D1
Arrive in Dali
A private transfer to Erhai lake, an unhurried check-in, and a gentle first evening in the old town's lamplit lanes.
OvernightDali
CHOOSE A STARTING POINT
Where winter stays open
Select a destination to compare character, culture and a sample day-by-day frame.
YUNNAN
From alpine peaks to tropical tea forests
A private Yunnan winter tour that runs from alpine peaks to tropical tea forests in a single journey — December afternoons around 15°C in Dali and Lijiang, 27°C by Xishuangbanna — through a China shaped by living traditions, dramatic landscapes and the story of tea.
PLACES TO VISIT
From the quiet shores of Erhai Lake to the snow-covered heights of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, then south into the tropical forests of Xishuangbanna. Few Christmas journeys hold such contrast — lakeside calm, alpine drama and a warm green escape — inside one province.
FOOD CULTURE
Yunnan's table changes with altitude: Bai dishes and grilled rushan cheese around Dali, warming Naxi flavours in Lijiang, then aromatic Dai cooking, tropical fruit and Pu'er tea in Xishuangbanna.
LOCAL CULTURE
Make your own Bai tie-dye with village artisans, meet Naxi heritage and Dai Buddhist traditions, and walk Hekai's ancient tea forests to make and taste Pu'er at its source. In Yunnan, culture is not observed — it is touched, made and shared.
A STARTING POINT, NOT A PACKAGE
A nine-day frame
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A golden temple in Yunnan winter light -
Baisha and Lijiang D3Dali to Lijiang, via Baisha
A slow lakeside morning, the private drive north, and Baisha's frescoes and Naxi lanes before an evening in Dayan old town's canal streets.
OvernightLijiang
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Tiger Leaping Gorge D5Tiger Leaping Gorge, gently
The official upper-gorge viewing walkways above the Jinsha river, then Shuhe's old tea-horse-road lanes and springs at an afternoon pace.
OvernightLijiang
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Xishuangbanna's tropical botanical garden D7The botanical garden day
Giant water-lilies and palm avenues at the tropical botanical garden, then Manting Park's royal gardens and the Grand Buddhist temple.
OvernightXishuangbanna
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D9
A slow morning, then home
Pool, coffee, and the connection onward — nothing squeezed in front of a flight.
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The Three Pagodas and Erhai lake road D2Three Pagodas and the lake road
The Chongsheng pagodas mirrored in their reflection pond, then the Erhai eco-corridor by easy bike or on foot to Xizhou — Bai courtyards, and tie-dye made with your own hands.
OvernightDali
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Jade Dragon Snow Mountain 
Spruce Meadow under the peak 
Blue Moon Valley D4Jade Dragon Snow Mountain
The Spruce Meadow cableway to alpine boardwalks under the peak, then Blue Moon Valley's chain of turquoise lakes — the big glacier cableway strictly an optional upgrade.
OvernightLijiang
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Starlight night market in Xishuangbanna D6Fly south to the tropics
Lijiang to Xishuangbanna: swap down jackets for linen, settle into the resort, and end at the Starlight night market under the Golden Pagoda.
OvernightXishuangbanna
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Hekai's ancient tea mountain D8The ancient tea mountain
Hekai's old-growth tea forests with a local guide, a village lunch, and a hands-on puer session — pan-firing, rolling, tasting — before a Dai farewell dinner.
OvernightXishuangbanna
Every journey is rebuilt around you.
Start shaping my DecemberEARLY BIRD OFFERBOOK BY15 OCTOBER 2026
Guide price for this trip
PARTY OF 2Standard A$6,395A$5,295/ppSAVE A$1,100
PARTY OF 3–4Standard A$5,395A$4,450/ppSAVE A$945
PARTY OF 5+Standard A$4,350A$3,550/ppSAVE A$800
Per person · twin share · land only
HAINAN
Christmas, warmed by the sea
A private Hainan Christmas tour from Haikou to Sanya, around 25°C, combining beaches, rainforest and local life with genuine resort time — so Christmas Eve and Christmas Day still feel like a holiday, not a sightseeing schedule.
PLACES TO VISIT
Paddleboard a calm, coconut-lined waterway near Wanning, then slow down on Yalong Bay's clear-water beach. At Yalong Bay Tropical Paradise Forest Park, cross the suspension bridge and look back over the coast from above — a change of perspective after days beside the sea.
FOOD CULTURE
Hainan eats to the island's tropical rhythm: a laoba-tea breakfast with local snacks, Xinglong coffee you roast and hand-brew yourself, fresh seafood and a cooling qingbuliang coconut dessert — with menus checked in advance, so local dining stays simple.
LOCAL CULTURE
In Haikou, walk beneath the Qilou Old Street arcades where Chinese and Southeast Asian influences meet in balconies and shaded lanes. Later, a small boat takes you to a Danjia fishing raft at Xincun in Lingshui, to see the fish farms and how families have long built their lives on the sea.
