Day by Day Itinerary
Day 01: Beijing Arrival
Flight Information:
Welcome to China. Upon arrival, our local guide will take you to your downtown hotel. The rest of the day is on your own to explore the city.
Day 02: Beijing (B+L+D)
Sightseeing: Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven.
Special Experience: Enjoy Beijing's famous Peking Opera at the Liyuan Theatre.
Today you will visit the Tiananmen Square which is considered as the largest square of the world. Subsequently, you visit the Forbidden City, the most complete imperial palace in China. And later you will also pay a visit to the Temple of Heaven. Temple of Heaven was built in the year 1420 and symbolized the meaning that the emperor can contact with the sky through it.
Tonight, enjoy a Peking Duck Dinner in a famous restaurant.
In the evening you will enjoy Beijing's famous Peking Opera at the Liyuan Theatre, the biggest and most famous traditional Peking Opera theatre in China. Peking opera is not just a singing drama, but is an ancient ingenious and colorful combination of elements from many sources: traditional music, poetry, singing, recitation, dancing, acrobatics, and traditional martial arts.
Day 03: Beijing (B+L)
Sightseeing: the Badaling Great Wall, the National Stadium (Bird's Nest), the National Aquatics Center.
Special Experience: Enjoy Beijing's most famous dish the Peking Roast Duck for dinner.
Today you will have a visit to the majestic Great Wall (Badaling section) and Sacred Road, which is a path lined with stone statues of animals, mystical beasts and officials who will serve the emperor in the afterlife.
On your way back from the Great Wall, you will drive around the main Olympic venues for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the National Stadium (Bird's Nest) where the Opening and Closing Ceremonies will be held, and the National Aquatics Center nicknamed "the Water Cube" for its unique design. Feel free to take some beautiful picture of these stadiums.
Enjoy Beijing's most famous dish, Peking Roast Duck for dinner.
Day 04: Beijing – Xian (B+L)
Sightseeing: Summer Palace, Lama Temple.
Flight Information:MU2104 14:55/17:00
Today you will start the day with a trip to the Summer Palace, which has a history of over 800 years. All the man-made hills, halls, pavilions and temples, including Kunming Lake and Longevity Hill, blend together harmoniously in spite of their individual styles. After lunch, you will also pay a visit to the Lama Temple. It is a typical Tibetan Monastery in Beijing and reveals various architectural styles from Han, Mongolia, Manchuria and Tibet, and the impressive 60-foot Maitreya Buddha, carved form a single sandalwood tree.
After visiting Lama Temple, you will make a beeline for the airport to take a flight to Xian and transfer to the downtown hotel. The rest tme will be free in Xian City.
Day 05 Xi'an (B+L+D)
Sightseeing: Terracotta Warriors, Xian's Ancient City Walls, the Bell Tower.
Special Experience: With a savory dumpling dinner and the Tang Dynasty Show.
On this day, you will visit the incredible Terracotta Warriors that have been guarding China's first emperor for more than 2,000 years. After lunch, you will take a trip to visit Xian's Ancient City Walls, the best preserved ancient city walls in the world, and the Bell Tower.
Complete the day with a savory dumpling dinner and the Tang Dynasty show both located at Shaanxi Grand Opera Theatre.
--The Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses are the most significant archeological excavations of the 20th century. Work is ongoing at this site, which is around 1.5 kilometers east of Emperor Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum, Lintong County, Shaanxi Province. It is a sight not to be missed by any visitor to China.
Upon ascending the throne at the age of 13 (in 246 BC), Qin Shi Huang, later the first Emperor of all China, had begun to work for his mausoleum. It took 11 years to finish. It is speculated that many buried treasures and sacrificial objects had accompanied the emperor in his after life. A group of peasants uncovered some pottery while digging for a well nearby the royal tomb in 1974. It caught the attention of archeologists immediately. They came to Xian in droves to study and to extend the digs. They had established beyond doubt that these artifacts were associated with the Qin Dynasty (211-206 BC).
Day 06 Xi'an
Sightseeing: Shaanxi Provincial Museum, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda.
