catch your flight / train (after 17:00) to next destination. (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 $801 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, 2022.
4. Reference exchange rate of USD 1= RMB 6.65. 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.

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Check What our Customers Say...

Hi Wendy,

Helen is INCREDIBLE! Love her energy and enthusiasm. Tour has been very good so far; now we are on our way to Yabuli. Oh it has been an absolute blast so far. Helen was a lifesaver in Ya Bu Li!

Ada was also very nice, but there was, unfortunately, a very big language barrier, as she had difficulty with English.

Thank you Wendy. Just finished the tour today; was a great trip overall.

Varun - 2021.01.18‚ India, January 18, 2021

Hey, Vivien.

We arrived safely and have successfully checked into the room at the Holiday Inn Beidahu. It’s a beautiful hotel and the room is clean and spacious. Thank you so much! The trip was absolutely wonderful. Everything was smooth and our health codes remain green.

Jeffrey - 2021.01.18‚ USA, January 18, 2021

Hey, good morning.

Just wanted to let you know that my trip to jiuhuashan was nice.

Jack - 2021.01.18‚ USA, January 18, 2021

你好 Lyn,

一月十五号晚上我回北京了，我在黑龙江的时候玩儿的很开心了！风景特别美，所以我想发一些照片给您看一下那个地方的风景。如果我有机会的话我还要去，谢谢！

我觉得什么都好，都很顺利。导游和司机的性格也好，谢谢！

Sincerely,

Millicent Thapa

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Millicent - 2021.01.15‚ USA, January 15, 2021

Hi Riley. No problem. Happy to provide feedback. 

Zhangjiajie is beautiful and there are so many activities - I will definitely suggest it to our friends, though perhaps when it is a little warmer. Favourite activities include: Yellow cave, Tianzi Mountain, Golden Whip Stream, Glass Bridge and the walk along the bottom of the canyon, river cruise in FengHuang.

Lily was lovely and very accommodating. We enjoyed her stories about the local customs. Her English is excellent - as is the driver's. Both made sure we had no problems checking into the hotels and made our flight - even though it meant they had to wait at the airport for 1.5 hours. 

The tours were great, and we were really grateful to have Lily guiding us. The only thing I would change would be to include some breaks in a warm place with a cup of tea. The activities meant a long time walking in the cold. I would prefer to walk faster and therefore have more time to rest. Also the lunches were very late some days. 

We were hoping for a slightly more relaxed holiday, so I would take out some activities (e.g. going to the base of the big hole and going up to Huangshi Village). It would be helpful to have some estimated times for how long each activity may take so we can decide if we want to do it or not.

FengHuang was really cool. I wish we had spent one more night there. Lily had excellent knowledge of the history of the town. However, the historical sites we visited were not really that interesting to us, particularly as a lot of it related to quite recent history. For us that time would be better spent exploring the lovely winding streets - especially as it was a sunny day.

The accommodation was very lovely and very comfortable and warm. The only thing I would like, and it may not be possible, is to have some western-style breakfast options - toast, cereal, English Breakfast tea, orange juice.

Finally, we are so grateful to you for rearranging our flights when they were cancelled so late. We would not have enjoyed the stress of trying to find and book new flights ourselves. That is a really valuable service!

I think that covers it. Overall it was a really lovely holiday. Zhangjiajie is an amazing place and it was great to experience some of China's natural beauty and impressive infrastructure like the cable cars, glass bridge and outdoor elevator.

Thanks again for organising it for us so quickly! We will be in touch when we are ready to go on our next trip.

 

Regards,

Rachel

Rachel - 2021.01.15‚ Australia, January 15, 2021

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