Yunnan Province is known as the "Spring City" and the gateway to China's largest concentration of ethnic minorities. Yunnan China is a favorite for many cyclists in China. It is located (roughly) near the borders of Myanmar and Laos. The province is as big as France in Europe. Contrary to France, people travel in travel in a relative small area in Yunnan. Most of the province is simply too remote for the time people have available. Cyclists do have more time.

Day 1 Kunming 10km
Arriving in Kunming,pick up by our English speaking tour guide and transfer to hotel. Visit to Flower Market, Golden Temple.

Day2 Kunming to Lijiang 20km
Fly to Lijiang airport, bike in the old town of Lijiang & Square Street.

The Lijiang ancient town of Dayan: The town was built in the late song dynasty and the early Yuan dynasty and was listed by the UNESCO on the list of the world's major cultural heritages in 1997.

town has a history going back more than 800 years and was once a confluence for trade along the old tea horse road. The Lijiang old town is famous for its orderly system of waterways and bridges. The old town of Lijiang differs from other ancient Chinese cities in architecture, history and the culture of its traditional residents the Nakhi people

Day3-4 Leaping Tiger Gorge 25km
Drive to Qiaotou Town, cycle into the gorge,One of the World's Deepest Gorges, the road is not paved, the altitude is about 2km above sea level, bike about 12 km to Walnut Grove which is a tranquil village in the middle part of the gorge, overnight in Woody's House. 

Before leaving on our bikes for the day, we will make a short walk from our village of Baidi to see the unique Baishui Terraces (“bai shui” means “white water” in Chinese). Over thousands of years, mineral-laden spring water has flowed down from the mountain, leaving crystallized sodium carbonate along its slopes, resulting in a series of limestone basins full of water, and giving the impression of a huge marble sculpture. This type of geological formation can be seen in only a very few places around the world (e.g. Jiuzhaigou in Sichuan Province, Pamukkale in Turkey and Yellowstone National Park in the USA), so it’s worth spending some time here taking pictures! Not only a place of beautiful scenery, it is also one of the birthplaces of Dongba Naxi culture, widely known around the world. After an hour of visiting and taking photos, we will start our day’s adventure. After an initial 5 km uphill section, we will be on our way downhill, to the gorge. Lunch will be in Haba, a small but unique village on the way. In the late afternoon, we will enter the world-famous Tiger Leaping Gorge, one of the deepest and most dramatic gorges in the world, and still quite wild despite the enormous efforts to tame it.  Another 10km after entering the gorge, we will finally arrive at “middle” Tiger Leaping Gorge, where we will spend the night.

Hiking

Day 5 Baishui Terrace -Zhongdian (Shangri-La)45km
Cycle to Sanba village, visit the Baishui Terrace, the sacred land of Naxi Dongba Culture. Your driver will pick you up and drive to Zhongdian, the gateway to Tibet. Zhongdian has only been opened to tourists since 1992. Experience authentic Tibetan culture in this mountainous region. Overnight in Zhongdian(3300m above sea level).

Day 6 Zhongdian (Shangri-La) 30km
Today we will spend the day in Shangri-la to do some sightseeing by bike, to adjust to cycling at the high elevation, as well as to start to immerse ourselves in the Tibetan culture. The old section of town, with its Tibetan-style architecture, dates back 1300 years!  After a nourishing breakfast, we will take our bikes and ride to Songzanlin Monastery, 5 km north from the old town. Songzanlin Monastery (constructed in 1679) is the largest Tibetan monastery in Yunnan, exemplifies the features of Tibetan architecture, and is nicknamed the "Lesser Potala" due to its resemblance to the magnificent structure in Lhasa. It is situated just where a wide expanse of grassland stops abruptly at the foot of the mountains. After 2 hours of visiting, we will have our lunch in the local restaurant. After lunch we will cycle over a small hill to visit Napa Lake, from here about 6 km to the northwest. The Napa Lake Nature Reserve is the county's largest grassland and the most scenic area of the plateau. Napa Lake itself is like a huge mirror, resting peacefully in the high alpine meadows, reflecting the beauty of the surroundings. This is one wintering ground of the rare Black-necked Crane, of which less than 6000 remain in the wild! We will have enough time to wander around and take photos of the amazing view and to enjoy the Tibetan culture, before riding back to the old town. Back at our hotel, we will enjoy a hearty supper as the sun sets, but no bar-hopping tonight – we will need a good sleep for tomorrow’s adventure.
Trek about 6 km into the Shangri-la Canyon, sightseeing in the canyon, after having lunch in a Tibetan family, trek out the canyon and drive back to Zhongdian.

Day 7 Lijiang - Kunming - Departure

Take Morning flight to Kunming. Transfer to the airport for your departure, end of service.(B+L)

End of trip.