21 Days Best China Tour with Coloful Yunnan and Mysterious Tibet
During this tour, you will have the chance to visit the popular Golden Triangle cities in China – Beijing, Xian and Shanghai. What’ more, the colorful Yunnan and mysterious Tibet, as well as the Liver cruise, will leave you a lifelong memory.
Highlights:
- Explore the history and culture of China by visiting the famous cities – Beijing, Xian and Shanghai.
- Get close to the roof of the world – Tibet and feel its strong Buddhism atmosphere.
- Discover the beauty of the Colorful Yunnan through the old towns, national parks, lakes, gorges…
- Enjoy the spectacular views of Longji Rice Terraces, Liver and Yangshuo Countryside.
Brief Itinerary
- Day 1: Beijing Arrival
- Day 2: Beijing
- Day 3: Beijing
- Day 4: Beijing – Xian
- Day 5: Xian
- Day 6: Xian – Lhasa
- Day 7: Lhasa
- Day 8: Lhasa
- Day 9: Lhasa – Shangri-La
- Day 10: Shangri-La
- Day 11: Shangri-La – Lijiang
- Day 12: Lijiang
- Day 13: Lijiang – Dali
- Day 14: Dali
- Day 15: Dali – Kunming
- Day 16: Kunming – Guilin
- Day 17: Guilin – Longsheng – Guilin
- Day 18: Guilin – Yangshuo
- Day 19: Yangshuo – Guilin – Shanghai
- Day 20: Shanghai
- Day 21: Shanghai Departure
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1 Beijing Arrival
Sightseeing and Activities:
Accommodation: Beijing
Meals:
Welcome to the capital of China – Beijing! Upon arrival, met by tour guide and transferred to you hotel. Free at leisure for the rest of the day.
Day 2 Beijing
Sightseeing and Activities: Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, Kung Fu Show
Accommodation: Beijing
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Breakfast at hotel, start today’s tour with Tiananmen Square. Go north through the square and you will reach the Forbidden City. As the largest and best-preserved ancient wooden structure in the world, it has more than 8,000 pavilions and thousands of historic treasures. Then enjoy the lunch.
In the afternoon, head to visit the royal altar of the Ming and Qing dynasties – the Temple of Heaven. Then have a fantastic Chinese Kung Fu Show at the Red Theatre in the evening.
Day 3 Beijing
Sightseeing and Activities: Badaling Great Wall, Ming Tomb
Accommodation: Beijing
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Get up early to visit Badaling Great Wall. Great Wall is one of the greatest architecture projects in human history. Then visit Ming Tomb, where 13 emperors and their wives of the Ming Dynasty were buried. See the appearance of Bird’s Nest on the way to your hotel at a distance.
Day 4 Beijing – Xian
Sightseeing and Activities: Summer Palace, Beijing hutong
Accommodation: Xian
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Visit the Summer Palace in the morning, which used to be the summer resort for royal families and emperors. In the afternoon, walking along Beijing hutong alleys, narrow but original. Then fly to city of Xian. A local tour guide will pick you up at airport and transfer to your hotel.
Day 5 Xian
Sightseeing and Activities: Terracotta Warriors, Xian Museum, the Small Wild Goose Pagoda, Tang Dynasty Music and Dance Show
Accommodation: Xian
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Today visit the world famous Terracotta Warriors. The Terracotta Army is a collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China. After that, visit the Xian Museum and the Small Wild Goose Pagoda. At night, enjoy the Tang Dynasty Music and Dance Show(paid by yourself).
Day 6 Xian – Lhasa
Sightseeing and Activities:
Accommodation: Lhasa
Meals: Breakfast
Free time until being escorted to airport to take your flight to Lhasa. Upon arrival, local tour guide will pick you up and transfer to your hotel.
Day 7 Lhasa
Sightseeing and Activities: Potala Palace, Jokhang Monastery
Accommodation: Lhasa
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
After breakfast at hotel, the Lhasa tour begins with the must-see attraction – Potala Palace, the largest monastery of its type in the world and official home to Dalai Lama. Then move on to Jokhang Monastery and walk along the Barkhor Street nearby. Enjoy the local Tibetan culture here.
Day 8 Lhasa
Sightseeing and Activities: Drepung Monastery, Norbulingka, Sera Monastery
Accommodation: Lhasa
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
After breakfast at hotel, drive to visit Drepung Monastery – one of the three great monasteries in Tibet. Then move on to the largest garden in Tibet – Norbulingka and the last of the three principal Yellow Sect monasteries in Lhasa – Sera Monastery.
After all the visit, transfer back to your hotel.
Day 9 Lhasa – Shangri-la
Sightseeing and Activities: Dukezong Ancient Town
Accommodation: Shangri-la
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Morning, drive about 4 hours to Shangri-la, the legendary lost paradise. After arrival, head to Dukezong Ancient Town for a visit.
Day 10 Shangri-La
Sightseeing and Activities: Songzanlin Lamasery, Potatso National Park
Accommodation: Shangri-La
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Morning, visit the largest Tibetan monastery in Yunnan – Songzanlin Monastery. Afterwards visit Bita Lake & Shudu Lake in Pudacuo National Park, which is located in one of the most biologically-diverse regions of the world.
Day 11 Shangri-la – Lijiang
Sightseeing and Activities: Ancient town of Lijiang
Accommodation: Lijiang
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Today drive another 4 hours to Lijiang. Then visit Ancient town of Lijiang and stroll on Square Street.
