Beijing is the most important city in China and most independent tours start from here. The morning after your arrival, China Travel Plan will arrange for you to be taken on a morning drive with an English speaking guide to Beijing highlights such as the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. The following day we’ll arrange for you to visit the Great Wall of China, the main highlight of every tour in China. During this China tour you'll go on a 10km walk over the wall and through the surrounding mountains. 

Click here for more about our Beijing travel tours.

Xi'an is world famous for its Terracotta Army made up of 8000 soldiers, 520 horses and 130 chariots made of clay and discovered by farmers in 1974. This unique display of eastern craft is actually a collection of royal tomb funerary statues created for a 14 year old Qin dynasty emperor. During the Tang dynasty, Xi'an was the capital of China. It has a small, compact city centre surrounded by city walls; this makes for quick and easy navigation by independent travellers. The Muslim district is known for its culinary delicacies and Xi’an’s city wall is so broad that you can go on bike rides on it.

Click here for more about our Terracotta army tours.

Chengdu is home to the Panda Breeding Centre, a research facility for giant panda’s. This is one of the few areas in the world where you can get up close and personal with these amazing animals. Chengdu is also home to tea houses, temples and hot ‘n spicy Sichuan cuisine. While on independent China tours in Chengdu, try a 'hotpot'. During the cold winters in northern China, catch a direct flight to Chengdu in southern China to warm up.

Click here for more about our Chengdu panda tours.

Lijiang is a popular attraction in China’s beautiful Yunnan province. The ancient city centre is home to the Naxi minority and provides a picturesque scene of canals, bridges, red lanterns and small wooden houses. Lijiang lies in the foothills of the Himalayas and is the perfect starting point for a bike ride with nothing but blue skies, mountains and Chinese country life surrounding you. From Lijiang, travel on towards the Tiger Leaping Gorge for a memorable trek, Zhongdian or south towards the Bai villages by the lake.

Click here for more about our Lijiang travel tours.

Dali is home to the Bai and the Yi minorities, truly beautiful people with very traditional lifestyles. Enjoy people-watching at the market place, go bike riding through farmland, visit remote villages during a trek through the mountains or go on a boat ride over the lake. Whatever you decide to do, you can arrange it all easily on your own in Dali. Nothing is planned ahead of time and you'll be able to explore it all on your own. This independent China tour is one of our most laid-back and relaxing modules available.

Click here for more about Yunnan travel in China.

This independent tour module takes you to some of the most breathtaking scenery that China has to offer. Much like Beijing, this area definitely deserves a spot on your China tours. We’ll arrange a bike tour and a bamboo boat ride on the Yulong River with the Karst Mountains as your backdrop. You’ll spend the night in the countryside town of Yangshuo, surrounded by farmland and rice paddies.

Click here for more about our Yangshuo karst mountains tours.

This independent China tour follows on perfectly from your stay in Yangshuo’s karst area. Ping’an’s rice terraces, along with those of Banaue in the Philippines, are the world’s highest altitude paddy-fields. Spend two nights in a no-frills, yet cosy guest house amidst the paddy-fields. The village of Ping'an lies in the mountains and can only be reached on foot. Trek through the terraces with a guide, crossing through several mountain passes filled with paddy-fields and water wheels. Watch farmers ploughing the fields with buffalos and meet the Longhair Ladies, who have traditionally grown their hair and wear it in circles around their heads.  

Click here for more about our Ping'an travel tours.

Shanghai’s evolution is truly astounding. While in Shanghai, stay in a historic hotel on the Bund. For those still doubting between visits to Shanghai or Hong Kong….. the difference between these two cosmopolitan cities is that Hong Kong can be found at the crossing of several travel routes and it was greatly influenced by the British colonialisation of the west. Shanghai on the other hand, was shut off from civilisation for a long period of time and you’ll only see the city if you’re travelling through China.

Click here for more about our Shanghai travel tours.

Everyone should visit Hong Kong at some point or another in their lifetime. Officially Hong Kong is a part of China, but on the other hand it’s remarkably un-Chinese. A visit to Hong Kong will include a wide variety of skyscrapers, countless shopping malls, a massive amount of Chinese signs and shop windows filled with the strangest looking food you’ve ever seen. However, it's also home to incredibly photogenic places such as Hong Kong Island where the typical Chinese junks are docked. Spend the night in downtown Kowloon, on a beach on Lantau Island or in style at the up-scale Harbour View hotel.

Click here for more about our Hong Kong arrival tours.

Between Beijing and Xi'an lies Pingyao; one of the best kept secret towns dating back to the Ming dynasty. This is China as you may have seen it in movies such as 'Raise the red lantern'. The picturesque centre is small, compact and surrounded by the original city walls. Spend hours roaming around the city; there are no planned excursions during this China tour. You’ll Stay in a small, charming and stylish courtyard hotel with a patio. In the evening the red lanterns will be lit, they’re sure to cast a magical glow on your stay here.

Click here for more about our Pingyao travel tours.

Go on an amazing trek through the peaceful Himalayan foothills starting at Tiger Leaping Gorge, three hours by car from Lijiang. During the two day journey, hike the trail with a guide along the top of the gorge at an altitude of 2500m above the Yangtze River. Spend the night halfway along the trail in a guest house. During your trek you’ll pass paddy-fields, villages and of course you’ll see the famous white snowy peaks of the Himalayas everywhere. This is one part of your independent China holiday that you'll never forget.

Click here for more about our Tiger Leaping Gorge trek.

The Stone Forest is a national park featuring spectacular rock formations that change colours during the day (especially during sunrise and sunset). During the day the park is filled with large numbers of Chinese tour groups. Therefore we don't offer the standard day trip to the park. Instead, we offer an accommodation right next to the park. This is the only accommodation in the area and the place to be for a back-to-basics experience. Before and after the crowds appear, the park is yours alone (and perhaps a few others). Be sure to enjoy the enormous shadows that appear at sunset; an unforgettable natural phenomenon. Some rock peaks are 30m high and have the most unusual shapes; at times they seem to look like petrified trees. 

Click here for more about our Stone Forest in China tours.

This independent module is a breath of fresh air during a China tour laden with visits to northern Chinese cities. Visit Xiahe at an altitude of 3000m where many Tibetans, not only monks, live near the Labrang Monastery which lies nearby. Buddhist traditions are completely ingrained in this city and the entire city feels like one large monastery. Don't miss a walk along Labrang’s pilgrim route (1174 prayer mills). Explore the highlands by jeep and meet the nomads that live in this harsh environment. You'll feel very ‘Zen’ after experiencing this module.

Click here for more about our Xiahe China tours.

This four day independent China tour takes you straight through the Sichuan province countryside. This trip begins in the remote town of Xiahe, since many travellers choose to book the ‘Tibetan monks and monasteries' module prior to this one. Then travel with a guide to Langmusi, known for the macabre 'sky burials'; a tradition in which the deceased is ‘given’ to the birds. Grassy plains, mountains and nomadic villages are abundant in this area. Say goodbye to your driver and guide in Songpan and spend two nights in this quiet Chinese village where there are more sheep, yaks and horses than people. Finally, a bus will take you from Songpan to Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan.

Click here for more about our Sichuan province travel options.

If you’re adventurous at heart you may be interested in a horseback ride into a remote part of China, far away from modernisation and the hustle and bustle of the cities. Horseback riding experience is not necessary. You’ll ride on horseback for three days through a mountain territory until you reach the glacier at Ice Mountain. Along the way you’ll climb 1000m and you’ll spend the nights like the nomads do; in a tent with a bed made of shrubberies and horse and yak skins. You may experience some of the sore bottom blues after this trip and walk a bit uneasily for a day afterwards; however you’ll never forget this unique experience!

Click here for more about our Songpan horse trek.

Fly to Hainan Island and spend a few pleasurable days at a comfortable tropical island resort surrounded by white sandy beaches and palm trees. Beaches are probably not top of mind when you think of China, however they offer quite a relaxing element to your China tours. Hainan may not be as entertaining as islands in Thailand or Malaysia; however it has a beautiful beach, peace and quiet and you can even dive or surf here. Temperatures on Hainan are pleasant all year long. End your China trip on these tropical beaches and recharge your inner sun-battery before returning to cloudy skies back home.

Click here for more about our Hainan Island beach tours.

This independent China tours module combines a visit to Shanghai with visits to picturesque towns known for their waterways and well-maintained gardens. On arrival in Shanghai your driver will take you to the countryside where you’ll sleep in a village with canals instead of roads. The following day you’ll travel on to Suzhou, a town with serene water gardens, Buddhist temples, red lanterns and stone bridges. From here you’ll board a high-speed TGV train back to Shanghai. In Shanghai, you’ll spend two nights in our colonial hotel on the boulevard in the middle of the city. For just a little while you’ll live on a waterway and you’ll get a taste of this active, cosmopolitan harbour city.

Click here for more about our Yangtze Delta tour.

Many travellers end their China holiday in Shanghai, however this cosmopolitan harbour city isn’t known as a place of tranquillity. The island of Putuoshan is only a two-hour boat ride from Shanghai. It’s a peaceful location filled with old temples, pagoda’s and deserted beaches.  Walk through the old towns, visit the old temples and meet the friendly inhabitants that would love to play a game of mah-jong with you on the street.

Click here for more about our Putuoshan Island tours.