Day 1 – Arrival in Beijing

Our guide will meet you outside the baggage claim area at Beijing Airport and transfer you to your hotel. The rest of the day is at your leisure.

Meals: No meals provided.

Day 2 – Beijing

Attractions: Mutianyu Great Wall, Sacred Way, Bird’s Nest, Water Cube, Peking Roast Duck

Today you will have the opportunity to climb the ancient steps at Mutianyu Great Wall which is one of the best preserved sections of the wall. If you wish you can avoid the steep climb by riding a cable car up. On the way back to Beijing you will visit the Sacred Way with its amazing stone statues. You will also stop by the Bird’s Nest and Water Cube for an outside view of the unique constructions built for the 2008 Olympic Games.

For dinner, you will have a chance to taste the famous Peking Roast Duck.

Meals: Breakfast at your hotel
Dinner – Peking Roast Duck

Day 3 – Beijing

Attractions: Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Hutongs, Temple of Heaven, Acrobatics Show

You will start today’s tour with a visit to Tiananmen Square, which is the largest city-central square in the world. To the north is the magnificent Tiananmen Gate with its five openings. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties the passage in the middle leading to the Forbidden City was reserved for the emperor himself.  Now you can walk through it to explore the largest and best preserved imperial palace in China.

Later you will explore the Beijing Hutongs by rickshaw. These are the narrow back alleyways where you can get a glimpse of how Beijing used to be and learn more about the life and culture of ordinary Beijing people. Then you will visit the Temple of Heaven where the Emperors once worshiped heaven and prayed for good harvests.

In the evening you will attend an Acrobatic Show. Be amazed at the breathtaking routines of flexibility and skill using chairs, bikes, spinning plates and human strength.

Meals: Breakfast at your hotel

Day 4 – Beijing to Guiyang

Attractions: Summer Palace

In the morning you will visit the Summer Palace to view the royal gardens and the famous Long Corridor. After lunch you will be transferred to the airport for your flight to Guiyang. Our guide will meet you outside the baggage claim area at Guiyang Airport and transfer you to your hotel. The rest of the day is at your leisure.

Meals: Breakfast at your hotel

Day 5 – Guiyang to Kaili

Attractions: Kaili Folk Museum, Qingman Short Skirt Miao Village, Shiqiao Miao Village, Fish in Sour and Spicy Soup

In the morning you will drive to Kaili which is the home of the Miao and Ge ethnic groups and you will visit the Kaili Folk Museum. It provides a comprehensive introduction to the history and culture of the various minority groups in Guizhou. The Minority Customs Hall and the Dragon Boat Hall are the most outstanding.

The Miao villagers wear pleated skirts in three different lengths – long, mid-length and short. Their clothing is colourfully decorated with silver ornaments and hand embroidered designs. You will begin with a visit to the Qingman Short Skirt Miao Village.

Enjoy the wonderful mountain scenery as you drive to Shiqiao Miao Village. Here the villagers make paper from tree bark in a traditional way which has a history of over one thousand years. Different colours are obtained by using various plants.

You will stay overnight in Kaili and enjoy a special dinner of Fish in Sour and Spicy Soup, a local delicacy. It is similar to hotpot with many kinds of delicious sauces.

Meals: Breakfast at your hotel
Dinner – Fish in sour and spicy soup

Day 6 – Kaili to Rongjiang

Attractions: Langde Miao Village, Chejiang Drum Tower, Rongjiang

From Kaili you will continue on to Rongjiang. On the way you will visit Langde Miao Village which is one of the most famous Miao ethnic villages. Because they wear long skirts they are known as ‘Long skirt Miao’. Their houses are made of wood and are usually two to four storeys high. The upper layer is for provisions, the people live in the middle and the lower area is for the hens. They are known as Diaojiaolou.

You will also visit the 21 storey Chejiang Drum Tower which was built in 1891. This area is famous for its watermelons.

You will stay overnight in Rongjiang

Meals: Breakfast at your hotel

Day 7 – Rongjiang to Zhaoxing

Attractions: Basha Miao Village, Zhaoxing Dong Village

Today’s drive will take you from Rongjiang to Zhaoxing via Congjiang. Near Congjiang you will visit the Basha Miao Village where the locals continue their traditions. The women are known for their embroidery skills and begin to make their own ceremonial clothing from a very young age while the men are experts with the ‘lusheng’ a kind of Chinese wind instrument. They worship a wood god and believe that every life is connected to a specific tree.

Zhaoxing Dong Village has an amazing total of five drum towers and elegant decorations on the Flower Bridges. Many of the inhabitants continue to wear their traditional clothing every day and speak only their local dialect. The village still has its traditional wooden structures including some wind and rain bridges. Also the diaojiaolou have public passages on the ground floor so it is possible to walk from one end of the village to the other without getting wet. It is a great place to explore.

You will stay overnight in Zhaoxing.

Meals: Breakfast at your hotel

Day 8 – Zhaoxing to Sanjiang

Attractions: Chengyang Wind and Rain Bridge, Sanjiang Drum Tower

The Dong people are known for their unique Wind and Rain Bridges. They usually serve as a welcoming structure in front of the village but also come in handy for sheltering from the wind and the rain. The most famous one is the Chengyang Wind and Rain Bridge which amazingly is constructed from wood and stone without the use of any mails or rivets. It is 64.4 metres long, 3.4 metres wide and 10.6 metres high.

