Beijing

Beijing, the historic capital and cultural heart of China, is a city where past, present, and future meet. In the past few decades, the city has transformed itself into a modern metropolis with towering skyscrapers, glitzy shopping districts, and multi-lane highways. Nonetheless, Beijing’s centuries-old traditions and stories are still never more than an alley away.

On your journey with us you will tour ancient imperial sites and then, without skipping a beat, wind through traditional neighborhood lanes like a local. You will marvel at the Great Wall as one of the most majestic wonders of the world and have the chance to explore dense markets teeming with pearls, silks, foods, and furniture. Additionally, we can arrange spectacular panoramic views of the city, succulent Peking Duck dinners, and evening theatrical performances of Peking Opera and Kungfu at your request.

Day 1: Upon your arrival, our English speaking local guide will meet you at the arrivals gate holding a sign with your names on it and transfer you to the hotel.

Day 2: In the morning, visit Tiananmen Square, the largest city square in the world, surrounded by China’s most important political institutions. Next, visit the Forbidden City, the ancient home to the imperial family before the 1911 Revolution and a marvelous monument to Chinese architecture. The city contains a magnificent collection of Chinese bronzes, porcelain, paintings, jade and other treasures. The Forbidden City will be followed by a visit to some traditional neighborhoods that date back centuries and lunch with a local family. These neighborhoods or “hutongs” are traditional alleys where communities live in close proximity. The wood and stone craftsmanship in these hutongs are intricate and are not seen anymore in modern Chinese buildings. Later, a rickshaw trip through Beijing’s hutongs will give you a bit of a glimpse of what life was like in ancient Beijing.
In the evening, we have included VIP tickets to the Beijing Opera. Beijing Opera has origins that extend back over 200 years. The Chinese opera is widely regarded as the highest expression of Chinese culture and it is known as one of the three main theatrical systems in the world.

Day 3: Today, join your private car and local guide for a trip to the Great Wall and the Ming Tombs. The Great Wall is one of the great wonders of the world and deservedly so. There is nothing quite like standing on the top tower, looking at the wall snaking its way across the tops of the mountains, and envisioning ancient armies locked in combat. After a brief hike on the Wall, you will have lunch, followed by a visit to the Ming Tombs where the Ming Dynasty’s imperial family is buried. Be impressed by the beauty of the tomb’s location and the tranquility of its surroundings. The selection of the grave sites is based on wind patterns and water levels to ensure that only benevolent spirits will inhabit the area. On your way back to the city, have a short visit to a cloisonné ware factory, which is a famous local craft form. The technique used today of inlaid copper and enamel filling was developed over 500 years ago during the Ming Dynasty. For dinner, we will head back to the city for you to sample Beijing’s most famous delicacy — Peking Duck.

Day 4: Free day for your own exploration. Evening transfer to the train station to board the overnight sleeper train to Luoyang

Luoyang

Luoyang was once China’s capital and is recognized as the cradle of early Chinese civilization. In ancient times Luoyang attracted scholars and intellectuals from all over China resulting in great astronomical discoveries, the invention of paper and the compass, as well as the introduction of Buddhism to China 2000 years ago.

Day 5: Arrive in Luoyang in the morning and be transferred to your hotel for breakfast. Then, visit Longmen Grottoes and the White Horse Temple. The Longmen Grottoes, translated as Dragon Gate Grottoes, are one of the three most famous grottoes in China. The carvings and sculptures were built beginning in the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534) and continued for the next 400 years till the Northern Song Dynasty (960 -1127) and represent the height of Buddhist art. The White Horse Temple is the first Buddhist temple in China, built in 68AD during the Eastern Han Dynasty and thus is an important symbol for the religion in China.

Day 6: Full day excursion to visit the renowned Shaolin Temple – the cradle of Chinese Kungfu. Enjoy a walk through the serene temple grounds and also the Pagoda Forest next to the temple and also a daily kungfu performance by local monks. We will have a vegetarian lunch near the temple. The rest of the evening back in Luoyang is free for your own leisure.

Xi'An

Xi’An, also known as Chang’An in ancient times, is the birthplace of ancient civilization in the Yellow River basin. During Xi’An’s three thousand-year history, 13 dynasties have situated their capitals here. Because of its long history as China’s capital city, Xi’An is considered one of the four major ancient civilization capitals along with Athens, Cairo, and Rome. Today, Xi’An is the capital of Shaanxi province

Day 7: Transfer to the train station and board the train for your trip across the Wei Valley to Xi’An. Upon arrival, transfer to your hotel. The rest of the day is at your leisure.

Day 8: Spend the morning at your leisure. Then with your private car and guide, take a trip to the Terracotta Warriors excavation site and museum for a tour of one of the greatest archeological treasures in the world. There are over 7,000 life size figures in the vault, as well as realistic portraits of the soldiers. A hangar constructed over the site allows visitors to walk around on platforms to view the figures. After lunch the afternoon is free for you to walk through the lively Muslim quarter with all of its scents, colors, and knickknack stalls. In the evening, enjoy a Tang Dynasty dinner show.

Day 9: After breakfast, visit the Shaanxi Museum which has a rich collection of central Chinese artifacts (currently the museum houses about 80,000 pieces). Then visit the Bell Tower situated in the center of the old city and the ancient City Wall. This wall is the best preserved city wall in China. Its history can be traced back to 1370 CE. In the evening, gather for a dumpling dinner, a Xi’An culinary specialty.

Kunming

Kunming is the capital of Yunnan and also the economic and cultural center of this exotic southwestern province. Due to its special geographical conditions, Kunming has spring-like weather all year round. Having a blue sky on most days, comfortable temperatures, and beautiful flora spread throughout the city, Kunming is truly a delightful place for travel in all seasons.

Day 10: Transfer to airport and fly to Kunming today. You will meet your local guide at the airport and transfer to the hotel.

Day 11: Enjoy a free day to explore at your own leisure.

Day 12: Another free day in a beautiful and easy-to-navigate city.

Guilin

The stunning landscape where the city is situated has a kind of magic that captivates all visitors to the place. The bizarrely-shaped hills with the verdant vegetation make Guilin a popular city for travel and sightseeing. Located in the northeast of Guangxi, Guilin is considered to be the pearl of China’s thriving tourist industry.

Day 13: Meet in the hotel and transfer to the airport for your flight to Guilin. Transfer to the hotel upon arrival.

Day 14: After breakfast, transfer to the pier to board an air-conditioned ship for a 4-hour Li River Cruise. Along the way, enjoy the breathtaking scenery of thimble-shaped mountains, rice paddies, villages and fishermen hard at work. A buffet lunch is provided on the cruise. Disembark at Yangshuo and spend the afternoon taking a relaxing stroll or rent bicycles and explore the backroads and local villages of this picturesque region as you ride. We will then drive back to downtown Guilin in the late afternoon. Enjoy the evening in Guilin on your own.

Day 15: Today, we will begin our day tour after breakfast to Reed Flute Cave, the largest and most well-known in Guilin. This is then followed by a trip to the Elephant Trunk Hill at the junction of Li River and Peach Blossom River. In the afternoon, we will transfer to the airport and fly to Shanghai. On arrival, transfer to your hotel.

Suzhou

80 km west of Shanghai, Suzhou is praised as a “paradise on Earth” and is famous for its exquisite gardens and silk production. The city is laced with canals passing through old neighborhoods and under picturesque high-arched “moon bridges” so often seen in Chinese paintings. The classical gardens of Suzhou embody the harmonious principles of Chinese garden construction, dictating that gardens should attempt to create a microcosm of the universe in a confined space.

Day 16: Transfer to the Shanghai train station and take a morning train to Suzhou. Today visit the Zhouzheng Garden, Net Master’s Garden, the Silk Embroidery Research Institute and the New Suzhou Museum designed by I. M. Pei. In the evening, head to Shanghai by train.

Shanghai

An intense vitality and sophistication is in the air in Shanghai. The city offers you the opportunity to see a rapidly modernizing Chinese city at work. Notwithstanding Shanghai’s continued modernization of its infrastructure, lifestyle and availability of consumer goods, the city at the turn of the millennium is, nonetheless, inextricably linked with its colonial past.

In Shanghai, experience the unbridled energy of China’s most stylish and modern city. During your private tour, learn about Shanghai’s history through the architecture of the Bund, the French Concession, Pudong and other districts. Also tour some of China’s best museums, including the Shanghai City Planning Museum. Take in a bit of modernity with a walk through some of the up-and-coming neighborhoods filled with art galleries, design shops and stylish new restaurants.

Day 17: In the morning, visit The Bund, followed by Yuyuan Garden. Have a snack food lunch in a famous local restaurant. In the afternoon, travel to visit the Pudong New Zone, including a bird’s view of Shanghai from the observatory deck of the Oriental TV Tower.

Day 18: Full day for your own exploration

Day 19: Transfer to the airport and fly to Yichang. Board the cruise ship in the evening.

Yangtze River Cruise

Beginning at over 16,000 feet above sea level on the Tibetan plateau, the Yangtze River rushes east for 3,434 miles to the Yellow Sea making it the third longest river in the world. During the course of the cruise, there will be several open activities, including morning tai chi exercises and lectures on Chinese history. On the cruise, you will pass terraced hillsides and villages clinging to the mountains along the river.

Day 20: We will pass the eastern part of Xiling Gorge, which is famous for its bizarrely-shaped cliff faces. Have an afternoon shore excursion at the Three Gorges Dam Project, one of the largest construction projects ever undertaken in the world. In the evening there will be a welcome reception and banquet on board.

Day 21: After passing the western part of Xiling Gorge in the morning, we will enjoy a shore excursion at Shennong Stream. We will pass through Wu Gorge, home of the twelve peaks of the Wu Mountains, and experience a meandering landscape of dazzling peaks and rocks. Late in the afternoon, we will pass through Qutang Gorge, which finds the river carving its way between sheer precipices of overhanging mountains on both sides. Lunch, dinner, and overnight on board.

Day 22: Today, take a shore excursion to visit Fengdu “The City of Ghosts”. While there, listen to some of the legends describing how the city earned its name and then explore the area on your own before re-boarding.

Chongqing

Chongqing, meaning double celebration, is a famous historical and cultural city with more than 3,000 years of history. Overlooking the confluence of the Yangtze and the Jialing Rivers, Chongqing is known throughout China as the “Mountain City” since most of its central area is constructed on the side of a steep mountain. In addition, during World War II, Chongqing was the capital of the Chinese nationalists and served as the American airbase for the Flying Tigers. Today, Chongqing is categorized as a municipality and home to 30 million people and covers an area of 31,600 square miles.

Day 23: Meet your local guide at the port in Chongqing. Then have a short day tour of Chongqing that includes a visit to Eling Park and the Joseph Stilwell WWII Air Museum. In the evening, drive from Chongqing to Chengdu.

Chengdu

The capital of Sichuan province, Chengdu covers an area of 12,390 square kilometers and has a population of about 10 million. The fertile region has seen Chengdu as a center of culture, economics, and politics throughout history. Today, it is the focus of commerce, transportation, and science and technology for southwest China. Chengdu is famous for its simmering hotpot meals, the panda research center, and smooth relaxing pace of life.

Day 24: Full day excursion to visit the Giant Panda Breeding & Research Center to see China’s most beloved animal. After, we will visit the Sanxingdui Archeological Museum that houses remarkable artifacts dating back to the 12th to 11th centuries BCE.

Day 25: Free day – Optional Excursion to LeShan: The Leshan Giant Buddha is the tallest stone buddha statue in the world, facing the sacred Mount Emei.

Lhasa

Lhasa with its impressive cultural and religious heritage is one of the most mysterious cities in the world. Isolated for so long because of its remoteness and altitude, it is slowly opening up as transportation becomes more accessible. Ancient home to the Dalai Lama, Lhasa is filled with a spiritual energy not found in any other part of the world.

Day 26: Transfer to airport and fly to Lhasa. Upon arrival, we will transfer to the hotel. The rest of the day is free for you to acclimatize to the altitude.

Day 27: After breakfast at the hotel, meet your local guide and visit the central structure of Tibet, the Potala Palace. The palace was built in the 17th century by the Dalai Lama and is set on a hill overlooking the city. The palace is an architectural wonder with thousands of colorfully painted rooms, chapels with silk brocade banners, and religious statues. After the palace, we will visit Jokhang Temple. This temple is one of the main pilgrimage sites for Tibetan Buddhists. Approaching the temple, we will see some of these pilgrims lighting candles and lamps, and others carrying offerings of food into the temple where they go to worship. On our tour through the temple, we will see its numerous chapels wrapped in colorful banners and the large golden Buddhist symbols that cap the building. After lunch at a local restaurant, we finish our first full day in Tibet with a trip to the Barkhor Market. At the market, enjoy the stimulating sights, sounds and fragrances of Tibetan commerce. The market is full of herbs, spices, dried fruits and nuts from all over Asia; glittering brass, bronze & copper religious objects; hand-woven piled carpets; yak butter; hand-painted religious scrolls; bright prayer flags; and much more.

Day 28: Full day is free for your own exploration

Day 29: Transfer to the airport for your departure from Lhasa. Service ends.