Day 1 Shanghai (D)
Arrive in Shanghai, the cosmopolitan port city near where the Yangtze spill into the East China See.
Day 2 Shanghai (B L D)
The sights and contrasts of China's most vibrant city fill your day. Stroll the riverfront Bund with its European-style buildings; retreat to the green oasis of the 500-year-old Yuyuan Garden; meet local school kids at the Children's Palace after-school program; and gain new appreciation for Chinese art at the magnificent new Shanghai Museum.
Day 3 Shanghai / Guilin(B L D)
Fly to the watercolor landscapes of Guilin and settle in at your plush hotel on the stunning Li River. This afternoon enjoy an orientation tour of the city, and a visit to Reed Flute Cave.
Day 4 Guilin (B L D)
Few could fail to be enraptured by the beauty of the Li River, with its delicate karst formations, beautiful rural scenery, and lush green hillsides with bizarre rock formations and caves. Centuries of poets and artists have immortalized the very scenes you'll savor on a full-day air-conditioned cruise along this unique and tranquil waterway.
Day 5 Guilin / Yichang (B L D)
Fly to inner China, Yichang, to board your Yangtze cruise ship. Settle into your stateroom and enjoy dinner on board.
Day 7 Yangtze River Cruise (B L D)
A thrilling day features a tour of the Three Gorges Dam site and passage through rushing Xiling Gorge and the Twelve Peaks of Wu Gorge, enshrouded in Chinese lore. Tonight the captain hosts a welcome dinner.
Day 8 Yangtze River Cruise (B L D)
Experience the lush unspoiled nature of the Daning River on today's excursion aboard small boats. Re-aboard ship and sail the most scenic of the great Three Gorges, Qutang.
Day 9 Yangtze River Cruise (B L D)
Your final day of cruising is marked by pastoral scenes and a visit of the "Ghost City" of Fengdu. |
Day 10 Chongqing / Xi'an(B L D)
Arrive in Chongqing this mornin. Meet / transfer for some city tour following disembarkation then drive to airport to catch the flight to Xi'an, a vital center of history, culture and archaeology.
Day 11 Xi'an (B L D)
It is impossible to overstate Xi'an's importance in China's history. Here began the fabled Silk Road, here a string of dynasties made their capital, here a Neolithic culture built a village 6000 years ago, and here lies a highlight of your trip: the excavation site of 8000 terra cotta soldiers, buried around the tomb of Emperor Qin, builder of the Great Wall and other massive endeavors. Round out your tour with stops at the old City gate, Provincial Museum, Big Wild Goose Pagoda.
Day 12 Xi'an / Beijing (B L D)
Fly to Beijing, the capital and cultural center of China, where virtually every boulevard and building exudes an air of importance, Transfer on arrival to your plush hotel.
Day 13 Beijing (B L D)
Enjoy a full-day tour of the sights that make Beijing a spectacular destination: the sprawling Forbidden City, home to 24 Ming and Qing emperors and now a repository of precious art and antiques; the Temple of Heaven, famous for its elegance and symmetry; and the Summer Palace, an oasis of tea gardens, pavilions, painted corridors, and shimmering Kunming Lake with Empress Dowager's eccentric marble ship. Lunch with a view at the lofty revolving restaurant.
Day 14 Beijing (B L D)
One of the world's most awe-inspiring sights, the Great Wall snakes along nearly 4000 miles of impossibly steep hills and harsh, rugged plains. Today's excursion will give you ample time to explore it in leisure and marvel at the manpower that went into building the world's longest structure entirely by hand. Continue to the Ming Tombs, the graveyard of 13 emperors, before returning to Beijing for an imperial-style Peking Duck dinner.
Day 15 Beijing (B)
Departing for home on your select airline, bid China a found farewell.
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