What follows is just one of many possibilities. There are more places of interest than can possibly be mentioned in the available space.

Day 1
After your flight from Hong Kong arrives in the morning you will be picked up at Kunming airport by a guide. She will guide you throughout the day.
Your first stop will be the Stone Forest (Shi Lin), after which you will go to Kunming city for a good dinner. You will be taken by car to the train station, in time for the night train to Dali. Accommodation will be what is known as "soft sleeper" (4 beds to a compartment).

Day 2
In the morning, I will meet you at Dali (Xiaguan) station, and from there we will go by car to your hotel in Dali Old Town.
After breakfast we will visit the following:
·     The Three Pagodas, part of Chong Shen Monastery. There is no need to go
       inside because one has a better view from outside and is able to take
       pictures of the pagodas and, by the way, the tickets are expensive.
·     The Bai minority farmers' market and old houses at Xizhou. Xizhou is an old
       town with much traditional architecture and old courtyard houses.
·     A Bai village - Zhoucheng - a small traditional farming village.
Back in Dali of course you will want to do some sightseeing on your own.
In the evening, after dinner, it is possible to have a professional massage by the famous hearing impaired masseurs, or perhaps you may wish to go and watch a splendid Yunnan minority show.

Day 3
After an early breakfast we leave Dali and go by car to Lijiang. The drive takes about three hours, but we can enjoy the beautiful scenery on the way, and there are many photo opportunities. (Have your cameras at the ready!) Around noon we check into our hotel and then go to lunch. Following this, we drive to Baisha. There is a big chance the legendary herb doctor Dr. Ho is waiting for us to invite you for a cup of herb tea. We walk to an old temple and have a look at ancient frescos (take a flashlight with you). Baisha is the former capital of the Naxi Kingdom.  
Another walk to a Naxi farming village follows.
If there is enough time we can visit the famous Black Dragon Pool Park in Lijiang.


In the evening we can listen to a concert of Naxi musicians (senior citizens, all of them), or enjoy a performance of traditional Naxi music and dance at the Dongba palace.
After the show don't miss the chance to look around the old town!

Day 4
Before we set off for the Tiger Leaping Gorge, you may wish to treat yourself to a Naxi sandwich. There is only one place in Lijiang where this kind of sandwich is so tasty that you wish you could have more than one.
Our drive to the gorge will take two and a half hours, during which we will be able to admire the beautiful scenery. It is here that the Jinsha Jiang (meaning "Golden Sand River"), the name for the upper reaches of the Yangtze, has cut a narrow gorge through the mountainside.
Leaving the gorge, a three-hour drive will take us to Zhongdian (often called Shangri-La).
After dinner, we have time to walk around the old city, and perhaps join in the dancing in the main square.

Day 5
Today we visit the Buddhist Songzanlin monastery (located outside the city itself) and a Tibetan village, after which we return to the old town of Zhongdian (called Zhonxing), where we can have a pleasant stroll and perhaps buy some souvenirs.

Day 6
After breakfast we drive to the airport - and say our goodbyes. You take the plane to Kunming, where you will arrive at 11 am.
Naturally you will be met by one of my colleagues and escorted to your hotel or connecting flight.

 

 Other activities

I shall be happy to act as your guide in (for example Kunming, Dali, Lijiang, Zhongdian, Deqin, Yuanyang, Jianshui, Baoshan, Simao, Tengchong, Ruili or any place in tropical Xishuangbanna, with Jinghong as capital), or on a tour throughout all these places.

I organize one or two days tours by car to small minority villages where only a few tourists go, and this villages are very traditional.
We can go biking, horse riding or make a boat tour - or tailor a programme to your very own interests.

I also organize trekking around Dali, Lijiang, Zhongdian and Jinghong, either alone or in cooperation with Basecamp Travel. The trekking trips of this local professional organization are graded from moderate to strenuous and often traverse areas where local people seldom see foreigners. Special rates apply for this kind of trekking.

I can arrange a car for you with driver. The price for a car with driver is about 600 Rmb per day all in. The mentioned price depends on the brand and type of the car, the distance the driver have to drive (and the way back), the period of the year and is based on driving in the Erhai lake- and Dali area. If you want to go to other places (Kunming, Weishan, Baoshan, Zhongdian), or rent a car for a longer period - for example a week - prices are on demand. Because most drivers don't speak English, I can arrange a guide who speaks English, Chinese and the local language.

I can assist by renewing your visa for China, if required, or apply for visa for other Asian countries (as Vietnam, Laos, Thailand) when you are already in China.
 

 Getting to Yunnan

There are many possibilities:

Flight from Europe
to Kunming (capital of Yunnan province)
via Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing or Chengdu

Flight from Kunming to Dali, Lijiang and Zhongdian
Daily to Dali (Xiaguan), Lijiang and Zhongdian.

By bus from Kunming to Dali
Every hour to Dali with (local) bus, duration about five hours.
You also can take an express bus in Kunming. Also every hour, duration about four hours.

Train from Kunming to Dali
Every evening at least one night train (with both hard and soft sleeper compartments) leaves Kunming to Dali. You will arrive the next morning.

From Dali to Lijiang and Zhongdian
The usual route from Dali to Lijiang and Zhongdian is by car or bus.

As your guide I will take care of all your transportation requirements, and of course I will meet you at the train or bus station or airport.
 

 Advantages point by point