China family holiday
| country: | China |
| location: | Great Wall, Terracotta Warriors |
| departures: | 2009: 5 Apr, 19 Jul, 26 Jul, 29 Jul, 2 Aug, 9 Aug, 12 Aug, 16 Aug, 23 Aug |
| price: | From £1699 - £2099 (16 days) per adult and £1519 - £1649 per child including flights from the UK, from £1029 - £1139 excluding flights |
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the amazing things you'll be doing
One may think there are few sights as impressive as the mighty Great Wall of China, yet on this tour wonders abound.
We visit the splendours of Imperial Beijing and vast Tiananmen Square, the ever-marching “Terracotta Army” of Xian, towering rice terraces and the almost superhuman skills of the legendary monks of the Shaolin “Kung Fu” monastery.
We'll also take time out to learn about life in the villages and relax in the beautiful landscapes of China's tranquil south.
Forbidden City and the Great Wall
Starting in the capital of Beijing we'll explore the famous Tiananmen Square and the maze of palaces that make up the adjoining Forbidden City and discover the fascinating old residential quarters, the “Hutongs”, by cycle rickshaw.
Constructed to protect China's northern frontier from Mongol raiders, the majestic and awesome Great Wall stretches for almost 4500 kilometres from the edge of the Gobi desert to Yellow Sea. At Simatai, we overnight at one of the most stunning sections of the Wall from where we'll walk along its towering ramparts or take the cable car up to one of the old observation towers.
Kung Fu and Ancient Warriors
An overnight train takes us to the former Xia dynasty capital of Luoyang where we pay a visit to the Shaolin “Kung Fu” monastery, famous throughout the world for the prowess of its monks. Each year, thousands of youngsters enrol at Shaolin's martial arts schools and we hope to catch them in action with their graceful kicks and feats of superhuman strength!
Another kind of warrior awaits us near Xian where excavation of imperial tombs revealed the wonders of the vast Terracotta Army; thousands of life-sized models of warriors, horses and chariots had been buried to protect the Qin dynasty emperors in the afterworld. Xian's ancient centre is still surrounded by imposing walls where we can walk or even cycle for a birds-eye view of the bustling streets below.
Along the Li & the Dragon's Backbone
A flight south to Guilin takes us to a bizarre but beautiful karst landscape of mysterious hump-backed mountains that have fired the imagination of poets and writers for centuries. By boat we'll drift along the Li river to the small and welcoming town of Yangshuo with its many interesting craft shops - an excellent base from which to explore nearby villages, ride a bike, climb a peak, or even try out bamboo rafting on the Yulong River.
Driving north to Longji we enter a region famous for its spectacular rice terraces (known locally as the “Dragon's backbone”) which sit tier upon tier up to a staggering 800 metres. Here we'll meet the local Dong and Yao people as we ramble along the paddies.
Minimum age: 5 years
Group size: approx. 14 to 18
Price includes: international flights from London, 10 nights hotel (some with pool), 3 nights guesthouse, 1 night sleeper train, 14 breakfasts, 3 lunches & 2 dinners, tour leader plus driver(s), boatmen and some local guides.
Modes of travel: bus, boats, train, flights & on foot.
We visit the splendours of Imperial Beijing and vast Tiananmen Square, the ever-marching “Terracotta Army” of Xian, towering rice terraces and the almost superhuman skills of the legendary monks of the Shaolin “Kung Fu” monastery.
We'll also take time out to learn about life in the villages and relax in the beautiful landscapes of China's tranquil south.
Forbidden City and the Great Wall
Starting in the capital of Beijing we'll explore the famous Tiananmen Square and the maze of palaces that make up the adjoining Forbidden City and discover the fascinating old residential quarters, the “Hutongs”, by cycle rickshaw.
Constructed to protect China's northern frontier from Mongol raiders, the majestic and awesome Great Wall stretches for almost 4500 kilometres from the edge of the Gobi desert to Yellow Sea. At Simatai, we overnight at one of the most stunning sections of the Wall from where we'll walk along its towering ramparts or take the cable car up to one of the old observation towers.
Kung Fu and Ancient Warriors
An overnight train takes us to the former Xia dynasty capital of Luoyang where we pay a visit to the Shaolin “Kung Fu” monastery, famous throughout the world for the prowess of its monks. Each year, thousands of youngsters enrol at Shaolin's martial arts schools and we hope to catch them in action with their graceful kicks and feats of superhuman strength!