After breakfast, you will tour the city of Xian, and visit the Shaanxi Provincial Museum, which houses one of the most magnificent collections of ancient Chinese artifacts in China, and the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, a temple which houses sutras brought back from India.
In the afternoon, your private guide will escort you to the airport for your flight to Beijing. Upon arriving at Beijing airport, your personal guide will meet you and escort you to your hotel. The rest of the day is yours to relax, or explore the city on your own.
Day 07: Xian – Lhasa (B+L)
Flight Information:MU2335 12:30/15:20
In the morning, you will depart for a flight to Lhasa and transfer to the hotel. Then take a rest in order to acclimatize to the high altitude in preparation for the next few days tour
--Lhasa, the capital of China's Tibet Autonomous Region, has a history of more than 1,300 years. It is the political, economic, cultural and transportation center of the region. With a population of 400,000, Lhasa covers an area of 30,000 square km, in which the downtown covers 544 square km and holds a population of 140,000. Tibetan ethnic group makes up 87 percent of the total population; the rest consists of Han, Hui and other ethnic groups.
Located at the center of the Tibet Plateau and the bottom of a small basin surrounded by mountains, Lhasa has an elevation of 3,650 meters. The altitude results in the low atmosphere pressure and less oxygen contents in air. However, the wet summer makes the air pressure comparatively high, and is the best season for visitors.
Day 08: Lhasa (B+L)
Sightseeing: Potala Palace, Norbulingka Palace, Sera Monastery.
In the morning, you will visit the most well-known landmark of Tibet, the Potala Palace, which is famous for its grand buildings, complicated constructions, devotional atmosphere and splendid artworks.
Afterwards, you will visit Norbulingka Palace, meaning 'Treasure Park' in Tibetan. Then you will also pay a visit to Sera Monastery. It is one of three famous monasteries in Lhasa along with the Drepung Monastery and Ganden Monastery.
Day 09: Lhasa (B+L)
Sightseeing: Jokhang Temple, Barkhor Street, Drepung Monastery.
Today you'll start from the spiritual center of Tibetan Buddhism - Jokhang Temple. With an area of 25,100 square meters (about six acres), it is the ultimate pilgrimage destination for Tibetan Pilgrims. Afterwards, you will visit Barkhor Street, which is a very ancient round street surrounding the Jokhang Temple.
As a symbol of Lhasa, this street is also a must-see place for the tourists. After visiting Barkhor Street, you will proceed to Drepung Monastery. Drepung Monastery is known as the most important monastery of Gelugpa in Tibetan Buddhism.
Day 10: Lhasa –Shangri La (B+L+D)
Sightseeing: the Ganden Sumtseling Monastery, the Old Town of Shangri La and the Guishan Park.
Special Experience: Taste the butter oil and Tibetan food, Tibetan home-made.
Flight Information:MU5838 11:25/13:05
Visit a Tibetan family on the way to the airport. Take a flight to Shangri-La and transfer to the hotel.
In the morning, we'll visit the Ganden Sumtseling Monastery, the largest Tibetan monastery in Yunnan. And afterwards we'll visit the Old Town of Shangri La and the Guishan Park.Tibetan home made at night and have dinner in Tibetan family with butter oil tea and Tibetan food.
--Shangri-La is the "Eden in dream". Since it first appeared in British novelist James Hilton’s Lost Horizon in the 1939, it has been associated with the mystique of a place which could not possibly exist here on Earth. In Tibetan, Shangri-La means the "sun and moon in heart", an ideal home only found in heaven. There the lofty and continuous snowy mountains, endless grasslands, steep and grand gorges, azure lakes and the bucolic villages always leave a deep impression on visitors.
Located at point where Tibet, Sichuan and Yunnan all meet, Shangri-La County is administered by Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province. In the past, Shangri-La was called Zhongdian or "Jiantang" in Tibetan. In ancient times, it together with Batang (in Tibet) and Litang (in Sichuan) was the fiefdom of the three sons of a Tibetan King. In 2002, Zhongdian changed its name to Shangri-La.
Day 11 Shangri La-Tiger Leaping Gorge-Lijiang (B+L+D)
Sightseeing: the First Bend of the Yangtze River, ShiguTown, Tiger Leaping Gorge.
