Lijiang & Shangri-La 7-Day Immersion Journey

Seven Days Through the Gateway to Shangri-La

Some journeys move you from place to place; this one carries you from one world to another. It begins in the lantern-lit lanes of Lijiang, a UNESCO old town where the Naxi people have lived for a thousand years, and climbs the Tea-Horse Road through Tiger Leaping Gorge to Shangri-La, a Tibetan highland of golden monasteries and mirror lakes above 3,200 metres. A private car and guide smooth every step, the longest drive is just two and a half hours, and oxygen-equipped hotels mean the altitude asks nothing of you — seven days to cross from Naxi courtyards to Tibetan prayer flags, all in Yunnan.

Day 1: Arrive & the Lantern-Lit Old Town

Land in Lijiang and step straight into the old town — Huaxiang, the great Water Wheel, and the bustle of Sifang Street — before night falls and locals gather to dance Guozhuang around a bonfire. You’re welcome to join.

Day 2: Jade Dragon Snow Mountain & Blue Moon Valley

The day every traveler remembers: the Yak Meadow cableway up Jade Dragon Snow Mountain for open views across the glaciers, VIP seats for Zhang Yimou’s open-air epic Impression Lijiang, then the emerald waters of Blue Moon Valley, so clear and unreal it feels like a fairyland.

Day 3: The Soul of Naxi Life

Morning at the lively Zhongyi Market, browsing Yunnan specialties, then the grand halls of Mu Mansion — the “Forbidden City of the South” built by Naxi chieftains. The afternoon heads to Yuhu Village to learn the ancient pictographic Dongba script at a genuine Naxi home.

Day 4: Baisha & an Aman Afternoon

A gentle day at Baisha Old Town, the most original village of the Naxi, lunch at a private kitchen of authentic Yunnan flavors, then afternoon tea at the Aman Wenchang Pavilion, gazing down over the old town’s sea of grey-tiled roofs.

Day 5: Tiger Leaping Gorge to Shangri-La

The journey turns toward the high country: Tiger Leaping Gorge, one of the world’s deepest canyons, where an elevator drops you to the riverbed and the legendary Tiger Leaping Rock. Then up the Tea-Horse Road to Shangri-La and the glowing night views of Dukezong Ancient Town.

Day 6: Monasteries & the Tear of Shangri-La

Morning at Ganden Sumtseling Monastery, the “Little Potala Palace” — Yunnan’s grandest expression of Tibetan faith and art. The afternoon lingers at Napa Lake, the “tear of Shangri-La”, where grassland and water mirror each other beneath the highland sky.

Day 7: Departure

Breakfast, a short transfer to Shangri-La or Lijiang airport, and the flight home — with snow peaks, prayer wheels and old-town lanterns to remember.

What’s Included

A private car and dedicated English-speaking guide for all seven days, every entrance ticket from the snow-mountain cableway to the Sumtseling Monastery, VIP seats for Impression Lijiang, six nights between the InterContinental/Indigo inside Lijiang Old Town and the oxygen-equipped LUX* by Dukezong, daily breakfast and lunches, and every transfer. The queues, the altitude, the cross-highland distances — all handled, so you can simply take Yunnan in.

Pricing

Price available on request.

Seven days that begin among Naxi lanterns and end beneath Tibetan prayer flags — the snow mountain, the gorge, the monastery, and the old towns in between.