23 days, 21 nights tour to Beijing, Xian, Guilin, Kunming, Zhongdian (Shangri-La), Lijiang, Dali, Chongqing, Yangtze River, Hangzhou, Suzhou & Shanghai

Tour Highlights:
Beijing: Great Wall of China, Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, Hutong Tour, Beijing Duck, Acrobatic Show
Xian: City Wall, Terracotta Warrior and Horses, Local Cave Dwellings, Tang Show, Dumpling Banquet.
Guilin: Li River, Reed Flute Cave, Elephant Trunk Hill
Kunming : Western Hill, Dounan Flower Village; Stone Forest.
Zhongdian : Songzanlin Monastery, the Napa Nature Reserve.
Lijiang: Tiger Leaping Gorge, First Bend of Yangtze River, Naxi Ancient Music, Jade Dragon Mountain. Beijing
Yangtze Cruise:  Chongqing/ Wuhan
Hangzhou: West Lake, Tea Plantation, Wuzhen Water-town.
Suzhou: Leaning Pagoda, Humble Administrator's Garden, silk factory.
Shanghai: Yu Garden, The Bund, Shanghai Museum, Nanjing Road.

Day 01             US/China
Board your flight to China today.

Day 02             / Beijing
You will be greeted at Beijing airport and transferred to the hotel where you will be staying for the next three nights.

Day 03              Beijing             (B/L/D)

Visit Tiananmen Square, the largest City Square in the world. From Tiananmen Square, visitors will be able to enter the gates of the Forbidden City. This massive complex was the center of the Ming and Qing dynasties. With almost 10,000 rooms, this remarkable and well-preserved imperial palace is the largest in the world. After lunch, you will board a trishaw to visit a Hutong; an ancient city alley where you can experience the life of the local people.

Day 04              Beijing             (B/L/SD)
The Great Wall is the pride of China and one of the Seven Wonders of the World.  After climbing the Great Wall, you will visit the Summer Palace in the afternoon. The Summer Palace is the largest and best preserved of all the imperial palace gardens, enjoy the famous Beijing Duck Banquet, followed by an amazing display of Beijing acrobatics.

Day 05              Beijing /Xian                (B/L/D)
A tour to the Temple of Heaven, the Ming Temple where the Emperors performed annual rites essential for the well being of their land and harvest.  We will depart on an afternoon flight to Xian, the most historic city in China.  Xian was the capital of ancient China for 11 dynasties, and you will be spending the next two nights in this beautiful, historical city.

Day 06              Xian                            (B/L/SD)
The incredible Terracotta Warrior are found at an archaeological site which so far has yielded some 8000 ancient terra cotta soldiers and horses, each a unique, finely detailed sculpture. You will visit a local village to see the residential cave, which they have resided in for thousands of years.  You will have a chance to view the famous ancient City Gate, which will be followed by a delicious dumpling banquet dinner and stage show at the Tang Dynasty Theatre.

Day 07 Xian / Guilin                (B/L/D)
When you fly to Guilin, we will take you on a tour of Reed Flute Cave, a wonderful limestone cave with a dazzling variety of stalactites and stalagmites under the astounding peaks of Fubo Hill and Elephant Trunk Hill.

Day 08           Guilin/ Yangshuo                (B/L/D)

The highlight of Guilin is the Li River cruise, which will sail you from Guilin through various strange and wonderful mountain formations before your arrival at Yangshuo. When you arrive you will have time to explore the local market.  You will be back to Guilin this evening. 

Day 09           Guilin / Kunming            (B/L/D)

Kunming is known as the "City of the Eternal Spring" due to its cool summers and mild winters.  Today you will visit Dragon Gate of Western Hill.  You will be spending the next two nights in beautiful Kunming.

Day 10          Kunming / Stone Forest     (B/L/SD)

A visit to the Dounan Flower Village to experience how the farmers sell their flowers in the biggest flower market in Kunming.  Next you will travel to the scenic Stone Forest Area. The Stone Forest is called the "number one wonder under heaven" as the area is a deeply eroded limestone Karst area, and is the highest elevated karst topography in the world. The naturally unique sights and Sani folklore are just some of the captivating characteristics of the Stone Forest Scenic Area.

Day 11              Kunming / Zhongdian           (B/L/D)

Zhongdian, which is also known as Shangri-La, is located on the Tibetan plateau of southeastern Kham.  Here under blue Tibetan sky are snow-capped peaks, virgin forests of immense spruce and pine, meadows ablaze with fragrant wild flowers and pristine lakes. The town of Gyalthang (Zhongdian in Chinese) is the capital of the Diqin Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. The prefecture is a treasure house of bio-diversity supporting about 7000 species of native plants among them famous azalea and rhododendron. An afternoon visit of the Songzanlin Monastery, the Napa Nature Reserve, the Tibetan Hospital, the local market and same local Tibetan households.

Day 12              Zhongdian / Tiger Leaping Gorge/ Lijiang   (B/L/D)
We drive from Zhongdian to Lijiang. On the way, we will visit the famous Tiger Leaping Gorge and First Bend of the Yangtze River. You will spend two nights in Lijiang.

Day 13              Lijiang                         (B/L/D)
The old town centre of Lijiang is known as Dayan. Dayan Town was listed on UNESCO's World Heritage Sites list in 1997. When you arrive in Lijiang you will be able to walk through Dayan Town and experience its culture and visit a Naxi Village. The Naxi people are the main ethnic group of the town. We will also go to the Dongba Culture Museum. The Museum houses examples of the Naxi's writing, which is one of very few ancient pictographic scripts still in use in the world.  Next you will visit Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, which has rich vegetation coverage, ranging from subtropical to alpine. We will take a cable car up the mountain and back. In the evening you will enjoy to the unique beauty of the Naxi Ancient Music Show.

