China Tibet Encompassed

Nihao! Welcome to Beijing, the Capital of China. Your tour begins with a welcome meeting at 6 pm in your hotel lobby. Your guide will go over more details about your trip including meeting up with your guides in each city. After that, you will enjoy an orientation walk, followed by a Peking Duck dinner.

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

There will be a lot of walking today as well as using the subway to get around some of Beijing’s most famous sights. Tiananmen Square, one of the world's largest public squares, is home to the Monument of the People's Heroes and the Great hall of the People. From here enter the Forbidden City (built 1406-1420), the 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 stroll through the alleys formed by lines of traditional courtyards known by Hutong and experience the local lifestyle of Old Beijing.
Accommodation:
• Chongwenmen Hotel or similar (2 nights)
Meals Included:
• Breakfast

Travel about 2 hours out of Beijing to the Mutianyu Great Wall. This is one of the best-preserved and restored sections so it is easy to climb, but you can still appreciate the difficulty of its construction. A picnic lunch on the Wall is provided.
Return to Beijing in the afternoon; you will have time for some free sightseeing or shopping before boarding the overnight train to Xian.
• Overnight on soft sleeper train Beijing/Xi’an (1 night)
Meals Included:
• Breakfast

Arriving in Xi’an head to the hotel for breakfast. First on our Xi’an itinerary are the Terracotta Warriors, this incredible archaeological find, discovered in 1976, comprises more than 6,000 warriors, chariots and horses - each individually sculpted from clay with different costumes, height and even facial expressions – all in battle formation. 3 main pits displaying over 2,000 of the warriors are open for you to view.
After lunch in a local village visit one of the best-preserved old residences in Xi’an dating back 400 years. The courtyard was home to seven generations of the Gao family – notable officials of the royal court. Get a taste of the traditional local lifestyle through period furniture, pottery, porcelain, and paintings.
Later, in Xi’an city, wander around the Muslim Quarter with its narrow streets lined with small shops, markets and restaurants.

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

Start the day with a circuit of Xi’an’s ancient City Wall. This is the most significant and best-preserved city wall extant in China, running over 13 kilometers around Xi’an. It takes about 2 hours to cycle round the wall.
Then in the early afternoon we will board a bullet train to Xining (around 4.5 hours). Xining is set on the northwest plateau of China, home to 500 thousand Chinese Muslims.
There will be time on arrival for an orientation walk around.

Accommodation:
• Xining Mansion or similar ( 1 night)
Meals Included:
• Breakfast, Dinner

About 30km outside Xining is the renowned Kumbum (Ta’er Si) Monastery. Kumbum is one of the six largest Tibetan Buddhist Monasteries. One of the most famous figures in the history of Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism, Tsongkhapa, was born and grew up here before travelling to Lhasa. You will view the stupas, Teaching Hall...etc. The amazing Butter Sculpture exhibition in the monastery will definitely impress you.
Return to Xining in time to catch the early afternoon train to Lhasa (approximately 21.5 hours). From Xining you climb to the Changtang Plateau and the sheer vastness of this landscape is not something you will quickly forget.

Accommodation:
• Overnight on soft sleeper train Xining/Lhasa ( 1 night)

Meals Included:
• Breakfast

Wake to find yourself well inside Tibet as you travel the world’s highest railway. The passes may be covered by snow at any time of year and in summer the lakes are surrounded by vast grasslands.
On arrival at Lhasa station, on the outskirts of the city, you are warmly welcomed with a pure white katak scarf (prayer scarf). There will be time to relax and adjust to the altitude before a late afternoon orientation walk.

Accommodation:
• Thangka Hotel or similar (3 nights)
Meals Included:
• Dinner

One of the most iconic structures ever built; the Potala Palace was the seat of government and winter residence of the successive Dalai Lamas. A visit is an awe-inspiring experience. Perched 130meters above the city, it is divided into two parts, the White Palace (secular) and the Red Palace (religious - home to chapels, shrines, and tombs of Dalai Lamas). Although you must stick with your guide whilst exploring, this in no way lessens the impact of seeing what is a true architectural wonder.
Later, visit the Jokhang; the spiritual heart and most sacred temple of Tibet which always attracts steady waves of pilgrims. Spend some time exploring this large World-Heritage listed site and learn of its rich history. According to legend, the temple was built over a lake after many failed attempts to build monasteries in other nearby locations. Feast your eyes on the golden Buddha which stands in the center. After the visit join the pilgrims walking around the Barkhor Street (in a clockwise direction) considered a sacred kora by Tibetans.
Finally, in the late afternoon, we will visit the great university monastery of Sera where you will witness lively philosophical debating (except Sundays).

