|
Day 1
West Coast - Beijing
Board your transpacific flight to Beijing.
Day 2
Beijing
Upon arrival in Beijing, you will be greeted
and escorted to the Capital Hotel (or
similar).
Day 3
Beijing (AB,L,SD)
After breakfast, visit Tiananmen Square and
the Imperial Palace in the Forbidden City,
home of Chinese emperors for more than
500 years. After lunch, visit the Summer
Palace, taking a leisure stroll while admiring
the thousands of ancient murals along the
Long Corridor and a boat ride on Kunming
Lake (weather permitting). Enjoy a fabulous
welcome banquet featuring the famous
Beijing Duck in the evening.
 Day 4
Beijing (AB,L)
The highlight today is an excursion to the
Great Wall. Enjoy the dramatic vistas and
marvel at the Wall as it climbs and descends
steep ridges and narrow valleys. Next, visit
a cloisonné factory on the way to lunch.
After lunch, visit the Ming Tombs starting
with a stroll along the Sacred Way, which
is guarded by stone statues. Then visit the
Chang Ling Exhibition Museum. En route
back to city, drive around the intriguing
architecture of the main venues:
the National Stadium, nicknamed the “Bird's
Nest,” because of its unique design and the
National Aquatics Center, known as the
“Water Cube” (H2O3).
Day 5
Beijing - Xi'an (AB)
After breakfast, fly to the ancient
city of Xi'an. This afternoon
you'll enjoy a tour of the
ancient City Wall, the
Big Wild Goose Pagoda and
the Bell Tower. Overnight at
the Grand New World Hotel (or similar).
Day 6
Xi'an (AB,L,SD)
Today's highlight is a visit to the Terra-Cotta
Warriors and Horses Museum, home to an
army of more than 6,000 life-size statues
excavated from the tomb of the first emperor
of the Qin Dynasty. After lunch, visit the
Shaanxi Provincial Museum, renowned for
its collection of Han- and Tang-dynasty
antiquities. A briefing will be given by an
expert regarding the history, routes and
stories of the ancient Silk Road–for Xi'an
is the starting point of this age-old, strategic
transportation channel. In the evening, enjoy
a special dumpling dinner and cultural show
recreating the music, costumes and dances
of the Tang Dynasty.
Day 7
Xi'an - Dunhuang (AB,L,D)
In the morning visit the Grand Mosque and
the Muslim quarter. Take an afternoon flight
to Dunhuang and transfer to the Dunhuang
Hotel (or similar).
Day 8
Dunhuang (AB,L,D)
Excursion to the Mogao Grottoes, the
world's richest treasure trove of Buddhist
manuscripts and art. Begun in 386 A.D.
and added to over the next 9 centuries, the
grottoes total over 45,000 square meters
and boast over 2,000 murals and sculptures.
Continue to Crescent Moon Lake and the
impressive Singing Sand Dunes, where
the oasis meets the desert. Enjoy a
camel ride into the dunes.
 Day 9
Dunhuang -
Turpan (AB,L,D)
Visit White Horse
Pagoda, then drive from
Dunhuang to Liuyuan, passing sections of the Han Great Wall and several
beacon tower ruins along the way. Board the
overnight train to Turpan.
Day 10
Turpan (AB,L,D)
This morning you'll arrive in Turpan, the
lowest place in China. Sightseeing features
Gaochang, the ancient walled capital of
the Uyghurs, which flourished between the
7th and 14th centuries. And the Flaming
Mountains, named for their vibrant color.
You'll also visit Grape Valley, in lush
contrast to the desert surrounding it, and the
amazing 2,000-year-old Karez Irrigation
Tunnels, which brought water from melting
snow on the mountains to this parched city.
Attend a music and dance performance in
the evening. Overnight at the Turpan Oasis
Hotel (or similar).
 Day 11
Turpan - Urumqi (AB,L,D)
This morning's tour includes Suliman's
Minaret and a local village. You'll also
visit the ruins of Jiaohe City, where large
fragments of actual streets and buildings
remain. Drive to Urumqi after lunch. Enjoy
the beautiful scenery, en route. Overnight at
the Xinjiang Grand Hotel (or similar).
Day 12
Urumqi (AB,L,D)
After breakfast, enjoy an excursion to
Heavenly Lake, nestled in the Tianshan
Mountain range. Return to Urumqi after
lunch and take a city tour, which gives
you a glimpse of the major sights of this
northwestern city. Populated by Han people
and thirteen ethnic minorities, Urumqi is
quite different from the usual Chinese street
scene. Here you can see nomadic Khazakhs, a Middle-Eastern bazaar, a jade-carving
center and more.
 Day 13
Urumqi - Shanghai (AB,L)
Today's full-day excursion takes you to the
pasture by the Southern Mountains where
you will visit local herds. Take an evening
flight to Shanghai and transfer to the Salvo
Hotel Shanghai (or similar).
Day 14
Shanghai (AB,L,D)
This morning visit to the Bund, the famous
promenade along the Huangpu River, and
the Jade Buddha Temple, renowned for its
huge statue of the Buddha carved from a
single piece of white jade. In the afternoon,
visit the Yu Garden, famous for its rock
gardens, pavilions, halls and ponds, and
Old Shanghai Bazaar, with shops filled with
all manner of interesting curios. Enjoy the
acrobatic show in the evening.
Day 15
Shanghai - West Coast (AB)
After breakfast, transfer to the airport for
your homeward-bound flight. Arrive in USA
on the same day.
|
