Best of China and Ancient Silk Road 18 Days
Tour code: NHF06
Itinerary: Beijing -Urumqi -Turpan -Dunhuang
-Jiayuguan -Xi'an -Guilin -Yangshuo Shanghai
Day 1 | Hometown - Beijing B-Breakfast
(Western Style or Buffet)
Start your tour by taking flight to Beijing. Cross the International
Date Line.
Day 2 | Beijing B-Breakfast (Western
Style or Buffet)
Arrive in Beijing, the capital city of China. Your tour guide
will greet you at the airport arrival hall and then transfer you
to your deluxe hotel for a good night’s rest.
Day 3 | Beijing B, L, D B-Breakfast
(Western Style or Buffet)
Beijing served as the capital of 5 dynasties over a period of
800 years. Start your city tour with a visit toTiananmen Square,
the largest public square in the world. Next stop is the Forbidden
City. This complex, the largest and most intact conglomeration
of ancient structures of an imperial palace ever built in the
world, features more than 800 buildings with 9,999 rooms, resplendent
golden-glazed roofs, red lacquered pillars and vermilion walls.
In the afternoon, continue your tour to the Temple of Heaven,
which was used by emperors to offer sacrifices to heaven and pray
for good harvest in ancient times. In the evening, enjoy a fabulous
Peking Roast Duck Banquet. Return to the hotel for rest or attend
an optional energetic show-- “Legend of Kung-fu” at
your own expense. (US$35)
Day 4 | Beijing B, L, D B-Breakfast
(Western Style or Buffet)
This morning, you’ll have an opportunity to shop at the
largest Jade Center of Asia. The highlight today is a trip to
the astonishing Great Wall at Juyong Pass. More than 12,000 Kilometers
in total length, the Great Wall is the most famous image of China
throughout the world. It is the only manmade object visible from
the moon, and as one of the Eight Wonders of the World, it is
also a symbol of Chinese traditional culture and the pride of
the Chinese nationality. After lunch, see skilled artisans at
work at a Cloisonné Factory. Then take a motor coach to
the Ming Tombs and visit the Changling Exhibition Hall. Return
to the city to walk along the new Qianmen Street and have an up-close,
outside view of the beautiful Bird’s Nest and Water Cube,
built for the 2008 Olympics. After dinner, cap off the day by
attending a superb performance of Chinese acrobatics.
Day 5 | Beijing B, L B-Breakfast
(Western Style or Buffet)
In the morning tour the exquisite Summer Palace (Imperial Garden),
the largest ancient preserved garden in China and a former summer
resort for emperors and the chosen few, with a boat ride on Lake
Kunming (weather permitting). Lunch will follow a visit to a silk
carpet shop. You’ll have your afternoon free to explore
the city by yourself. You may choose to join our optional Experience
the Hutong Life Tour: a special journey exploring the ancient
Beijing Alley District by pedicab, plus a visit to a local family
and a local market (US$45); or just stroll by yourself in the
Wang-fu-jing Business Street, also called Gold Street. With hundreds
of years of history, it is the best place to capture the historical
and modern cultures of Beijing. Today’s dinner will be on
your own.
Day 6 | Beijing - Urumqi B, L, D
B-Breakfast (Western Style or Buffet)
Your silk road adventure starts today by flying from Beijing to
Urumqi, the capital city of the Xinjiang Autonomous Region. The
broad area of the Silk Route has long been the home of China's
Uygur, Han, Hui, Kazak, Turkic and other nationalities. The rich
cultures, abundant products, and great number of historical sites
add charm to this ancient passageway. Visit the Xinjiang Autonomous
Region Museum upon arrival and then go to the Red Hill Park to
have a bird’s-eye view of Urumqi. Have some free time at
the Grand Bazaar to experience the real life of local Uighurs
before you enjoy your dinner of local cuisine.
Day 7 | Urumqi B, L, D B-Breakfast
(Western Style or Buffet)
A full-day tour in Urumqi starts from a scenic drive in the morning
that will take you high into the Heavenly Mountains (Mt. Tian-shan)
to see the Heavenly Lake (Tianchi) situated at an elevation of
over 6,000 feet. Surrounded by green pastures and pristine conifer
forests, you can relax and explore the alpine wilderness, savor
the fresh air and then take a boat ride on Heavenly Lake and escape
into a peaceful, dream-like world. This area is home to the Kazakh
people and you will visit a local Kazakh family at their yurt
home. Return to the city area after the tour.
Day 8 | Urumqi - Turpan B, L, D B-Breakfast
(Western Style or Buffet)
Your silk road adventure continues this morning by taking a motor
coach to visit Turpan, a Uyghur town set in a large oasis surrounded
by desert and dry mountains. The highlight of today’s sightseeing
is to visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Ancient Jiaohe Ruins.
The impressive ruins lie in the Yarnaz Valley west of Turpan,
on an island at the confluence of two rivers. The city, built
on a high plateau, was established as a garrison during the Han
Dynasty. Despite destruction in the 13th century by Mongol hordes,
large fragments of actual streets and buildings still remain.
Continue to visit the Flaming Mountain, a well-know scenery from
the 16th-century Chinese classic, “Journey to the West”.
This 60-mile long bluff consists of barren red limestone and resembles
a tableau of raging flames when ignited by the afternoon sun.
Your final stop today is the Fifth Century AD Bezeklik Thousand
Buddha Caves located at northeast Turpan. They are high on the
cliffs of the west Mutou Valley under the Flaming Mountains. The
ceilings of 77 rock-cut caves are covered with hundreds of Buddha
murals, some of which are surrounded by other figures, including
Indians, Persians and Caucasians. The quality of the murals vary
with some being artistically naive while others are masterpieces
of religious art. Tonight enjoy a Minority Folklore Dance Show
after a superb local roast lamb dinner.
Day 9 | Turpan - Dunhuang B, L, D
B-Breakfast (Western Style or Buffet)
This morning, take a tour to visit the famed Grape Valley--a park
of vineyards and fruit groves. You’ll have a chance to sample
its renowned mare-nipple grapes, honeydew melons and wine of this
region during the summer season. Then visit the Ancient Gaochang
Ruins, once the prosperous kingdom of the seventh century. Later
you will visit Karez Wells – the remarkable underground
irrigation system that was first engineered 2,000 years ago, based
on a Persian design. Tonight, head off on your journey east on
an overnight soft sleeper train to Dunhuang through the amazing
landscape of the Gobi Desert. Sleep overnight on the train.
Day 10 | Dunhuang B, L, D B-Breakfast
(Western Style or Buffet)
Arrive in Dunhuang in the morning. Check into hotel and enjoy
free time at your leisure this morning. During the Han and Tang
Dynasties, Dunhuang was a major point of interchange between China
and outside world, and a stopping-off post for both incoming and
outgoing trading caravans. Visit Singing Sand Mountains and Crescent
Moon Lake in the afternoon. Attend a unique Dunhuang traditional
dancing show in the evening.
Day 11 | Dunhuang - Jiayuguan B,
L, D B-Breakfast (Western Style or Buffet)
An exciting tour this morning is to visit the UNESCO World Heritage
Site—Mogao Caves, the world’s most important site
of ancient Buddhist culture. The grottoes preserve nearly a thousand
years of Buddhist cave-temple architecture, clay sculpture, mural
paintings, and manuscripts, dating from the 5th to the 14th centuries.
The Mogao Grottoes are carved into desert cliffs overlooking a
river valley about 25 kilometers southwest of Dunhuang and vary
enormously in size, from tiny single-room cells that served as
living quarters for individual monks to huge, cavernous worship
halls housing monumental sculptures and mural cycles. This afternoon,
take a motor coach to Jia-yu-guan, which was considered both the
western tip of the Great Wall and the western boundary of the
Ming Empire. Check into hotel after arrival followed by dinner.
Day 12 | Jiayuguan - Xi'an B, L,
D B-Breakfast (Western Style or Buffet)
Sightsee at the Jiayu Fort and the Overhanging Great Wall (if
time permits) in the morning. In the afternoon, take a flight
to Xian, the final destination of your Silk Road journey. Xian
was the first Chinese city to open its doors to the world during
the Tang Dynasty. Over a period of more than 2,000 years, Xian
was the capital for eleven dynasties. Upon arrival, visit the
Ancient City Wall which is not only the most complete city wall
that has survived in China, but also one of the largest and most
complete ancient military defense systems in the world. Then visit
the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, the symbol of the city. It is said
to have been built to house and protect Buddhist scriptures collected
by the Chinese monk, Xuan Zang, the key figure in the classical
Chinese novel, “Journey to the West.” Enjoy the Dumpling
Banquet dinner and Tang Dynasty Singing and Dancing Show in the
evening. Indulge yourself in this remarkable show and reinvent
your China dream with a travel back in time to the world of China’s
Golden Age, then come back to the present with a greater understanding
of this amazing time.
Day 13 | Xi'an - Guilin B, L, D B-Breakfast
(Western Style or Buffet)
Today’s memorable excursion will take you to visit the Terra
Cotta Warriors and Horses Museum and see the attached life-sized
defending army to the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang. This
site is regarded as “the eighth wonder of the world”
and is among the top archaeological excavations of the 20th century.
Visit an Art Ceramics Factory before you enjoy a local special
noodle lunch and watch a noodle making demonstration. In the afternoon,
take a walk through one of Xian’s most fascinating areas
– the Muslim quarter, to the 7th century Grand Mosque. Set
in four beautiful courtyards of ancient trees, ornate arches and
stone steles, the Grand Mosque is the center of life for the Muslim
community – the descendants of the merchants that ferried
their religion into China along the ancient Silk Road. Sadly,
we must bid Xian farewell as the Silk Road portion of our tour
has come to an end. Fly to the picturesque city Guilin in the
evening. This will be a change of pace on your exciting journey.
Transfer and check into hotel upon arrival.
Day 14 | Guilin - Yangshuo B, L,
D B-Breakfast (Western Style or Buffet)
Take a boat cruise trip from Guilin along the Li River for one
of the finest excursions on your tour of China. The journey downstream
to Yangshuo offers 30 miles of breathtaking scenery. You may have
an opportunity to catch the fascinating sights of fisherman with
cormorant birds while enjoying your lunch on board. Arrive in
the so called “Global Village” Yangshuo in the afternoon.
You will have free time after arriving at West Street. Situated
at the center of Yangshuo, West Street is the oldest street in
Yangshuo with a history of more than 1,400 years. It is greatly
admired by foreigners for its simple style and courtyard-like
setting. Surrounded by an array of traditional folk and amazing
international elements, you’ll find West Street a terrific
place to take a rest, both physically and psychologically. Your
time on West Street is an opportunity to be with the landscape,
the people, and the soul of the area. After dinner, you can choose
to attend an optional program: The large-scale live performance
on the Li River--The Impression Sanjie Liu (US$55). This performance
expresses the beautiful scenery of the Li River,the colorful culture
of the ethnic groups in Guangxi and the brave imagination of the
excellent artists in China. It is the first of its kind in the
world.
Day 15 | Yangshuo - Guilin B, L,
D B-Breakfast (Western Style or Buffet)
After breakfast, take a sightseeing car to explore the beautiful
Yangshuo Local Village. The water buffalos, rice fields, the villagers
working in the field and beautiful landscapes will create a breathtaking
picture you’ll never forget. Enjoy special local recipes
at lunch before returning to Guilin by motor coach. Continue your
tour to visit the Elephant Trunk Hill and the Reed Flute Caves
where you’ll be impressed by the fantastic Karst limestone
formations. Visit Guilin Art Gallery, the only comprehensive Art
Gallery in Guangxi Province, followed by dinner.
Day 16 | Guilin - Shanghai B, L,
D B-Breakfast (Western Style or Buffet)
This morning, transfer to the airport and fly to Shanghai, the
modern metropolis and commercial center of China. Your half-day
city tour starts by walking along the famous Bund, a mile-long
stretch along the Huangpu river. Lined by the colonial architecture
of European design, this area is the best place to capture the
western influences of the old days. Continue to visit the Ming
Dynasty Yuyuan Garden which is considered to be one of the four
greatest Chinese gardens. Our final stop will be the bustling
shopping district, Nanjing Road. After dinner you may take an
optional tour, the Night Cruise on the Huangpu River at your own
expense (US$30).
Day 17 | Shanghai B, L B-Breakfast
(Western Style or Buffet)
After breakfast, visit the Shanghai Museum to see ancient Chinese
art, furniture and jade. After ample time admiring the numerous
exhibits, you’ll be given an opportunity to shop for the
highest quality silk goods. This afternoon will be free for you
to enjoy at your leisure. You may take the time to do some last
minute souvenir and gift shopping or explore this city on your
own.
Day 18 | Shanghai - Hometown B B-Breakfast
(Western Style or Buffet)
Your China adventure is over all too soon as you go to the airport
and board your homebound international flight. Say “Zai
Jian” to this amazing land. You’ll get home the same
day you leave China.
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for detailed prices and departure dates. We also can design your
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