Another kind of warrior awaits us near Xian where excavation of imperial tombs revealed the wonders of the vast Terracotta Army; thousands of life-sized models of warriors, horses and chariots had been buried to protect the Qin dynasty emperors in the afterworld. Xian's ancient centre is still surrounded by imposing walls where we can walk or even cycle for a birds-eye view of the bustling streets below.
Along the Li & the Dragon's Backbone
A flight south to Guilin takes us to a bizarre but beautiful karst landscape of mysterious hump-backed mountains that have fired the imagination of poets and writers for centuries. By boat we'll drift along the Li river to the small and welcoming town of Yangshuo with its many interesting craft shops - an excellent base from which to explore nearby villages, ride a bike, climb a peak, or even try out bamboo rafting on the Yulong River.
Driving north to Longji we enter a region famous for its spectacular rice terraces (known locally as the “Dragon's backbone”) which sit tier upon tier up to a staggering 800 metres. Here we'll meet the local Dong and Yao people as we ramble along the paddies.
Minimum age: 5 years
Group size: approx. 14 to 18
Price includes: international flights from London, 10 nights hotel (some with pool), 3 nights guesthouse, 1 night sleeper train, 14 breakfasts, 3 lunches & 2 dinners, tour leader plus driver(s), boatmen and some local guides.
Modes of travel: bus, boats, train, flights & on foot.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Fly London/Beijing |
| Day 2: | Arrive Beijing |
| Day 3: | In Beijing; visit Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square |
| Day 4: | Rickshaw tour of Hutongs (old quarters) |
| Day 5: | Drive to Simatai; walk on Great Wall |
| Day 6 | Optional walks; drive Beijing for overnight train to Luoyang |
| Day 7: | Visit Shaolin temple and see Kung Fu show |
| Day 8: | Visit caves at Longmen; afternoon train to Xian |
| Day 9: | Visit Terracotta Warriors |
| Day 10: | Explore Old Quarter; fly to Guilin |
| Day 11 | Li River boat trip to Yangshuo |
| Day 12: | Free day in Yangshuo with optional cycle rides, bamboo rafting |
| Day 13: | Drive to Longji minority area, visit villages |
| Day 14: | Free day on the “Dragon's backbone” rice terraces |
| Day 15: | Drive to Guilin; fly Beijing |
| Day 16: | Fly London |
travellers' tales
Very good. The great wall was the most memorable part. (more)
small group family holiday
This is a 'small group family adventure' - typically you will join several other families and travel in a group of approx. 16 people. The trips are great value and a great way for you and your children to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of time to yourselves. Most adventure kids tend to be aged between 7 and 15, but some are younger (minimum age is usually 5) and some older (perhaps travelling as part of a larger family group). Please check with the operator to confirm the minimum age for this trip how this holiday makes a difference
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This holiday not only makes a difference to the country that we visit, but it also provides our passengers with a unique experience of the country. On this trip we use locally owned hotels, transport and leaders, thus helping to put back more than we take out of the country during our visit.
 We include many classic highlights such as the Forbidden City in Beijing, the Great Wall at Simatai, Shaolin temple of Luoyang and tranquil rural backwater of Yangshuo. We visit an isolated village called Ping An in Longjj where our hotel is owned by the local people, affording a unique insight into life in rural China and helping to foster an understanding of the threatened minority cultures in this rapidly developing country. We include a visit to the old Hutongs (residential quarters) of Beijing where we visit traditional houses and gain an insight into Chinese lifestyles. We also have plenty of time to wander the local markets, to meet more of the people and experience the culture. A visit to the awe-inspiring Kung Fu Show at the world famous Shaolin Temple, enables our passengers to experience and support the continuation of ancient skills and traditions and helps to contribute to the monastic community based there. Our Tour Leaders are all trained by us in the importance of responsible tourism with guidance given on how they can make a difference. This then percolates down through those they deal with. As well as the above, we support a variety of charities and projects worldwide which support vulnerable communities and habitats including Friends of Conservation, Hope Worldwide and Send A Cow. We are also actively engaged with UK travel industry bodies which promote best practice in responsible tourism, such as Tourism Concern, The Travel Foundation and AITO. Our commitment to responsible tourism is not limited to our overseas operation and we have measures to ensure our UK office operates according to our responsible tourism policy. Carbon offsets for all flights booked with us are included in the tour cost. |
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. |