A STARTING POINT, NOT A PACKAGE
An eight-day frame
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Sunset arrival in Haikou D1Arrive in Haikou
Met at the airport, an easy check-in, and a Hainanese welcome dinner — coconut, qingbuliang, an early night.
OvernightHaikou
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Hands grinding coffee at a Hainan coffee estate D3Coffee country and surf bays
South to Xinglong's coffee estate — roast, grind, pour — then Shimei bay's coastline bookshop and sunset at Riyue bay among the surfers.
OvernightWanning
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Christmas Day by the beach 
The Lost Chambers aquarium 
Christmas dinner in Haitang Bay D5Christmas Day, resort-paced
Brunch and beach through the middle of the day, the Lost Chambers aquarium in the afternoon, and Christmas dinner with the hotel's music and lights.
OvernightHaitang Bay
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Forest park and the view over Sanya D7Forest park and the farewell view
The rope bridge and lookouts of the tropical paradise park, then Luhuitou hill for the full sweep of Sanya at sunset — and a farewell dinner by the sea.
OvernightYalong Bay
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Old Haikou and its volcanic landscape D2Old Haikou, then the volcano
Arcade-house lanes and old-daddy tea in the morning, the Ma'anling crater walk at midday, and the bay's Christmas lights and Century Bridge at blue hour.
OvernightHaikou
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Coconut waterways and fishing rafts D4Paddleboards, fishing rafts, Christmas Eve
A morning paddle through coconut waterways, lunch on a Danjia fishing raft at Xincun port, then into Haitang Bay for sunset drinks and Christmas Eve dinner.
OvernightHaitang Bay
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Palm-lined Yalong Bay D6To Yalong Bay
A slow morning, the short transfer, and an afternoon of the classic palm-lined beach — shallow-water walks and a sunset stroll.
OvernightYalong Bay
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A last morning on Hainan's coast D8A last beach morning
Coconut Dream Corridor if time allows, then the airport.
Every journey is rebuilt around you.
Start shaping my DecemberEARLY BIRD OFFERBOOK BY15 OCTOBER 2026
Guide price for this trip
PARTY OF 2Standard A$6,495A$5,395/ppSAVE A$1,100
PARTY OF 3–4Standard A$5,495A$4,550/ppSAVE A$945
PARTY OF 5+Standard A$4,395A$3,595/ppSAVE A$800
Per person · twin share · land only
Price comparisons
EARLY BIRD OFFERBOOK BY15 OCTOBER 2026
All prices are per person, twin share, in Australian dollars, land only. Each price includes accommodation, private vehicle and driver, English-speaking guide, entry tickets, permits, park transport, breakfasts and the dinners named in the itinerary. Not included: international flights, visas, travel insurance and personal spending. Early bird prices apply to bookings confirmed with deposit received by 15 October 2026. Guide prices are indicative for the trips shown; your firm quote is issued with your final proposal and is subject to availability at the time of booking.
THE JADE DAYS METHOD
How a journey actually gets made
YOUR MOVE
WE DO THIS
PHASE 1 · INITIAL CONTACT
Your first message
- Tell us your dates, who's travelling and your first ideas
Questionnaire
- We send a short questionnaire
- Your answers become the brief — no brochure involved
Research
- Cross-check your dates against China's seasonal peaks and holidays
- Compare your needs with our on-the-ground experience
- Cross-check candidate hotels, guides and routes in our database
First draft
- Rank the places worth your trip against what has worked for similar travellers
- Send a first draft with route, pacing and highlights
NEXT: PHASE 2
PHASE 2 · FINE-TUNING
Your feedback
- Tell us what excites you and what doesn't
Deeper research
- Re-develop the route around your feedback
- Re-check every stay and connection
- Verify availability and options with our supplier network
Video reporting
- Online meeting with your planner
- Walk you through the route, day by day
- Answer your questions before anything is finalised
Final proposal
- Detail every day: sights, timings, effort labels
- Name every hotel, restaurant and heritage experience
- Attach a firm quote — nothing hidden
NEXT: PHASE 3
PHASE 3 · PRE-DEPARTURE
Your approval
- Approve the final proposal and pay the deposit
Bookings
- Book every hotel, ticket and permit in your names through suppliers we know
- Send written confirmations as they land
- Send your Journey Brief — what to know before China
Pre-departure session
- Install and test the apps you'll need
- Set up payments and messaging on your phones
- Walk you through China first-hand, online or in Sydney
NEXT: PHASE 4
PHASE 4 · ON THE ROAD
Support group
- Open a WhatsApp group with your guide and our team
- Keep it live for the whole journey, staffed by the people who planned it
On the ground
- Your guide and local team beside you every day
- First-hand help with anything, until you're home
RETURN HOME
START THE CONVERSATION
Tell us about your December.
A few details are enough to begin shaping the right route.
Received — thank you.
Your December is on our desk. We'll reply within one business day with first thoughts on the route.