13 Days Travel from Li River to Mighty Yangtze

Day 1

MAR 19 Arrive Beijing
Arrive in Beijing, the capital city of China, be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel. Free at leisure for the rest of the day.
Meals: No Meals
Accommodation: In Beijing (Holiday Inn Express Beijing Minzuyuan or similar)

Day 2

MAR 20 Beijing
Today, enjoy your full day Seat-in-Coach Tour (Bus Tour) that covers the most popular sites in Beijing city - Tian'anmen Square, Forbidden City and Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Beijing

Day 3

MAR 21 Beijing
The star attraction of China is its Great Wall. After breakfast today, you will start another SIC tour for the famous Badaling Great Wall and the Ming Tombs (Changling Tomb) visiting.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Beijing

Day 4

MAR 22 Beijing    Xian
Enjoy your own exploration in this ancient city, then be transferred to the airport for the flight to Xian.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: In Xian (New Henderson Hotel Xian or similar)

Day 5

MAR 23 Xian
Today, you will take a one day SIC tour that covers the famous Qin Terracotta Army, which be named as “Eighth Wonder of the World” and Banpo Neolithic Village Museum. After the tour, be transferred back to your hotel.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Xian

Day 6

MAR 24 Xian    Guilin
After breakfast, you will be transferred to the airport by private vehicle to board a flight to Guilin. Guilin is where TCT locates, therefore we’d pleased to upgrade the tour arrangement for you here as a Private Tour. On the way to your hotel, you will have a short visit to Reed Flute Cave, an outstanding representative of Karst landscapes.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Guilin (Guilin Osmanthus Hotel or similar)

Day 7

MAR 25 Guilin    Yangshuo    Guilin
In the morning you will be driven to the Pier for the Li River Cruise (about 4 hours, lunch served on board). Savour the fairy-tale scenery while cruising down the meandering river to Yangshuo. After disembarkation, have a walk along the famous West Street. In the afternoon, be transferred back to Guilin.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Guilin

Day 8

MAR 26 Guilin    Chongqing, Embark Yangtze cruise 
Enjoy the peaceful atmosphere in this ancient town, then be transferred to the airport of Guilin directly, you will then take a flight to Chongqing, the start point of the Yangtze River Cruise.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: On Yangtze Cruise boat (President MV.2 or similar)

Day 9

MAR 27 Yangtze River Cruise
Enjoy your Yangtze cruise! Enjoy your visit to Fengdu, the “Ghost City”.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: On Yangtze cruise boat

Day 10

 MAR 28 Yangtze River Cruise
Today pass Three Gorges that namely Qutang Gorge, Wu Gorge and Shennong Stream.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: On Yangtze cruise boat

Day 11

MAR 29 Disembark, Yichang    Shanghai
Then it is time to pass through the locks of Three Gorge Dam. You could really feel the might of the dam. After the visiting, disembark at Yichang and be transferred to the airport for your flight to Shanghai. Arrive in Shanghai and be transferred to the hotel to catch up on some rest.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Shanghai (Holiday Inn Express Putuo or similar)

Day 12

MAR 30 Shanghai MAR 31 Departure Shanghai

Day 1

MAR 19 Arrive Beijing
Arrive in Beijing, the capital city of China, be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel. Free at leisure for the rest of the day.
Meals: No Meals
Accommodation: In Beijing (Holiday Inn Express Beijing Minzuyuan or similar)

Beijing, China's capital and one of the great travel destinations of the World, offers sights and cultural relics found no where else on Earth. The city has a character all its own; there are quadrangles, small alleys, tricycle, boiled mutton, roasted duck, arts and crafts, Peking Opera, The Great Wall, the 2008 Olympics venue and a vibrancy that is the distinctive flavor of Beijing.

Day 2

MAR 20 Beijing
Today, enjoy your full day Seat-in-Coach Tour (Bus Tour) that covers the most popular sites in Beijing city - Tian'anmen Square, Forbidden City and Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Beijing

Your coach guide will meet you at your hotel lobby on departure time then driving to the Tian'anmen Square. For about 0.5 hour short stop at this biggest city center square in the world, you will then continue your visit to the Forbidden City (2 hour), which was the Imperial Palace for 24 emperors during the Ming and Qing Dynasties and, it is one of the largest, and certainly the most completely restored, ancient architectural complex in the world.

Then visit the magnificent Temple of Heaven before lunch. This palace is a temple and monastery of the Geluk School of Tibetan Buddhism. The constructions and the artworks of the temple combine Han Chinese and Tibetan styles

In the afternoon, drive to the Summer Palace, which is the largest ancient preserved garden in China and a former summer retreat for Emperors, for your 1 hour short visiting.

Note: You will visit at least 2 shops during the tour.

