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Private Tour

9 days Ancient Town Tour

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Overview

Available languages

German
English
French

216 hours

Mobile ticket

While traveling this tour with us, you can visit some important villages on the ancient Tea Horse Road and you will immerse into the diversity of Yunnan. Indeed, we will vary between the famous highlights, some of the must-see places, and remote sites which will give you a unique experience and insight of Yunnan.

Additional Info

Specialized infant seats are available

Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness

Cancellation Policy

If you cancel at least 6 full day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a full refund.<br>If you cancel between 2 and 6 day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a 50% refund.<br>If you cancel within 2 day(s) of the scheduled departure, you will receive a 0% refund.

What‘s Included

Bottled water

Air-conditioned vehicle

An English-speaking guide

Accommodation

Tips for driver and guide (highly appreciated)

Personal Travel Insurance

Flight tickets

Chinese visa fee (China requires visa for most travelers)

Personal expenses

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

What To Expect

Day 1

Arrive in Dali

Accommodations

Overnight at Dali Yanyuan Mountain Retreat

Food and Drinks

DINNER

Dinner

Welcome dinner

1

Dali Ancient

Arrive at the airport or railway station where a guide holding a nameplate will pick you up and transfer you to your hotel by private car (The hotel will be after 14:00). You will visit Dali Old Town,where once the seat of the imperial capital of Nanzhao and Dali. As a national-level scenic area, it is one must destinations to Yunnan. Besides you can visit a small Cathelic church with ethnic architecture style inside the ancient town.

1 hour • Admission Included
Day 2

Dali - Xizhou - Weishan

Accommodations

Overnight at Weishan Laoguan Guesthouse

Food and Drinks

BREAKFAST

Breakfast

LUNCH

Lunch

1

Xizhou Town

Your driver will pick you up at the hotel at 09:00 and drive you to the Xizhou Morning Market (19 km, about 30 minutes). Xizhou is famous for its old and well-preserved folk houses of Bai culture. It's not only a historical city but also a typical commercial center of Bai Ethnic Nationality. Here, the lively Morning Market is a wonderful place to understand the daily life of the Bai who still live in traditional ways and fish, meat, vegetables, fruits, spices, and local handicrafts are sold in the market.

1 hour • Admission Not Applicable
2

Donglianhua Village

Then transfer to Weishan (90km, about 2 hours). On the way, you will visit Donglianhua village, it’s a Hui minority settlement. You can visit the Tea and Horse Museum and a local mosque.

1 hour • Admission Included
3

Weishan Ancient City

After arrived in Weishan, enjoy the rest of the time to leisurely wander through Weishan Old Town, explore the wooden houses, small stalls, and the museum with unique artifacts.

1 hour • Admission Not Applicable
Day 3

Weishan - Nuodeng

Accommodations

Overnight at Nuodeng Fujia Liufang Guesthouse

Food and Drinks

BREAKFAST

Breakfast

LUNCH

Lunch

DINNER

Dinner

Dinner at the local villagers' house

1

Weibaoshan Taoistes

In the morning, we will drive approximately 30 minutes to Weibaoshan Mountain. As one of the 13 famous Taoist mountains in China, 22 Taoist temples built during the Ming and Qing Dynasties were all over and have unique architectural art. And among them, the most famous and significant are Wenchang Palace and Changchun Cave.

3 hours • Admission Included
2

Then transfer to Nuodeng (220km, about 4 hours)for sightseeing. "Praised as the "Millennium Bai Village", Nuodeng is a famous historic and cultural village of Yunnan province. Located in a mountainous area, it is far away from the hustle and bustle of the metropolis. It is the true place with the original flavor of life. Except for the profound history, Nuodeng is the important place of Ancient Tea and Horse Road.

1 hour • Admission Not Applicable
Day 4

Nuodeng - Shaxi

Accommodations

Overnight at Shaxi Aoding Courtyard Hotel

Food and Drinks

BREAKFAST

Breakfast

LUNCH

Lunch

1

In the morning, you can wander in the Nuodeng Ancient village and admire the ancient buildings and cultural relics of the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

1 hour • Admission Not Applicable
2

Yunnan Shaxi Ancient Town

Your driver will pick you up at the hotel at 10:00 and take you to Shaxi (210km, about 4-5 hours). On the way, you will meet some ancient Bridges. After arrived at Shaxi, you can walk around the old town, the Shaxi River, Xingjiao Temple, stage in the square, and some ancient courtyards of local people. Shaxi used to be an important Courier station on the Ancient Tea and Horse Road. With the decline of this road, it was gradually forgotten. Because of this, it has become the only surviving market on the Ancient Tea and Horse Road.

