China Tour

During the 18 days journey, you will get to know the most prosperous two cities in China: Hong Kong and Shanghai. You will see the wonderful untouched landscapes in Yunnan and the changing scenery along the grand Yangtze River from Chongqing to the Three-Gorges Dam. You will see dreamy villages at the upper section of the river and its estuary. Moreover you will see the rapidly developing industrial city Chongqing at the middle section of the river. And primarily you will meet Chinese people, who will give you a warm welcome.

Itinerary:

Arrival in Hong Kong in the morning. Transfer to the hotel. Make a half day city tour on the Hong Kong Island in the afternoon (about 4 hours). You will see the most important sights, such as the Stanley Market, the Repulse Bay and the Victoria Peak, from which you can get a marvellous 360 degree view over the city.

The morning is at your disposal. Tips: explore the Kowloon peninsula with its Jade and bird markets, experience the cultural life in the temples and monasteries. Or go shopping in Kowloon, the most important business and shopping centre of the Far East. Fly to Kunming in the afternoon. Greetings by the local tour guide and transfer to the hotel.

Visit the Stone Forest (Shi Lin) in the Lunan County. It is an autonomous area, where the Yi minority group lives. The Stone Forest is a special kind of karst formation, which is composed by numerous rocks, valleys of manifold shapes and subsurface rivers. After an extensive walk, return to Kunming in the afternoon.

Go to Dali by bus after breakfast. Dali is the administrative centre of the autonomous region, where the Bai minority lives. Transfer to the hotel, and then take a walk in the well-preserved Old Town of Dali. There are mighty city walls and watchtowers dating back to the Ming dynasty. In the picturesque lanes, there you can buy handicraft products made of the famous Dali marble everywhere. It is a white marble, which contains layers of colors, such as red, light blue, green and milk. The name of the city became the common term for marble in China. Afterwards visit the beautiful white Three Pagodas (San Ta Si), which are built in the typical style of the Tang dynasty. The pagodas are located close to The Chongsheng Monastery, not far from the city.

Make a boat trip on the Erhai Lake in the morning. Erhai is the second largest plateau lake and the seventh largest fresh water lake in China. It is located at the foot of the snow-caped Cang Mountain with a height of more than 4,000 m. Enjoy the spectacular scenery there. Afterwards visit a Bai family and get to know their everyday life and the architecture of their house. In the afternoon go to Lijiang by minibus. Enjoy the beautiful landscapes of mountains and rivers along the road. Visit the Xinhua Village of the Bai minority on the way.

Reach the picturesque Dayan Old Town in the morning. It is an ancient town, famous for its well preserved city structure – a harmonious blend of elements from different cultures and an ancient water-supply system of great complexity and ingenuity that still works effectively today. The Old Town is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. In the afternoon, you will walk along the Lake of the Black Dragon (Heilongtan). You can see the 5,600 m high snow covered Jade Dragon Mountain massif in the distance. It is reflected in the water of the lake. The next stop is the Dongba Museum, where you can learn more about the culture of the Naxi minority; for example the original writing, the old music, painting, and the customs, known as Dongba culture.

After breakfast, go on an excursion to the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (Yulong Xueshan), which has an altitude of 5,600 meters (18,400 feet) and is located about 15 km north of Lijiang. A cable car brings you up to the 4,600 m alp, beneath the pinnacles of the mountain, which is covered by a glacier. This area is famous for its enormous biodiversity. The surroundings of the mountain are a sanctuary for rare animals and plants. After that you will visit the Baisha Frescoes. There are 53 groups of paintings dating back to the Ming Dynasty. They are spread over several different temples. The paintings are a mixture of Daoism, Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism and the local Naxi Dongba culture. They illustrate the everyday life in religious images. You can enjoy the ancient Naxi music in the evening. It is a kind of old Chinese folk music, which has its roots in Taoist and Buddhist ritual music of the 13th and 14th century, and was very popular at that time. The orchestra with its musicians, who are partly more than 80 years old, will show the great musical art of the Nanxi minority to you.

Go through the picturesque mountain landscape by minibus to Zhongdian in the morning, the legendary Shangri-la County. On the way you can make a trip into the Tiger Leaping Gorge at the upstream of the Yangtze River, which is called Golden Sand River (Jinsha River). While the canyon with its steep walls, which slopes in 70-90 degrees, is more than 200 m high. The surrounding mountains are even thousand meters higher. The narrowest section of the gorge is only 30 meters wide. After nine months of intensive research, at the end of the year 2001, it was proven that the area around Zhongdian, the capital of the autonomous Tibetan area Diqing, is the Shangri-la County in the novel the Lost Horizon. It was written by James Hilton in 1933, according to the narrations of the famous geographer Joseph Rock, who lived there for many years. The area got the official name Shangri-La at last. Overnight stay at somewhere outside Zhongdian close to the Songzanlin Temple, which was founded by the fifth Dalai Lama in 1679.

Since the hotel is nearby the Songzanlin Monastery, you have the possibility to enjoy the life in the monastery rather undisturbed by other tourists early in the morning. Songzanlin Monastery is the largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Yunnan province. Built between 1679 and 1681, the present monastery is a true-to-life original imitation of the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet. Explore the beautiful scenery of Shangri-la in the afternoon. The ride goes through a breath-taking mountain landscape to the Bitahai-Lake with 3,540 m hight, where you can go for a walk. Back in Zhongdian, you can walk through the city.

Fly back to Kunming in the morning. After the transfer to the hotel, you will visit the Western Hills with the Dragon Gate and a series of temples in the caves carved into the cliff and they are connected by narrow but secured paths. There you can have a wonderful view over the 40 km long Dian Lake and the city Kunming. Go back to the city and visit the Flower and Bird Market.

Fly to Chongqing in the morning. After the arrival, visit the Eling Park (Goose Hill Park) at the steep waterside of the Jialing River. From the top of the guarding tower you can get a beautiful overview of the city. Afterwards stroll up the pedestrian precinct in the Jiefangbei district with its hotels, department stores and the restaurants. Chongqing is a fast developing industrial metropolis at the middle section of the Yangtze. Then visit the Chaotianmen Esplanade at the dock, which is shaped like a ship bow. It is located on a peninsula, which is formed by the confluence of the Yangtze River and the Jialing River. It is the landing place of the Yangtze Cruise Ship****.

Enjoy the impressive Yangtze River Cruise. Within two and a half days you will make a cruise from Chongqing to the Three Gorges Dam and see the beautiful scenery of the Three Gorges. first you go to the Qutang Gorge (Bellows Gorge), which is the smallest of all, with only 8 km at length. Then the 40 km long Wu Gorge (Witch Gorge) and the 76 km long Xiling Gorge (West Mountain Gorge). You will make a trip to an old village, which can not be reached from the landside. And then go for a cruise through the small gorges of the tributary rivers into a charming protected landscape. Moreover you will pass the gigantic five ary watergates of the Three Gorges Dam - an outstanding attraction.

After the arrival in Yichang in the morning, you will go to the Wuhan airport by minibus and then fly to Shanghai. Or you can fly directly from Yichang to Shanghai (It depends on availability). Arrival in Shanghai and transfer to the hotel. The rest of the day is at your disposal.

In the morning visit the Yu Garden and the Tea House in the Old Town of Shanghai. Then you will experience the religious life in the Jade Buddha Temple, where a 2m Buddha statue made of one single piece of rare white Burmese jade, is housed. Then go to the picturesque 700-year-old town Xitang by bus. Its townscape has scarcely changed over centuries. The city is grossed by numerous canals and even more bridges. This city imparts you an impressing picture of the old China – similar to what the first Europeans, who came to China, have found. Eminent attractions are the roofed streets and lanes, which meander along the canals. Overnight stay at Xitang.

This morning is at your disposal. Stroll up the old roads and lanes. You will get bewitched by the beauty there. After lunch go to the world metropolis Shanghai – the difference between the two places could not be bigger!

Stroll up Nanjing Road, the busiest shopping street of Shanghai. Walk through the Old Town with its maze of lanes, in which you can experience the daily life there. Then walk along the Bund, the legendary street next to the Huangpu River with its European colonial architecture of the 1930's. There you can get a beautiful view of the skyline of the modern district Pudong at the opposite side of the river. Then go up to the Jinmao Building, which is a 421 m high marvellous combination of traditional Chinese style and the gothic influence. At the observation deck you can enjoy a breath-taking view of the most developing city of Asia.

Transfer to the airport and return home. (You can spend approx. $7 to go to the airport by the Transrapid).

End of the travel.

B: Breakfast     L: Lunch     D: Dinner

Number of participants	Peak season	Single room extra charge	Single cabin extra charge	book
2-5 pers.	2540 USD	440 USD	225 USD
	Shoulder season	Single room extra charge	Single cabin extra charge
	2445 USD	400 USD	205 USD

If you are a group with more than 5 persons, you can get more favourable prices. Please note that the prices may vary due to exchange rate fluctuations (RMB to USD) slightly. The prices above were computed by the rates as 1 USD= 7.9 RMB.

Peak season: April, May, September and October
Shoulder season: March, June, July, August, November

The hotels:
Hong Kong Kimberly Hotel****
Kunming Kunming Hotel****
Dali Landscape Hotel****
Lijiang Grand Hotel***
Zhongdian Songzan Hotel***
Shanghai Ocean Hotel****
Xitang Kaixun Guesthouse

Price includes:
-- All overnight accommodation in double rooms shared by two adults with    breakfast
-- Meals as listed in the itinerary
-- All transfers and entrance tickets as listed in the itinerary
-- Inland flights including all fees
-- With Yangtze Cruise Ship****
-- Local English-speaking tour guides

Price does not include:
-- International flight tickets
-- Visa for China
-- Personal expenditures, tips etc.

Note:
-- The cruise ship always sets off on Monday morning from Yichang, so     that the itinerary must be planed according to that.
-- Children less than 12 years old can be given discounts.
-- The hotels, trains and flights listed in the itinerary may be changed into the     ones of similar category if necessary.
-- The prices do not apply to the May Day Holiday (30th April. –7th May.), the     National Day Holiday (30th Sep.–7th Oct.) and during the period of the     Formula 1 racings in  Shanghai (25th Sep.–5th Oct. 2006).
-- If you need more information, please contact us.