Hike and Bike China

Ni Hao! Welcome to Beijing. You will start your trip by meeting with your local guide at 6pm in the hotel lobby. They will welcome you and go over details about your trip including meeting up with your guides in each city. After that, you will enjoy an orientation walk, followed by a Beijing Duck dinner.

Accommodation:
•Chongwenmen Hotel or similar (2 nights)
Meals Included:
• Peking Duck dinner

Today you will explore famous sights of Beijing with your guide, making use of the subway to get around along with a bit of walking & cycling. First stop - Tiananmen Square. This is one of the world's largest public squares, home to the Monument of the People's Heroes and the Great Hall of the People. Then into the Forbidden City, built 1406-1420; a ceremonial and political center of the Chinese government for more than 500 years. It was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987 and is listed by UNESCO as the most extensive collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world. After the Forbidden City, we will cycle through the alleys formed by lines of traditional courtyards known as Hutong and experience the local lifestyle of Old Beijing.

Accommodation:
•Chongwenmen Hotel or similar (2 nights)
Meals Included:
•Breakfast

We leave in the morning for the Great Wall. The Gubeikou area of the wall includes a vital mountain pass that dates back to the 16th century and divides this section of the Wall into 2 parts. Today’s hike will start from the Wohushan section; this 13.6km section was built in the Ming Dynasty and is particularly famous for its precipitous geography. The name WoHu means crouching tigers. Along the wall there are a great many watchtowers and the Wohushan sector remains a masterpiece in the history of Great Walls for its ingenious construction. Today we will hike 6km – a total of 3 hours. After the hike, we will settle into a farmer’s guesthouse in Gubeikou for the night.

Accommodation:
•Ye Shufang Guesthouse or similar (1 night)
Meals Included:
•Breakfast, Lunch

With an early start make the trek from Gubeikou to Jinshanling. Along the way you will enjoy the lush vegetation and see how this part of the wall has crumbled since in the 1950s local farmers took bricks from the wall to build their houses. Pass by a local village and walk around an inner circle of the wall, which was the second defense in case the main wall breached. Today you will hike 12km (c.7 miles) - a total of 4-5 hours walking and 3-4 hours resting, enjoying the views and lunch.
Continue walking until late afternoon when you will reach a guesthouse in the village of Erdaoliang in the Jinshanling area where you will spend the night.

Accommodation:
• Jianxia Guesthouse or similar (1 night)
Meals Included:
•Breakfast, Lunch

This morning enjoy a home-cooked breakfast in the guesthouse before continuing your hike from Jinshanling to Simatai West. Along this route you will see both original and restored sections of the Wall and enjoy the classic postcard views of watchtowers snaking across the mountain so keep your camera handy. Some of these 2 and 3-story towers have flat roofs, others are rounded and others pitched with upturned eaves. You will hike 8km (4.7 miles) on mostly paved ground though there are a few stretches of unrestored pathways with stairs and steep gradients. The hiking today takes about 4-5 hours. Then we will head to a local farmer’s restaurant for lunch.
In mid-afternoon, we will make the 3-hour drive back to Beijing.

Accommodation:
• Chongwenmen Hotel or similar (1 night)
Meals Included:
• Breakfast, Lunch

A free morning in Beijing before the 5-hour fast train ride to Huashan, known as "The Number One Precipitous Mountain under Heaven." The mountain is one of the Five Sacred Taoist Mountains in China and has a long history of religious significance. Upon arrival, check into the hotel, which is located at the foot of the mountain, then take an orientation walk around.

Accommodation:
• Lotus Flower Hotel or similar (2 nights)
Meals Included:
•Breakfast, Dinner

Today we will explore the magnificent Mt. Hua Shan. Beginning by taking a cable car to the North Peak climb up the Ear-Touching Cliff, Heavenward Ladder and Black Dragon Ridge until reaching the Golden Lock Pass. After a lunch break, continue on to visit the Middle Peak (Jade Maiden Peak) and the East Peak (Facing Sun Peak) before the hike to South Peak (Landing Wild Geese Peak). The South Peak is 2,160 meters above sea level, the highest of the five. Here we will have chance to experience the dangerous Changkong Plank Trail, a 30-centimeter-wide plank path built along a seemingly bottomless vertical cliff. Then finally we reach the West Peak. The West Peak is the symbol of Hua Shan; it is the most spectacular of the five peaks. From the West Peak we take the cable car down and return to the hotel. Today you will hike 12km (c.7 miles) - a total of 4-5 hours walking and 3-4 hours resting, enjoying the views and lunch. The cliff trails of Huashan offer excellent opportunities for a thrilling but easy hike.

Accommodation:
• Lotus Flower Hotel or similar (2 nights)
Meals Included:
•Breakfast

This morning set off to visit the Terracotta Warriors. Marvel at this incredible archaeological find, discovered in 1976 by farmers digging a well, after being buried for 2,000 years. Three main pits are open for you to view, where just under 2,000 of the total 6,000 warriors – each individually sculpted from clay, each having a different costume, height, and even facial expression – stand in battle formation. Then it is one hour to Xi’an where a cycling tour around the ancient city wall is waiting for us. This is the most significant and best-preserved city wall extant in China, running over 13 kilometers around Xi’an.
Later, we will take a walk around the popular Muslim quarter and stroll through the narrow streets dotted with small shops, markets and restaurants.

