Day 1/2/3 Arrive in Kunming, visit and walk in Green Lake Park if time allows. Welcome dinner with Chinese flavor will be arranged for you. Next day go to Stone Forest, which is on the World Heritage List and managed by the traditional owners the Yi people. The lunch is Yunnan local flavour Yiliang Roast Duck. Day 3 have a city tour in Kunming, incl. Dragon Gate at Western Hill, built in Qing Dynasty, with an unobstructed view of entire Dianchi Lake. Next comes Huating Temple. Afternoon visit the famous Bamboo Temple which dates back to the Tang dynasty with 500 colorful clay Buddhas, then Golden Temple which is the biggest bronze temple in China. 3 N in Kunming.
Day 4 Morning fly to Shangri-La. Visit Songzanlin Tibetan Buddhism Monastery, which was completed in 1681. It is said that the Fifth Dalai Lama chose the site of the monastery through divination and named it, now there are 700 monks inside. Then visit the first national park in China - Pudacuo National Park, located in one of the most bio-diverse regions of the world. Evening visit Zhongdian old town with Tibetan old streets and houses and enjoy the local people dance performed by Tibetan people in the middle square of the old town. 1 N in Shangri-la.
Day 5 Morning drive to Lijiang, visit Tiger Leaping Gorge en route, which is believed to be the deepest gorge in the world on rushing Golden Sands River (the upper Yangtze). Afternoon take a walk in Lijiang Old Town, which is one of the best-preserved ancient towns of the minority ethnic people of China. Lijiang old town belongs to the World Culture Heritage of UNESCO. 3 N in Lijiang.
Day 6/7 First visit Lijiang Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, which is the southernmost glacier in the Northern Hemisphere. With an altitude of 5,600 meters (18,360 feet), Jade Dragon Snow Mountain stretches a length of 35 kilometers (22 miles) and a width of 20 kilometers (13 miles). Take the cable car up to Yark Meadow and enjoy Impression Lijiang Show. Afternoon visit Baisha Naxi Village and Baisha Ancient Mural. All of Baisha Murals are about religion. However their uniqueness comes from the fact that they are the combination of Buddhism, Taoism and Lamaism, which is a very rare phenomenon. Day 7 visit Shuhe Old Town. Next visit Dr Rock's Risidence. In the afternoon continue visit Dongba Museum and Black Dragon Pool, its name comes from the water which sparkles like jade and it is as clear as spring water. In the Dongba Museum, you can see the pictograph that was developed by the Naxi Nationality 1,000 years ago. This pictograph is still being used today.
Day 8 Morning fly to Chongqing and have a city tour, incl. Chongqing Zoo, Ciqikou Ancient Town, and Chongqing People's Congress Hall. Then embark the boat and start our cruise. 3 O/N on the boat.
Day 9/10/11 Taking a stop for a visit to Ghost City of Fengdu in morning, which is famous for its temple dedicated to the King of the Underworld, an association dating back to the Han Dynasty. Fengdu is where the ghosts live according to Chinese legend.
In addition to the wonderful natural scenery there are a number of historical places of interest along the way, such as suspended coffins, boat coffins, and remains of ancient plank walkway. Day 11 we arrive at Three Gorges Dam site and take a shore excursion to see this marvel of engineering. It is the largest water conservancy project ever undertaken by man and it has been a dream for several generations of Chinese people. After lunch we will arrive in Yichang. After disembarking the cruise, your guide will meet you and we will fly to Shanghai.
Day 12 Shanghai is a city that must be appreciated. Morning visit Yuyuan Garden and Shanghai Old City. In the afternoon, enjoy walking tour on the Bund. Continually visit Nanjing Road, this is the main shopping street in Shanghai, enjoying the fame as "the No. 1 commercial street of China". 1 N in Shanghai.
Day 13 In the morning drive to Hangzhou. Take a walk to the West Lake, one of the most beautiful sights in Hangzhou and has inspired Chinese painters for centuries. And bike ride round the West Lake. Then we will go to Linying Temple, one of the most famous ancient Buddhist temples in China. Next visit Six Harmony Pagoda, first built in 970AD. 1 N in Hangzhou.
Day 14/15 Morning we visit the famous Tea Village of Meijiawu, located in the West Lake District to enjoy high-class Drong Well Tea. Next visit Huqingyu Tang, founded by Hu Xueyuan in 1878, and it pairs up with Beijing Tongrentang as the famous south and north ancient medicine shops of the nation. Day 14 afternoon drive to Nanjing visit Confucius Temple. Next morning visit Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum which located in the Zhong Mountain Scenic Area in the east suburb of Nanjing city. As the mausoleum of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the father of the Republic of China, it is considered as the holy land of Chinese people both home and abroad. Next visit Ming Tomb which is a joint burial tomb of the first Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress Ma in Ming Dynasty. Then visit Nanjing Museum. At last visit Old City Wall. With a circumference of 33.676 km, the city wall in Nanjing built in the period 1366 to 1386, is 12 meters high in average, providing 13,616 crenels and 200 shelters for soldiers. 2 N in Nanjing.
Day 16 In the morning go to visit Suzhou Old City. Next comes Master of Nets Garden, it is the most impressive because of its utilization of space which creates the illusion of an area that is much greater than its actual size. Afternoon take a Canal Cruise. China is known for its silk while Suzhou is the most famous place for silk production. Visit the No.1 Silk Factory in Suzhou founded in 1926 . 1 N in Suzhou.
Day 17 Morning visit Tongli which is an aged town laid near Suzhou, over 1000 years old and has only recently been changed into a tourist attraction. The town is characterized by stone bridge and well preserved ancient architecture including private gardens, temples and houses. Then go to Shanghai. Farewell dinner with Chinese flavor will be arranged for you. 1 N in Shanghai.
Day 18 Morning is free till departure. End of service.
Highlights: Stone Forest, Lijing Old Town, Yangtze cruise, China old capital, minority cultures
Travel season:from Apr to Nov
Travel grade:comfortable & medium
Price(USD)per person:
2/5 pax:4795 10 pax up:3385
6/9 pax:3840 Single supplement:1385
Private tour departure: any date in travel season
Group departure (10 pax up, starts Kunming, ends Shanghai): depart monthly on 6th, 2013-2014
Note: please kindly understand the scheduled departure dates may be changed or cancelled due to fewer bookings & other unexpected reasons which are out of our control