Yuanyang

The highlight of this trip is the famous rice terraces, reputedly the biggest in China and slated to be China's latest UNESCO World Heritage site. January is probably the best month of the year to visit because of the waters in the fields. It is currently frequented by local photographers. Apart from the rice terraces, we visit seven different minorities groups on this trip.

Note that this trip involves travel by public buses and hired buses on some days. We stay in a mix of 2 star hotels with attached bathrooms in bigger towns and guesthouses with common or shared bathrooms in smaller places. As with most Yongo trips, you pay for your own meals, entrance fees, bicycle hire and other activities.

Minorities of Yuanyang

Day 1 23Jan10 Sat KLIA to Kunming: We fly to Kunming on Malaysian Airlines departing 9AM arriving 1235AM. and have the rest of the day free. Overnight (ON) Kunming.
Day 2 Jianshui: Jianshui, SE of Kunming 220km 5hr, is a charming, friendly town on the cusp of becoming an important tourist destination. It has a history of over 1,180 years and is home to the Hani and Yi minorities. We visit the Chaoyang Gateway Arch built in 1389, also known as the "Miniature Tiananmen" and also Wen Miao - the second largest Confucian Temple in the country after Qufu Shandung. ON Jianshui.
Day 3 More Jianshui: We visit Zhu Family Garden, a sprawling Qing dynasty residence with 214 rooms and 42 yards. We also visit a nearby Tuanshan Village, one of the few remaining medieval, fortified villages in SW China, with it's 900 years old houses with beautiful carvings. ON Jianshui.
Day 4 Swallow Cave: Located 30km east of Jianhui and covering an area of 100,000 square meters, it is home to thousands of swallows. It's also an important souce of the expensive bird's nest. We move on to Yuanyang 120km 3hr south of Jianshui for our overnight stay.
Day 5 Rice Terraces: We visit the famous rice terraces build by the Hani minorities some 1000 years ago. ON Yuanyang.
Day 6 Local Villages: We trek to some local villages with more views of the spectacular rice terraces. ON Yuanyang.
Day 7 Kunming: We have a long day drive back to Kunming. ON Kunming.
Day 8 Fly Home: In the morning we visit Kunming's Flower Market and have the rest of the day free for shopping. We transfer to the airport for flight home at 150PM arriving 530PM Sunday Jan 18.