Accommodation:
• Thangka Hotel or similar (3 nights)
Meals Included:
• Breakfast

Today take a day trip out of Lhasa to marvel further at the scenery. Crossing the Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra), Tibet’s longest river, the road then winds up to the Khamba-la Pass (4730m). From here you can see Yamdrok Lake, a brilliant turquoise freshwater lake, 72km long, against a backdrop of snow-capped mountains.

Accommodation:
• Thangka Hotel or similar (3 nights)
Meals Included:
• Breakfast

After a morning flight to Chengdu head out to explore Jinli Street. This street is famous for its historic atmosphere, bustling business and, most of all, for its local snacks. Enjoy sticky rice cakes with sesame sauce, spicy chicken on a stick, sweet rice jelly, fried beef pancakes and, for the more adventurous, seasoned rabbits’ heads.
Later in the afternoon we will head to Kuanzhai Alley, a landmark of Chengdu. Here we will see the historical remains of the old Chengdu city and experience the leisure lifestyle of Chengdu locals.

Accommodation:
• Joha Forstar Hotel or similar (1 night)
Meals Included:
• Breakfast

A morning visit to the Panda Breeding Center, where you can witness the conservation efforts being made to save this endangered species. Pandas look adorable with amazing body movements. They are bred and protected in the base. You can get quite close to them, watching them at play, eating, napping, and munching bamboo. After lunch in a local restaurant, we will head to the station for the bullet train to Chongqing.
Your deluxe Yangtze River Cruise is amazing way to see the beautiful passing scenery as well as keep a lookout for wildlife. Don’t miss being on deck for sunset.

Accommodation:
•Overnight on Yangtze River Cruise ( 3 nights)
Meals Included:
• Breakfast, Lunch

Wake up and look out of your window to watch the stunning scenery. Take a short excursion to Fengdu which earned its reputation as a “Ghost City” during the Eastern Han Dynasty. Visit the temples and get a taste of Chinese Ghost Culture. In the evening, enjoy a dynasties culture show by Chinese minorities. This performance will entertain as well as introduce you to some of the lesser-known ethnic groups of China.

Accommodation:
•Overnight on Yangtze River Cruise (3 nights)
Meals Included:
• Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today pass through two of the Three Gorges of the Yangtze, the Qutang and Wu Gorges. There will also be an excursion to the Shennv Valley (the Goddess Stream) where you will have a breathtaking view of thousands of cliffs hanging above you. The water of the narrow stream is colored green by the hundreds of meters of cliffs which almost completely block the sky. In the evening, the captain’s farewell banquet. Say a toast to the wonderful crew and take in the river views for one last time.

Accommodation:
•Overnight on Yangtze River Cruise (3 nights)
Meals Included:
• Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Early morning arrival at Huang Ling Miao and visit the Three Gorges Dam. This is the most significant hydro-electric project in the world; completed in 2009 it brings the benefits of flood control, power generation, tourism, ecological protection, South-North water transfer and irrigation. It also achieved a world record in 2014 for the enormous amount of power generated.
Disembarking at Yichang we take a flight to Shanghai.

Accommodation:
• Metropolo Jinjiang Classiq Shanghai Nanjing Road or similar (2 nights)
Meals Included:
• Breakfast

Today's walking tour will take you back in time. The first stop is the City God's 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's 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. We’ll also stroll along the narrow winding lanes (longtangs) of Old Shanghai where we can get a real glimpse into the locals’ daily life.

Accommodation:
• Metropolo Jinjiang Classiq Shanghai Nanjing Road or similar (2 nights)
Meals Included:
• Breakfast

Your adventure through China comes to an end. A departure transfer to the airport is included.

Meals Included:
• Breakfast