Yunnan 6-Day Photography Tour: Kunming-Jianshui-Yuanyang Hani Rice Terraces

Sightseeing and Activities: Kunming Arrival

You'll begin your journey to the diverse and captivating province of Yunnan from the capital city, Kunming. Upon arrival at the Kunming International Airport, meet your local guide and transfer to the hotel. You will take a leisurely stroll along the Green Lake, a charming area of teahouses and small boutiques selling handicrafts and beautiful local paintings. If time permits, you will have a Kunming city tour. 

Sightseeing and Activities: Tuanshan Village, Garden of Family Zhang, Jianshui Old Town, Chaoyang Gateway Tower

Drive to Jianshui (4-5hrs). You will visit Shuanglong Birdge and Tuanshan Village as well as the Garden of Family Zhang in Tuanshan Village. Tuanshan Village is a rare surviving example of an intact-albeit neglected-traditional walled Yunnan village compound in southwestern China, and has been added to the 2005 list of internationally significant sites by the World Memorial Fund for Architecture (WMF), an international fund for the protection of world heritage sites. Later , you'll visit the Jianshui Old Town and the Chaoyang Gateway Tower, which was built in Ming Dynasty (1389). It is also known as ‘Miniature Tian'an men' because the out shape of it is similar to Tian'anmen Square in Beijing.

Sightseeing and Activities: Jianshui Confucius Temple, Zhu Family Garden, the sunset of Laohuzui Terrace Field

In the morning, visit Jianshui Confucius Temple, which has a history of 700 years. It is the second largest Confucius Temple in China. Then visit Zhu Family Garden.

In the afternoon, you will transfer to Yuanyang and enjoy the sight of terraced fields of Laohuzui (Tiger Mouth) at sunset. 

–Yuanyang is about 300km south of Kunming, renowned for its rice terraces, which claimed as the world's largest and most spectacular one, crafted out by bare hands by the Hani people one thousand years ago and is still in use today. The rice farmers have had to practice ecology and land preservation centuries before those concepts were widely accepted around the world. Without hard work maintaining the terrace walls and irrigation system, the precious top soil would wash down the hillsides into the rivers.

Yuanyang Rice Terrace is a self-sustaining ecosystem. During winter to early spring, the entire field is irrigated with spring water from the forest above to rejuvenate and getting prepared for the next season. The Hani people have repeated this for more than a thousand years. There is only one harvest in a year for the Yuanyang Rice Terrace; planting is from March to Oct./Nov. every year.

Sightseeing and Activities: the sunrise of Duoyishu Rice Terrace Field, Doyishu Village, Qingkou Hani Ethnic Village, Bada Rice Terrace, Shengcun Market, the sunset of Longshuba Rice Terraces

Get up very early in the morning, drive to visit Duoyishu Village and enjoy the sunrise of Duoyishu Rice Terrace Fields when the sun appears above the eastern horizon. The terraced fields are ring upon ring and cascade one by one. They go along the hillside up to the sky. You will see the scenery of the terraced fields from the top of the mountains to the bottom. They are all farms under the sunshine and cloud and mist. The landscape is spectacular. And then, you will visit Qingkou Village and rice terraces where Hani people for generations inhabit. Visit Bada Hani Rice Terrace, Shengcun Market as well. You will enjoy the sunset of Longshuba Rice Terraces in the late afternoon about 5KM away from Xinjie Town.

Sightseeing and Activities: Yuanyang-The Stone Forest-Kunming

Morning, you will depart to the Stone Forest( 5-6hrs). There is a local saying: ‘It is a waste of time not to visit the Stone Forest while visiting Kunming', which vividly expresses the deep love of the local people toward this world wonder. The quintessential karst landscape makes every tourist lost in its wonder. After the tour, drive back to Kunming (1.5hrs) in the late afternoon. 

Sightseeing and Activities: Kunming Departure

Pick up from hotel and transfer to airport for the departure flight to next place.