YANGTZE CRUISE & BEYOND

DAY 1: ARRIVE SHANGHAI
Transfer to the hotel.

DAY 2: SHANGHAI
This morning you will walk along the famous Bund past the facades of the colonial buildings lining the Huangpu River and look across to the soaring TV tower and fantastic skyscrapers of the Pudong district on the opposite side. Following this is a visit to the beautifully maintained Yu Garden, an outstanding example of a classical garden dating from 16th century. Then comes the renowned Shanghai Museum, famous for its collection of paintings, sculptures, porcelain, costumes, ancient bronzes and other artifacts. Later we cruise across the Huangpu River to ascend the Grand Hyatt Tower, one of the world’s tallest buildings, for an astonishing view over the whole city. (B/L)

DAY 3: SHANGHAI – GUILIN
Transfer to the airport for the flight to Guilin. Here you will visit
the Reed Flute Cave, Guilin’s largest and most impressive cave, filled with stalactites and stalagmites, in an area where local people used to collect reeds to make their unique flutes. You will also take a chairlift to the peak of Yaoshan and enjoy a spectacular view of this beautiful city. (B/L)

DAY 4: GUILIN
This morning you will embark on an enchanting cruise down the Li River from Guilin to the charming town of Yangshuo, a cruise during which fascinating scenes appear one after another. The river bank is lined with picturesque peaks, many with shapes suggesting animals, birds and mythological characters. Tonight there will be a cultural performance. (B/L)

DAY 5: GUILIN – LIJIANG
Fly to Lijiang via Kunming. Lijiang lies in northern Yunnan at 2400m at the foot of the imposing Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, which rises to 5500m. This region is the home of the Naxi people, descendants of Tibetan nomads, and the old part of Lijiang is now a World Heritage Area. Situated in one of the most scenic parts of China, Lijiang offers you a variety of spectacular excursions. (B/L/D)

Day 6: LIJIANG
Today we drive north along the eastern flank of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and take the chairlift to 3200m, descending again after a short walk around an alpine meadow. Later we will visit the Black Dragon Pool Park with its interesting plants, architectural features and stunning mountain back drop, and go on to tour around the small town of Baisha, 8km north of Lijiang. Here there are several buildings with fascinating murals depicting Buddhist and Daoist scenes painted in the 15th and 16th centuries in a style with Tibetan, Naxi and mainstream Chinese elements. You will also visit the Minority Village to see examples of authentic ethnic cultures. (B/L)

DAY 7: LIJIANG
At leisure (B/D)

DAY 8: LIJIANG – CHONGQING VIA KUNMING
Fly via Kunming to Chongqing on the banks of the upper Yangtze. Chongqing is now a large modern city, the industrial and commercial hub of an independent municipality with a population of over 30 million. The city is best-known as the point of embarkation for the Three Gorges Cruise. On arrival in Chongqing you will enjoy an orientation tour of this enormous city, visiting Chongqing Zoo and seeing the Pandas, before joining your luxury cruise ship for the night. (B/L/D)

DAYS 9-10: CRUISE
You sail down the famous Yangtze River, as it winds its way through the spectacular scenery of the Three Gorges. For many people, to cruise along this famous river is a lifelong dream. At 6300 km, the Yangtze is the third longest river in the world, made famous today by its spectacular Three Gorges, and the controversial Three Gorges Dam. The Three Gorges stretch for 193 km, along which are many historic sites such as Baidi City, cliff inscriptions, suspended coffins of the Ba Tribe, tombs of the Han Dynasty (prior to 220 AD), and battlefields of the Three Kingdoms period. Where the river widens, terraced fields spread out up mountain slopes, interspersed with orange orchards and tea gardens. The mist-shrouded landscape of the Yangtze Gorges is as lovely as a traditional Chinese painting. (All meals on board)

DAY11: YICHANG – XIAN VIA WUHAN
The cruise ends at Yichang from which you will travel by car to Wuhan to catch the flight to Xian. (B/L)

DAY 12: XIAN
Today you will visit the army of some 6000 life-size terracotta warriors and their horses made and buried, lined up facing east in battle array, over 2000 years ago to guard the tomb of the first emperor Qin Shihuangdi, who died in 210BC. Although the presence of the enormous mound under which the emperor lies buried has long been recognized, the buried terracotta army nearby was not discovered until 1976, since when excavation and restoration work has continued to be carried out. The warriors are quite remarkable since their heads in particular were individually modeled and exhibit a considerable range of facial expressions, hairstyles and head dresses. Also on exhibition at the site is a pair of magnificent bronze chariots and horses unearthed not far away in 1980. Tonight in Xian you will attend a performance of the famed Tang Dynasty Show. (B/L)

DAY 13: XIAN – BEIJING
This morning we take a walk along the massive Xian City Wall, one of the best preserved in China. The rectangular old part of Xian remains completely surrounded by this magnificent wall, complete with impressive gates and towers, built during the reign of the first Ming emperor in the late 14th century. Next we visit the Small Wild Goose Pagoda, in the grounds of a temple founded by the Tang emperor Gaozong in 684 A.D. It is 45m tall and is picturesquely sited in a walled enclosure filled with trees. After lunch you will fly to Beijing where, as an introduction to this city, you will visit Tiananmen Square, look across the vast space to the Great Hall of the People and stand before the massive Tiananmen (Heavenly Peace) Gate bearing a huge portrait of Mao Zedong, who stood here to proclaim the People’s Republic on 1 October 1949. (B/L)

DAY 14: BEIJING
This morning you will walk through the gates of the fabled Forbidden City to experience its hidden glories and mysteries. Here the gardens, marble courtyards, temples, pavilions and crimson, gilded halls that sheltered the emperors are all open to your gaze. This afternoon, you will experience a rickshaw tour of Beijing’s original Hutong District, a fascinating maze of back alleys and hidden courtyards where the people who still work and live here welcome you into their homes (B/L)

DAY 15: BEIJING
You will be taken north today to pace the ramparts of China’s famed Great Wall, originally constructed over 2000 years ago to keep invaders from the north at bay. Returning to the city, you will visit the Temple of Heaven, where the emperors carried out the most important sacrifices and ceremonies of the year. Set in a huge park planted with conifers, the buildings here represent the epitome of Ming architecture.(B/L)

DAY 16: BEIJING
This morning you will visit the wonderfully preserved and restored Summer Palace, the famed pleasure garden of the Qing Emperors. Beautiful ornamental plantings, languid willows and painted pavilions surrounding a scenic lake recreate the atmosphere of bygone centuries. In the afternoon you will have some free time to explore more of Beijing. (B/L)

DAY 17: DEPART BEIJING
Transfer to the airport (B)

The prices of above tour are quoted on the basis of a minimum of 2 persons travelling together.