Accommodation:
• Manxin Hotel Bell Tower or similar (1 night)
Meals Included :
•Breakfast

Catch a morning flight to Guilin from where it is 1.5 hours’ drive to Longji. The Dragon's Backbone Rice Terraces are an agricultural spectacle with a history of more than 650 years. The most eye-catching part of the terrace cluster is the Ping'an Village Rice Terrace, which was the earliest one discovered by tourists and photographers. After settling into your guesthouse, your guide will take you on an orientation walk.

Accommodation:
• Seven Star Resort ( Ping’an Branch) or similar (2 nights)
Meals Included:
• Breakfast

Hike through the Longji Valley with its rice terraces, bamboo trees and chestnut forests. The terraces are named for their resemblance to a dragon’s scales whilst the mountain summit looks like the backbone of a dragon. Despite some challenging hills, much of the hike is spent walking along stone paths, passing waterfalls and fields. The hiking distance is about 10.2km, which takes about 5 - 6 hours.
Lunch in a farmer’s restaurant in Dazhai, from where we will take the local shuttle bus to Huangluo Yao Zhai, a village of the Yao ethnic people. Stroll among the local wooden houses and discover the unique culture of the Yao Women with their long hair. Then take the shuttle bus back to Ping’an Village for the night.

Accommodation:
• Seven Star Resort ( Ping’an Branch) or similar (2 nights)
Meals Included:
• Breakfast, Dinner

Your 4-day cycle adventure starts with a thrilling downhill stretch; 6km with dozens of switchbacks! The route continues downward but flattens out to follow the river through minority villages for 11km. The rest of the morning is on quiet sealed roads, climbing through pine and bamboo forests, tea plantations and small communities. Guilin-style rice noodles for lunch will give you the energy for the afternoon’s ride – an undulating 25km – through Wantian village to your riverside hotel where you can relax and dine in an outdoor restaurant by the river.

Accommodation:
• Shiertan Hotel or similar (1 night)
Meals Included:
• Breakfast, Lunch

It is an early start back to Wantian Village for a local breakfast (wanton soup, steamed bread) and to checkout the activities of the colourful local market. Then head off along small backroads and trails, through vegetable plots and fruit orchards, which give you a close-up view of village farm life.
After 30km we will stop at a tea plantation for a good break – along with lunch you will learn about tea farming and production as well as tastings and tea culture.
It is then another 50km, including some off-road sections through forest, until the karst peaks of Guilin’s skyline appear. Guilin is one of China’s prettiest cities and from your riverside hotel there are plenty of eating options nearby.

Accommodation:
• Universal Hotel or similar (1 night)
Meals Included:
• Breakfast, Lunch

Start with some exciting riding joining the morning commuter chaos as you head out of town. Clear of the city follow the Li River through riverside towns. Daxu is a memorable village with picturesque cobblestoned streets, memorable of old China. Bike paths lead through bamboo forest. Enjoyed on the riverbank, lunch will be typical farmers’ food including delicious vegetables straight from the field.
This afternoon there is some climbing into the karst landscape, but the rewards are spectacular. Crossing a wide valley of rice fields arrive at Xingping. Dating from the Ming Dynasty the village is well worth exploring to admire rapidly disappearing architectural styles. Then it is on to Yangshuo for the night, a small town endlessly popular with travelers.

Accommodation:
• Floral Hotel Qinghui Villa or similar (2 nights)
Meals Included:
• Breakfast, Lunch

The scenery around Yangshou is particularly appealing to cyclists. Karst mountains, rice fields and the Li River – immortalized on the 20 yuan note. Travel upriver on bamboo rafts before getting back on your bikes heading for Xianggong Shan. From the lookout you can appreciate the full enormity and stunning beauty of the landscape. Following the ridgeline, you are now in the realm of citrus orchards. Then back amid the paddy fields as you reach Baisha and the Dragon River. Lunch is at a local farmers’ restaurant overlooked by the centuries of Yu Long (Dragon Meeting) Bridge. Local trails and paths lead back to Yangshuo.

Accommodation:
• Floral Hotel Qinghui Villa or similar (2 nights)
Meals Included:
• Breakfast, Lunch

Transfer to Guilin airport for a morning flight to Shanghai. Upon arrival, first visit the City God Temple area; a folk temple neighboring Yuyuan Garden. It originated as the Jinshan God Temple, dedicated to the spirit of Jinshan or "Gold Mountain", an island off the coast of Shanghai and was converted into a City God Temple in 1403. Its popularity turns the surrounding area into a large pedestrian area hosting an array of shops, restaurants and teahouses, as well as annual temple fair events. Yuyuan Garden is an extensive ancient garden with Ming and Qing architectural styles.
Later, we’ll stroll along the narrow winding lanes (longtangs) of Old Shanghai where we can get a real glimpse into the locals’ daily life. Then it is time to explore the Bund - this spectacular array of Art Deco buildings line what was once the most important financial street in Asia.

Accommodation:
• Metropolo Jinjiang Classiq Shanghai Nanjing Road or similar (1 night)
Meals Included:
• Breakfast

Today is your last day in Shanghai. There are no activities planned but depending on the time of your outbound flight you can spend the day exploring more of the busy city or indulging in the many cuisines that can be found here. A private transfer to the airport is included.

Meals Included:
• Breakfast