Ethnic Yunnan Photo Spree

Both Greece and China are countries with long history, ancient civilization, brilliant culture and rich tourism resources. Long distance never stops travelers from enjoying their China tours from Greece. Nowadays, you can take the Air China flight CA962 1130/0630+1 from Athens to Beijing for 13 hours & 40 minutes with a short stopover at Munich on every Wednesday and Saturday. If you are travelling on other days, you can make a flight connecting in another city, such as Moscow, Frankfort, Zurich, Vienna, Milan and Paris. Among these cities, Moscow and Frankfort are more recommended.

If you make the flight connection in Moscow, you can take the Aeroflot-Russian Airlines flight SU2111 1330/1720 to Moscow, have a layover for 4 hours & 15 minutes, and then transfer to the flight SU204 2135/0950+1 to Beijing. The whole journey takes 15 hours & 20 minutes.

If you make the flight connection in Frankfort, you may first take Aegean Airlines flight A3830 0815/1015 and then transfer to the Air China flight CA966 1355/0515+1 after a 3 hours & 40 minutes' layover. Alternatively, you can take Lufthansa flight LH1279 1355/1600 to Frankfort, have a layover for 4 hours & 15 minutes, and then transfer to the flight LH7320 2015/1125 to Beijing. For both options, you need about 16.5 hours for the air travel including the layover.

After you arrive in Beijing today, you will take a rest at the airport and then continue the flight journey from Beijing to Kunming, which takes around 3.5 hours. On arrival at Kunming, you will be picked up from the airport, and then a comfortable private drive will take you to the hotel. 

Accommodation: Jinjiang Hotel

This morning, you will be guided to visit the Zhuanxin Famers' Market and the Green Lake Park. To avoid the crowds, we will head to the Stone Forest in the afternoon. Being crowned as "the essence of karst landforms in the world" and "one of the eight natural wonders on earth", the Stone Forest evolved 270 million years ago. It is widely distributed over 1100 square kilometers with numerous stone peaks, stone stele, stalagmites and etc. Particularly, the Stone Forest displays a rare geological vestige that covers various kinds of karst landscapes worldwide. You can give full play to your imagination while appreciating and taking photos of the different rock formations. If it is clear, you will also have the opportunities to shoot this natural wonder at the spectacular sunset.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch 
Accommodation: Yinruilin International Hotel

This morning we drive about 3.5 hours to Jianshui. After a short break at the hotel, let's visit the Zhu Family Garden, a dazzling display of the dwelling building complex of the Qing Dynasty. In addition to many photo opportunities, the place also provides you an authentic insight into the lifestyle of wealthy families in the early 20th-century. We then get to the more than 600 years old Chaoyang Gate, which is a landmark of Jianshui. Our next stop is the Zhang Family Garden. Its delicate wood carvings will definitely offer you some photographic inspiration. Afterwards, we will explore the Jianshui Old Town at leisure. Over 100 wells, a thousand years old, rare to see in anywhere else, are still in use today by the locals.

Meals: Chinese breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Lin An Hotel

After having breakfast, we drive 3 hours to Yuanyang. It owns the world's largest and most imposing Terraced Fields, which have been cultivated by the Hani ethnic minority since one thousand years ago. Varying with time, weather and season, the charming scenery here is frequently photographed.

This afternoon we focus on admiring the alluring views and taking photos of the Azheke Rice Terraces. Should the conditions be right, you will have the very chance to shoot the extensive terraces sparkling with colors in the flickering sunlight.

Photo Tips:
1. In the months from November to April, the rice terraces are quite a sight to behold. You can see the terraces are filled up with water glittering like mirrors in the sunlight, so photos taken at this season are easily of good light and shadow effects. You may also challenge yourself to capture creative pictures of Yuanyang terraces in other months. Scenes like hard-working farmers in early May, verdant rice fields in June and July, and golden terraces in fall harvest season all make great subjects for photography.  
2. It is hard to get a properly exposed shot when the variation of the light is complex at sunrise and sunset. In this case, you can use bracketing and auto white-balance for a better result. Also, a GND filter and CPL will also help you a lot to maintain correct exposure.
3. 135 SLR, wide angel lens and zoom lens are very useful in the entire shooting.

