8 Days Dongchuan, Yuanyang & Jianshui Photography Tour

Itinerary Details Day by Day

Day 1 Kunming Arrival

Welcome to Kunming, the Spring City of China! Upon arrival at the Kunming airport/train station, the local tour guide and driver will meet you in the arrival hall and escort you to your hotel.

After a short rest, stroll in the most picturesque park in Kunming urban area - the Green Lake Park. Here you can share the happiness of local people’s doing tai chi, performing local opera, and other vibrant activities. If you visit the park in November or December, you will see the grandeur of huge flocks of red-beaked gulls that migrate there from Siberia.

Day 2 Kunming - Dongchuan Red Land (B)

In this morning, your guide and driver will pick you up at hotel. Then, transfer to Dongchuan with 3 hours’ drive (about 180 kilometers northeast of Kunming). Dongchuan Red Land is the most typical and featured red land in the world, located at 1800~2600 meters above the sea level. Azure sky, white clouds, unpredictable light and the red land form the dazzling colors and spectacular scenery.

In this afternoon, you will first enjoy a trip to Shuipingzi. It features endless layers of rice terraces, stretching itself to the horizon. In spring, you can shoot the irrigation scenery of the paddy fields, while autumn is great time to shoot the golden paddy fields. Then, have a close look at the thousand-year-old Ancient Tree which is regarded as the holy tree by local people. Later, head to Luoxiagou Valley to enjoy magnificent view onto the villages and farmlands surrounded by red land. The sunset atmosphere in the late afternoon turns the splendid views to an even more remarkable event, offering almost endless opportunities to photographers. Shoot the amazing sunset view at a good location at Luoxiagou Valley. 

Day 3 Dongchuan Red Land - Kunming (B)

On this day, you will get up early to take awesome pictures of the sunrise at Damakan. In the early morning, smoke curling up from the chimney, the rosy sunglow spreading all over the sky, it takes you into a dreamland. Standing on the highway and you can overlook the red land and the beautiful sunrise. (Please note: you’d better get up early and reach there before 06:30. The sunrise may stretch out the horizon around 07:00.)

After that, continue your trip for photography. You will reach Jinxiu Garden, a vast expanse of many rolling hills with red fields. Then, get to Qicai Slope, a place gets its name from seven fields with seven different colors. It is a great site to shoot the colorful Dongchuan Red Land. Later, pay a visit to Yuepuao. You won’t miss the breathtaking view of Yuepuao with elegant lines just like musical notation. Several hundred meters away Yuepuao, it is Luoshiwan (River Snail Bay) and Wafangliangzi (Tiled House Bridge) where you could capture the complete view of Yuepuao and folk houses on the land.

After the tour, drive back to Kunming and transfer to your hotel.

Day 4 Kunming - Stone Forest (B)

Later, drive 85 km to the typical Karst landform - Stone Forest. Walk into the Greater Stone Forest, marvel at groups of gray-black stone peaks and climb up a pavilion to have a panoramic view of the intricate stone forest. Visit the Lesser Stone Forest and listen to the legendary story of “Ashima”. It will be a real treat to visit the extraordinary natural stone forest.

If time permits, drive about 40 minutes to visit Nuohei Village which is a typical Yi minority village with more than 600 years history in Shilin County and reputed as “the most famous stony village with Karst landscape”. You’ll totally indulge in this featured village of stone - stone houses, stone walls, stone paved roads, stone squares and stone mills…and have a wonderful time to explore local customs. (Note: You can follow the locals and have in-depth experience to learn how to play Yi musical instrument, make Yi’s local food - Baba, or learn Yi embroidery, you should pay extra expense. Please tell your likes to your travel consultant or tour guide.)

Stay overnight in Shilin County.

Day 5 Stone Forest - Yuanyang (B)

After breakfast, drive about 4.5 hours to Yuanyang. On the way, you have chance to stop to see some ethnic minority villages.

