4 Days Kunming & Dongchuan Red Land Scenic Tour
Appreciate God's Magic Palette
Nature is so magic that it can depict the most beautiful colors on its land. Reputed as "God's Magic Platte", Dongchuan Red Land is famous for the incredible bursting colors and magnificent countless levels of smooth lined fields. And that even makes someone think this remote land at the northeast of Kunming is even more beautiful than that in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
If you are nature lovers, you should not miss the spectacular scenery of Dongchuan Red Land with amazing and layer color of red, green, white, yellow, purple with mountainous backdrop. If you are photography enthusiasts, you are truly recommended to shoot many magnificent pictures at special locations and also you won't miss the fantastic sunrise and sunset view on such gorgeous place.
Best Time to Visit Dongchuan Red Land:
April to June and September to December is the best time to visit Dongchuan Red Land;
-April - May: red land, golden wheat, buckwheat, green potato seedlings;
-September: red land, golden wheat, white winter rape flowers, green potato seedlings, better for sunset glow;
-November: red land, golden rape flower stalks, green turnip seedlings;
-January - March: red land covered by white snow.
Highlights of this tour
- Be amazed by the breathtaking sceneries of layers of bright red fields at Dongchuan Red Land, involve in the local simple life and slow your pace here;
- Catch the rare time to watch the awesome sunrise and sunset of Dongchuan Red Land at the best location of Da Ma Kan and Luo Xia Gou and indulge in the idyllic rural countryside scenery;
- Soak in the laid-back life pace in the City of Spring to enjoy your romantic holiday with classic visits to the top city bests.
Basic Trip Information
- Price:
- from
$636
- 1. This price is for one person, based on a group of 2 adults sharing one double-bed room in a 4-star hotel and traveling in low seasons;
- 2. This price is subject to change according to your traveling season, group size, hotel class, change of activities and possible fluctuation of currency exchange rate.
- Travel Route:
- Kunming / Dongchuan / Kunming
- Travel Length:
- 4 Days & 3 Nights
- Tour Code:
- CD-KMDT-04
- Group Size:
- You, your family, friends or group
- Experience:
-
- Departure:
- Any day you want
Full Itinerary Day by day
- Day 1 Kunming Arrival
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Welcome to Kunming, the Spring City of China! Upon arrival at the Kunming airport/train station, the local tour guide and driver will meet you in the arrival hall and escort you to your hotel and help you check in.
After a short break, drive to explore Kunming Flowers & Birds Market. Walk along the narrow paths lined with various shops selling birds, fishes, flowers, antiques, fishing gear, etc. and watch local people finding their best things to buy with sounds of bargaining, chirping, etc.
Next, go to enjoy a cultural visit to Yuantong Temple that is one of the top oldest Buddhist temples in Kunming with more than 1,200 years’ history. Take your stroll there to feel the rich Buddhist atmosphere of three Buddhist sects filling the antique halls and houses specially designed into a traditional Chinese garden layout for a quite different appreciation of temple in China.
Then, walk to Kunming Green Lake nearby. This pretty park with a lovely lake, old-styled pavilions, corridors, flowers, etc. is the most popular place for an authentic feeling of local Kunming people’s leisure life with citizens singing, dancing, talking, exercising, etc. During November to the next March, Black-headed Gulls from Siberian will never be late to fly there for their expecting comfortable warm winter holiday. Do not miss playing with those adorable and vigorous elfin during your relaxing roam!
After today’s visiting, be escorted back to your hotel. Enjoy a good sleep!
Arrival Ideas: You can take a direct flight from more than 110 domestic cities and some international destinations including Hong Kong, Macao, Singapore, San Francisco, Tokyo, London, and Los Angeles. Also, you can take a bullet train from Chengdu (5.5 hours), Chongqing (4 hours), Guilin (8 hours), Guiyang (2 hours), Guangzhou (7 hours), Beijing (11 hours), Shanghai (11 hours), Hong Kong (7.5 hours), etc. with convenience!
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- Day 2 Kunming - Dongchuan Red Land (B, L)
Today you will depart from Kunming in the early morning to take a 3-hour, 160-kilometer journey to Dongchuan Red Land Scenic Area. You will arrive there around noon time, then enter the core area of the red land from the south route (Luo Si Wan - Wa Fang Liang Zi - Le Pu Ao) to capture the beautiful scenery along the way, then reach the famous Hua Shi Tou Village (Flower Stone Village 花石头村) and the intersection of Road 107. Check into the pre-booked hotel, find a restaurant for lunch and rest.
Around the middle of afternoon when the afternoon light is better, come out for photography. First, capture the landscape of Hong Tu Di Da Guan (Red Land Grand View 红土大观) which is majestic and grand. The interplay of light and shadow makes it more three-dimensional. Then photograph the Lao Long Shu (Thousand-Year Ancient Dragon Tree 千年老龙树) which is also known as the Sacred Tree, an old fir tree standing alone on the red land, simple and ancient. Later, shoot the myriad scenes of Luo Xia Gou (Sunset Valley 落霞沟) at sunset. It is the most iconic spot! The scenery under the lingering sunlight is the most beautiful, and due to the deep valley surrounded by mountains on three sides, the sun sets relatively early, making the best time for photography around 4:30 p.m.
