China adventure holiday
| country: | China |
| location: | Great Wall, Terracotta Warriors |
| trip type: | Moderate walking holidays |
| departures: | 2008: 28 Sep, 26 Oct, 23 Nov 2009: 11 Jan, 8 Feb, 8 Mar, 5 Apr, 3 May, 31 May, 28 Jun, 26 Jul, 23 Aug, 6 Sep, 20 Sep, 18 Oct, 15 Nov, 13 Dec |
| price: | From £899 (21 days) excluding flights. Local payment US $330. We can arrange flights from the UK |
read 1 travellers review
the amazing things you'll be doing
This is an exciting journey across one of the world's most varied and exciting countries.
Relish the bustle of Shanghai and Hong Kong, cruise the Li River and cycle amid spectacular countryside…
We'll see all the major attractions between Beijing and Hong Kong with awesome man-made sights such as the Terracotta Army and the Great Wall proving dramatically different to the beauty of natural sights such as Guilin and the unforgettable welcome of China's rural communities.
Relish the bustle of Shanghai and Hong Kong, cruise the Li River and cycle amid spectacular countryside…
We'll see all the major attractions between Beijing and Hong Kong with awesome man-made sights such as the Terracotta Army and the Great Wall proving dramatically different to the beauty of natural sights such as Guilin and the unforgettable welcome of China's rural communities.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Arrive Beijing. |
| Day 2: | Beijing - Great Wall. A day at the Great Wall with a 3-5 hour hike along one of the less visited sections |
| Day 3: | Beijing - Xi'an. Visit Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. Overnight train to Xi’an. |
| Day 4: | Xi'an. Morning arrival and guided tour of the Terracotta Warriors. Afternoon at leisure to explore this ancient city. Perhaps visit the Great Mosque or the Muslim markets. |
| Day 5: | Xi'an - Tai'an. A free morning for more sightseeing before boarding the overnight train to Tai'an. |
| Day 6: | Tai'an - farmstay. Get a glimpse of life for some of the farmers in China. Although things are changing fast elsewhere, the way of life here remains simple. You can only be amazed at the generous hospitality shown by our hosts. (LD) |
| Day 7: | Tai’an. After breakfast return to Tai’an where there’s the opportunity to climb Tai Shan, one of China’s holiest mountains. Overnight train to Nanjing. (B) |
| Day 8: | Nanjing. Morning arrival and transfer to the hotel. Free day to discover some of Nanjing’s incredible past. |
| Day 9: | Nanjing. Option to take bicycles to the mausoleum of revolutionary leader Dr Sun Yat Sen and continue via the Ming city walls to Lake Xuanwu. |
| Day 10: | Hangzhou. We take a local train for the short ride to Hangzhou, a lovely lakeside city. Free afternoon for sightseeing; the stunning Feilai Feng temple complex is certainly worth a visit. |
| Day 11: | Hangzhou. Option to follow the classic ‘Nine creeks and eighteen gullies’ route by bike through the famous tea plantations of Longjing. Relax by the lakeside in the afternoon or take your bike and explore further afield. |
| Day 12: | Shanghai. Another short local train journey brings us to Shanghai. Opportunity to take a river cruise. |
| Day 13: | Shanghai. A full free day to explore this bustling city. In the evening we see the famed Shanghai acrobats. |
| Day 14: | Shanghai - Longsheng. A morning flight to Guilin and transfer to Longsheng, the ‘Dragon’s Backbone rice terraces’. The scenery in this area is outstanding with rice terraces cascading down the hillside and stretching in all directions. We stay in small wooden guesthouses as guests of a local family. |
| Day 15-16: | Longsheng. We trek along the ridge to another picturesque village and stay there for the night. On day 16 we return to our start point by another superb route. |
| Day 17-19: | Yangshuo. Transfer to Yangshuo for three days of exploring the amazing karst scenery and enjoying as many activities as you feel able to manage. Most people hire a bike and head off on the back routes past spectacular steep sided mountains, quiet streams and green paddy fields. There's plenty of opportunity for picking up gifts, and many options for you to learn something about Chinese culture. Try cooking, calligraphy or Tai'chi. In the late afternoon of day 19 we catch an overnight train to Shenzhen. |
| Day 20: | Shenzhen - Hong Kong. Arrive at the border. Complete formalities before a train journey through the new territories to Kowloon. The afternoon is free for you to explore the markets of Kowloon or, perhaps, take a trip up Victoria Peak for views back down over the harbour. |
| Day 21: | Hong Kong. Tour ends |
travellers' tales
Without a doubt for me the most memorable aspect of our trip was the stay with in the minority family's guesthouse at Longsheng. It was extraordinarily beautiful and peaceful there and the people were friendly and open and delighted to see us. (more)
small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places.highly commended
This tourism business was Highly Commended in our 2007 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards - the largest awards of their kind in the world, and organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Times, World Travel Market and Geographical Magazine, of the Royal Geographical Society.Since 2004, the Awards has recognised individuals, companies and organisations in travel making a big commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and helping to conserve biodiversity.
how this holiday makes a difference
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Throughout this adventure we stay in small local hotels, and near Taishan we spend the night as guests of local families at Buyang Village – a working farm. Travellers are spread out among the village houses – usually 2-3 per house – so as many families as possible benefit directly from our visit.
At the Great Wall we walk a remote section which is not usually frequented by tourists, however our groups almost always find themselves accompanied by local villagers who help them along difficult sections and try to sell a few postcards at the end. Our tour leaders have built up good relationships with many of these villagers and encourage travellers to gain an insight into their lives and make a contribution by buying postcards. The tour also spends time in remote tribal areas around Longsheng where travellers have the opportunity to meet minority groups and buy fair priced souvenirs – ensuring money goes directly into the local communities. We employ many local guides and representatives as well as a mix of foreign and local tour leaders – who all receive the SAME wages for the same job. We have built up long term relationships with many of the local faces groups meet time and time again on tours. For example a local in Yangshuo often spends many an afternoon with our groups conducting an impromptu Chinese lesson! |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |