Day 1: Arrival in Beijing

Today you'll have a chance to discover Beijing by car with a driver and an English-speaking guide. You'll be picked up at your hotel around 8:30 in the morning. The first stop is Tian'anmen Square: the gateway to heavenly peace. This famous square is home to the buildings of parliament as well as the entrance to the Forbidden City and Mao Zhedong's Mausoleum and is most likely top of your list of must-see's in China. After a stop you'll visit the Temple of Heavenly Peace (entrance fee 35 Yuan, approximately £3.50) and the colourful Lama Temple (entrance fee approximately £2.50). These are Beijing's most important temples.

You'll walk among red pagodas, monks and prayer houses with the scent of incense and sandalwood all around you. Since you will have a guide accompanying you, you not only can ask him everything about Beijing, you can also ask him any practical questions you may have. For instance, when you're visiting Tian'anmen around 12:30 when your driver sends you on your way you can ask your guide to give you tips on the best places to visit for lunch.

The Great Wall of China should be a part of every China adventure itinerary. A hike over the wall from Jinshanling to Simatai, is the most enjoyable way to get a sense of the vastness of the Great Wall of China.

The 10km hike is quite strenuous; you'll be climbing and descending for about 4 hours over restored and original wall segments. Another alternative would be an excursion to the Great Wall of China at Mutianyu. During this excursion you can walk over the wall for about 3km and simply return to the starting point at the end of the walk allowing you to make your walk as short or as long as you wish. This part of the wall is a bit more commercialized and crowded than the part visited during the 10km hike; there are more souvenir shops and such. The segment of the wall at Jinshanling is quiet and peaceful.

You'll be awakened from your slumber before arriving in Xi'an (if you prefer not to travel by train, there are several daily flights to Xi'an). We'll make reservations for you in a centrally located, comfortable hotel. You'll be greeted in the arrival hall and taken straight to your hotel. The transfer should take approximately 15 minutes.

The rest of the day is yours to spend as you wish. You may want to have a look around the large boulevards and we would suggest visiting the charming Muslim neighbourhood. The heart of the city is the large Bell Tower in the middle of the traffic intersection. Nearby you'll also find the Drum Tower. If you climb the tower around 17:00 you'll have a wonderful view of the city, the Muslim neighbourhood and you'll catch a demonstration of Chinese kettle drums. The area around the Drum Tower is quite lively in the evening; it's filled with lively and chatty young people. A taxi cab (or take a tuk-tuk) back to your hotel will cost you about one or two Euros.

This morning you'll be picked up at 9:00 and taken to the excavation site where you'll see more than 7000 amazing clay soldiers, clay horses and clay chariots. This is the world famous Terracotta Army. The site is located about 40 minutes from Xi'an and was once created as the future royal tomb for the then 14 year old King Zheng. Start your visit in hall 3 and then go on to hall 2 and 1; this way you'll save the best for last. After about 2 hours you'll have seen all there is to see; however transport to and from the site will cause you to spend about half a day on this excursion. You'll be back in Xi'an around 13.00 in the afternoon.

If you're looking for more action and adventure in the afternoon of this China itinerary, go for a bike ride across Xi'an's city wall. The wall runs for 12km in a square surrounding the city. If you want to avoid the busy city of Xi'an, this is quite a treat. You'll pay 40 Yuan to access the wall and another 15 Yuan for 1.5 hour bike rental and a 200 Yuan deposit.

This morning you'll head out to the airport using your own arranged transport (a taxi to the airport costs approximately £4), where you'll catch a plane to Chengdu.

You'll be met by one of our representatives who will take you to a comfortable hotel in the centre of town, within walking distance from several backpacker hostels. This offers you the chance to profit from the know how of the hostels English speaking staff as well as the affordable activities and excursions that they organize. You'll have the best of both worlds. The area surrounding your hotel has many fine restaurants; you may want to try the areas most popular dish, the Sichuan Hotpot. This is a bowl with boiling hot water that is placed on the table with raw meat, vegetables and herbs served separately for you to cook in the bowling water. Holly's hostel usually offers Sichuan cooking classes to teach you the basics of Sichuan cooking.

You'll be picked up at 7:30 in the morning so that you can arrive at the panda research centre when the pandas are fed. It may be a zoo; however it is a very animal friendly and well maintained zoo. It's endearing to watch the pandas eating, playing and sleeping and if you visit the instructional panda museum you'll understand more clearly why the panda is an endangered species.

We weren't a big fan of the optional 'red miniature panda hugging' which can be done for a surcharge. It seemed very unnatural and unpleasant for the pandas. After an hour or two you'll have seen all there is to see at the panda research centre and the sight of these giant teddy bears forever engrained in your memory, you'll be back at your hotel around 10:30.

You'll arrange your own transport to Chengdu airport (approximately £4) where you'll fly an hour to fairy tale town Lijiang. On arrival you'll be greeted by our representative and taken to our courtyard hotel in the historic part of town. This area known as the 'old town of 'Dayan' is listed on Unesco's world heritage list. Your hotel has a courtyard with sitting areas, plants and lanterns. Since you'll stay in the old town, a pedestrian area, you won't encounter traffic and you'll walk easily over cobble stone and wooden plank paths past bars, restaurants and stores. Lijiang is the number one tourist destination for Chinese tourists. You'll be amazed at the typical Chinese tourist behaviour: they enjoy purchasing the most kitschy souvenirs and it seems that they are always taking pictures opposite of the most interesting attractions.

The countless red lanterns in Lijiang are all beautifully lit up in the evenings. Stroll along paths, bridges, cobble stone streets..... and at some point you'll be startled by the sound of singing. Men and women of the Naxi minority have a tradition of singing limericks to each other.... at ties with a canal in between them. It sounds romantic and sweet, however at times it's downright funny. There's screaming, drinking, laughing and dancing to accompany the limerick singing.

On this morning of the China adventure itinerary you'll go on a bicycle ride through area surrounding Lijiang. You'll ride over a flat road with mountains to the right and left of you together along with your guide. You'll visit the traditional Naxi village Baisha, where you'll park your bike and visit the legendary herbal practitioner Dr. Ho. He's over 80 years old, however when you enter his home he greets you with warmth, friendliness and cup of herbal tea. He may even show you some of his newspaper clippings written about him in foreign newspapers. You'll return to Lijiang around noon where you'll say goodbye to your guide and your bike.

After lunch you can visit the Black Dragon Pool Park (entrance fee 40 Yuan). This park is home to some of the most often photographed areas in China, such as the lake featured in the picture, which when the sun shines reflects the temple and tops of the surrounding mountains beautifully.
 

From Lijiang you'll head out today for your two day trek through the Tiger Leaping Gorge. This ia a very popular part of the China adventure itinerary. You'll travel by bus to the starting point of the trek for about three hours. After you've paid the entrance fee to the gorge (50 Yuan) you'll start your trek with your guide. The first part of the trek will take 2 hours and will end at a Naxi guest house. All those with a reasonable level of physical fitness can participate in the trek. Along the way you'll see mountain-side terraces filled with vegetable and rice crops, you'll walk through pine and hardwood forests and you'll cross over pieces of land with significant altitude differences. 

Once you arrive at the Naxi home, you'll be able to have lunch (not included in the price of this trip) and then you'll continue on to the Halfway Lodge. This is where you'll be able to take off your shoes and spend the night in a simple wooden building with a shared bathroom. There is a heater in the building; however it can get quite cold here, especially from October until May. There's a large veranda in front of the house with a view of the gorge. On a clear night you'll see a breathtaking sky filled with the moon and many stars.

Luckily the second day of the Tiger Leaping Gorge trek is less strenuous. You'll hike for about 2 hours, at first along the flat path and later on the path that will descend into the gorge. Eventually you'll reach the bottom of the gorge and the road that runs along the Yangtze River.

This is where a car and driver will be waiting for you. You'll say goodbyes to your guide and you'll travel for about 4 hours to the Tibetan village of Zhongdian. You'll be dropped off at your hotel near the historic city centre. You'll spend the night in a colourful, Tibetan-style hotel with quite a few intricate wood-carvings.

Today a bike tour and bamboo boat ride are on the agenda. We'll arrange a bike, a boat and an English-speaking guide for you. He will tell you more about life in the area and will bike and sail along with you. You'll travel in a small group today along with other Western travellers.

You'll start off Day 15 of the China adventure itinerary with a bike ride along the Yulong River. The scenery here is every bit as beautiful as it is at the Li River and it features a dramatic array of karst mountains on the banks of the river. During your bike ride you'll leave the main roads and peddle over paths along the river, through farmland and rice paddies and you'll have the karst mountains as constant companions during your ride. You'll be able to stop for drinks or snacks in the small villages that you'll pass during your ride. After biking for a while, the bamboo raft will be waiting to take you down the river. You, your guide and other boats will sail through the peaks of the karst mountains. After a few kilometres you'll get back on your bike and peddle towards the 'highlight' of this trek, Moon Hill. You can choose to climb the hill if you wish. In warm temperatures, this could be quite a strenuous climb. However the view from the top will make up for any inconvenience of getting there. Eventually when you return to your hotel you can unwind with a beer or glass of wine on the terrace.

Today you’ll have the entire day to spend as you please; there is plenty to do in this area. You can rent a kayak from the hotel, spend another day on a bicycle to explore the area on your own or you can even take Kung Fu lesson for an hour. We'll gladly give you more options.

There's quite a show to see on and along the Li and Yulong Rivers in the evenings. The name Zhang Yimao may not ring a bell, however he is the most well known movie director in China and was also responsible for directing the opening ceremony for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing for instance. He’s created a show here in the outdoors with a backdrop of mountains and the river that attracts about 1000 visitors each and every night. As with most things in China, this show is a large production. No less than 500 actors and actresses in full dress and make-up perform the Chinese love story by San Jie Lu on the banks of the river and on the river itself. The surrounding mountains are part of a magnificent light show every night during the performance. The show can be viewed daily from 20:00 - 21:00. Tickets are on sale on location from € 15. After the show you may want to venture out for some souvenir shopping or have a bite to eat in one of Yangshuo's busy streets.

At around 9:00 you'll be picked up and a transfer will take you north through Guilin to the Longji rice terraces. The village Ping'an is located in the middle of this area and is only accessible by foot. You'll be awaited at the end of the drive and someone will join you on the 20 minute walk to the village. If you prefer not to carry your suitcase/ backpack during the walk, you can have your baggage carried for 30 Yuan. By lunchtime you'll reach the village of 800 inhabitants.

You'll stay in a basic, well maintained guest house in the village. Electricity and warm water are available in the mornings and evenings. Your room will have its own private bathroom. The guest house has a large veranda where you can enjoy the view of the rice fields and mountains in the crisp clean air. In the afternoon you can walk through the village and visit the Two View Points. Along the way you're sure to encounter the Zhuang. This local minority introduced the terraced irrigation system that is used in this area about 5000 years ago.

At 9:00 you’ll take off with your guide on a walk through the world’s largest rice paddies, The Dragon's Bone or Long Ji. Your walk will be anything but ordinary. You’ll climb and descend through marvellous scenic areas, past rivers, through wooded areas and through rice paddies where the Zhuang push their oxen through the blubber. Around lunch time you’ll have a bite to eat and you’ll rest up for a bit in the village before continuing on another two hour walk. At around 15.00 a van will take you back towards Ping'an village limits and you'll walk back the last part. 

In the evening, the Zhuang will show you their singing and dancing traditions at your request. The Zhuag perform a type of folk dancing for Chinese country women in traditional dress. Afterwards travellers usually gather on the veranda to sit, talk, drink or play a game until late in the evening. 

After you've checked out, you'll take your baggage to the parking lot where your transfer will be waiting to take you to the Guilin airport (a 1.5 hour drive). Then you'll fly off to an entirely different type of China; the harbour city Shanghai. On arrival a private transfer will be ready to take you to the quiet aquatic town of Luzhi (a 1 hour drive). Luzhi has more bridges per square kilometre than Venice and you'll have plenty of time to explore this city by foot or by boat.

Eventually your mini van will take you to your hotel in Tongli, only 30 minutes further down the road, before sun sets. This aquatic town is also quite idyllic and charming. The red Chinese lanterns in the entrance gates and in the courtyard of your hotel will be lit and you’ll probably want to go out to one of the restaurants nearby for dinner. If you feel up to it after dinner, walk around the canals near your hotel for a little while and soak up the atmosphere.