Yunnan by air via Beijing — Erhai and Bai culture around Dali (including Shuanglang and “Santorini” viewpoints), Lijiang's Lashi Lake and Shuhe, then overland to Shangri-La through Tiger Leaping Gorge, Songzanlin Monastery, and Napa Lake before returning to Auckland via Beijing.
Next Departure
10 Sept 2026
All departure dates
Dates refer to scheduled group departures; year 2026 where applicable — confirm at booking.
Yunnan is where I send travellers who want colour and minority culture without altitude extremes everywhere — Lijiang, Dali, and Kunming balanced with driving days that make sense. I tweak seasons in the brief so you are not fighting the rain for nothing.
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Yunnan by air via Beijing — Erhai and Bai culture around Dali (including Shuanglang and “Santorini” viewpoints), Lijiang's Lashi Lake and Shuhe, then overland to Shangri-La through Tiger Leaping Gorge, Songzanlin Monastery, and Napa Lake before returning to Auckland via Beijing.
Single supplement: NZD $340
Official guides and destination hubs to help you prepare—visa timing, seasons, and places on this route.
Group departures from New Zealand (dates as published). Contact us to reserve a seat or request a private departure.
signature · China
signature · China
signature · China
signature · China
discovery · China
discovery · China
discovery · China
discovery · China
International flights routed Auckland — Beijing — Dali, returning Lijiang — Beijing — Auckland
Dali: Erhai Park, Ideal State “Santorini,” Wenbi Village, and Shuanglang Ancient Town
Optional full-day Haixi-line experience in Dali (extra charge; minimum numbers may apply)
Lijiang: Black Dragon Pool, Lashi Lake wetland, Silk Bedding exhibition, and Shuhe ancient tea-horse town
Road journey to Shangri-La via Tiger Leaping Gorge (incl. elevators); Dukezong Old Town, Guishan Park, and giant prayer wheel
Ganden Sumtseling Monastery (“Little Potala”), Napa Lake wetlands, Highland Barley Avenue
Optional Naxi village & Yuzhu Qingtian scenic day in Lijiang (extra charge; minimum numbers may apply)
Bai, Naxi, and Tibetan cultural landscapes in one journey
Meals: Meals on board
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Meals: Breakfast
Meals: Breakfast
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Meals: Breakfast
Meals: Breakfast
Route visualization for planning — watch how you'll travel through each destination.
Interested in China Discovery — Colorful Yunnan? We'll get back to you within 24 hours.
Claire & Tom Mackenzie
Wellington, NZ
Beijing to Xi'an on the Bullet Train — The Perfect 10 Days
“The visa-free entry for Kiwis (it came in mid-2024) made booking so much easier than we ever expected — no embassy queues, no paperwork, just flights booked and off we went. Baker's itinerary was brilliantly paced: three days in Beijing (Forbidden City, hutong evening walk, Great Wall at Mutianyu at sunrise), then a bullet train to Xi'an for the Terracotta Warriors and the Muslim Quarter's lamb skewers. Two of the world's great historical capitals in ten days. Couldn't have asked for more.”
Michael & Bev Larsen
Dunedin, NZ
Great Wall at Dawn, Terracotta Warriors After Lunch — Incredible
“As Dunediners, we're no strangers to spectacular scenery — but nothing prepared us for standing on the Great Wall with mist rolling through the valleys below. Lisa matched that moment perfectly with our private guide at the Terracotta Warriors pit two days later. The scale is genuinely hard to believe until you're standing in front of it. The Xi'an Muslim Quarter lamb skewers and pomegranate juice were the perfect ending to a brilliant day. Ten days, two ancient capitals, zero complaints.”
Fiona Hewitt
Auckland, NZ
Solo Kiwi Traveller — Visa-Free Entry Made This Finally Happen
“I'd been putting off China for years, mostly because of the visa process. Then visa-free access opened for NZ passport holders in mid-2024 and I had no more excuses. Baker sorted the rest: a great small group for the Beijing–Xi'an itinerary, a private morning at the Wall before the tour buses arrived, and a Xi'an family dinner that turned into a two-hour dumpling lesson. I've been talking about this trip non-stop since I got home. The no-visa thing genuinely is a game-changer for Kiwis.”
Explore more China Discovery tours
October-ready from Auckland — Beijing's Forbidden City, Great Wall, and hutongs, then high-speed rail to Xi'an for the Terracotta Warriors. Many NZ leisure trips can use China's visa-free entry (confirm before you book); published group departure in October as listed on this page.
"Perfect first China experience — the essence of Beijing and Xi'an"
From NZD $3,480
per person
Fifteen days from Beijing's Temple of Heaven, Forbidden City, Great Wall and hutongs, by high-speed train to Xi'an's Terracotta Army, then by air to Hangzhou via Puyuan's fashion ancient town, West Lake and Longjing tea, finishing in Shanghai before your return via Beijing.
From NZD $4,539
per person
October-ready from Auckland — Yangtze Delta loop: Suzhou gardens and Shantang Street, Wuxi lakeside sights and Three Kingdoms City, Hanfu and afternoon tea in Xinshi water town, Hangzhou's West Lake and Longjing tea, then Shanghai's Bund. Visa-free entry may apply for many NZ trips (confirm dates); mid-October departure published.
From NZD $2,999
per personEverything you need to know about traveling to China with CTS
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