2 hours • Admission Not Applicable
Day 5

Shaxi

Accommodations

Overnight at Shaxi Aoding Courtyard Hotel

Food and Drinks

BREAKFAST

Breakfast

LUNCH

Lunch

1

Shibaoshan Town

In the morning, you can take a magical walk between Shibaoshan Caves and Baoxiang Temple, which hangs on the cliff and magnificent colorful Buddha statues are kept inside. After the visit, you can hike from Shibaoshan Caves to Shadengqing Valley (2 hours), then drive to Shaxi (15 minutes). Alternatively, you can take the shuttle bus to return to the parking lot to meet your driver. The hiking path from Shibaoshan Cave to Shaxi Village is beautiful and relatively easy, but it is not recommended for those with knee problems as the path consists of steep stairs.

3 hours • Admission Included
2

Yunnan Shaxi Ancient Town

In the afternoon, you can explore the countryside surrounding Shaxi village by bike or ride a horse.

1 hour • Admission Included
Day 6

Shaxi – Tiger Leaping Gorge – Shangri-la

Accommodations

Shangri-La Karma Café Lodge (a small, charming hotel, located in the Old Town)

Food and Drinks

BREAKFAST

Breakfast

LUNCH

Lunch

DINNER

Dinner

Special Tibetan dinner in an excellent restaurant in the Old Town

1

Tiger Leaping Gorge (Hutiao Xia)

Your driver will pick up at your hotel at 09:00 and take you to Tiger Leaping Gorge (120 km, about 2 hours 30 minutes). Here, you will visit the breathtaking Tiger Leaping Gorge, a scenic canyon on the Jinsha River, a primary tributary of the upper Yangtze River which sweeps between Mount Yulong (5596m’s altitude) and Mount Haba (5396m’s altitude). You can admire the impressive landscape above the roaring waters of the Jinsha River Hutiao Rock View: If you would like to journey deeper into the gorge for the view from Hutiao Rock, there is a path that leads closer to the Yangtze River. From here, you can enjoy a splendid panoramic view. The hike down takes about 30 minutes, and then the hike up takes about 40 minutes. Please be aware there are a lot of stairs leading to and from the gorge. Your driver will wait for you in the car park.

2 hours • Admission Included
2

Shangri-La County

From Tiger Leaping Gorge, your driver will take you to Shangri-la (100 km, about 2 hours 30 minutes). Upon arrival, you can stroll through Shangri-la Old Town and visit Guishan Temple, home to a massive prayer wheel. In the evening, you can watch or, for the more daring, participate in the Old Town’s spontaneous Tibetan dances.

1 hour • Admission Not Applicable
Day 7

Shangri-la – Lijiang

Accommodations

Lijiang E-outfitting Boutique Hotel

Food and Drinks

BREAKFAST

Breakfast

LUNCH

Lunch

1

Your driver will pick up at your hotel at 09:00 and take you to visit a local Tibetan market. Afterward, you will visit the Ganden Sumtseling Monastery, the largest Tibetan monastery in Yunnan, nicknamed" Little Potala‘’.

2 hours • Admission Included
2

Shuhe Ancient Town

After Shangrila, you will journey to Lijiang (180 km, about 4-5 hours).

Admission Not Applicable
Day 8

Lijiang

Accommodations

Lijiang E-outfitting Boutique Hotel

Food and Drinks

BREAKFAST

Breakfast

LUNCH

Lunch

1

Dayan Naxi Ancient Concert

Your driver will pick up at your hotel at 09:00 and take you to Lijiang Ancient Town where you can explore before the crowds arrive. Later you will visit the Black Dragon Pool to enjoy the beautiful scenery, watch or join the local square dancing if you have an interest, and visit the Dongba Museum to know the rich Naxi minority culture. Then, you will visit the Zhongyi Market.

3 hours • Admission Included
2

Lijiang Mural in Baisha Village

Afterward, take a visit to authentic Jade Lake (Yuhu) Village: from here, you can enjoy a fantastic view over the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. In the end, you will visit Naxi Baisha village and Shuhe village.

2 hours • Admission Not Applicable
Day 9

Lijiang – departure

Food and Drinks

BREAKFAST

Breakfast

1

Lijiang

Your driver will pick up at your hotel and take you to Lijiang airport or to the railway station. Depart from Lijiang.

Admission Not Applicable

Options

9 days Ancient Town Tour

Pickup included

Reviews

5.00

18 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

18
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0
0
0
  • Discovery and satisfaction

    34amandier34,

    Oct 28, 2025

    - Review from Tripadvisor

    5.00

    Excellent trip thanks to a flawless organization and follow-up , thank you Cindy. Constant contact with guides and drivers thanks to the "wechat" group A varied tour of North and South China (First steps in China plus Pingyao), which allowed us to discover several facets of this huge country. This first trip to China made us want to go back and of course with Sky China.

