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PrintChina cycle 16–29 September 20027
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Photo: Richard Piscioneri/OAus China cycle itinerary
Photo: Richard Piscioneri/OAus Day 1 and 2
We fly from an Australian departure point (Sydney or Melbourne) and arrive in ‘the eternal spring city’ of Kunming. A surprisingly modern city, Kunming has many interesting historical sights. We walk through the back streets of the old quarter, seeing the family-run traditional shops selling an assortment of weird and exotic paraphernalia.
Day 3
We take an early morning flight and arrive in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage town of Lijiang which is 2,440m above sea level. This is an enchanting place to explore the narrow, cobbled streets and ancient bridges and marvel at the traditional curved roofs of the wooden houses. We spend the afternoon walking through some of the old neighbourhoods, visiting the museum of Naxi culture and the Black Dragon Pool with stunning views of the jagged snow-capped Jade Dragon Snow mountain.
Day 4
On our first day of cycling we cycle around the beautiful Lashi Lake which is 2,500m above sea level and home to tens of thousands of migratory birds. Passing through small Naxi villages, we experience the traditional rural lifestyle of this intriguing ethnic minority. Today includes some off-road cycling, sure to be appreciated by those who enjoy getting off the sealed paths.
Photo: Richard Piscioneri/OAus Day 5
We take back-roads out of Lijiang past the ancient villages of Su He and Baisha, famous for their 15th century Buddhist fresco paintings. It’s seven kilometres up but the road is good and the view is spectacular. We arrive in the valley of Bai Shui He and our home for the night, a quiet location with amazing views of Jade Dragon Snow mountain and renowned for its crystal blue waters.
Day 6
Few rides can match the magnificent scenery and sense of adventure when cycling through the famous Tiger Leaping Gorge of the Yangtze river. This is one of the deepest and most dramatic gorges in the world, rising 3,900m from the river to the snow-capped peaks. Today's ride includes several climbs and a rough 30km descent to the town of Daju. We stop half way up the gorge and stay overnight in a guesthouse.
Day 7
We celebrate our 'half way' achievement with a free day in the gorge where you can rest your legs and take in the breathtaking scenery. For the energetic, there's the option of hiking to the bottom of the gorge following small dirt paths along dramatic cliff edges.
Photo: Richard Piscioneri/OAus Day 8
Enjoy a pretty day's ride out of the gorge, winding back along the Yangtze River through remote towns, roadside villages and terraced paddy fields. We follow the river to what is known as ‘first bend’ of the Yangtze since leaving Tibet. This is a popular spot for local women to sell fruit and other local produce. Today’s ride is a mixture of long patches of flat road, some spiralling hills and easy descents. We stay overnight at the ancient town of Shigu where the river was crossed in 1936 by the People’s Army led by Mao Zedong.
Day 9
This is another memorable day that will take us into the heart of rural Yunnan as we ride along the 'Old Tibet' road past tranquil scenes of mud brick villages, bamboo groves, rivers and paddy fields. After the initial 10km warm-up climb, the rest of the day is flat, enjoyable riding through rural scenery. You really sense a feeling of timelessness as the way of life here has remained unchanged for centuries.
Day 10
This is one of our hardest days of riding. After a gentle start to the day passing small towns we start our Challenge of 11km grinding up and over a long, steep, winding mountain road covered in terraced paddy fields resembling giant staircases. There's an exhilarating downhill ride on the other side as we enter the mouth of the valley that leads to Dali. We end the day in Er Yuan where we can soothe our leg muscles in its famous hot springs.
Photo: Jessica Waite/OxfamAUS Day 11
This morning is the last leg of our Challenge as we ride to the historical town of Dali. Cycling along flat, sealed road between the towering Canshan mountain range and Er Hai lake, we should arrive in Old Dali in time for a late lunch. Dali is an extraordinary town to explore with its gated city walls, bustling streets and lakeside setting.
Day 12 and 13
In the morning we transfer from Dali back to Kunming by private bus. Our flight departs the following afternoon to Singapore and then on to Australia.
