Tour Duration: 14 day(s)
Group Size: 1 - 8 people
Specialty Categories: Bicycle Touring Cultural Journey
Season: January - December
Airfare Included: No

This 14-day bicycle tour begins and ends in Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province known as the "Spring City" and the gateway to China's largest concentration of ethnic minorities. This tour is designed as a relatively easy-going ride. Average daily cycling mileage will be about 17 miles (28 km). On most days we will use vehicle transport to supplement the cycling to get us to the next destination. Riders will carry their own daily use items while the support vehicle carries the rest of the luggage. This tour will visit both well-known and little-known sights and will appeal to those who have cultural, social and geographical interests.

On the first day, the group will meet and there will be a warm-up tour of the city where we will visit the Yuantong Temple, Cuihu (Green Lake) Park and the East/West Pagodas. The following morning, the group will fly to Xiaguan and then get transport to Old Dali. Old Dali still has some of that small town charm and ideally located between the Cangshan Mountains and Erhai Lake. In the afternoon we will visit the Three Pagodas and Chongsheng. On the third day we will cycle half way around Erhai Lake, visiting several villages, temples and Jinsuo Island before returning to Dali via boat.

Next the group will head north to Jianchuan cycling along the old Dali-Lijiang road where numerous minorities can be seen along the road in traditional dress. In Jianchuan we will have an opportunity to visit the Jinhuashan Precipice Bas-relief Grottos. Continuing north will we cycle along side the Yangzi River and view the First Bend (where the river makes a U-turn and heads north) on the way to Qiaotou, the gateway to Tiger Leaping Gorge (which will be visited later). The following day we will go to Shangri-La (Zhongdian). This is a predominately Tibetan town and we will visit the Songzanlin Tibetan Monastery and some hot springs. On the way back to Tiger Leaping Gorge we will stop at the Mutian Castle.

Tiger Leaping Gorge is one of the deepest and most dramatic gorges in the world and is still quite wild despite the enormous efforts to tame it. We will visit the narrow spot of the gorge where it takes it name. It is a powerful spot with the whole of the Yangzi River confined to a 20- meter (70-foot) width. We will spend the night here is simple lodgings. The next day the group heads to Lijiang, the center of the creative Naxi minority group spending two days to explore the city and view several temples and the Baisha Frescoes. Next the group will head to the northern border of Yunnan for several days and visit the Lugu Lake, another Tibetan area. Afterwards, we will return to Kunming via air concluding the bike tour.

Your Itinerary

Day 1: Kunming - Meet group members/Brief City Tour - Yuantong Temple, East and West Pagodas, and Cuihu City Park. Includes: (B), (L), (D).

Day 2: Dali - Fly to Xiaguan, transport to Old Dali, Three Pagodas and Chongsheng Temple. Includes: (B), (L), (D).

Day 3: Dali - Erhai Lake area, Jinsuo Island, Laotai Temple, Haidong Village. Includes: (B), (L), (D).

Day 4: Jianchuan - Shapin village market. Includes: (B), (L), (D).

Day 5: Qiaotou - Jinhuashan Precipice Bas-relief Grottos and the First Bend of the Yangzi River. Includes: (B), (L), (D).

Day 6: Shangri-La (Zhongdian) - Transport to Shangri-La (Zhongdian), Songzanlin Tibetan Monastery. Includes: (B), (L), (D).

Day 7: Shangri-La (Zhongdian) - Old Town Monastery, Tiansheng Hot Springs. Includes: (B), (L), (D).

Day 8: Qiaotou - Mutian Castle. Includes: (B), (L), (D).

Day 9: Yongsen Village - Tiger Leaping Gorge. Includes: (B), (L), (D).

Day 10: Lijiang - Zhiyun Temple. Includes: (B), (L), (D).

Day 11: Lijiang - Old town, Baisha Frescoes. Includes: (B), (L), (D).

Day 12: Lake Lugu - Liwubi Island. Includes: (B), (L), (D).

Day 13: Lake Lugu - Yongning Monastery. Includes: (B), (L), (D).

Day 14: Kunming - Fly to Kunming. End of trip. Includes: (B), (L).

Notes:

Prices iIncludes:

- All hotel accommodations
- Meals eaten as group (private meals, snacks and alcoholic beverages are not included)
- All group land transportation costs (buses, boats, and taxis) plus two flights (from Kunming to Shangri-La (Zhongdian) and from Lijiang to Kunming)
- Support vehicle to carry gear and cyclists
- All group entrance fees
- Bilingual bike tour guide to accompany the group throughout the tour.