  • Perfect trip

    christophejB8605VW,

    Aug 26, 2025

    - Review from Tripadvisor

    5.00

    Perfect trip, pleasant travel agency and always available, with good guides and good driver. Always excellent recommendations

  • First successful experience in China

    J5069RRisabellep,

    Aug 6, 2025

    - Review from Tripadvisor

    5.00

    Two weeks in China between Beijing, Xi'An, Guilin and Shanghai with Sky China who proved to be a constantly available organizer before and during the trip and who provided us with accurate and useful information. A steady pace but competent guides and drivers, friendly and really eager to make our lives easier.

  • An agency that tailors for a family trip to the top!

    isabelled403,

    Jul 30, 2025

    - Review from Tripadvisor

    5.00

    The agency fully understood what we expected from our trip. The hotels selected for us were perfect, with great charm. The team was always easily reachable and very responsive when we needed them. We have a wonderful memory of our trip.

  • Unforgettable first tour of China in Yunnan with Ciel.

    klo44w,

    Jul 5, 2025

    - Review from Tripadvisor

    5.00

    We booked on a tour with Ciel for our (or at least mine) first foray as tourist into China. As I am not a Mandarin speaker, so the need to have an English speaking guide was important. Also, we read from other feedback from other tourists about the driver's smoking might leave a lingering smell in the van, so we also made a request to Ciel to provide us with a non-smoker driver. Both requests were fulfilled, and it was only when we touched ground that we found out how challenging it was to find a non-smoker driver, and Ciel delivered. The hotels that we were put in were top notch, and the restaurants that we went to was also top notch. The guides were able to tweak the program (within their means) to cater for my family's interests (mainly going to the local markets and experiencing the sights and sounds there). On the final leg of our journey, we had to cut short our trip due to a family emergency, and the guide (together with the office staff) managed to find a way for us to get back home quickly (it was challenging as myself and my daughter was also doing our own web searches), and the driver drove expeditiously but safely to ensure we got to the airport on time, even though it was a last minute detour. As we plan to explore more of China, we will definitely tap on Ciel again to organise our trips for us.

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  • Fantastic tour package

    maithilin2025,

    Jun 24, 2025

    - Review from Tripadvisor

    5.00

    Tour was fantastic, our tour guide Nancy and driver Mr.Herr were so nice, very professionals👌👍 Nancy explained all the history of the places we visited very helpful and the restaurants we ate and the accommodation were top notch, make me feel wanted to visit again and again, I highly recommend the tour company and Nancy to anyone wish to explore great China 🇨🇳

  • Amazing 9 Days with Nancy!

    Raji 198,

    Jun 18, 2025

    - Review from Tripadvisor

    5.00

    This was easily one of the best tours we have ever done. Nancy was an amazing guide. She was so knowledgeable about everything in the Yunnan province. She took us to locations, restaurants, and other incredible places that most other guides don’t even know about. She was easily able to translate Chinese for us and also communicate very well in English. Our driver, Mr. Herr, was also amazing and a great person. Overall, it was a fantastic 9 day experience with them. We absolutely recommend this tour, and definitely try and get Nancy as your tour guide. She is the best!

  • Ancient Town Tour Review

    B2241SPelenar,

    Jun 15, 2025

    - Review from Tripadvisor

    5.00

    Our tour guide Nancy, was amazing. She not only took us to the expected places, but more and made sure we had the best experience. She was very helpful and informative about everything. She took us to the best restaurants and the best food and gave us the true traditional experience of every place visited and I could not be more lucky with having her as our guide. She was flexible and made sure we got to do everything we wanted to do. I would definitely recommend her for any other group!!

  • Amazing experience in Yunnan

    zan998,

    May 23, 2025

    - Review from Tripadvisor

    5.00

    We have a wonderful and amazing 9 days’ trip in Yunnan visiting several cities of Yunnan. The itenary is well-organized , guide is helpful, forward-coming and experienced. Only thing is if you wish to go to the higher altitude of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, you need to inform them as they need to make arrangement in advance. Our guide Ms Yanzi and Mr Hu are very helpful.

  • fabulous journey to YUNNAN

    brigittejeanne,

    May 18, 2025

    - Review from Tripadvisor

    5.00

    Spent 4 weeks in the YUNNAN with the help of the agency. We knew what we wanted to see but Yann was very attentive to us and advise us other places. Absolutely fabulous trip, the choice of charming hotels as we asked, either in the city center to enjoy our evenings, or in hotels with breathtaking views of the rice fields, etc. the 4 drivers were very friendly especially the 2nd CHAAO always very attentive to our requests, very helpful and had good humor. Regularly Yann called us to see if our journey was going as we wanted, always very kind. We can only compliment CIEL YUNNAN and advise this agency to friends and certainly leave with them.

From $1,758.00

5.00
18 reviews
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