From Shangri-La, we'll drive about 100KM to the Tiger Leaping Gorge, the deepest gorge in the world. With 34 rapids of the Yangtze River, it is called the Jinsha in this area because we can find gold in the river. Afternoon, we'll head for Shangri-La, the former Zhongdian. Upon arrival in Shangri La, we will have entered the Tibetan cultural area and a landscape of barley fields and yaks scattered in the valleys.
After lunch continue the driving 50KM more to visit the First Bend on the Yangtze River with imposing gorge scenery, and the Iron Chain Bridge in the Stone Drum town. The town of Stone Drum got its name from a large, cylindrical, marble tablet shaped like a drum.The scenery is magnificent as the road running through the Lijiang valley which is filled with wheat fields and drying haystacks.
Drive 60KM more to Lijiang. Explore Lijiang Old Town at night.
Day 12 Lijiang-Jade Dragon Snow Mountain-Lijiang (B)
Sightseeing: Yulong Snow Mountain, Yak Meadow, White Water River Terrace, Bisha Village.
Special Experience: Enjoy Naxi Orchestral and Show in Dongba Palace at night.
We'll visit Ganhaizi Meadow, Baishui River; visit the Yak Meadow(3700M) in the Yulong Snow Mountain by chairlift. The Jade Dragon Snow Mountain is the second highest mountain in Yunnan Province,about 5596 meters high, which is a holy mountain or Naxi ethnic people.Access to the Yak Meadow by a chairlift,walk about 500 meters to the Lamaist Monastery,and walk around the meadow to see the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.
In the afternoon, we'll stroll through Baisha Village, which is an enchanting traditional Yunnan village,Visit the Baisha Mural about 600 years old; After Baisha,we’ll head for the scenic Black Dragon Pool and the Dongba Museum to explore the rich Naxi minority culture.
After dinner, we will attend the Naxi Orchestral and Show in Dongba Palace.
Day 13 Lijiang (B)
Optional Sightseeing: Shuhe Old Town, Lion Hil and Wangu Pagoda, Mu Chieftain’s Palace.
The whole day free in Lijiang Old Town, and explore the Naxi ethnic life by yourself.
(Optional Tour) Shuhe Old Town is a charming town to visit for every clients, because there is a traditional Naxi village where we can enjoy the drinking and food at the bank of the river in the farmland. You can rent a bike in Lijiang Old Town and ride to Shu about 5KM away from the Lijiang Old Town.
In the afternoon, you can visit the Wangu Pagoda on the top of the Lion Hill behind Lijiang Old Town, here you will have a wonderful panoramic view of Lijiang Old Town. We will walk down from the Lion Hill to Mu Chieftain’s Palace which is the local chieftain’s former residence.
Day 14 Lijiang-Dali by private van (B+L+D)
Sightseeing: Shaping Bai Ethnic Market, the Three-pagoda in Chongshen Monastery, Dali Old Town.
After breakfast, travel (200 km - 4 hrs) south on the old road to the ancient city of Dali, Dali, a historically and culturally famous city of China, is renowned for her historical interest. If this day happens to fall on a Monday we will call in at Shaping for a visit to the colourful Bai market.
In Dali we will visit the Three-pagoda in Chongshen Temple, which is a typical historical symbol of Yunnan. It is also one of the oldest sublime architecture in South China. At last, we will walk around the Old Dali Town, which is located at the foot of Cangshan Mountain.
Day 15 Dali (B+L+D)
Sightseeing: the Erhai Lake Cruise, Xizhou Town, Zhoucheng Village and Bai Tie-Dyed Cloth Work Shop.
Special Experience: Taste the Bai Three Course Tea and enjoy Bai Tea Art with ethnic dance and music.
In the morning, We'll travel in the Erhai Lake by boat and visit Jinsuo Island. After landing, we will head for Xizhou Town to fully appreciate Bai-style architecture, taste their fragrant three-course tea and explore their distinctive culture.At last,you will visit Zhoucheng Town, and Bai people's Tie-Dyed Cloth Work Shop.At night we will take the flight to Kunming.