Day 3

MAR 21 Beijing
The star attraction of China is its Great Wall. After breakfast today, you will start another SIC tour for the famous Badaling Great Wall and the Ming Tombs (Changling Tomb) visiting.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Beijing

Your coach guide will meet you at your hotel lobby on departure time and accompany you to Badaling Great Wall first. It is one of the best-preserved and most accessible sections. The Great Wall is an internationally admired structure, symbolic of the cruelty of the ancient rulers, and the stoicism and determination of the Chinese people. The construction of the Great Wall began in the 5th century BC.

After 2 hours visiting, you will be driven to a restaurant near the Ming Tombs site for lunch. After that, take 1 hour visit to Changling Tomb, which is the biggest and first built one at this historic site.

Note: You will visit at least 2 shops during the tour.

Day 4

MAR 22 Beijing    Xian
Enjoy your own exploration in this ancient city, then be transferred to the airport for the flight to Xian.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: In Xian (New Henderson Hotel Xian or similar)

Wonderful time always passes so quickly, you have to take a flight to Xian today, the city that steeped in history and still giving up secrets, is your gateway to ancient Chinese civilization. In its 3,100 recorded years of evolution, it has been home to 13 dynasties. Xi'an was also the end of civilization for those setting out on the famous Silk Road. Today's Xi'an is a vibrant, modern city, but surrounded by history, even underfoot! So there can be no underground railways due to the obligation to preserve the wealth of ancient treasure still awaiting discovery.

Day 5

MAR 23 Xian
Today, you will take a one day SIC tour that covers the famous Qin Terracotta Army, which be named as “Eighth Wonder of the World” and Banpo Neolithic Village Museum. After the tour, be transferred back to your hotel.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Xian

Your coach guide will meet you at your hotel lobby on departure time. You will then be transferred to Qin Terracotta Army site for your visiting there. As an ancient capital city to 13 dynasties, Xian has a rich recorded history, frequently enhanced by the evidence of new discoveries, like the 1974 unearthing of the fabulous Qin Terracotta Army, the long forgotten army created to guard Emperor Qin Shihuang's tomb. In accordance with ancient beliefs, this grand project was mounted at enormous cost by the cruel and tyrannical Emperor, only to be attacked, plundered, burnt and buried after his funeral by the peasants who’d labored under the whip to build it. Then, over two thousand years later, this “Eighth Wonder of the World” was rediscovered by farmers digging a well. The fine troops, horses and carriages in battle formation are a National ancient art treasure. Three excavation pits are now opened to the public and a fourth is nearing completion. You can, like US President Clinton, now gaze in wonder upon this historic site, listed by UNESCO in 1987 as a world cultural heritage.

After lunch in a nearby restaurant, you will continue your visit to the Banpo Neolithic Village Museum, which is built around a historical site consisting of the remains of a 6,000 year-old village once home to a matriarchal clan community. It’s a fascinating peek at the birth of civilization.

Day 6

MAR 24 Xian    Guilin
After breakfast, you will be transferred to the airport by private vehicle to board a flight to Guilin. Guilin is where TCT locates, therefore we’d pleased to upgrade the tour arrangement for you here as a Private Tour. On the way to your hotel, you will have a short visit to Reed Flute Cave, an outstanding representative of Karst landscapes.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Guilin (Guilin Osmanthus Hotel or similar)

Guilin is world-famous for its serene landscape, Karst limestone formations, mist-covered hills and bamboo groves. It is home to more than ten ethnic groups, including Han, Zhuang, Miao, Yao, Hui and Dong. On the way from the airport to your hotel, you will see dozens of pretty hills everywhere in the city of Guilin. It is a city of hills and green trees and boasts one of the most photographed areas of China.

Reed Flute Cave is named for the special reeds, used for making flute instruments, that grow near the cave entrance. The caves are a feast for the eyes. The natural beauty of a profusion of stalactites and stalagmites, stele, stone pillars, stone curtains and stone flowers creating an infinite variety of extraordinary scenes, creatively illuminated, is bound to evoke gasps of admiration. It is fitting then, that Reed Flute Cave is commonly praised as Nature’s Grand Art Palace.

After the tour in Xian, you will have a different experience for the visiting in Guilin, which is famous for its serene landscape, Karst limestone formations, mist-covered hills and bamboo groves. It is home to more than ten ethnic groups. On the way from the airport to your hotel, you will find dozens of pretty hills everywhere in the city of Guilin. It is a city of hills and green trees and boasts one of the most photographed areas of China.

Day 7

MAR 25 Guilin    Yangshuo    Guilin
In the morning you will be driven to the Pier for the Li River Cruise (about 4 hours, lunch served on board). Savour the fairy-tale scenery while cruising down the meandering river to Yangshuo. After disembarkation, have a walk along the famous West Street. In the afternoon, be transferred back to Guilin.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Guilin

In the morning, be driven to Pier for your Li River Cruise. A double-decker river boat is waiting for you. The landscape from Guilin to Yangshuo is truly a masterpiece of nature. The crystal waters, straight-out-of-a-painting mountains, peaceful farm fields, hard-working-but- ever-smiling fishermen and wandering water buffaloes inspire poetic musings of Guilin’s charming life. Under the blue sky, your river boat transports you in an unending daydream.