Day 12 Lijiang
Sightseeing and Activities: Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Yufeng Temple, Baisha Mural
Accommodation:
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
After breakfast at hotel, drive to visit Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. Then head to visit Yufeng Temple and Baisha Mural.
Day 13 Lijiang – Dali
Sightseeing and Activities: Dali Ancient Town, Three Pagodas
Accommodation: Dali
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
In the morning, drive back to Dali, one of the important cradles of Yunnan ancient culture. Upon arrival, visit Dali Ancient Town and Three Pagodas, the symbol of the history of Dali.
Day 14 Dali
Sightseeing and Activities: Erhai Cruise, Xizhou ancient town
Accommodation: Dali
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
After breakfast at hotel, take an Erhai Cruise for about 4 hours. Erhai, is the second largest lake in Yunnan after Dianchi Lake. Then transferred to visit Xizhou Bai’s Houses (Yan’s Courtyard included) to see the ancient house of Bai people.
Day 15 Dali – Kunming
Sightseeing and Activities: Western Hill & Dragon Gate, Yunnan Ethnic Villages
Accommodation: Kunming
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
In the morning, be escorted to take the train to Kunming. Then head to visit Western Hill & Dragon Gate. After the tour, if time permits, have a short visit to Yunnan Ethnic Villages.
Day 16 Kunming – Guilin
Sightseeing and Activities: Reed Flute Cave
Accommodation: Guilin
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
In the morning, be transferred to Kunming airport for your flight to Guilin. On arrival, met by the local tour guide and transferred to your hotel. On the way, stop at Reed Flute Cave for a short visit.
Day 17 Guilin – Longsheng – Guilin
Sightseeing and Activities: Rice Terraces, ethnic village
Accommodation: Guilin
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
After break, head to Longsheng County. It features rich and elegant folk customs. The we will arrive at Dragon’s Backbone – Rice Terraces. It was reputed as “an absolute one under the heaven and the first one in the world”. After lunch, visit the villages of Yao people and Zhuang people to experience the ethnic cultures and lifestyle.
After the visit, drive back to Guilin for overnight.
Day 18 Guilin – Yangshuo
Sightseeing and Activities: Li River Cruise, West Street, Impression of Liu Sanjie(optional)
Accommodation: Yangsuo
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
In the morning, drive to wharf for the Li River Cruise. Enjoy the amazing scenery along the Li River and disembark in Yangshuo. Then walk around West Street, the main street in the downtown Yangshuo area.
In the evening, enjoy the night show of Impression of Liu Sanjie(optional).
Day 19 Yangshuo – Guilin – Shanghai
Sightseeing and Activities: countryside of Yangshuo
Accommodation: Shanghai
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
After breakfast, tour the countryside of Yangsuo by bicycle or private car to get close to nature. We will visit a village and you have the chance to talk with local people with the help of our guide.
Then drive back to Guilin to take your flight to Shanghai.
Day 20 Shanghai
Sightseeing and Activities: Nanjing Road, the Bund, Yuyuan Garden, the Jade Buddha Temple, the Oriental Pearl Tower
Accommodation: Shanghai
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Today walk along the famous Nanjing Road and the Bund. Nanjing Road is China’s premier shopping street with the length of 5.5km. The bund is a famous waterfront and regarded as the symbol of Shanghai.
Then we will wander Yuyuan Garden and head to the Jade Buddha Temple, which is a venerable and famous Buddhist temple built in 1928.
Then continue our trip to the Oriental Pearl Tower. The ultra-modern Oriental Pearl TV Tower combines ancient concepts with 21st Century technology, where you can get a bird-eye-view of whole Shanghai city.
After all the visit, be transfered back to your hotel in Shanghai.
Day 21 Shanghai Departure
Sightseeing and Activities:
Accommodation:
Meals: Breakfast
Today your wonderful China tour will complete. Be escorted to the airport and service ends.
Service Included:
- Admission fees for all of the sightseeing spots listed in the itinerary;
- Meals as listed in the itinerary;
- Hotels as listed in the itinerary;
- Private English-speaking tour guide;
- Private vehicle for transfers & sightseeing with skilled driver;
- Service charge & government taxes;
- Luggage transfers between airports and hotels;
- Domestic train tickets of soft sleeper.
Service Excluded:
- Any arrival and departure international airfares or train tickets;
- Chinese visa fees;
- Excess baggage charged by Airlines;
- Single room supplement;
- Tips to guides and drivers;
- Personal expenses and gratuities to service staff;
- Personal travel accident insurance;
- All optional programs.
If there’s a downside to Yunnan travel, it’s that one trip simply isn’t going to be enough.
This province in southwest China is its most ethnically diverse. It’s home to 25 of the country’s 56 recognized ethnic groups. And each has a unique culture and cuisine. Then there’s dramatic landscape and breathtaking views that are rumored to have inspired the Shangri-la of James Milton’s “Lost Horizon.”
As the “four greatest mysteries in the world”, the savage in Tibet has provoked much discussion.
As early as 1784 there were records about Tibetan savage.
In recent years, many claimed they had witnessed the savage in the vicinity of the Mt. Himalaya. It is also said that the female savage even robed local men to force them to get married.
Many investigations have been launched in eastern Tibet, but no one could interpret the mystery of savage so far.