After arriving in Yuanyang, you’ll catch the perfect time to watch sunset at Laohuzui Rice Terrace. Laohuzui, also called Tiger Mouth Rice Terraces after its shape, is the steepest, the grandest, the most magnificent Rice Terrace among all the rice terraces of Yuanyang. You can stand at the higher viewing deck to have a panoramic view of the whole Laohuzui Rice Terrace, also by getting down to the lower viewing deck to shoot many amazing photos - sometimes like two horses galloping quickly, sometimes like millions of snakes wriggling, sometimes like a white flower blooming…

Stay overnight in Yuanyang.

Day 6 Yuanyang (B)

In early morning, you'll drive to Duoyishu Village and shoot the beautiful view of Duoyishu Rice Terrace Fields, especially when the sun appears above the eastern horizon and rice terraces change its color into golden, shining brilliantly. If the weather permits, you will see the scenery of the terraced fields from the top of the mountains to the bottom. They are all farmlands under the sunshine and cloud and mist. The landscape is spectacular and harmonious.

Later, you'll attend the Ethnic Market & Bazaar in Yuanyang, a place for local people trading daily supplies, including fresh vegetable, fruits, meats, and many kinds of food and daily necessities. It is a great opportunity for getting close to Hani people’s living conditions.

And then, you will visit Qingkou Hani Ethnic Village shrouded in luxuriant forest and rice terraces and the local Hani people for generations inhabit with Mushroom-shaped Houses. Setting foot on Qingkou, you will impressed by the featured houses and have a great understanding about Hani culture which is showcased in Hani Culture Museum. Lastly, have a nice shoot in the spectacular Bada Hani Rice Terrace. At dusk, when the sun shines on the 950 hectares rice paddies rising from 800 meters to 2000 meters, the magnificent scene forms, like the latters toward heaven. Hold your breath when sunset glow shining upon the paddies and you'll see the 3700 level terraces first turns pink, then rosy and later dark red, pink, golden and white…

Stay overnight in Yuanyang.

Day 7 Yuanyang - Jianshui (B)

In this morning, you will head to Jianshui County, about 3.5 hours’ driving. After arriving in Jianshui, you’ll pay a visit to Jianshui Ancient Town which is reputed as “Museum of Ancient Buildings and Residential Houses” with a history of about 1200 years. Stroll along the old street and see kinds of old wells to witness how water pays an important role in making the famous Jianshui stinky Tofu. Reach Chaoyang Tower to see this imposing Ming edifice which is modeled on the Yellow Crane Town in Wuhan and Yueyang Tower in Hunan and bears more than a passing resemblance to Tian’anmen in Beijing.

Then you’ll visit Confucius Temple, the third largest Confucius temple in China. The temple has operated as a school for 750 years and was so successful that over half of all Yunnan’s successful candidates in imperial examinations during this period came from Jianshui.

Lastly, have a nice walk to Zhu Family Garden, a spacious 20,000-square-meter residential complex built in Qing Dynasty comprising ancestral buildings, family homes, ponds and lovely gardens.

Day 8 Jianshui - Kunming Departure (B)

With fresh air in the morning, go for the Double Dragon Bridge which is a Seventeen-Arch Bridge with 148 meters long and 3 meters wide. It crosses above the injunction of Lu River and Tachong River which looks like two Chinese dragons, hence the name Shuanglong Bridge.

Later, transfer to Tuanshan Village. Built in Ming Dynasty, Tuanshan Village is regarded as the Gem of Chinese Civil Houses and the most beautiful village where the architectural style of the 19th century and beyond remains intact and the distinctive way of people's life is preserved, fully showcasing China's indigenous cultural characteristics. Have a wonderful stroll in this old village and explore the distinctive buildings, unique lifestyle and folkways of Tuanshan Villagers.

After that, you'll be driven back to Kunming. After arriving in Kunming, transfer to airport or train station to catch your flight/train (after 18:00) to next destination or back home.