Early Booking Discount: $200.00 per person
If bookedbefore 12/15/2008
TOUR CODE: CEAT
TOUR ITINERARY:
Day 1 USA-Beijing
Embark on our exciting China vacation as we check in at the airport to board the wide body jetliner. Our destination is Beijing, the capital city of modern day China. Spend the night aboard as the flight crosses the international date line to arrive at China.
Day 2 Arrive-Beijing
Our flight touches down in Beijing where we retrieve baggage, then clear customs to meet our tour guide in the arrival hall. On the way to our deluxe five star accommodations, we note the results of Beijing's facelift process for last year's 2008 Summer Olympics. Traditional architecture coexist side-by-side with towering new skyscrapers. Settle in to the hotel and catch up on some rest; our exploration begins tomorrow!
Day 3 Beijing
A full day of sightseeing has been scheduled for today. Begin by visiting the palatial Forbidden City for full immersion in the resplendent majesty of imperial heritage, for this was the home to Ming and Qing dynasty emperors. After spending time touring the grounds of the Forbidden City, continue on across the street to visit Tiananmen Square, or "Gate of Heavenly Peace." At 99 acres, it is the largest public square in existence. Later this afternoon, we also visit the SummerPalace, the emperor's place of escape from Beijing's hot summers. In the evening, our group will attend a special Peking Duck Feast, where we chance a taste of the sliced delicacies prepared in the traditional local style.
Meals: American Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Party
Day 4 Beijing
The Great Wall is at once the imposing symbol of Chinese national pride. First constructed under the reign of China's first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, the Great Wall spans 4000 miles across the northern frontier. Various astronauts have stated that the Great Wall is even visible from space. We marvel at the incredible magnitude of the undertaking, one of the seven great man made wonders of the world and also an UNESCO world heritage site. After descending from the Wall in the afternoon, enjoy a stroll along the Sacred Way and visit the MingTombMuseum. Lined by 36 stone statues of officials and animals, the Sacred Way was the divine road Ming emperors took to their resting place. Dinner is served at our hotel this evening.
Meals: American Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner at hotel
Day 5 Beijing
Two full days of sightseeing has earned us a day free at leisure. Finally some time to do shopping and exploring on our own. Spend the day discovering the wonders of Beijing, do some bargain hunting, catch up on some rest, or perhaps step off the beaten path for an optional tour to the ancient hutongs of Old Town Beijing by rikshaw. The tour will take us through the hutongs (narrow alleyways) by pedicab and end at the siheyuan (traditional old style home) of a local resident where we enjoy a visit and lunch.
Meals: American Breakfast
Day 6 Beijing -Lhasa
Board the flight to Lhasa, capital of the Tibetan Autonomous Region. Commonly referred to as the "Roof of the World," the Tibetan plateau is the highest region on earth and has an average elevation of 16,000 ft. From the early 17th century until 1951, Tibet was governed by the Dalai Lama, a spiritual leader who also acted with political power. From 1951 onwards, Tibet was incorporated into the People's Republic of China. Upon our group's arrival into Lhasa, we are picked up and transferred immediately to the hotel. At this elevation, Lhasa's thin air may cause our bodies to manifest some signs of altitude sickness. To acclimate our bodies, no activities whatsoever have been scheduled this day. Please do heed the advice to not go out exploring today and just rest up indoors.
Meals: American Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner at hotel
Day 7 Lhasa
Visitors to Lhasa must visit PotalaPalace, the largest lamasery of its type in the world and the official home to the Dalai Lama. Gaze in awe at the architecture of the palace; no other place in the world offers such a view. After all, we are standing at the "Roof of the World." Here, free from air pollution, the sky indeed is the purest blue that we've seen. Surrounding PotalaPalace is Barkhor Street, meaning "eight corners." Descend the palace to walk this street which affords us a window into Tibetan culture and allows us the opportunity to buy colorful ethnic handicrafts rarely seen outside of Tibet. We also visit Jokang Lamasery, where monks receive their official training and education.
