Description
Forbidden City & the Great Wall
Starting in the capital Beijing we explore the famous Tiananmen Square and the maze of palaces that make up the adjoining Forbidden City. We also discover the fascinating old residential quarters, the “Hutongs”, by cycle rickshaw. The majestic and awesome Great Wall stretches for almost 4500 kilometres from the edge of the Gobi desert to the Yellow Sea. At Simatai, we overnight at one of the wall's most stunning sections from where we walk along its towering ramparts.
Kung Fu & Ancient Warriors
An overnight train takes us to the former Xia dynasty capital of Luoyang where we pay a visit to the Shaolin “Kung Fu” monastery, famous throughout the world for the prowess of its monks. We hope to catch them in action with their graceful kicks and feats of superhuman strength! Another kind of warrior awaits us near Xian where excavation of imperial tombs revealed the wonders of the vast Terracotta Army; thousands of life-size models of warriors, horses and chariots had been buried to protect the Qin dynasty emperors in the after world.
Li River Cruise & Dragon's Backbone
A flight south to Guilin takes us to a bizarre but beautiful karst landscape of mysterious hump-backed mountains that have fired the imagination of poets and writers for centuries. By boat we drift along the Li river to the small and welcoming town of Yangshuo with its many interesting craft shops - an excellent base from which to explore nearby villages, ride a bike, climb a peak, or even try out bamboo rafting on the Yulong River. Driving north to Longji we enter a region famous for its spectacular rice terraces which sit tier upon tier up to a staggering 800 metres. Here we meet the local Dong and Yao people as we ramble alongside the paddies.
Tour itinerary
Day 1:
Join Beijing.
Day 2:
In Beijing; visit Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square.
Day 3:
Rickshaw tour of Hutongs (old quarters).
Day 4:
Drive Simatai; walk on Great Wall.
Day 5:
Optional walks; drive Beijing, overnight train Luoyang.
Day 6:
Visit Shaolin temple and Kung Fu show.
Day 7:
Visit caves at Longmen; afternoon train Xian.
Day 8:
Visit Terracotta Warriors.
Day 9:
Explore Old Quarter; fly Guilin.
Day 10:
Li River boat trip Yangshuo.
Day 11:
In Yangshuo, optional cycle rides and bamboo rafting.
Day 12:
Drive Longji minority area, visit villages.
Day 13:
Free day on the “Dragon's Backbone” rice terraces.
Day 14:
Drive Guilin; fly Beijing.
Day 15:
End Beijing.