15-day
Exotic Yunnan (2012)
Beijing - Chengdu - Lijiang
- Shangri-la (Zhongdian) - Kunming - Shanghai
Scroll down for departure
dates, prices and hotel list.
Day 1/Tue: Departing
Home City
The journey begins with your transpacific flight departing from a city of
your choice. Cross the
International Date Line
and lose a day.
Day 2/Wed: Arrival in Beijing
Meet your guide upon arrival in late afternoon and transfer to the hotel.
The balance of the day is at leisure.
Day 3/Thu: Beijing
Capital of China, Beijing is the country's second largest city by
population behind Shanghai.
Following a brief orientation we visit
Tian'anmen
Square, the
Forbidden City
and an old
hutong - alleyway
flanked with traditional residential courtyards. Welcome dinner features
delicious
Beijing roast duck,
a local delicacy. (B/L/D)
Day 4/Fri: Beijing
Enjoy a full-day excursion to the legendary
Great Wall
at Mutianyu, 75km northeast of the city. Zigzagging over 6,000 kilometres
from east to west along the undulating mountains, the Great Wall, said to
be visible from the moon, was built to hold off tribal invaders from the
north. Construction of the earliest sections of the Wall started in the
7th century B.C. A major renovation started with the founding of the Ming
Dynasty in 1368 and took 200 years to complete. The wall we see today in
Beijing is almost exactly the result of this effort. (B/L)
 Day
5/Sat: Beijing - Chengdu
Morning sightseeing at the
Temple of Heaven. Built for emperors to
worship Heaven, the Temple of Heaven is China's largest existing complex
of ancient sacrificial buildings occupying an area of 273 hectares and
three times the area of the Forbidden City. We fly to Chengdu, capital of
populous Sichuan Province, after a tour of the
Summer Palace.
(B/L)
 Day
6/Sun: Chengdu
Tour of the Giant Panda Breeding Centre is followed by a visit to the
museum built on the archaeological site of Sanxingdui Culture (Bronze
Age). First chanced upon by a farmer in 1929, Sanxingdui, 40km west of
Chengdu, continued to surprise the archaeological community in the decades
to come. In 1986, two major sacrificial pits were discovered and the
breakthrough aroused widespread academic attention from around the world.
The Sanxingdui finds are exciting, but they remain enigmatic. So far no
written records of this 5,000-year-old civilization have been found.
(B/L)
Day 7/Mon: Chengdu -
Lijiang
Morning schedule includes Wangjianglou (river view) Park and a traditional
tea house. Fly to Lijiang in late afternoon. Lijiang is home to the ethnic
Naxi people whose intriguing Dongba religion and unique customs coupled
with the region's enchanting scenery combine to make Lijiang and its
vicinity a fascinating place to explore.
 The
old town known as
Dayan is protected
as a UNESCO-designated World Cultural Heritage Site. (B/L)
Day 8/Tue: Lijiang
A walking tour of the old town is followed by an excursion to Yunshanping
or Spruce Meadow, an alpine pasture surrounded by virgin forests at the
foot of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. En route we stop by an ancient village.
The evening concert of classical Naxi music is optional if available.
(B/L)
Day 9/Wed: Lijiang -
Shangri-la (Zhongdian)
 After
breakfast we embark on an overland journey to Zhongdian. The day-long
drive covers 200 kilometres of country road snaking through scenic river
valleys and high mountains dotted by villages of various ethnic
nationalities. En route we stop by at Tiger Leaping Gorge, the first bend
of the Yangtze. (B/L/D)
Day 10/Thu: Zhongdian
We spend the morning visiting Pudacuo National Forest Park including Shudu
Lake and Bita Lake surrounded by virgin alpine forests. We'll also stop by
at a Tibetan village along the way. Afternoon sightseeing takes in
Songzanlin Monastery of Tibetan Buddhism, and a local market. (B/L/D)
Day 11/Fri: Zhongdian -
Kunming
The morning flight to Kunming takes less than one hour. Capital of Yunnan
Province, Kunming is widely known as the "city of eternal spring" due to
its temperate climate year-round. Our sightseeing in Kunming includes the
historic Western Hill Scenic Area and Huating Temple. (B/L)
 Day
12/Sat: Kunming - Shanghai
Enjoy an excursion to Stone
Forest. Located 126km southeast of Kunming, the Stone Forest is a massive
collection of gray limestone pillars created by water erosion. The tall
rocks seem to emanate from the ground in the manner of stalagmites, with
many looking like trees made of stone. Late afternoon flight to Shanghai.
(B/L)
Day 13/Sun: Shanghai
Before 1949, Shanghai
was an international city known in the West as paradise of the
adventurers. After four decades of anemic growth in a state planned
economy, Shanghai is roaring back to recapture its position on the world
stage. With a population of 23 million and rapid economic expansion in the
last 20 years, Shanghai has again become a leading global city with
significant influence in commerce, culture, finance, media, fashion,
technology and transport.
Our sightseeing in Shanghai
begins with a stroll on the Bund - a waterfront promenade famous for its
landmark neoclassical buildings of European style,
followed by
Shanghai Museum and
Yu Garden. Evening entertainment is a dazzling acrobatic show. (B/L/D)
Day 14/Mon: Shanghai
Today is a free day. Exploring China's most dynamic city on your own has
never been easier. Our recommended list includes
Jinmao Tower, a
ride aboard the world's only commercially run
Maglev train, and
the popular evening cruise on Huangpu River to enjoy the city's
spectacular neon-lit skyline. (B)
Day 15/Tue: Shanghai - Home
City
Free morning to pack and relax. Transfer to airport to board return
flight. Arrive home the same day after re-crossing the International Date
Line. (B)
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|
Dates & Prices 2012 |
|
Depart (Tue) |
Return (Tue) |
Land Package
excluding int'l airfare |
Single Supplement |
|
Apr 11 (Wed) |
Apr 25 (Wed) |
$3995 |
$990 |
|
Apr 24 |
May 08 |
$3995 |
$900 |
| Sept. 18 |
Oct 02 |
$3995 |
$900 |
| more dates to be
added |
|
|
|
|
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|
Costs Not Included in Tour
Prices |
|
International Airfare |
Local Air Taxes & Surcharges |
Travel Insurance |
Recommended Tipping |
China Visa Fee |
|
contact us for lowest quote |
$32 per flight
Exceptions may apply |
available on request |
$10/client/day |
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here for details |
|
China tours since 1998
