Ancient Countryside

Arrival in Beijing We will be waiting to meet you at the Arrivals Hall of the airport once you have passed through passport control and retrieve baggage. You will be escorted by your guide to your hotel and as the remainder of the day is free on your own. O/N hotel

Beijing After breakfast at the hotel, you will meet your guide to start your China tour with a visit to the famous Tian’anmen 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 and the country’s development of modern times. After a brief stroll around the square, we take the 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 8000 halls and rooms. Visiting the Forbidden City, you will definitely be awed by the splendor of this incomparable masterpiece. Around noon, rather than use the cheap tourist restaurants favored by most travel agencies, we will take you for an a la carte 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. 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. O/N hotel

Beijing The morning excursion will take you to the Great Wall at Badaling, one of the greatest man-made projects in the world. Set among cliffs and steep terrain, the Badaling Great Wall was an important military pass and a barrier to protect the capital, Beijing, during the Ming dynasty. Followed is a visit to a jade factory. It is an effort to climb up the wall and the tourist restaurants there provide poor meals, which 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 by yourself. Then, you will proceed to the Sacred Way. Finally, on the way back to the downtown area, you will pass by the Bird’s Nest Stadium for a photo stop. O/N hotel

Beijing – Xian Your visit today starts with the Summer Palace and a pearl store later. Occupying 300 hectares, it is the largest and most beautiful royal garden of the country and is also known as “The Museum of the Imperial Garden”. Around noon, we will take you to a nice local restaurant for your a la carte lunch. In the afternoon, you will have a special rickshaw tour of a Hutong to explore the ancient alleys and courtyards of traditional Beijing neighborhood. Transfer to the airport for your flight to Xian. Arrival pick up at the airport in Xian and transfer you to your hotel. O/N Hotel

Xian Today we spend the whole morning at the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum 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. Then we go to a pottery-making factory. Around noon, you will be served a home-cooked a la carte lunch at the home of a local family. This will offer you a chance to meet with the local residents and is an event that is always very popular with our guests. Afterwards, you will visit the Small Wild Goose Pagoda and Xian Museum. The graceful Small Wild Goose pagoda has endured for more than a thousand years. In the Museum, you will see displays of precious relics, illustrating the history, culture and glory of this ancient capital city. Tonight, you will have the famous Dumpling Dinner while enjoying the fantastic Tang Dynasty Music and Dance Show. Tips: Clients visiting in December, January, February and March will arrange the dinner and evening activity on their own for this day, since the theater will not be open at that time. O/N Hotel

Xian You will visit another famous attraction, the ancient City Wall. Situated in the central part of the city, Xian City Wall was built during the Ming Dynasty based on the design of the imperial city of the Tang period. Built for defense of the city, the wall is wider than it is high which gives it great stability. If you are interested, you may also ride a bike on the wall. Then you will pay a visit to the Shaanxi History Museum. 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 move on to visit the famous and age-old Great Mosque. It is one of largest of the four Islamic mosques in our country and features Ming and Qing dynasty architecture. Meals included: Western buffet breakfast, A la carte lunch

Xian – Guilin This morning you will board a flight to Guilin. Meet you at the airport and drive you to the hotel for a 2-night stay. Today’s itinerary includes the Reed Flute Cave. 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 included: Western buffet breakfast Accommodation: Guilin Bravo hotel or Sheraton Hotel

Guilin – Yangshuo – Guilin Guilin is a very popular tourist venue due to its unique and elegant scenery that is best viewed from the Li River. Today we will give you the chance to enjoy the Li River scenery by cruising down to Yangshuo. The amazing landscape unfolds as you pass along the Li River just like a three dimensional Chinese ink wash painting in full color. If we are lucky we will see the local fisherman using the trained Cormorant bird to catch fish in a traditional fishing method. We suggest you have a larger breakfast at the hotel and have the hotel pack a picnic lunch. After you disembark at Yangshuo, we will drive you along country roads to enjoy the beauty of a small village. 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. Then we will transfer you back to Guilin and visit the Elephant Trunk Hill. O/N Hotel

Guilin – Kunming This morning is free on your own. Your hotel is ideally situated overlooking both Ronghu Lake and Shanhu Lake scenic area. So you can wander along the lakes to see a varying aspects of this spellbinding city. When lunch time approaches, you may dine at one of the delicate local eateries, we sure you will have a pleasant experience. In the afternoon, we will transfer you to the airport and help you board the flight to Kunming. We will meet you in Kunming and transfer you to the hotel. O/N Hotel

Kunming – Lijiang Your quick visit in Kunming will be to the notable Stone Forest. It is a cluster of black and grey limestone, a kind of karst landform, looking like a forest made of stone. Then take flight to Lijiang. We will meet you at the arrival exit and transfer you to the hotel. O/N Hotel

Lijiang 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 who like various canals with crystal clear 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, Baisha embroidery shop, a local Naxi family, Baisha Murals, the Old Town of Shuhe and Tea-Horse Road Museum. In the afternoon, walk along the cobbled streets and enjoy the relaxing atmosphere of the Square Street of Lijiang Old Town. O/N Hotel

Departure from Lijiang Your 12 days China itinerary ends today. After breakfast, at leisure transfer to the airport. Lijiang airport is about 27 kilometers from the hotel and so it will take at least 40 minutes to drive there. VIEW MORE CHINA TOURS