The Drum Tower of Sanjiang looks like a pagoda and like the Wind and Rain Bridge is built without using nails. It was completed in 2002 and at 42.6 metres is the tallest Drum Tower in China. There is a viewing stand at the 25th level.

You will stay overnight in Sanjiang.

Meals: Breakfast at your hotel

Day 9 – Sanjiang to Longsheng

Attractions: Longji Rice Terraces at Longsheng, Ping’an Zhuang Village

Today you will continue with the magnificent mountain scenery as you drive to Longsheng to view the spectacular Longji (Dragon Back) Rice Terraces. The terraces were first built in the Yuan Dynasty (1271 -1368) and were completed during the Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1911) by the Zhuang and Yao people. This ingenious construction makes the best use of scarce land and water resources on the mountainsides and look like giant chains or ribbons as the wind around the contours. Because these fields are built into the hillsides the best place to view them is from above so be prepared for some climbing. The views change with the seasons – glittering water in spring, layers of green shoots in summer, golden rice during the autumn and silvery frost in winter.

Ping’an is a Zhuang minority village high up in the mountains at Longji. It is only accessible by foot and the wooden buildings on the hillside are all two storey wooden structures. Because you will remain here overnight you will have the chance to view the terraces in different light settings.

Meals: Breakfast at your hotel

Day 10 – Longsheng to Guilin

Attractions: Reed Flute Cave, Elephant Trunk Hill

Today we will drive to Guilin, world famous for its karst limestone formations. In the afternoon you will visit the popular Reed Flute Cave with its colorful natural formations and Elephant Trunk Hill.

Meals: Breakfast at your hotel

Day 11 – Guilin to Yangshuo

Attractions: Li River Cruise, Yangshuo West Street, Impressions of Liu Sanjie Show

In the morning you will be driven to the pier to board the boat for your cruise down the Li River to Yangshuo. This will be one of the highlights of your China experience as you glide through the karst limestone landscape. You will enjoy lunch on board. Spend the afternoon bargaining for souvenirs in West Street or just relaxing at one of the many cafes.

In the evening be amazed by the Impressions of Liu Sanjie Sound and Light Show. This is an outdoor performance using the mountains and river of Yangshuo as a natural backdrop. The program lasts for 70 minutes and has a cast of more than 600 local people.

Meals: Breakfast at your hotel
Lunch on the boat

Day 12 – Guilin to Shanghai

Attractions: Rafting on the Yulong River

After breakfast, your tour guide will pick you up at your hotel and take you to do a raft trip on the Yulong River. You just sit back and relax while watching the beautiful scenery slowly pass you by.

Later you will be driven to Guilin Airport to check in for your flight to Shanghai. Our guide will meet you outside the baggage claim area at Shanghai Airport and transfer you to your hotel. The rest of the day is at your leisure.

Meals: Breakfast at your hotel

Day 13 – Shanghai

Attractions: Yuyuan Gardens, City God Temple, Xiantiandi, Evening Cruise on the Huangpu River

Today’s tour will begin at the classical Yuyuan Gardens located in the center of old Shanghai. It was built in 1559 and features rockeries, pavilions, ponds and corridors. Just outside the gardens is the City God Temple and its surrounding markets. Originally there was just a temple but as the number of pilgrims rose so did the number of merchants who opened shops in the area to sell to them. Now it is a thriving market where you can find excellent souvenirs and sample some of the local snack foods.

Afterwards you will visit Xintiandi, a trendy area of bars, restaurants and boutique shops. Here old Shanghai style lane houses or shikumen have been renovated in a mixture of Chinese and Western designs.

You will finish the day in a spectacular fashion as you take in the lights of the city during a cruise on the Huangpu River.

Meals: Breakfast at your hotel

Day 14 – Shanghai

Attractions: The Bund, Shanghai World Financial Center, Shanghai Municipal History Museum, Tianzifang

Today’s tour starts with a stroll along the Bund, the most famous part of Shanghai. It is like a summary of Shanghai’s history with colonial buildings mixed in with other architectural styles. From there you can gaze across at the tall, modern buildings which represent Shanghai’s prosperity. Next you will cross the river to Lijiazui to see these buildings from a different perspective.

Here you will find the Shanghai Stock Exchange as well as the city’s three most famous structures – the Pearl Tower, the Jin Mao Tower and the newest and highest Shanghai World Financial Center. When it was completed in 2007 the Shanghai World Financial Center was the second tallest building in the world. The observation deck is at 474 metres offering amazing views of Shanghai.

Nearby in the basement of the Oriental Pearl TV Tower is the Shanghai Municipal History Museum. With lots of models and dioramas it is much more interesting than it sounds!
Tianzifang is an arts and crafts enclave in the French Concession which has also been developed in the shikumen style buildings. It is well known for its small craft stores, art studios, coffee shops and restaurants located in the narrow alleyways off Taikang Road.

Meals: Breakfast at your hotel

Day 15 – Depart Shanghai

Day 3 – Beijing

Attractions: Maglev Train

Today you will transfer to the Shanghai Pudong Airport for your flight to your next destination. On the way you can catch the Maglev, the world’s only commercial magnetically levitated train. At 430kph it is also the fastest train in the world in commercial operation.

Meals: Breakfast at your hotel