This tour spends 5 days in Tibet and 3 days on the Yangtze. Highlights also include the fabled Great Wall, the legendary Terracotta Army, enigmatic Sanxingdui civilization, the Giant Panda breeding Center, and a day cruise on picturesque Li River. Please note the tour is suitable only for those who are perfectly fit without any medical condition that may be complicated due to high altitudes. The highest point during the tour is 4,800 metres or 15,744 feet above sea level.

Scroll down to bottom for departure dates, prices and hotel list.

Day 1/Fri: Departing Home City
The journey begins with your transpacific flight departing from a city of your choice. You lose a day upon crossing the International Date Line.

Day 2/Sat: Arrival in Beijing
Meet our guide on arrival in late afternoon and transfer to the hotel. The balance of the day is at leisure.

Day 3/Sun: Beijing
Beijing had already been a strategically important city in northern China for centuries when Kulai Khan decided to move his capital here from Karakorum in Mongolia. With the collapse of the vast Mongol empire in 1368 AD, Beijing lost its status as the country's capital but soon regained it when the imperial court of the successive Ming Dynasty moved here from Nanjing. Beijing continued to serve as China's capital after Manchu tribes dethroned the last emperor of the Ming Dynasty in 1644 and established the Great Qing Empire (Qing Dynasty), which lasted till 1911. Today Beijing remains China's capital. It is also a world-class cultural and educational centre with a resident population of 22 million (2011), ranking Beijing China's second largest city after Shanghai. Beijing is renowned for its opulent palaces, temples, and huge stone walls and gates, treasures that make Beijing the most popular destination city in China among both domestic and international visitors.

Following breakfast, the tour leader will host a brief orientation when everyone will get introduced. We leave the hotel around 10 AM and begin our sightseeing at Tian'anmen Square, followed by the Forbidden City, Jingshan Park and an old hutong - alleyway flanked with traditional residential courtyards. Welcome dinner features delicious Beijing roast duck, a local delicacy. (B/L/D)

Day 4/Mon: Beijing
Morning visit to the Temple of Heaven. Situated in southeastern Beijing the Temple of Heaven is China's largest extant sacrificial temple where, during the Ming and Qing dynasties, the emperors conducted the elaborate and most exalted sacrifices addressed to "the Supreme Ruler of the Universe." Construction of the temple started in 1406, during the reign of the Ming Emperor Yongle, and took 14 years to complete. The temple was expanded under the Qing emperors Qianlong (1736-1796) and Jiaqing (1796-1820). Occupying 2,668 hectares (6,670 acres), the area of the Temple of Heaven is more than twice that of the Forbidden City.

Afternoon sightseeing at the majestic Summer Palace, a royal resort during the Qing Dynasty. We wrap up the day with a tour of Panjiayuan Flea Market or 798 Art District depending on traffic. The evening Peking Opera show is optional if available. (B/L)

Day 5/Tue: Beijing
Enjoy a full-day excursion to the legendary Great Wall, 70km northeast of the city. Zigzagging over 6,000 kilometres from east to west along the undulating mountains, the Great Wall, said to be visible from the moon, was built to hold off tribal invaders from the north. (B/L/D)

Day 6/Wed: Beijing - Xi'an
Enjoy some free time before flying to Xi'an after lunch. Eastern terminus of the fabled Silk Road and one of the ancient capitals of China, Xi'an is home to the Terracotta Army designed to follow the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC) into eternity. (B/L)

Day 7/Thu: Xi’an
Visit the excavation site of the Terracotta Army located 30km east of the city. Afternoon sightseeing at Shaanxi Provincial Museum. The modern, well-organized museum was completed in 1992 and traces the history of Xi'an from prehistory to the Qing dynasty (1644-1911). The extensive galleries and exhibitions offer the visitor an excellent introduction to the area that greatly improves understanding of the numerous historical sites in and around the city. Tonight we enjoy a spectacular music and dance show reminiscent of the Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.), a period generally considered a golden era of the Chinese civilization. (B/L/D)

Day 8/Fri: Xi'an - Guilin
Today's schedule takes in the Grand Mosque and the adjacent Muslim Quarter. Afternoon flight to Guilin. A medium-sized city by Chinese standard, the city has long been renowned for its unique scenery. The name Guilin literally means "forest of sweet osmanthus", owing to the large number of fragrant Sweet Osmanthus trees in the city. We visit secnic Fubo Hill after hotel check-in. (B/L)

Day 9/Sat: Guilin (Li River cruise)
Day cruise on Li River. The 83km stretch of the river between Guilin and Yangshuo affords breathtaking scenery as the river snakes through tall karst mountains, gigantic bamboo sprays, and picturesque villages -- sights that have inspired countless poets and painters for generations. Disembark in Yangshuo in mid-afternoon and drive back to Guilin. (B/L)

Day 10/Sun: Yangshuo - Guilin - Chengdu
Free morning to explore on your own. Late afternoon flight to Chengdu, capital of populous Sichuan Province. (B/D)

Day 11/Mon: Chengdu
Tour of the Giant Panda Breeding Centre is followed by a visit to the museum built on the archaeological site of Sanxingdui Culture (Bronze Age). First chanced upon by a farmer in 1929, Sanxingdui, 40km west of Chengdu, continued to surprise the archaeological community in the decades to come. In 1986, two major sacrificial pits were discovered and the breakthrough aroused widespread academic attention from around the world. The Sanxingdui finds are exciting, but they remain enigmatic. So far no written records of this 5,000-year-old civilization have been found. (B/L)

Day 12/Tue: Chengdu - Lhasa
Morning schedule includes Wang Jiang Lou Park and a typical local tea house. Wangjianglou means "river-overlooking tower" and the park is so named because of the ancient pagoda-shaped wooden tower onsite. The beautiful little park dotted with verdant bamboo groves has long been a favourite spot among locals for morning exercise. People in Sichuan enjoy going to tea houses, their equivalent of pubs or neighbourhood coffee shops found in the West, where people, especially retirees, exchange gossips and play chess among other things. We board noon flight for Lhasa and upon arrival spend the rest of the day relaxing and getting acclimatized to the high altitudes. (B/L)

Day 13/Wed: Lhasa
Situated in a wide, mountain-fringed valley on the north bank of the Kyichu River, Lhasa (elevation 3700m) is a rapidly expanding city with a population of over 540,000. An important settlement for well over a thousand years, Lhasa was originally called Rasa, but was renamed by King Songtsen Gampo in the seventh century when he moved his capital here from the Yarlung Valley. Following the collapse of the Yarlung dynasty two centuries later, power dispersed among local chieftains and the city lost its pre-eminence. It was not until the seventeenth century, with the installation of the Fifth Dalai Lama as ruler by the Mongolian emperor, Gushri Khan, that Lhasa once again became the seat of government.

This morning we visit the Dalai Lama’s Potala Palace. Afternoon sightseeing at Jokhang Temple, one of the oldest Buddhist buildings in Tibet and a remarkable combination of Tibetan, Indian, Nepalese and Han Chinese architectural styles. No visit to Jokhang Temple is complete without checking out the Barkor Street bazaar outside the temple. (B/L)

Day 14/Thu: Lhasa
Morning visit to the Dalai Lama's summer residence Norbulinka. This afternoon we tour grand Sera Monastery, where lively debates held Monday to Saturday from 3 to 5 pm between resident monks often draw a large audience. (B/L)

Day 15/Fri: Lhasa - Gyantse - Shigatse
Following breakfast, we drive along the Southern Route to Gyantse (265km). Highlights of the scenic drive include Kambaba Pass (4700 metres/15416 feet above sea level) and the holy lake Yamdrok Yumtso. Every summer throngs of Tibetan pilgrims come to the lake to pray for blessings by the lake fairy. Afternoon sightseeing in Gyantse takes in the Fortress of Gyantse Dzong and Pelkhor Choede. We continue on to Shigatse (90km) in late afternoon arriving at the second largest city in Tibet around dinnertime. (B/L/D)

Day 16/Sat: Shigatse - Lhasa
This morning we visit Tashilunpo Monastery, the religious and administrative headquarters of the Panchen Lama - paramount leader of the Yellow Sect of Tibetan Buddhism. Return to Lhasa via better paved Northern Route (295km). Vast pastureland, barren mountain slopes, snow-capped peaks, blue skies, white clouds, scanty population, and ubiquitous prayer flags - these images combine to conjure a sense of solitude and mystery. (B/L)

