21 days china tibet and yangtze river cruise tour

includes: beijing, xi'an, chengdu, lhasa, wolong panda reserve, chongqing, yangtze river, wuhan, suzhou, hangzhou & shanghai

a trip to tibet, "roof of the world", if you want your trip to china to be culturally enriching as well as adventurous, then this one is for you. you will visit the popular cities which include beijing, xi'an, yangtze river cruise & shanghai. but, you will also step into long closed -out tibet-a mysterious land that is about 3 miles high above sea level. plus, you will go deep into the panda reservation in wolong, outside of chengdu, to visit this almost extinct animal.

d1 arrive in beijing, meet at airport and transfer to a 4 star hotel. after dinner, stroll to visit the tiananmen square.

d2 visit the forbidden city and the summerpalace. enjoy a beijing duck dinner.

d3 full day visit the great wall at mutianyu, with cable-car going up and down the wall.

d4 visit the temple of heaven, and the hutongs, after lunch, take a flight to xian, check in a 4 star hotel. then go to visit the ancient wild goose pagoda, and the city wall which is still largely intact and one of the most complete ancient city walls in china.

d5 full day visit the extraordinary 2,200-year-old terra cotta warriors of china’s first emperor, qinshihuang. inside the terracottamuseum, the warriors still stand on the actual site where peasants discovered them in 1974.

d6 you enjoy a free morning in xian. after lunch, take a flight to chengdu, check in a 4 star hotel. enjoy the well-known sichuan food dinner.

d7 get up early. your guide will take you to the airport for flight to lhasagonggarairport. you will be greeted by your tibetan tour guide and driven about two hours to lhasacity. check into a 3 star hotel upon arrival and relax for the rest of day to adjust the high altitude.

d8 after breakfast, you will begin your exploration to this holycity. visit the potalapalace, where the dalai lama used to preside. in the afternoon, visit the jorkangtemple, which is located at the very center of lhasa. later you can stroll along the barkor bazaar where tibetan shops present tibetan medicines, hand-made crafts, etc.

d9 today's sightseeing includes the tsepung monastery, one of the biggest monasteries in tibet. after lunch, visit sera monastery and norbulingkatemple which is the summer palace of dalai lama.

d10 take a morning flight back to chengdu. your local guide will meet you at the airport and drive to wolongmountain area where the giant pandas live. stay overnight at a 2 star hotel.

d11 you can spend the whole day hiking into the pandareservationcenter, playing and taking pictures with the giant pandas. late afternoon, drive back to chengdu and check in a 4 star hotel.

d12 morning relax in chengdu, you can visit the tea house or local free market to see how chengdu people enjoy their life, to experience the tea house culture which is well known in all china. after lunch, drive 4 hours from chengdu to dazu. check in a 3 star hotel.

d13 visit the 1200-year-old dazu grottos which is a world culture heritage. in the afternoon, drive 2 hours from dazu to chongqing, enjoy a famous hot pot dinner. then board a 4 star boat to start your four day journey on the grand yangtze river.

d14 today you begin your downstream cruise. arrive at fengdu, the legendary ghost town. you will visit the mingshan hill's temples. continue to sail to badong.

d15 the cruise will sail through the most magnificent qutang gorge, the first of the three gorges. then you will be transferred to a small sampan for an excursion to the mini three gorges. return to the cruise and you will pass the wu gorge and xiling gorge.

d16 you will be taken on a bus to cross the threegorgesbridge to see this controversial project up in the close. the project includes the five-step dam construction. upon returning to the cruise, you will sail through the gezhou dam ship lock.

d17 your cruise will arrive at wuhan around 12:00n. your local tour guide will meet you at the pier, city tour if time permits. then fly to shanghai. check in a 4 star hotel.

d18 visit the bund, china's most famous waterfront stretching more than one mile, and the eastpearltower, the highest tv tower in asia, from there you can enjoy a bird's eye view of the fast-growing metropolis, in the afternoon, stroll the nanjing road, the no.1 shopping street in china.

d19 after breakfast in your hotel, drive to hangzhou. you will now know why hangzhou is praised along with suzhou as "paradise on earth". the day's activities begin with a cruise on the beautiful westlake with stops at a typical teahouse and jewel-like pagodas. in the afternoon, visit the centuries old lingyintemple. stay in a 4 star hotel.

d20 after breakfast in your hotel, drive to suzhou, a city of gardens and waterways. your first stop today is the well-arranged and elegant lingeringgarden, suzhou landmarks. afterwards attend a demonstration of local silk embroidery needlework at the national embroidery institute. after lunch, visit the hanshan (cool hill) temple and tiger hill. stay in the 4 star hotel.

d21 after a relaxed breakfast in your hotel, we will transfer you to the shanghai airport and hug you goodbye.