Meals: Chinese breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Yunti Hotel

We will get up early to shoot the Doyishu Terraced Fields at sunrise, weather permitting. It is extremely fantastic to watch the terraced being folded in the morning mist. We will then visit a local market, which is as fetching as the striking natural attractions in Yuanyang. The minorities of Hani, Yi, Dai, Miao, Yao and Zhuang flock in from all quarters by wearing their individual colorful costumes and dresses. The narrow streets are full of the assorted vending booths, which features the folk custom all in it. Next we visit Qingkou Hani Minority Village for its strong flavor of primeval country life. When seeing from afar, the peculiar mushroom-shaped houses dot the village fields just like a scene in the fairy-tale world. Today's private trip will end with a local family visit in Shengcun Yi Minority Village.

Meals: Chinese breakfast, Lunch

We set out to Kunming Railway Station after breakfast. The transfer can take up to six hours. We will take a late afternoon bullet train to Lijiang which takes around 3.5 hours. Upon your arrival, the equally obliging local guide along with the driver will meet you duly at the railway station and escort you to the hotel for three nights stay.

Meals: Chinese breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Ivy Garden Hotel Resorts

We start the pleasant day with a morning market. You can see the locals hunt their daily supplies like fresh vegetables, meats, fruits and other commodities. Next we explore the Lijiang Old Town, a World Heritage attraction. The charming town is teeming with little cobbled lanes and alleys, beautiful buildings and bridges over running waters all around. There are rich pickings for you to capture with your camera lens.

Afterwards, we head to the Lion Hill, which provides a nice panoramic view of the Old Town, especially the folds of dark tiled roofs. In addition to capturing images, you can also get a good orientation of the town when climbing up to the Wangu Tower that sits on its summit. Following this, we visit the Mu's Residence. Beautifully restored and maintained, the Mu's Residence, a mix of Naxi architecture and traditional imperial palace, is undoubtedly a hidden secluded place in Lijiang. You can have some most satisfying photos taken here. We conclude the day after paying a visit to the tranquil Tibetan Lamasery, Zhiyun Temple. If you happen to travel in the winter season from November to March, we can also guide you to the nearby Lashi Lake, where you may have the chance to shoot thousands of migratory birds.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast, we head to the Baishui River and Dry Sea, both of which are located at the foot of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. The Dry Sea, now a vast meadow, is considered as the best position to get a panorama of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. Following that we take a cable car to the Spruce Plateau to overlook the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. One thing to note here is that the best season for capturing snowcapped mountain is from November to May. We will spend the afternoon to explore the Baisha Mural and a Local Naxi Family in Baisha Village.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

This morning we drive about 2.5 hours to Shaxi, an authentic and peaceful ancient town still in its original form hundreds of years ago. Once an important stop on the ancient trade route, the Silk Road of the South, it is a wonderful place to take pictures you desire to have. If you come here on a Friday, you can see its most alive market when all the ethnic communities come to the town. You will have the rest of the day explore the photogenic old town at leisure.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Laomadian Lodge

We drive to visit the Shizhongshan Grottoes after breakfast. Dating back over 1,300 years, the well preserved grottoes and carvings bear distinctive ethnic features. Afterwards, we head to Dali. En Route, we visit the Bai Minority Traditional Houses in Xizhou and the traditional hand-made Tie Dyeing in Zhoucheng. You can capture the colorful customs and architectures of Bai Minority with your camera lens. Upon arrival in Dali, we will show you the Three Pagoda Temple, which is the icon of the city. The Reflection Pond inside the scenic area is the most stunning photo spot. As its name suggests, the pond provides an almost mirror image of the Three Pagodas and the surrounding landscape.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Gurong Hotel

We will explore the captivating Dali Old Town in the morning. The tree-lined streets, clear waterways, well-kept buildings, local Bai minority in their unique costumes all make the town a great relaxing place. Then pay a visit to the serene Erhai Lake Park. The fishermen and their cormorants make for some interesting photos for you to take. You will take an afternoon bullet train for 2 hours to Kunming. The local guide and driver will meet at the railway station and take you to the hotel.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Jinjiang Hotel

You will finish your China photography tour from Athens, Greece today. Our guide and driver will escort you to the airport and see you off based on your flight information. You can take Air China flight CA4171 07:20/10:45 (3h25m) to Beijing first, stop there for 1.5 hours, and then take CA877 12:20/16:05 (9h45m) to Copenhagen, where you will stop for another 1.5 hours, and finally connect the Aegean Airlines flight A3753 17:35/21:45 (3h10m) to get back to Athens. The total trip is 19 hours 25 minutes. We bid you adieu!

Meals: Breakfast