Day 17/Sun: Lhasa - Chongqing
Spend the morning relaxing or exploring the ancient Tibetan capital on your own. We fly to Chongqing in mid-afternoon. Please note that depending on flight availability we may need to leave Lhasa in the morning. (B/D)

Day 18/Mon: Chongqing
Chongqing is one of the People's Republic of China's four provincial-level municipalities, and the only such municipality in western China. The municipality was created on 14 March 1997, succeeding the sub-provincial city administration that was part of Sichuan Province. The municipality of Chongqing has a population of 32 million and administers an area of over 80, 000 square kilometres. Chongqing served as China's provisional capital in the 1940's during World War II after the Kuomintang Government lost Nanjing (Nanking) to the Japanese invaders.

Enjoy some free time in the morning. Sightseeing in Chongqing takes in People's Square and General Joseph Stilwell’s former residence - location of the US Forces’ headquarters in China during World War II. After dinner we board the Yangtze cruise ship to start our 3-day downstream journey. (B/L/D)

Day 19/Tue: Yangtze Cruise
At 6,380km the Yangtze is the longest river in China and the third longest in the world after the Nile and the Amazon. The most impressive section of the Yangtze is the Three Gorges. Today’s shore excursion features Shibaozhai or Stone Treasure Fortress, an ancient wooden pagoda built against rock cliffs facing the Yangtze. (B/L/D)

Day 20/Wed: Yangtze Cruise
Admire nature’s grandeur while sailing through spectacular Wu Gorge (44km) and Qutang Gorge (8km) later today. Later this morning we navigate Shennong Stream on a small vessel. Originating in the southern slopes of Shennongjia Nature Reserve, the crystal clear river twists and turns 60 kilometres through forested mountains before emptying into the mighty Yangtze.  (B/L/D)

Day 21/Thu: Yichang - Shanghai
Morning visit to the site of the Three Gorges Dam. Construction of the dam started on December 14, 1994. It became fully operationally in 2009. Due to additional projects such as the underground power plant with six additional generators, the dam is not expected to become fully operational until 2011. The dam raised the water level the third time to 172.5 metres by the end of 2008. The Chinese government estimated the cost of the construction to be $27 billion while some Chinese scholars and international organizations estimated the actual cost could be as high as over $80 billion. The project upon completion will become the largest hydroelectric dam in the world with a reservoir stretching hundreds of kilometres upstream. We disembark in Yichang around noon and fly to Shanghai. (B/L/D)

Day 22/Fri: Shanghai
Before 1949, Shanghai was widely known in the West as a city of quick riches and paradise of the adventurers. After four decades of anemic growth in a state planned economy, Shanghai is roaring back to recapture its position on the world stage. With a population of 23 million and rapid economic expansion in the last 20 years, Shanghai has again become a leading global city with significant influence in commerce, culture, finance, media, fashion, technology and transport.

Our sightseeing in Shanghai begins with a stroll on the Bund - a waterfront promenade famous for its landmark neoclassical buildings of European style, followed by Shanghai Museum and Yu Garden in the old town centre. Evening entertainment is a dazzling acrobatic show. (B/L/D)

Day 23/Sat: Shanghai
Today is a free day. Exploring China's most dynamic city on your own has never been easier. Our recommended list includes Jinmao Tower, a ride aboard the world's only commercially run Maglev train, and the popular evening cruise on Huangpu River to enjoy the city's spectacular neon-lit skyline. (B)

Day 24/Sun: Shanghai - Home City
Spend the morning packing and relaxing. Transfer to the airport to board return flight departing in the afternoon. Cross the International Date Line and arrive home the same day. (B)

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Hotels & Yangtze Cruise Ship
City	No. of Nights	Hotel/Ship	Star Rating
Beijing	4	Crowne Plaza U-Town or Sheraton Dongcheng
Xi'an	2	Sheraton Xi'an
Guilin	2	Sheraton Guilin
Chengdu	2	Jinjiang Hotel
Lhasa	4	Four Points by Sheraton
Shigatse	1	Jiumuyamei International Hotel	- best available
Chongqing	1	Hilton Chongqing
Yangtze Cruise	3	Victoria Cruises
Shanghai	3	Sheraton Shanghai Hongkou

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