Tour Itinerary

Day 1:  Depart USA

Depart today on your international flight to discover, firsthand, China’s enduring sights

Day 2:  En route

Day 3:  Arrive Beijing

Your exciting adventure begins Beijing.  On arrival, you are welcomed by your representative and are transferred to your deluxe hotel in the heart of the city.  Rest of the day at leisure.  Marco Polo Hotel

Day 4:  Beijing

Your guide takes you through Tiananmen Square and the awesome Forbidden City, one of the greatest architectural wonders of Chinese history, where emperors held court for five centuries.  Visit the Empress Dowager’s extravagant Summer Palace on serene Kunming Lake, learning about life during her era.  Enjoy a special night as you dine in the private home of a middle class Chinese family, who serve as your hosts. Marco Polo Hotel
 
Day 5:  Beijing

Travel off the beaten track to walk on a remote section the Great Wall.  Climb the wall, with your guide.  You have the unusual opportunity to contribute to its restoration by personally adding your own brick. Marco Polo Hotel
 
Day 6:  Beijing / Xian

Fly from Beijing to the arid plains of Xian, gateway to the ancient Silk Road that once linked China with travelers from as far away as Rome and Istanbul.  The capital for eleven dynasties, Xian exemplifies the extraordinary continuity of Chinese civilization. Spend the afternoon exploring an astonishing past in such scenic antiquities as the Ming Gate and Bell tower, and the Tang Dynasty-era Big Goose Pagoda towering over the city.  During a delicious home-cooked lunch, learn from your host family how to make Xian's renowned dumplings.  Shangri La Golden Flower

Day 7:  Xian

Xian’s most spectacular archaeological site - the army of life-size terra cotta soldiers and horses - is your focus today.  The discovery of this unlikely army astounded the world in 1974. Now enclosed beneath a protective hangar, the site contains some 8,000 individually sculpted warriors clad in armor.  Step into the adjoining museum to see the fantastic bronze chariot and figures that still have some of their original bright paint.  Cap off the day with a Chinese dinner and colorful stage show at Tang Dynasty Theater.  Shangri La Golden Flower

Day 8: Xian / Guilin 

Fly to the green hills of Guilin, China’s great scenic city on the Li River.  Check into hotel, which faces the river.  Then, enjoy a tour of the city and Reed Flute Cave, with its unusual lantern-lit formations.   Daewoo Hotel

Day 9:  Guilin / Li River / Yangshuo 

Cruise on Li River through unique scenery around which many folk tales and legends have been woven.  Float past valleys, bamboo groves, misty limestone pinnacles and ancient rock formations.  You feel as though you are being carried back in time.  Disembark in Yangshuo, and set out on bicycle tour of this charming town.  Pedal leisurely to Moon Hill where you stop at a local farm for tea and a chat with the farmer.  Yangshuo Paradise Hotel

Day 10:    Yangshuo / Longsheng / Guilin 

Depart this morning for Longsheng and some of the most breathtaking landscapes, including the immense ‘Dragon's Backbone’ rice terraces.  The area boasts amazing scenery, where, for centuries, local communities have grown rice on hillsides.  They developed a simple yet very efficient terracing and watering system.  Of particular interest are the people themselves. This region has a large number of Chinese ethnic minorities such as Miao, Zhuang, Yao and Dong.  They retain many traditional ways of life.  End the visit with an unusual hair show by local minority women along the riverbank.  Their village is famed for its residents’ longevity as well as the women’s extraordinarily beautiful long hair.  Following your tour, you travel to Guilin and check into your hotel.  Daewoo Hotel

Day 11:    Guilin / Shanghai

Fly to cosmopolitan Shanghai. Check into your luxurious hotel and then begin your tour of the diverse attractions of China’s vibrant, trend-setting metropolis.  Stroll waterfront Bund, surrounded by Art Deco buildings from Shanghai’s colonial era and sleek new skyscrapers of Pudong District. Step into the past as you cross the zigzag bridge into Yu Yuan Gardens, with throngs of shoppers.  Visit the mystical Jade Buddha Temple and the teeming lanes of the Old Quarter.  See a charming display of cultural skills mastered by youngsters at the Children’s Palace.  Complete the day watching the daring performance of Shanghai’s famous Acrobats. Central Hotel (B)

Day 12:    Shanghai / Depart

With indelible impressions of your new Chinese friends and their timeless land leaping toward modernization, you depart for home.