Meals: American Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 8 Lhasa
Early in the morning we head away from Lhasa by motor coach to Shigatse, stopping at YamdrokYmtsoLake en route. Located at an elevation of almost 15,000 ft above sea level, YamdrokLake is one of Tibet's three holy lakes; we take lunch lakeside, enjoying the ambience provided by such peaceful, serene surroundings. Return back to Lhasa where the remainder of the day is at leisure.
Meals: American Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 9 Lhasa -Chengdu
Our flight departs Lhasa bound for Chengdu, capital of China's SichuanProvince. With a population of 11 million, it is an important commercial, transportation, and communications hub of southwestern China. Major corporations such as Lenovo, Intel and Microsoft have opened offices in Chengdu's Hi-Tech Development Zone. Locals have the reputation of having laid back attitudes and knowing how to enjoy life. Upon arrival, we take a city tour including a visit to the Chengdu Panda Research Institute and then retire to our hotel where dinner is served tonight.
Meals: American Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner at hotel
Day 10 Chengdu -Xian
Depart Chengdu and heads toward Xian by plane. With over 5000 years of history, Xian was the capital of 13 dynasties and the eastern end of the historic Silk Road. The Xian people are proud of the fact that their hometown is considered to be one of the most important cities in China's long history. Dinner is served at the hotel tonight. | |
Meals: American Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner at hotel
Day 11 Xian
The focal point of today's sightseeing tour must be the Terra Cotta Army of Qin Shi Huang, China's unifying emperor. Unearthed 2200 years after being buried with the emperor, its serendipitous discovery in 1974 ranks as one of the world's top archaeological discoveries and is a wonder to behold. We visit the three excavation pits, surveying the thousands of soldiers and horses standing in battle formation. Back in town, finish up the day's touring with a visit to the massive City Wall and the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. Tonight, after a special Imperial Dumpling Banquet dinner, we attend the famous Tang Dynasty Stage Show, recipient of rave reviews from visitors all over the world.
Meals: American Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner show
Day 12 Xian -Chongqing -Yangtze River Cruise
We depart Xian for Chongqing by air. Located in Sichuan province, Chongqing holds distinction as being China's largest municipality and is one of only four cities that enjoys provincial status. Chongqing is famous for its tongue-numbing, spicy cuisine. After a brief city tour, we journey to the docks where our Victoria Cruise ship awaits to take us on our Yangtze River adventure.
Meals: American Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 13 Yangtze River Cruise
The first shore excursion of our cruise occurs either at Fengdu or Wanzhou dependent on local river conditions. Fengdu is known as the "GhostCity" and contains hundreds of statues of ghosts and devils in a depiction of the afterlife. Wanzhou is known as the "Gateway to Eastern Sichuan." After the shore excursion, return to the ship as it continues up the mighty Yangtze.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 14 Yangtze River Cruise
Today we enter the portion of the Yangtze that contains the famed Three Gorges. The ship gingerly navigates the narrow waterway of Qutang Gorge to arrive Wushan, where we board smaller motorized vessels to access the Lesser Gorges via either DaningRiver or Shennong Stream. As the vessel plies through the shallow waters, we enjoy the spectacular scenery afforded by this tributary of the mighty Yangtze. Returning to the ship, we sail through Wu Gorge and Xiling Gorge, noting the pristine beauty of this region which has inspired so many Chinese artists past and present.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 15 Yangtze River Cruise -Yichang -Shanghai
Our ship arrives at SandoupingVillage in the morning. Here we disembark to visit the mighty Three Gorges Dam site, the largest project of its kind in the world. Scheduled for completion in 2009, the Three Gorges Dam was the vision of Dr. Sun Yat Sen and will subdue the floodwaters of the Yangtze while providing hydroelectric power to the people. Arrival at Yichang signals the end of our Yangtze River cruise. Disembark and transfer to the airport to board a short flight to Shanghai. Dinner is served at our hotel tonight.
