Day 1 Departure from USA to Shanghai
On the plane.

Day 2 Shanghai
Arrive in Shanghai in the late afternoon. You will be met at airport and transferred to Nikko Hotel of JAL for overnight.

Day 3 Shanghai/Kunming by FM 451 0900/1150 Boeing 757
Arrive in Kunming. You will be met at airport and trasferred to Kunming Hotel. Check in and lunch. Practice driving the luxurous Mitsibushi Montero equivalent jeep and study traffic rules. A brief tour of the city by jeep. Kunming is the capital of Yunnan Province, known as the "City of Eternal Spring". The average temperature here is 14 degrees centigrade all year round. Accommodation is at Kunming Hotel .

Day 4 Kunming-Stone Forest-Kunming
Distance: 120km, time taken: 2 hours

Today you will drive to the Stone Forest, which is 120 km away from Kunming. Together Yangtze Gorges and Guilin, it is one of China's most remarkable natural phenomena, covering an area of 200 acres, towering pinnacles of limestone as high as six-story buildings. These were created by water flows when the region was submerged 270 million years ago. Within the territory, inhabited by the Yi minority group, there are lots of pavilions, caves and ponds, each with its own legend. Hotel accommodation will be at Kunming Hotel. .

Day 5 Kunming to Dali

Today, you will drive five hours to Dali, home of Bai minority, and one time capital of the Dali Kingdom 800 years ago. Visit the Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Monastery. The three pagodas stand in a triangular pattern, and give people a feeling of majesty and grandeur. Visit the Butterfly Spring, a pond where butterflies abound. Hotel accommodation will be at Dali Asia Star Hotel. .

Day 6 Dali

This morning, you will cruise on Ear Lake of 246 sq.km, a sweet water lake 1973 m above sea level. Taste the unique way in which tea is offered three times in succession in the Bai fashion while Bai traditional dances and songs are performed. After lunch, you will take a walk in the Dali ancient town, or a visit to a local family courtyard, which is an unforgettable experience.
Hotel accommodation will be at Dali Asia Star Hotel .

Day 7 Dali to Lijiang
Distance: 200km, time taken: 3 hours

You will arrive in Lijiang Old City. In 1997, it was listed on the World Heritage by the World Heritage Commission of the UNESCO. The old city is a central town of Naxi Tribe, built up 800 years ago and 2,400 m above sea level. Streams formed by snow water flow to every corner of the city and small bridges across over waters. Travelers rest in open-air cafes and teahouses along the banks of the streams with leaves of willow trees above. After lunch, you will visit the city yourself and personally feel its ethnic culture and folk custom full of fresh tinge and traditional features. The Naxi Tribe has adhered to the wisdom handed down from the old Dongba civilization, which considered humans and nature were brothers. Such a belief bestows on the Naxi people a spirit of harmony between the Heaven and humans, between materials and individuals. Hotel accommodation will be at Lijiang Old City Inn .

Day 8 Lijiang

Today you will pay a visit to Dabaoji (Great Treasure) Palace to see frescos in the Baisha Village. Those frescos were painted 800 years ago with the coexistence of Han Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism and Central China Taoism. The Painters came from Naxi, Tibet and central China. The frescos describe the culture, history and development of Naxi society. The painting process lasted as long as 300 years. Naxi people are born with art and music talents. Tonight you will enjoy a music performance by folk musical instruments. Hotel accommodation will be at Lijiang Old City Inn

Day 9 Liliang to Zhongdian
Distance: 280km, time taken: 4 hours

Drive up along the Jinsha River, the valley road will lead you to an eternally peaceful and fascinating fairyland in the southwest of China - Diqing. Diqing in Tibetan is called Shangri-La, meaning an ideal state shared by the God and Man, in which man and the nature live in great harmony. This was portrayed by British novelist James Hilton in his novel "Lost Horizon" in 1933. After three hours of driving, You will arrive at Gedan Songzanlin Temple which was built in 1679 by the 5th Dalai Lama. This place first receives sunshine in Shangri-La. After lunch, you will visit Napa Lake. Year after year, the beautiful black-necked cranes migrate between the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and the Northwest Yunnan Plateau. Napa Lake has become the paradise for the dwelling of these angels on the way south. Hotel accommodation will be at Zhongdian Huantai Hotel .

Day 10 Zhongdian

This morning you will visit Bita Lake. Bita in Tibetan language means carpet woven with sheep fur. This most beautiful lake is hidden in a virgin forest 3,540 m above sea level. In the forest, there are rare plants like long-bud fir, and animals like rhesus monkey. You can also see in the lake the only living fossil fish survived on the earth - Diqing thick-lipped fish. On your way back to hotel, a tea break will be arranged in a Tibetan family. You will enjoy the hospitalities of a Tibetan housewife. Hotel accommodation will be at Zhongdian Huantai Hotel .

Day 11 Zhongdian to Kunming (by air)

Today you will fly back to Kunming by morning flight. Upon arrival you will take a bus tour to the World Expo Garden, a garden occupying more than 100 hectares of land. Almost every country on this planet is represented by its own horticulture pavilion here. In the evening, you will enjoy a folk dinner show. Hotel accommodation will be at Kunming Hotel .

Day 12 Kunming to Guilin SZ4871 0955/1045 Boeing 737

This morning, you will fly to Guilin, You will be met at airport and transferred to Guilin Royal Garden Hotel for check in and lunch. Visit Ludi Cave in the afternoon.

Day 13 Guilin

Today, you will take a cruise on the Li River. City tour and shopping in the afternoon. Accommodation will be at Royal Garden Hotel

Day 14 Guilin/Shanghai by CZ8951 0830/1030 Boeing 737

Sightseeing upon arrival. Shanghai, China's largest metropolitan port city. You will visit the emporium-lined Nanjing Road; the Bund, or "Wall Street of the East"; the Old Quarter, with its narrow streets and alleys and the centuries old Yu Yuan Garden. Accommodation will be at Shanghai Peace Hotel.

Day 15 Departure for USA

Take a flight back to USA. Back home the same day.

Departures: (minimum two pax)

EXOTIC SHANGRI-LA

Apr01, 2005; Apr15, 2005; Apr30, 2005
May15, 2005; May30, 2005
Jun15, 2005; Jun30, 2005
Jul15, 2005; Jul30, 2005
Aug15, 2005; Aug30, 2005
Sep15, 2005; Sep30, 2005
Oct15, 2005; Oct30, 2005

Price subject to changes in certain travel terms and market seasons.

Call us at 908-251-5717, or email:fhdiao@driveinchina.com,
fhdiao@hotmail.com.