14-Day Beijing-Xian-Dali-Lijiang-Chengdu-Shanghai Tour

After breakfast today explore Beijing with your guide who will collect you from your hotel. Visit the world’s largest city square, Tiananmen Square. Make your way across the road to the magnificent Forbidden City, a culturally historic landmark in China, which was the former residence of Chinese royalty for five centuries. After the Forbidden City tour, exploration continues with a visit to the Summer Palace. Appreciate the beautiful gardens and imagine the lifestyle of royalty and courtiers who enjoyed this summer resort during imperial times. A stopover at Beijing’s stadium and pool – the Bird’s Nest and Water Cube – built for the 2008 Summer Olympics and Paralympics – provides a modern contrast to China’s ancient history. Return to the hotel.

Meals included: Breakfast

Note: Your tour guide may adjust your itinerary due to closure of the Forbidden City each Monday.

In the morning, commence the day’s adventure with exploration of the Mutianyu Great Wall, a less frequented part of China’s 1,400-year-old iconic landmark, located approximately 70 kilometres from Beijing. Take a pleasant and comfortable round-trip cable car transfer over the picturesque scenery, then walk the wall to take in the Ming dynasty guard towers and sensational views. On return to the city in the afternoon, exploration continues with a visit to the Confucius Temple and Imperial College Museum. Stroll through the hutongs nearby and experience local life as you wander through quaint shops, enjoy a coffee, and gain an insider’s view of a real Beijing community.

Meals included: Breakfast

Start today with a visit to the remarkable Temple of Heaven, where emperors from the Ming and Qing Dynasties performed ceremonies and rituals to pray for good harvests and blessings for the country. Transfer to the Beijing West railway station and be checked in by your guide to travel by high-speed rail train to Xi’an. Approximately a five-hour trip, travelling at 300 kilometres per hour, you can relax and absorb the diverse landscape along the way. On arrival at Xi’an North Station, your local tour guide will meet and escort you to your inner city four- or five-star hotel.

Meals included: Breakfast

Today’s tour highlight is the world-renowned Terracotta Army. Recognized as the largest underground military base in the world, take in this extraordinary archaeological discovery, which houses thousands of unique life-sized figures. On return to Xi'an, enjoy a change of pace as you explore the ancient City Wall, currently the largest and best-preserved wall of its type in China. Enclosing China’s former capital city and almost 14 kilometres long, do a full circuit on a bike (tandems available!) or simply explore on foot, taking time to peak out through the wall as guards did in the past and gain a birdseye view of the city. Continue on and take in the quiet of Xi’an’s Great Mosque, located in the middle of the city’s old block. Built mid seventh century, the Great Mosque is the oldest and largest Islamic Mosque in China. Mix with locals and find food of every flavor in Muslim Quarter, which is bustling with authentic eateries and travel souvenirs. Today’s final destination is Xi’an’s famous Bell Tower and Drum Tower Square. Return to your hotel for a relaxed evening or book a dinner, show, or both for an evening of entertainment.

Meals included: Breakfast

After breakfast and check out from your hotel, the tour guide will take you to the Xi'an Museum where you’ll discover over 110,000 relics of Chinese history. Complete the Xi'an leg of the tour by visiting the Small Wild Goose Pagoda and Big Wild Goose Pagoda, two iconic Buddhist pagodas in Xi'an. Here you can also take a brief contemplative walk through the temples and gardens before being driven to the airport for your flight to Dali in the late afternoon.

Settled at the foot of the Cangshan Mountains, the historic Dali was once the capital of the Nanzhao and Dali kingdoms. Upon arrival in Dali, your local tour guide will meet and escort you to your hotel. Happy to share their knowledge of favourite foods and restaurants, you can make the most of your first evening here.

Meals included: Breakfast

Note: Your tour guide may alter your itinerary as the Xi'an Museum is closed on Tuesdays.

Launch into local Dali life with a visit to Xizhou Town, home of the ethnic Bai minority. Soak up the bustling atmosphere of the clamorous Xizhou morning market. Mix with locals out to purchase their daily essentials, seafood, and local specialties. In many ways, you’ll see how time has stood still here. Local women still adorn themselves in the colourful traditional Bai costumes and many families still live in residential complexes that reflect traditional Bai minority homes. Wander through the classical layout of the Yan Family Compound, an enduring example of Xizhou’s prosperous past. Relax and enjoy the signature cultural performance of “Three-Course Tea” Ceremony, practiced by local Bai people to honor distinguished guests.

Your tour will move on to Zhoucheng, the largest of all Bai villages. Remarkably, Zhoucheng retains its traditional folk customers and traditional lifestyle, including its renowned fine tie-dyeing craft form. You’ll have the chance to visit a workshop where you can observe the entire tie-dye process, from dyeing to drying.

Enjoy a change of pace with a leisurely bike ride along the car-free lakeside road of Erhai Lake Ecological Corridor, a loop trail around Erhai Lake. (Optional sightseeing electric cars are available for your comfort, if you’d prefer not to ride a bike.) Be amazed by the scenery of Cangshan and Erhai Lake while cycling past the wetlands, local villages and wildflower meadows.

The peaceful theme continues as you move on to Chongsheng Temple. Here you’ll visit the landmark Three Pagodas: comprising one giant pagoda, 69.13 meters tall which is flanked by two smaller pagodas. Incredibly, these Buddhist pagodas were erected in the Nanzhao period (738 - 902 AD) and feature many significant cultural relics and Buddha statues of great value which have been gathered over the eras and are now on display.

Finish the day’s exploration on a lighter note with a stop at Dali Ancient Town. Once the heart of trade, politics, and culture of Yunnan province during Tang Dynasty (618 - 907 AD) and Song Dynasty (960 - 1279 AD), Dali Ancient Town is a vibrant tourist center. It’s here you’ll find the juxtaposition of the modern and ancient in China. Time to wander will allow you to experience both the historical cultural ambiance of the ancient town and the vigorous vibe of modern life. Be sure to make a stop in bustling Foreigner Street. Here you’ll discover ethical clothes, local crafts, and delicious street food. At the end of the day, put your feet up in your Dali hotel.

Meals included: Breakfast

After breakfast, you’ll be heading to Lijiang where picturesque scenery awaits at Black Dragon Pond Park. Here temples, towers, pavilions and stone tablets from past ages reflect mirror-like in the pond against the backdrop of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. Gain an understanding of the local Naxi minority culture at the Dongba Culture Museum, where more than 12,000 cultural relics are on display.

Later, walk up to the Lion Hill to visit the five-storey high Wangu Pavilion, featuring traditional architecture in the elaborate arches, roof beams, veranda, tiled roofs and sculptures representing the 23 ethnic groups in the region. A phenomenal 10,000 dragon carvings grace the walls. Absorb the panoramic view of the whole ancient town which can be seen from the top of the pavilion - wonderful at sunset! Considered a genuinely amazing place for the way in which time seems to stand still, Lijiang will feel like another world.

Immerse yourself at the heart of Lijiang Ancient Town, a UNESCO-listed town with a history dating back more than 800 years. Feel the vibrant, enduring spirit of the multi-cultural mix of people, individual ethnic characteristics expressed in building design and decoration, as you tread the stone streets and quaint bridges and explore shops, cafes and cultural artefacts in this ancient trading hub.

Enjoy a contemplative evening after you’ve checked into your hotel.

Meals included: Breakfast

Enjoy the hearty breakfast and prepare for today’s adventure. Drive to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, the holy mountain in Naxi culture, renowned for its spectacular setting of peaks, plateaus, glaciers, frozen waterfalls and forests. It’s here you’ll have the opportunity to the merging of modern art with traditional music and culture. Be entertained by the great show, Impression Lijiang, directed by Zhangyimou, the famous and talented director of the 2008 Olympics Opening and Closing Ceremonies. The show is performed at an outdoor theater against the backdrop of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. Involving around 400 locals of 10 ethnic groups and 100 horses, the show is an interesting spectacle that highlights the legend and stories of the traditional Naxi culture with sincerity.

Following the show, you’ll take a cable car to Spruce Plateau, a vast meadow hidden by a primitive spruce forest and shrouded in lingering mists. It’s no mistake that many associate this idyllic landscape of stunning spruces, plateaus, pines, and clouds with an earthly fairyland. Fascinating views of the surrounding snow-capped mountain ranges complete the picture. From a distance, Snow Mountain appears like a giant white dragon nestled in the clouds, which is how it was given its name. Continue your tour by visiting Blue Moon Valley, renowned for its crystal-clear turquoise rivers and lakes. Stroll in this hidden ‘sapphire’ and capture the beauty of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.