---Tie-dyed Cloth is generally called "Colorful Tied - Cloth". It was an ancient skill of dyeing originating from the interior of China.
The materials used are white pure cotton or white fabric of cotton and flax. The colorant of dyeing is indigo - blue extracted from dyeing -yielding herbs. The procedures include designing, painting, tying with thread, dip - dyeing, removing thread, poaching and trimming. Blue and dotted with white flowers, the cloth looks elegant and vivid. The patterns of the cloth are usually the ordinary flowers, birds, insects and fish.
Now, Zhouchen in Dali Town has become the main producing place of the cloth.
Day 16 Kunming-Stone Forest-Kunming (B+L+D)
Sightseeing: the Stone Forest, Kunming City Tour, the Green Lake, the Flower and Bird Market.Special Experience (Optional): Taste the typical Yunnan food which is named Bridge crossing Noodles
Drive 90km to Stone Forest (called Shi Lin in Chinese). There is a saying "it is a waste of time without being in Stone Forest while visiting Kunming". It is the most remarkable nature phenomena, which is consisting of innumerable bizarre shaped ancient limestone cliffs and peaks created by wind and water erosion some 270 million year ago.
After lunch drive back Kunming , we will take a leisurely stroll along the Green Lake, a charming area of teahouses and small boutiques selling handicrafts and beautiful local paintings.
Late afternoon we will visit the Flower and Bird Market.
Day 17 Kunming-Chongqing-Yangtze (B+L+D)
Sightseeing: Goose Neck Park, Ciqikou Old Town, Panda Room in Chongqing Zoo.
Flight Information:MU5883 08:10/09:20
Take the morning flight to Chongqing.
We will visit Chongqing which is well known as the Mountain City. Visit the Goose Neck Park, Ciqikou Old Town and Panda Room in Chongqing Zoo. We will visit Chongqing which is well known as the Mountain City. Visit the Goose Neck Park, Ciqikou Old Town and Panda Room in Chongqing Zoo. After having a rich buffet dinner at 4-star hotel, Holiday Inn Yangtze, drive to the dock for the Yangtze River Cruise and Check in at the deluxe German-made cruise ship to stay overnight.
- Goose Neck Park: Very popular with the locals who come here to enjoy the gardens, play Mahjohngg, make music or just relax. Nice views over the river and Chongqing, there are also a number of interesting buildings and former Embassies in the grounds, plus an enormous long painting of the Yangtze.
- Ciqikou Old Town: This lively old area has been partly restored, and remains an authentic and busy community. The old wooden houses and narrow streets furthest from the river are mostly unimproved, closer to the river there are craft and souvenir shops, teahouses and music, and lots of local food and snacks. The locals certainly love their food – this is a good chance to try some.
- Panda Room in Chongqing Zoo: Here you can see Giant pandas, Lesser pandas, Golden hair monkeys, South China Tigers and some other national protected animals.
Day 18: Yangtze Cruise (B+L+D)
Sightseeing: Fengdu Ghost City, Shibaozhai.
Shore excursion to Fengdu or Shibaizhai
--Fengdu is where the devil lives, according to Chinese legend. They say that spirits go to heaven, and evil goes to Fengdu. The town is overlooked by Ming Shan Hill, home of Tianzi, the King of the Dead. The whole place has an eerie feel to it with deserted streets, tower blocks, empty shops and banks. The only people here are those who make a living from visiting cruise boats.
-- Shibaozhai architecture consists of three parts: the gate, the pagoda and the temple on the top. A nine story red wooden pagoda with upturned eaves 50m high, dates back to the Qing Dynasty. Stairs to the top give a magnificent view over the river.
Day 19: Yangtze Crusie (B+L+D)
Sightseeing: Shennong Stream.
On this day you will have an excursion to Shennong Stream, where you will drift along the river on a traditional sampan and be astounded by the natural Scenery that surrounds you, or have an excursion to the Lesser Three Gorges, where three smaller gorges will give visitors a sense of awe as the natural scenic wonders unfold in front of you. The ship company will decide which excursion you will take.
