Virgin Landscape

Your guide will greet you at the Arrival Hall of the airport once you pass through passport control and baggage reclaim. You will be escorted to the hotel in a comfortable drive, and as the remainder of the day is free, you can either relax or get prepared for the 12 days guided tour of China.
 
Accommodation: The Great Wall Hotel Beijing - the former Sheraton

After breakfast at the hotel, you will start the escorted China tour with a visit to the famous Tiananmen Square. It is the world's grandest public square and can accommodate one million people. With a history of more than 500 years, it has witnessed the vicissitudes of ancient dynasties as well as the country's development in modern times. After a brief stroll around the square, we take a short walk to the magnificent Forbidden City. It is one of the famous 'World's Five Palaces' and covers an area of 720 thousand square meters with more than 8,000 halls and rooms. Visiting the Forbidden City, you will definitely be awed by the splendor of this incomparable masterpiece. 

Around noon, rather than using the cheap tourist restaurants favored by most travel agencies, we will take you for an a la carte welcome lunch (valued at CNY150.00 per person and included in our price) at a well-known, high-quality local restaurant, where you will enjoy real Chinese dishes and taste the Peking Roast Duck. 

The journey continues with a visit to the Temple of Heaven, the royal altar of the Ming and Qing dynasties. It was here that the emperor who was regarded as the 'Son of Heaven' worshiped and prayed for heaven's blessing. In the evening, an exciting Chinese Kung Fu Show at the Red Theater will conclude your day.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, A la carte welcome lunch

The morning excursion will take you to the Great Wall at Mutianyu, one of the greatest man-made projects in the world. Set among cliffs and steep terrain, the Mutianyu Great Wall area was an important military pass and as such needed a barrier to protect the capital Beijing during the Ming Dynasty. We will arrange the cable car ride for you up and down from the mountain.

It takes effort to complete the wall visit and the tourist restaurants there are not up to our service standard, so we suggest you have a generous breakfast at the hotel this morning and have some fast food for lunch on your own. Your guide will be glad to offer you some suggestions.

Finally, we will pay a visit to a vibrant local market in the downtown area.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

After breakfast, follow your guide to visit the Summer Palace. Occupying 300 hectares, it is the largest and most beautiful royal garden in the country and is also known as 'the Museum of the Imperial Garden'. Then, we will pass by the Olympic National Stadium (Bird's Nest) with a photo stop.

Around noon, we will take you to an elegant local restaurant for your a la carte lunch (valued at CNY150.00 per person and included in our price). After lunch, you will have a special rickshaw tour in Hutong to explore the ancient alleys and courtyards of traditional Beijing. Additionally, you will get a chance to learn the Chinese paper cutting during your Hutong visit.

Later in the afternoon, you will take a flight to Xi'an, where your local English-speaking guide will greet you at the airport and transfer you to the hotel along with an experienced driver.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, A la carte lunch
Accommodation: Sheraton Hotel

Today we spend the whole morning at the Terracotta Army to see the lifelike statues that stood guard over the tomb of the First Emperor, now acknowledged as a wonder of the world. The Terracotta Army is one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of all time.

Around noon, you will be served a home-cooked a la carte lunch (valued at CNY120.00 per person and included in our price) at the house of a local family. This will offer you an opportunity to meet with the local residents and learn to cook Chinese food with the hostess, which is an event that is always very popular among our guests. 

Afterwards, you will visit the Small Wild Goose Pagoda and Xi'an Museum. The pagoda has endured for more than a thousand years, while, it is still elegantly standing in the park. This is a nice place for photographs, and its peace and quiet environment can keep you away from the noise of the city. Young people like to wear old dynasty costumes and take photos here. Tonight, you will have a famous Dumpling Dinner while enjoying the fantastic Tang Dynasty Music and Dance Show.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Home-cooked a la carte lunch, Dumpling dinner

The morning excursion will start with a visit to the City Wall Park, where you can have a great time experiencing local people's life and even join them. Here we arrange a special Tai Chi class for you to practice. Then we visit another famous attraction, the ancient City Wall. Situated in the central part of the city, the Xi'an City Wall was built during the Ming Dynasty based on the design of the imperial city of the earlier Tang period. Built for the defense of the city, the wall is wider than its height which gives it great stability. If you are interested, you may also ride a bike on the wall. The bike rental charge is not included. An a la carte lunch (valued at CNY120.00 per person and included in our price) is reserved for you at a top local restaurant. 

