The scenic spot of the Precious Stone Mountain belongs to Laojun Mountains. There are Buddha Top Mountain, Stone Umbrella Mountain and Stone Bell Mountain with the highest altitude of 3083 meters and a circumference of more than 30 kilometers. 1) there are minicars in the Street of Woodcarvings in Jianchuan County by which you can get to the gate of the Scenic Spot of Precious Stone Mountain. This will cost you about 40 yuan. They can put you up in the Tongming Cabinet of Xuankong Temple. This will cost you 20 yuan per person. There is a highway connecting Xuankong Temple with Shizhong Temple. If local people are willing to guide you, you can also walk along the mountain road. In the parking lot in front of the Shizhong Temple you can also get board and lodging. There are also buffets, public telephones, and so on.
The three thousand meter or 10,100 feet high Shibaoshan Mountain has three peaks, more than ten Yi villages in the high elevations, and Shibaoshan Nature Reserve that is 2667 hectares (10 square miles) that protects pristine areas and the diverse species of plants and animals that live there. Since the area is not a major tourist destination in China, the area is good for hiking and finding quiet places to enjoy nature. Shibaoshan Nature Reserve is a scenic highlight where you can walk through old forests.
There are verdant forests, groups of rock caves and unique temples. The rock caves on the Precious Mountain are the southernmost rock cave groups in China. They embody the amalgamation of Han culture and Tibet Culture. There are not many statues in the caves; however, the statues here are very famous because they are made carefully and delicately, and have unique features of local minorities. The rock cave group here is one of the eight large-scale rock cave groups in China. The main sights on the Precious Stone Mountain are Haiyun Villa, Baoxiang Temple, the Rock Caves on Stone Bell Mountain, and so on.
The Shaxi Valley is midway between the major tourist destinations of Lijiang and Bali, so travel isn t difficult. About the easiest and quickest way to travel there is on the road by bus, private car or taxi. A road connects Lijiang and Dali, and the valley is west of the road. A side road that enters the valley intersects with the main road at the little town of Diannan. The distance from Diannan to Shaxi is about 25 kilometers. There is also bus service from the town of Jinchuan on the main road 9 kilometers north of Diannan. Travel from Dali to Shaxi takes about 3 and a half or 4 hours. Travel from Lijiang to Shaxi takes about three hours. Travel from Kunming takes about 9 hours.
You can also take a cruise boat from Jianchuan or even from as far away as Dali to see the countryside. From Jianchuan, buses head for Xiaguan Airport in the modern district of Dali. The flight from Dali to Kunming takes 45 minutes.
Tips:
2) the sights on the Precious Stone Mountain spread around. If you don't want to rent a car, you will have to spend two days to finish them all.
you can take the buses to Jianchuan in Dali, and then get off in Diannan.