You will end up your cruise in Yangshuo, is a small oriental but Western-influenced town with a history of 1000 years. The West Street in the town earns its name since almost every one in West Street can speak fluent English and every restaurant or bar offers menus in several languages. You’ll feel no borders or distance here and will soon fall under the spell of this charismatic, welcoming small-town atmosphere. Moreover, West Street is flanked by fascinating little shops and vendor stands selling a broad variety of superior quality souvenirs, perfect gifts for friends and relatives.

Day 8

MAR 26 Guilin    Chongqing, Embark Yangtze cruise 
Enjoy the peaceful atmosphere in this ancient town, then be transferred to the airport of Guilin directly, you will then take a flight to Chongqing, the start point of the Yangtze River Cruise.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: On Yangtze Cruise boat (President MV.2 or similar)

Chongqing, the largest inland city of China, is a booming metropolis located in the southeast of the Sichuan Basin at the confluence of the Yangtze and the Jialing rivers. Surrounded by waters on three sides, and by the mountains on four sides, Chongqing is known as 'mountain city’, 'foggy city’ and ‘furnace city’.

Over 6,300 kilometers long, the Yangtze is the largest and longest river in China, surpassed only by the Nile of Africa and the Amazon of South America. Born of the melting snows and ice in the Tanggula Mountain chain in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, the torrent flows from west to east through provinces of Qinghai, Tibet, Sichuan, Yunnan, Sichuan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Anhui and Jiangsu and the city of Shanghai, finally emptying into the East China Sea. Between the town of Fengjie (Sichuan Province) and Yichang (Hubei Province) are the magnificent Three Gorges.

Day 9

MAR 27 Yangtze River Cruise
Enjoy your Yangtze cruise! Enjoy your visit to Fengdu, the “Ghost City”.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: On Yangtze cruise boat

Today you will stop for a visit to Fengdu, is located on the northern bank of the Yangtze 176km downstream from Chongqing. Fengdu received its reputation in the Eastern Han Dynasty. A plethora of demon-decorated temples, buildings and statues in this river town earned it the moniker “Ghost City”-the carved facades are truly fascinating. The temples built on Mt. Mishan display punishing instruments and wild demon images, which vividly depict the Chinese people’s imagination of Hell. Another classic site – Shibaozhai may for your optional visiting.

Day 10

 MAR 28 Yangtze River Cruise
Today pass Three Gorges that namely Qutang Gorge, Wu Gorge and Shennong Stream.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: On Yangtze cruise boat

This morning, rise early to see the dawn light the Yangtze River before the boat enters the first gorge- Qutang Gorge, the shortest (8 km), narrowest and the most dramatic one of the three gorges. Two mountains, Chijia (Red Passage) and Baiyan (White Salt), guard the entrance to this gorge like giant castle doors.

A few hours later you see the second gorge -Wu Gorge, the middle gorge which is best known for its quiet beauty, sheer cliffs and twelve unique peaks. Often veiled in swirls of mist, six line the north side of the river and six staggered peaks stand to the south. The most famous, Goddess Peak, resembles a kneeling maiden.

Shennong Stream is one of the tributaries of Yangtze River. With a total length of about 60 km, it originates from Shennongjia Scenic Spot, a mysterious forest district.

This spot has been separated into 3 natural gorges, they are Longchangdong Gorge, Parrot Gorge (Yingwu Gorge) and Mianzhu Gorge with unique charm.

Day 11

MAR 29 Disembark, Yichang    Shanghai
Then it is time to pass through the locks of Three Gorge Dam. You could really feel the might of the dam. After the visiting, disembark at Yichang and be transferred to the airport for your flight to Shanghai. Arrive in Shanghai and be transferred to the hotel to catch up on some rest.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Shanghai (Holiday Inn Express Putuo or similar)

Today you will take a visit to the great Three Gorges Dam. It is 2,335-meter long, 185-meter high, 18-meter wide on the top and 130-meter wide at the bottom. The dam will raise the river to a level of 175 meters above sea level, creating a 600km long reservoir with storage capacity of 39.9 billion cubic meters extending from the dam site all the way to Chongqing. It is the largest water conservancy project ever undertaken.

Then, return to your boat and have a nice lunch, it is really the time for you to say goodbye to the crews. You will take a flight from Yichang airport to Shanghai. For Shanghai, you have a lot to expect.

Shanghai is a city unlike any other in China. It is the bustling economic heartbeat of China that enjoys all of the comforts and amenities of a fully modern metropolis. Shanghai today looks to regain its former position at the turn of 20th of being one of the largest financial centers in the world behind New York and London. It is a city that seamlessly blends East and West.

Day 12

MAR 30 Shanghai MAR 31 Departure Shanghai