In the afternoon, you will pay a visit to the Shaanxi History Museum and the famous age-old Great Mosque. It is one of the largest of the four Islamic mosques in China and features the Ming and Qing dynasties architecture. Around the mosque, there is a Muslim Street which is the most famous food street in the city.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, A la carte lunch

This morning you will be escorted to the airport for a flight to Guilin. Your local guide will greet you at Guilin airport and drive you to the hotel for a 2-night stay. Today's itinerary includes the Reed Flute Cave and the Elephant Trunk Hill. The Reed Flute Cave is full of surprises as you walk through the 500 meters or so surrounded by stalagmites and stalactites. These natural formations have a variety of shapes resembling flowers, trees and animals. 

Meals: Western buffet breakfast
Accommodation: Guilin Grand Bravo Hotel

Guilin is a very popular tourist venue due to its unique and elegant scenery that is best viewed from the Li River. Today you will get the chance to enjoy the Li River scenery by cruising down to Yangshuo. The amazing landscape unfolds as you pass along the Li River, appearing just like a three dimensional Chinese ink wash painting in full color.

After you disembark at Yangshuo in about 4.5 hours, we will take you to visit the West Street. You can wander around the quaint shops and café-lined streets there. Then we will venture further along country roads into the scenic countryside, and immerse into the peaceful rural villages and rice paddies. Differing from the bustling city, the pastoral and picturesque rural scenery around Yangshuo is quite pleasant and makes you feel comfortably relaxed. A villager's home visit will be arranged on the way and you will get to know more about the local farmers' life. Finally, we will transfer you back to Guilin.

Tips: We suggest you have a larger breakfast at the hotel since the box lunch on the cruise is likely not to your taste. It also fails to meet our serving standard.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch

This morning is free on your own. Your hotel is ideally situated in both the Ronghu Lake and Shanhu Lake scenic area. So you can wander beside the lakes and see a different aspect of this spellbinding city. When lunch time approaches, you may dine at one of the delicate local eateries, which we believe will ensure you a pleasant experience.

In the afternoon, we will transfer you to the railway station and help you board the high speed train to Kunming. The train ride takes around 5 hours. Good company shortens the miles. It is a good idea to bring some snacks, prepare music and a movie device for this train journey. Your friendly guide and driver will meet you in Kunming and transfer you to the hotel.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast
Accommodation: Jinjiang Hotel

After a hotel buffet breakfast, we will head for a highlight attraction in Kunming - the Stone Forest. It is a cluster of black and grey limestone, a kind of karst landform, looking like a forest made of stone. Then we take a 3.5-hour high speed train to Lijiang. You may pack some snacks or fruits in advance for the train journey and taking a nap on the train is also good option. The local guide and driver will greet and transfer you to the hotel.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Ivy Garden Hotel Resorts

Lijiang, a characteristic old town, differs from other ancient towns due to its ethnic Naxi People, with their profound history and unique architecture. It will definitely appeal to those with a taste for canals with crystal mountain water running through an old town, where ladies and girls are dressed in traditional clothes, and there are brown wooden houses with grey tiled roofs. 

Today we will take you to experience this charming town by visiting the Baisha Village, a local Naxi family, Baisha Murals, the Old Town of Shuhe and Tea-Horse Road Musuem. Late in the afternoon, you will walk along the cobbled streets and enjoy the relaxing atmosphere of the Square Street of Lijiang Old Town.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch

Your 12 days China itinerary ends today. After breakfast, please check out of the hotel before 12:00pm and make your own arrangement for a taxi to the airport. Lijiang airport is about 27 kilometers away from the hotel and it will take at least 40 minutes to drive there. Please ensure you leave in good time to catch your departure flight.

There are still more in Lijiang to explore, such us the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, the Tiger Leaping Gorge, and from Lijiang, it is easier to get to Shangri-la, a beautiful and peaceful Tibetan world. If you want to extend your trip, we will gladly assist.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast