Dali Food Tour: Artisanal Eats and Traditional Drinks

First Stop: Dali, Yunnan Province

Yunnan Province—which literally means “South of the Clouds” due to its location just south of the Tibetan Plateau—is home to some of the most diverse cultures, ecology, and terrain in China. With verdant low-lying valleys, spectacular white-capped mountains, rustic towns and villages, and a lively mix of ethnic minority communities, Yunnan has long inspired poets and travelers alike.

Tucked between Cang Mountain and Erhai Lake, Dali is a Ming-era town that has retained much through the ages. It was once the chief city of Yunnan and the capital of the Nanzhao Kingdom, an empire that at its peak, stood up to the imperial Chinese armies . Though the Nanzhao Kingdom fell long ago, the indigenous Bai ethnic minority who comprised its population still accounts for the majority of the residents of Dali and surrounding villages.

Your Journey Begins

Today is the day, the start of your WildChina adventure. Step off the plane in Dali and meet your local WildChina guide in the airport arrivals hall. They’ll be waiting to welcome you and will have your private vehicle on standby, ready to whisk you off to your hotel for check in.

Welcome Dinner in Dali

Join your fellow guests for a Welcome Dinner. During dinner, you’ll get to know each other, your WildChina guide, and learn more about the journey ahead. Your guide will give a short lecture on the history of Dali and introduce you to the local cultures and customs that we’ll see throughout the trip.

Meals included: dinner

Sunrise at Erhai Lake

Nestled between mountains, 2,000m above sea level, the shimmering waters of Erhai Lake are so vast it is easy to see why in Chinese it is known as a sea. A major source of fish for the Bai, who still use cormorants to help with their catch, Erhai is an otherworldly experience, made especially beautiful at sunrise when the first rays of light turn the reflective waters into a sea of vibrant hues. Get an early start on your day and watch as the world comes alive on this vast lake-side shore.

Flower Cake Lesson

Pluck soft petal from thorny stem at this organic rose plantation and manor nestled in the protective shadow of Mount Cangshan. Petal-picking is possible between May and November when the sea of roses here is in full bloom, but learning about Dali’s unique weather and how it favors the flowers’ growth is a worthwhile experience year-round. Follow up the theory with a practical masterclass on how to transform the petals into a unique style of vibrant cake, shaping, baking and tasting your way through a fragrant experience that takes approximately two hours.

Bai Tea Ceremony

Enter the traditional world of the Bai Tea Ceremony, an important ritual performed at weddings and festivals and governed by strict rules of etiquette. The water is boiled and tea steeped in a clay pot in front of you, before you are given the chance to sip three varieties which range from bitter to sour to sweet, this fixed order itself a metaphor for life’s journey through hardship to happiness.

Zhoucheng Village

A resplendent artisan village resting at the base of Cangshan Mountain, Zhoucheng is a major center of Bai culture renowned for its unique tie-dye products. Alongside the locals, you’ll use indigo-based dyes to transform white cotton fabric into a dazzling variety of patterns and scenes, using the same simple stick tools and rubber bands as their predecessors centuries before.

Meals included: breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Drive to Weishan

The ride from Dali to Weishan will take around 2 hours.

On the Way: Donglianhua Muslim Village

Islamic culture may more often be associated with China’s arid northwest, but in the fertile valleys of western Yunnan is a beautifully preserved village whose inhabitants descend from soldiers who settled here after the Mongol army conquered the area 700 years ago. Mingle with traditionally dressed locals en route to Yunnan’s largest mosque, who are always eager to stop and get to know their rare international guests.

Weishan Old Town

In the midst of overdevelopment in Yunnan’s well known destinations, Weishan Old Town still keeps its original charm. About two hours south of Dali, Weishan’s buildings, as well as the artisan traditions of their residents, keep to the old ways of when the town was a cozy outpost along the ancient Tea and Horse Road. Today you’ll get a taste of the town’s history by learning the unique process of making “one noodle soup”, and then devour your very own bowl.

