Day 1
Chengdu to Xichang
Today’s event: [Welcome Ceremony] [Cultural Salon]
Local car: 2+1 land first class
Jinxiu Tianfu
Southwest China by Jinxiu Tianfu: Tea Country and Mountain Landscapes — 9 Days
Yunnan · 9 days and 8 nights
Original Chinese name
山野蜜语·西南9日
Journey overview
- Reference fare
- USD 5,939 and up
- Duration
- 9 days and 8 nights
Departure dates
2027
Cabins
- Jinwo Quality Double Cabin
- Jinta·Luxury Double Room
Fares and availability vary by departure and cabin. Please confirm both when booking.
USD estimates use the 2026-11-13 exchange rate. Confirm the final amount and payment currency when booking.
Day-by-day itinerary
Day 2
Xichang to Lijiang
Morning: Stroll along Qionghai Lake and its shallow wetlands in Xichang, then have lunch.
Afternoon: Visit Jianchang Old Town, where weathered walls and old trees frame a town shaped by Sichuan and Yunnan.
Dinner: Enjoy a local fisherman's banquet, then board the Jinxiu Tianfu Panda Train for Lijiang.
Local car: 2+1 land first class
Day 3
Lijiang to Shangri-La
Some stops on the Lijiang section are above 4,000 metres. Travellers prone to altitude sickness, with limited physical fitness or with other relevant conditions should consider this option carefully.
After lunch, the train stops at Lijiang Station. Continue by road to Shangri-La, about 2.5 hours away.
Local car: 2+1 land first class
If you opt out of the high-altitude programme, the alternative for today is as follows:
After lunch, the train stops at Lijiang Station. Check into the hotel, then walk to Dayan Old Town or Shuhe Old Town, depending on the hotel location, and spend time in a Naxi community on the old Tea Horse Road beneath the snow mountains.
Meals: Hotel breakfast, lunch on the train and a Lijiang specialities meal.
Accommodation: Banyan Tree Lijiang.
Local car: 2+1 land first class
Day 4
Shangri-La
The morning and afternoon programmes in Shangri-La each offer a choice of Route A or Route B.
Some stops today are above 4,000 metres. Travellers prone to altitude sickness, with limited physical fitness or with other relevant conditions should consider this option carefully.
Morning
Route A: Visit Potatso National Park, where clear lakes, snow-capped peaks, forest and wildflowers offer views of northwestern Yunnan's plateau landscape.
Route B: Visit Ganden Sumtseling Monastery, known as the Little Potala Palace, to see its red walls, gold roofs and Tibetan Buddhist heritage.
Note:The monastery visit involves climbing stairs and may trigger altitude sickness. Consider this option carefully.
Afternoon
Route A: See the prayer wheels in Dukezong Old Town and join local Tibetan residents in a traditional Guozhuang dance.
Route B: Visit a thangka academy founded by a nationally recognised thangka master and try tracing a thangka by hand.
Local car: 2+1 land first class
If you opt out of the high-altitude programme, the alternative for today is as follows:
Morning: Visit Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, sacred to the Naxi people. Options include reaching the glacier at 4,680 metres or visiting Blue Moon Valley.
Afternoon: Travel by road to Yushui Village and learn about the Dongba cultural tradition in Lijiang.
Meals: Hotel breakfast and two Lijiang specialities meals.
Accommodation: Banyan Tree Lijiang.
Local car: 2+1 land first class
Day 5
Shangri-La to Lijiang to Baoshan
After breakfast, visit Tiger Leaping Gorge. Choose a 6 km hike into the gorge or take the shuttle directly to the viewing platform.
Afternoon: Arrive in Lijiang and board the Jinxiu Tianfu Panda Train for Baoshan.
Note:The hike covers about 6 km, takes 2–3 hours and gains 100–200 metres in elevation.
Local transport: Premium road coach with 2+1 seating and the Tiger Leaping Gorge shuttle minibus.
Day 6
Baoshan-Tengchong
The train arrives in Baoshan. Continue by road to Tengchong, about 3 hours away, for lunch.
Afternoon: Walk through Dadi Tea Plantation, where aircraft pass low over the tea fields, and spend time in the glass tea room in the hills.
Then visit the Old Schoolhouse for a look at school life in the 1960s and a meal inspired by the mule caravans of western Yunnan.
Local car: 2+1 land first class
Day 7
Tengchong
Day 7 offers two themed routes, A and B. Choose the option that suits you.
Route A: Rehai Hot Springs Park and Hemu Camellia Village.
Morning: Visit Rehai Hot Springs Park and try eggs cooked using natural geothermal heat.
Afternoon: At Hemu Camellia Village, enjoy a traditional meal prepared with camellia oil, a local tradition dating back eight hundred years.
Route B: Gaoligong Mountains and Hemu Camellia Village.
Morning: Hike in the Gaoligong Mountains and stop for a forest barbecue lunch at the Mountain Kitchen.