--Shennong Stream is another tributary of the Yangtze River, and its fast-flowing, crystal clear water runs southwards through deep gorges. The stream races past large and small karst caves, flocks of swallows, sheer cliffs, deep gorges, waterfalls, three-colored springs, rapids, the ancient plank path, a suspended coffin in the cliff, groups of ancient tombs and marvelous karst formations.
Accommodations: On the ship
Day 20: Yichang – Shanghai (B+L)
Sightseeing: Three Gorges Dam.
Flight Information: MU5460 16:40/18:25
Shore excursion to Three Gorges Dam. Disembarks at Yichang city at around 1 p.m. afterwards, take flight to Shanghai and transfer to the downtown hotel.
---Three Gorges Dam, the largest water conservancy project ever undertaken by man and it has been a dream for several generations of Chinese people. The construction of the dam formally began in 1994. The body of the dam was completed in 2003, and the whole construction will be competed in 2009. It will be 2,335 meters long, 185 meters high, 18 meters wide on the top and 130 meters wide at the bottom. The tourists can get access to the top of the dam and enjoy different kinds of photo opportunities.
Day 21: Shanghai (B+L)
Sightseeing: Yu Yuan garden, Jade Buddha Temple, Shanghai Xin Tian Di.
Special Experience: Enjoy a wonderful Acrobatic Show.
In the morning, you visit the Yu Yuan garden, a former private garden, called work of art, designs with different styles of the traditional Chinese horticulture art. After lunch continue to visit the Jade Buddha Temple, which is renowned for a 2m-tall Buddha carved from a single piece of white jade, brought to China by a Burmese monk in 1822. Then you will stroll along Shanghai Xin Tian Di, which has become an urban tourist attraction that holds the historical and cultural legacies of the city.
In the evening you will enjoy a wonderful Acrobatic Show, one of China's oldest performing arts, acrobatics have absorbed features of opera dance and martial art, making it a truly unique art form.
Day 22: Shanghai (B+L)
Sightseeing: Shanghai Museum, Oriental Pearl TV Tower, the Bund, Nanjing Road.
Today you will start the day with a trip to visit the Shanghai Museum, which is a veritable treasure house of ancient Chinese art and houses 120,000 precious relics. Afterward, you will also pay a visit to Oriental Pearl TV Tower. The tower becomes Shanghai's new landmark and a big magnet for tourists with its unique design composed of balls and columns.
In the late afternoon, you will visit the picturesque Bund. Extending for 1.5 km on the shore of the Huangpu River, the Bund is a symbol of China’s prosperous future and Shanghai’s international past. Then you will stroll along the Nanjing Road, which is considered as one of the World's Seven Great Roads in the 1930s and always mentioned in travel guides as a must see of China tour.
Day 23: Shanghai-Departure (B)
Flight Information:
The morning is at your leisure before boarding your flight back home.
- Accommodation with daily breakfast as indicated in the hotel list as below;
- Chinese lunches and dinners as listed in the itinerary;
- All land transfers & transportation with private air-conditioned coach;
- All transfers and sightseeing with skilled English-speaking tour guide;
- All entrance fees as mentioned in the itinerary;
- Domestic air tickets fares with airport tax and fuel extra fee based on
economy class mentioned in the program
- Service charge and all government taxes;
- Luggage transfers between airport and hotels;
- Travel Agency’s Responsibility Insurance coverage.
- Any arrival and departure international airfares or train tickets;
- Any meals which are not specified in the tour itinerary.
- Chinese visa fees;
- Excess baggage charged by Airlines;
- Single room supplement;
- Tips to guides and drivers;
- Personal expenses and gratuities to service staff.
- Personal travel accident insurance.
- All optional programs;
- The economy-class airfare of China flights as specified in the itinerary.
- The hotel/cruise accommodation is based on two persons sharing one standard twin room/cabin with private facilities in all relevant locations. If a single client requests a twin room/cabin alone, the single room/cabin supplement will be charged.
- For the land tour in each city, daily American breakfast is served in the hotel, and Chinese lunch and/or dinner will be served with two cups of soft drink outside the hotel. All meal arrangements are served as the itinerary specifies.
- On the cruise daily American breakfast, lunch and dinner are served. The beverage arrangements are subject to policies of