Since there is still time, return to the 107 intersection and head left to the south route. Focus on capturing the evening glow of Le Pu Ao, Luo Si Wan, and Wa Fang Liang Zi. All three spots are ideal for sunset photography. Along the way, conveniently photograph Le Pu Ao (乐谱奥), the unique landscape of the music-score-like hollow is most charming in the sunset), and Luo Si Wan (Screw Bay 螺蛳湾) to capture the winding road and the large spiral-colored land in the red soil, and finally, Wa Fang Liang Zi (瓦房梁子) to capture the most beautiful evening glow and sunset. The elevated terrain here provides a panoramic view of the scenery around Le Pu Ao.
Evening is to accommodation in the local village of Hua Shi Tou.
Photography Tips:
1). April to May is best to see fields irrigated with water, when blue sky and white clouds are well mirrored in the water; Autumn is the best season to enjoy the sea of golden crops. 2). Sunset is best to shoot during 16:30-17:30 with best light.
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- Day 3 Dongchuan - Kunming (B, L)
Around 6:00 in the morning, go to the northernmost part of the northwest route which is ideal for sunrise photography. From the high slope by the roadside, overlooking Da Ma Kan Village (打马坎村), smoke curls up from the village surrounded by red soil. The poplar trees around the village shimmer in the morning sun, creating a tranquil and charming pastoral scenery.
Continue down the road to capture Qi Cai Po (Seven-color Slope 七彩坡), a hillside that, when viewed from a distance, resembles a rainbow fallen on the earth, hence called the Colorful Slope. Proceed one kilometer down to Jin Xiu Yuan(锦绣园) for more photography. Jinxiu Yuan is a masterpiece of the red land, offering a panoramic view of the colorful terraced fields in the foreground and the distance. The expansive and magnificent scene, with colors like red, yellow, blue, and green, unfolds before your eyes, resembling a colorful world. Both Qi Cai Po and Jinxiu Yuan showcase the same piece of land, but viewing it from different angles provides distinct visual impacts. The area is also spectacular during the flowering season with extensive crops of potatoes and wheat.
Later, reach the intersection of Road 107 and capture the Hua Shi Tour (花石头) attraction which is adorned with dwellings, winding roads, and a row of gracefully shaped trees, creating a beautiful and picturesque scene. If time and weather permit, consider visiting the nearby Hong Tu Di Da Guan (红土地大观) for additional photography, as the lighting may be even better than the previous day.
Afterwards, drive about 3 hours back to Kunming, passing through Le Pu Ao and Luo Si Wan attractions on the way back, providing opportunities to stop and capture some memorable moments.
Photography Tips:
1). Da Ma Kan: 06:00-07:00 is best to shoot sunrise with rural kitchen smoke, morning glow and fog. 2). Jin Xiu Yuan and Qicai Po are cultivated with colorful crops, and April to May is best to shoot red land pictures with beautiful flowers including potato flowers, buckwheat flowers, etc. 3). Le Pu Ao: The short time after sunrise is best to shoot the fluent line of the field ridges with front light, and sunset hour is also great with backlight.
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- Day 4 Kunming & Kunming Departure (B)
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Today, your guide and driver will escort you from your hotel to visit the famous Western Hills which is called “Sleeping Beauty Hills”, looking like a beautiful young lady lying beside Dian Lake (the largest freshwater in Yunnan and famed as the “Pearl on the Plateau”). It is a particularly pleasant experience to walk in such verdant forest mountain park with elegant sightseeing and a series of cultural relics and sites, including some old temples. You will not miss the symbolic visit to the magic Dragon Gate as it says “If you do not visit Western Hill, you haven't visited Kunming; if you do not come to Dragon Gate, you haven't been to Western Hills”, where to admire the colorful old grottoes on the wall and catch the panoramic view of the large peaceful Dianchi Lake and Kunming City. (You can visit the temples if interested. Huating Temple and Taihua Temple are included in the ticket.)
After that, drive back to Yunnan Nationalities Museum for a wonderful understanding of the 25 ethnic minority groups in vast Yunnan. This largest minority museum in whole Asia boasts a collection of over 20 thousand pieces (units) of precious cultural relics to show you the beautiful costumes, diverse ethnic festivals, daily life scenes, exquisite musical instruments, brilliant cultural texts, and so on to know the essence of Yunnan culture!
After the visiting, you’ll be escorted to the airport or train station to catch your flight/train (after 17:00) to next destination or home! (Note: If the departure time will not match your trip schedule, our travel consultant will help you adjust the itinerary to well suit your time. Please feel free to contact us.)
Service end!
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