Arriving at Baisha Village there is much to admire in the distinctive cultural characteristics, precious historical artifacts and especially the unique Baisha Murals. Different religions appear in the same wall painting, including Buddhism, Taoism and even Lamaism, indicative of an important cultural relic in the study of Chinese history of arts and religion.

Round out today’s adventure with a relaxing evening when you return to the hotel in Lijiang.

Meals included: Breakfast

Start the day off with a relaxed trip to the tranquil Shuhe Ancient Town, an important trading village on the ancient Tea Horse Road. Charming and authentic Shuhe retains quite a laid-back vibe. Wandering around, you will enjoy the quiet cobbled alleyways, old stone bridges and the slow paced lifestyle of the Nakhi people, undisturbed by the throngs of tourists. In the center of the town is Sifang Street, a lively market square surrounded by all sorts of shops with quaint wooden facades, reminders of thriving trade in past eras.

Afterwards, your guide and driver will escort you to the airport for your departure to Chengdu. Upon arrival in Chengdu, your local guide will meet and transfer you to the hotel, providing a brief introduction to China’s panda capital on the way.

Meals included: Breakfast

Today, you will work as a panda volunteer when you visit the Dujiangyan Panda Base. In your role, you will clean the working area, prepare bamboos, make panda’s favorite food of “Wowotou” (steamed corn breads), learn scientific facts about the pandas, and closely watch the keepers feeding and training the pandas. Panda keepers will supervise your activities, with translation provided by your guide. A certificate will be provided as a memento from this very special day. At the conclusion of today’s excursion, you will be returned to your Chengdu Hotel.

Meals included: Breakfast

Tips:

1. Panda Keeper Program has an age limit from 8 years to 70 years. For children under 8 years who are accompanied by an adult, they can take the standard panda tour in the panda base, but not be able to be the panda volunteers due to the age restriction.

2. As a maximum of 60 keepers are allowed each day, it is advisable that you book the program at least two weeks before your departure. You will appreciate that sometimes adjustments may be made to the program due to pandas’ health condition. Accurate information about the program will be provided to you by our travel consultants as soon as we are advised.

3. Each Panda Keeper Program applicant must provide a Physical Examination Record prior to the commencement of the day’s activities.

4. Panda keepers are strongly advised to be guided by their supervisors and should approach the animals with extreme caution and only under supervision. Though pandas look gentle, they are animals and their behaviors can be unpredictable.

5. On the day working as the panda keepers, wear the pants and comfortable shoes with good traction. And should not apply perfume, nail polish, strong fragranced skincare, sunscreen, and insect repellent, because the pandas are very sensitive to smell.

Check out of your hotel and be taken by your guide to Jinli Street. Lined with unique regional street food and artisans, you’ll find yourself immersed in typical local culture and have the opportunity to sample traditional food snacks and meet local craftsmen. The final stop for today allows you to enjoy some leisure time in Wangjiang Pavilion Park where you can amble among the rare bamboo groves and drink fragrant teas before driving to Chengdu airport for your flight to Shanghai. On arrival in Shanghai, be met by your guide and escorted to your hotel. The remainder of the day is yours to enjoy.

Meals included: Breakfast

Commence your tour of Shanghai with a visit to the Shanghai Museum, a massive museum housing over 140,000 artifacts, presenting the full history and culture of this cosmopolitan city. Enjoy a walk along The Bund, iconic and prestigious, one of the most well-preserved examples of old Shanghai glamour. Walk Nanjing Road, the busiest shopping precinct in China. Change tempo and visit Yuyuan Garden, where you can marvel at the artistically designed traditional Chinese gardens; then stroll around the nearby Yu Garden Bazaars. Make the most of your afternoon by wandering the quieter streets of Dongping Road or Sinan Road in the Former French Concession, where you will find the essence of classic Shanghai.

Meals included: Breakfast

Note: As the Shanghai Museum is closed to public on Mondays, a visit to the Shanghai History Museum is arranged as an alternative.

Your tour guide will collect you from the hotel and drive you to the airport for your flight home.

For small group tour travelers, a transfer service from your hotel to Hongqiao or Pudong Airport can be arranged on request.

Meals included: Breakfast