Afternoon: At Hemu Camellia Village, enjoy a traditional meal prepared with camellia oil, a local tradition dating back eight hundred years.
Note:The Route B hike is about 3 km, takes about 2 hours and gains 100–300 metres in elevation.
Local car: 2+1 land first class
Day 8
Tengchong to Baoshan
Morning: Visit Jietou Village in a historic border basin beneath the Gaoligong Mountains. Learn a six-hundred-year-old traditional papermaking craft and make your own paper with flowers and leaves alongside a local artisan.
Afternoon: Explore Qiluo Old Town, a six-hundred-year-old settlement on the Tea Horse Road. See its historic courtyards and sample caravan-style tea, drawing on five generations of local tea-making tradition.
After dinner, travel by road to Baoshan, about 3 hours away, and board the Jinxiu Tianfu Panda Train for the return journey.
Local car: 2+1 land first class
Day 9
arrived in Chengdu
The journey brings together Yi culture, snow-capped mountains and hot-spring countryside before you head home.
What the fare covers
Included
1. Transport: Jinxiu Tianfu train and licensed air-conditioned tourist coaches at the destinations.
2. Meals: 8 breakfasts, 8 lunches and 8 dinners throughout the tour.
Meals on Jinxiu Tianfu: breakfast allowance ≈ USD 13.10 per person; lunch or dinner allowance ≈ USD 28.00 per person.
Meals at the destinations: breakfast is usually included with the hotel. Standard lunches or dinners are budgeted at ≈ USD 14.89–17.87 per person and speciality meals at ≈ USD 17.87–22.34 per person.
Special note: Since the train meals need to be ordered in quantity before the train departs, and the local meals during the tour are group meals, the meals included in the itinerary will not be refunded if you do not use them. Please understand!
Admission
Tickets to the attractions on the itinerary and required on-site transport.
Note:Admission is priced at the group rate as part of the rail package and must be booked in advance. No individual discounts apply, and unused admission tickets are non-refundable.
4. Accommodation: 3 nights on Jinxiu Tianfu and 4 nights at destination hotels.
Special note: The room type is a double standard room. If there are single men and single women, we will arrange to share a room. If you are unable to share a room or want to live alone, you need to pay for the Single supplement.
5. Guides and staff: local guides and staff accompanying the group throughout. The train has Panda stewards for public onboard services and licensed medical staff travelling with the group.
Special note: "Accompanying certified medical staff" refers to health envoys with doctor or nurse qualifications and rich clinical experience accompanying tourists on the train.
6. Children under 12: includes train meals, touring vehicles, admission and attraction shuttle transport, meals off the train, and driver and guide services.
Excluded
1. All other expenses not listed in [Fees Included].
2. Optional paid itineraries and services.
3. Additional expenses caused by unexpected events such as traffic delays, cancellations, or force majeure such as war, strikes, natural disasters, etc.
4. Children under 12: excludes train berths and hotel beds.
Travel notes
Changes and cancellations
Travellers acknowledge that departure dates, stops, routes and running times are subject to final instructions from the railway authorities. Railway services follow centralised dispatch. If circumstances beyond control, including emergencies, timetable changes, construction, line incidents, equipment failures or route changes, advance or delay the train and affect the tour, the agency will give 7 days' advance notice. If the train cannot run, the agency will give 5 days' advance notice. The travel agency accepts no liability for breach of contract in these circumstances.
Because the train is chartered, the following charges apply if a traveller withdraws from the tour:
(1) at least 30 days before the departure date, if the trip is canceled due to personal reasons of the tourist, ≈ USD 2,978.32/person will be charged.
(2) If the trip is canceled 15-29 days (inclusive) before the departure date due to personal reasons, 60% of the contract amount will be charged.
(3) If the trip is canceled 1-14 days (inclusive) before the departure date due to personal reasons of the tourist, 85% of the contract amount will be charged.
(4) If the trip is canceled due to personal reasons of the tourist on the day of departure or during the itinerary, 100% of the contract amount will be charged.
A traveller may substitute another person at least 3 days before departure without incurring a charge.
Questions
How much is Southwest China by Jinxiu Tianfu: Tea Country and Mountain Landscapes — 9 Days?
From USD 5,939 (Jinxiu Tianfu, 9 days and 8 nights). Fares vary by departure, cabin and party size; confirm the quote when booking.
When does Southwest China by Jinxiu Tianfu: Tea Country and Mountain Landscapes — 9 Days depart?
Departures: Apr 3 2027. Availability is confirmed when booking.
What does the fare include?
The fare covers Admission. See “What the fare covers” on this page.
How do I book?
Select “View dates and book” to choose your date, cabin and party size, or call +86-23-88721881 and an adviser will book for you. Payment by PayPal, SWIFT bank transfer, UnionPay, Alipay, WeChat Pay.