Meals included: breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Visit Weishan’s Famous Pickle Empire

For decades, Yin Family Pickles has ruled the roost when it comes to pickled vegetables. From daikon radish and black beans in winter to broad beans and string beans in summer, the family business has a recipe for every season. Go behind the scenes to discover what it takes to keep the pickle venture booming, gazing upon rows of jars working their magic and family members busily snipping away at colorful vegetables (and, of course, tasting). You may even be lucky enough to happen upon the pickle empress herself: the entrepreneurial octogenarian Madame Chen.

One Noodle Soup

Today you’ll get a taste of the town’s history by learning the unique process of making “one noodle soup”, and then devour your very own bowl.

Meditate on Weibao Mountain

Step back in time on Weibaoshan, a sacred mountain dotted with ancient Taoist temples, just 70 kilometers from Dali and virtually untouched by modern tourism. Enjoy a moderate hike up the picturesque mountain (2 – 2.5 hrs) before finding tranquility at a temple atop the mountain. Here, sip green tea with a Taoist master as he unveils the mysteries of his religion, before finding out how to balance your yin and yang with a round of tai chi in the spiritual grounds of a temple hidden deep within the forest. Hike the 45 minutes back to your private transport or, for the hiking enthusiasts who want to immerse further in the area’s pristine nature, complete the five-hour return journey to the summit and back.

Meals included: breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Drive to Shaxi

The ride from Weishan to Shaxi will take around 3 hours.

Next Stop: Shaxi

Shaxi, a beautifully preserved market town nestled in the idyllic rural landscape halfway between Lijiang and Dali. The town was once a bustling outpost where horses and tea, among other exotic goods, changed hands en route to Burma and Tibet. With Buddhist grottoes, lively weekend markets, and delightfully simple rural cuisine sourced straight from the surrounding farmland, Shaxi is packed with cultural intrigue and pastoral charm.

Make Authentic Shaxi Cheese

Step into the home of a local cheesemaker’s and discover how region boasts its own unique cheese culture, a remnant of earlier Mongolian influence. Here we get up a close look as the host steams milk on a wood-fired stove before separating the curds from the whey. Wait for your delicious cheese snack to cool and chat with with the host getting to know about the local life in the town.

Meals included: breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Shaxi Market

Friday is market day in Shaxi. Every Friday morning, Yi, Bai, Lisu, Naxi, Hui, and Tibetan ethnic groups from the surrounding mountains gather in town to buy and sell produce, livestock, and handicrafts. Men and women will be dressed in their traditional colorful clothing and we’ll see them carrying large baskets and leading pack horses and mules down the network of narrow lanes leading to Shaxi’s central square.

Hike Through Shibaoshan

The magnificent rock carvings of the 1,300-year-old Shibaoshan Grottoes showcase the dissemination of Mahayana Buddhism along the Tea and Horse Caravan Trail from Tibet to Yunnan province. We uncover each of the five grottoes on a 90-minute hike, new statues waiting in each. Then, we’ll end our hike at the Stone Bell Temple, its curved roofs and red walls clinging to the mountainside.

Stone Dragon Village

Visit Stone Dragon Village where ‘Those who can walk, dance; and those who can talk, sing.’ Meet the region’s Folk Music King and watch a captivating musical performance full of longing and lust, wantonness and excitement.

Bai Feast

A balanced mix of Buddhist and Han cooking traditions, Bai cuisine is noted for its mix of spicy, sour and sweet flavors, hearty meat stews, peppery ham, and flaming hot pots. Recharge over a traditional meal, learn more about Bai culture and customs and hear how their culture was influenced by their role along the Tea and Horse Road.

Meals included: breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Drive to Dali Airport

The ride from Shaxi to Dali airport will take around 2 hours.

Your Flight Back Home

Your WildChina guide will escort you to the airport and help you check in for your flight home.

Meals included: breakfast