Day 14              Lijiang / Dali                (B/L/D)
Continue your tour in Lijiang before boarding a coach to Dali. Standing against the Cangshan Mountains in the west and adjoining the Erhai Lake in the east, Dali was the capital of Nanzhao and Dali Kingdom as early as 1,300 years ago. It is also home to the Bai people. Upon arrival in Dali, proceed to visit the Bai village Xizhou or Zhoucheng, the Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple, and visit the old town of Dali, known as ‘state of literature’ for its long history and splendid culture.

Day 15             Dali/Kunming/Chongqing                 (B/L/D)
Fight to Chongqing via Kunming in the morning. Upon arrival, visit Erling Park, where we can have a bird's eye view of the amazing city.  Then onto Chongqing Zoo to see the Pandas. Board your cruise and start your sailing along the Yangtze River.

Day 16              Yangtze Cruise            (B/L/D)

Relax on deck or in the lounge and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the magnificent Three Gorges.  While sailing downstream, view the Qutang, Wu and Xiling Gorges and enjoy a side trip up Shennong Stream. Shore excursions include Shibaozhi, the famous destination for the wood-structured red pagoda, originally built during the reign of Emperor Kangxi.

Day 17       Yangtze Cruise             (B/L/D)

Your cruise continues its journey along the river today.  There will be a shore excursion to Shennong Stream, which is a tributary of the Yangtze River.  A crystal clear stream flows swifty from north to south through deep gorges and sampan tour will allow you to experience a speedy adventure along this newly opened and unspoiled river.

Day 18              Yangtze River/Yichang/Wuhan/Hangzhou        (B/L/D)

Shore excursion to Three Gorges Dam Project. Disembark at Yichang, and transfer to the airport for your flight to Shanghai.  Upon arrival you will be transferred to Hangzhou.

Day 19              Hangzhou        (B/L/D)
A morning visit the Lingyin Temple, then after lunch, we will take a cruise on the beautiful West Lake before going to Huagang Park to see the Red Carp. The afternoon will be completed with a visit to a tea plantation where you can sample the delicious teas well as acquaint yourself with the ancient Chinese refining process of tea. You will spend one night in Hangzhou.  Tonight, a delectable dinner will be served at the hotel.

Day 20                 Hangzhou/Suzhou                (B/L/D)
Visit the small historical town of Wuzhen, a perfect example of a typical Chinese water town. You will have fun cruising along its zigzag waterways.  After lunch we will take a comfortable coach to Suzhou, often referred to as the "Venice of the East" because of its location around a network of canals and bridges, which fan out from the Grand Canal. Suzhou is also famous for its charming gardens with their beautiful flowers. Dinner will be served tonight at the hotel.

Day 21                 Suzhou / Shanghai              (B/L/D)
We will begin with a visit to Tiger Hill with its incredible Cloud Rock Pagoda.  The pagoda is the symbol of Suzhou, and it leans a bit to one side similarly to the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy.  Visit the picturesque Humble Administrator's Garden, which is best-known garden in Suzhou. After lunch, we will make our way to the Panman ancient water gate, which was built over 2,500 years ago. The next stop will be Suzhou number one silk factory where you will witness, step by step, the production of the finest silk in China. In the afternoon you will board the coach to travel to China's largest city Shanghai, where you will spend the next three nights.

Day 22                 Shanghai        (B/L/D)
Today you will take a city tour around Shanghai. The city tour takes us to the Yu Yuan Garden, a classical Ming Dynasty garden with incredible pavilions, towers, and terraces. Then it will be on to the new district across from the Bund called Pudong to experience the booming commercial economy in China. After lunch, you will visit the Bund, Nanjing Road, and the Shanghai Museum. Dinner will be served at your hotel tonight.

Day 23                 Shanghai         (B)
Make your own arrangement to explore more of Shanghai.  View the sites and do some shopping before you board your flight back home.

 2010 Departure Dates

2011 Departure Dates

Tour Code	Start Beijing (Saturday)	End Shanghai (Saturday)
BC1101	03/19/2011	04/09/2011
BC1102	04/09/2011	04/30/2011
BC1103	04/30/2011	05/21/2011
BC1104	05/21/2011	06/11/2011
BC1105	06/11/2011	07/02/2011
BC1106	07/02/2011	07/23/2011
BC1107	07/23/2011	08/13/2011
BC1108	08/13/2011	09/03/2011
BC1109	09/03/2011	09/24/2011
BC1110	09/24/2011	10/15/2011
BC1111	10/15/2011	11/05/2011
BC1112	11/05/2011	11/26/2011

Price: $3860 per person based on twin share

Single Supplement: $1390 per person

Price includes:

• 4 star hotel accommodation based on twin share
• Beijing to Xian; Xian to Guilin; Guilin to Kunming, Kunming to Zhongdian; Dali to Kunming, Kunming to Chongqing, Wuhan to Hangzhou airfare
• Deluxe cruise sailing Yangtze River
• Daily meals as specified in the itinerary (B-Breakfast; L-Lunch; D-Dinner; SD-Special Dinner)
• All sightseeing and entrance fees
• English-speaking guides
• Round trip airport / hotel transfers as specified in the itinerary

 Price does NOT include:

• International air ticket
• Fuel surcharges & taxes
• Visa application fees and travel insurance
• Tips and personal expenses