Schedule:

Day 1 Arrive In Kunming
Met and transferred to Hotel, group dinner and briefing of the trip by tour leader.

Day 2 Fly to Lijiang
Morning flight to the World Heritage listed town of Lijiang. Lijiang isfascinating for its old world cobblestone alley ways, canals, intriguing Naxi minority culture and snow capped peaks of Jade Dragon Mountain that frame this wonderful town. We check into our traditional courtyard hotel in the Old Town of Lijiang before heading out to explore the labyrinth of alleyways that give Lijiang its character.

Day 3 Cycle Around Lijiang
Fitting bikes in the morning, and get ready for our first days ride! A great warm up ride, as wehead out of town to cycle the beautiful Lashi Lake. The terrain is undulating as we cycle off roadthrough villages and farmland belonging to the Naxi and Yi minority people. We will spend time atthe Zhi Yun temple (a working Buddhist monastery) and enjoy a picnic on the banks of this lovely lake. In harvest season farmers lay their grain out on the road for the odd passing car, bike, peopleor horse to thresh as they travel over it! This evening we enjoy a meal in the Old Town sampling some of the local delicacies. Cycling Distance approx 40km

Day 4 Cycle to Baishui He
After a short ride off road to view the Buddhist fresco paintings of Baisha, we embark on a gradual ascent on smooth tar sealed roads to Yu Feng Temple then onto our destination at Baishui He.

Day 5 Cycle to Daju
Get set for a challenging days ride with rewards to match! We cycle up and up on paved roads to the highest point of the trip at 3300m. The support vehicle will be there carry you and your bike if you wish to cruise along at any stage. From the top of our final ascent we are treated to stunning views that look down into a valley dotted with traditional courtyard farm houses. The best part is that it’sdown hill from here! We cycle 34km’s on cobble stone road down into the valley. Though a little hard on the body, this ride is a lot of fun and we barely have to peddle one step! We end our downhill run on the banks of the Yangtze River in the tiny river side town of Daju where we enjoy a wonderful nights stay in a small guest house. Cycling Distance 61km

Day 6 Tiger Leaping Gorge
Today we say goodbye to our bikes and continue our adventure of hiking aroun the Tiger Leaping Gorge for the next two days.

Day 7 Tiger-leaping Gorge
Continue Hiking aroun Tiger-leaping Gorge.

Day 8 Cycle to Shigu
Today we walk out of the gorge and are reunited with our bikes and support vehicles in the smalltown of Qiao Tou. Today’s ride is undulating through beautiful rural villages. The people of this area are minority people who are bound to give us a wave as we cycle by. Our destination is Shigu, a popular place for Chinese day trippers who come to see the "First bend in the Yangtze River". While Shigu it popular by day it is virtually free of visitors by night- just us and the local residents! Cycling Distance 70km

Day 9 Cycle to Shaxi
Today we venture right off the beaten track and cycle to the little visited town of Shaxi. Cycling Distance 92km

Day 10 Shaxi
Today we have free time to relax and acquaint ourselves with this wonderful town and its people.

Day 11 Cycle to Eryuan
After an early morning wander through Shaxi we enjoy a shorter days ride on some rough road cycling through pine tree forests all the way to Eryuan Hot springs. By this stage of the trip we will have earned the lovely hot soak that awaits us! Cycling Distance 61km

Day 12 Cycle to Dali
We continue to cycle on the Old Tibet Road to the colourful town of Dali.Dali is well known for its colourful people, its embroidery, rich agriculture, famous marble and excellent breed of horses. Tonight we enjoy a well earned Tibetan feast in amongst the cobble stoned streets of Dali. Cycling Distance 53km

Day 13 Cycle in Dali
Today we wind down with a leisurely ride around Er Lake en-route visiting a couple of local minority villages, Dali Ethnic Museum and The Three Pagodas. Tonight we celebrate our fantastic cycling efforts with a farewell dinner! Cycling Distance 40km

Day 14 Drive to Kunming
Following breakfast we transfer to Kunming where our trip concludes.