Meals: American Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner at hotel
Day 16 Shanghai
Shanghai is China's most vibrant, magnificent and cosmopolitan city. It is also its largest with a population of 18 million covering 2448 square miles. Experience the historic charm of modern Shanghai as we visit the Ming Dynasty Yu Garden, driving by famous shopping district Nanjing Road and stopping at the popular waterfront Bund. Entrance tickets have also been provided for our group to visit the ShanghaiMuseum where we visit the exhibits housing 120,000 pieces of ancient Chinese art. In the evening we attend a special performance of Chinese Acrobatics after dinner.
Meals: American Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner show
Day 17 Shanghai -USA
The morning is free i=until we board our homebound international flight, bidding a fond farewell to China.
Meals: American Breakfast
Dates & Tour Costs (Per Person):
Departure Date | Return Date | Air & Land from
LAX/SFO | Single
Supplement |
03/27/2009 | 4/12/2009 | $4199.00 | $1100.00 |
04/10/2009 | 4/26/2009 | $4299.00 | $1100.00 |
04/24/2009 | 5/10/2009 | $4299.00 | $1100.00 |
05/08/2009 | 5/24/2009 | $4399.00 | $1100.00 |
05/15/2009 | 5/31/2009 | $4399.00 | $1100.00 |
05/22/2009 | 6/7/2009 | $4399.00 | $1100.00 |
05/29/2009 | 6/14/2009 | $4399.00 | $1100.00 |
06/12/2009 | 6/28/2009 | $4499.00 | $1100.00 |
06/26/2009 | 7/12/2009 | $4499.00 | $1100.00 |
07/10/2009 | 7/26/2009 | $4499.00 | $1100.00 |
07/24/2009 | 8/9/2009 | $4499.00 | $1100.00 |
08/07/2009 | 8/23/2009 | $4499.00 | $1100.00 |
08/21/2009 | 9/6/2009 | $4499.00 | $1100.00 |
09/04/2009 | 9/20/2009 | $4599.00 | $1200.00 |
09/11/2009 | 9/27/2009 | $4599.00 | $1200.00 |
09/18/2009 | 10/4/2009 | $4599.00 | $1200.00 |
09/25/2009 | 10/11/2009 | $4599.00 | $1200.00 |
10/02/2009 | 10/18/2009 | $4599.00 | $1200.00 |
10/09/2009 | 10/25/2009 | $4599.00 | $1200.00 |
10/16/2009 | 11/1/2009 | $4599.00 | $1200.00 |
10/23/2009 | 11/8/2009 | $4499.00 | $1200.00 |
10/30/2009 | 11/15/2009 | $4499.00 | $1200.00 |
* Prices listed are for Los Angeles (LAX) and San Francisco (SFO) departure
* Fuel surcharge and taxes apply and are additional
Tour Package Features:
-- All five star hotels for your comfort
Beijing 每 Renaissance Capital Hotel
Lhasa 每 Jardin Secret Hotel
Chengdu 每 Shangri-La Hotel
Xi'an 每 Sheraton Hotel
Yangtze River 每 Victoria Anna
Shanghai 每 Swissotel Grand
-- Full American or buffet breakfast daily in hotels or on the cruise
-- Lunches at local restaurants
-- Chinese or western dinners in hotels, local restaurants, or on the cruise
-- Local specialties for your delight
Beijing 每 Peking Duck Banquet
Xi'an 每 Imperial Dumpling Banquet
Chongqing 每 Spicy Chongqing Cuisine
-- Special entertainment
Xi'an 每 Tang Dynasty Stage Show
Victoria Cruise 每 Lectures on Chinese History and Culture, Taichi Lessons, Evening Shows
Shanghai 每 Chinese Acrobatics Show
-- Round trip international air ticket
-- China domestic air tickets
-- Comprehensive sightseeing program
-- Knowledgeable tour guide service throughout China
-- Travel Protection Insurance is provided at no additional charge if final payment is received 60 days prior to departure date
more..
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For
payment, trip cancellation, please refer to the Terms &
Conditions |
| For more information, please
feel free to contact us at 1-800-865-6221 or email to
us at info@chinacustomtours.com
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