China's Ethnic Minorities
Beijing, Luoyang, Xi'an, Guizhou, Shanghai.Download Itinerary
(15D/14N) Beijing, Luoyang, Xi’an, Guizhou, Shanghai. Download Itinerary
Presentation: Discover the unknown and most beautiful corners of China. Get to know its ethnic minorities, live and share experiences with locals from small villages lost in the incredible mountains of southern China.
ITINERARY
Day 1. 29/09 International Flight Meeting at the airport to depart on a regular flight to Beijing. Overnight on the plane.
Day 2. 30/09 Beijing Arrival in Beijing. Upon arrival, our guide will meet us and accompany us to the heart of the city to start exploring the city center comfortably by Rickshaw (tricycle). In the same area, in a typical hutong of the great capital, a Beijing citizen will welcome us into their home, explaining what life is like in the Chinese capital and kindly answering all our questions. After this first immersion into Chinese society and the long flight, we will transfer by coach to the hotel to rest and adjust to the time difference.
Day 3. 01/10 Beijing (MP) Buffet breakfast at the hotel. First, we will visit Tiananmen Square, the largest square in the world and the nerve center of Chinese politics. Next, we will enter the Forbidden City and walk through the ancient imperial palaces of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Lunch at a local restaurant. In the afternoon, we will visit the Summer Palace, designed for the exclusive enjoyment of the Emperor and his family, now a place of recreation and relaxation for Beijingers and visitors. Finally, to end on a high note, in the evening we will attend an impressive acrobatics show. Return to the hotel.
Day 4. 02/10 Beijing (PC) Buffet breakfast at the hotel. Today we will visit the Great Wall, specifically the Mutianyu section, with cable cars for both ascent and descent. (Highly recommended for the more adventurous: descend on the incredible Great Wall toboggan.) Lunch included at a local Chinese restaurant. In the afternoon, on the way back, we will stop at the Olympic Stadium area (Bird’s Nest) to take some photos with the stadium in the background. Then, before dinner, we will test our bargaining skills and go shopping at the modernized Silk Market. Tonight, dinner features the famous local dish “Peking Duck” at a prestigious local restaurant. Return to the hotel.
Day 5. 03/10 Beijing-Luoyang (MP) Buffet breakfast at the hotel. In the morning, we will travel to the Temple of Heaven. A wonderful place where Ming Dynasty emperors offered sacrifices for good harvests. But before starting our visit, a Tai Chi master will give us a simple introductory class to this ancient art. (Lunch included.) In the afternoon, we will transfer to the train station to take the high-speed train to Luoyang. Upon arrival in Luoyang, we will transfer to the hotel.
Day 6. 04/10 Luoyang – Xi’an (MP) Buffet breakfast. Depart by road to Dengfeng to visit the famous Shaolin Temple, a center for the study of martial arts (Chinese Kung Fu), where we will attend a martial arts performance. Lunch included. In the afternoon, visit the Longmen Grottoes (Dragon Gate), declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. More than 1,300 caves, with 40 small pagodas, and 100,000 Buddha statues of all sizes, the largest reaching up to 17 meters in height. At the indicated time, transfer to the train station to take the train to Xi’an, an ancient capital of China with 3,000 years of history, the only walled capital, and the starting point of the famous “Silk Road.” Arrival and transfer to the hotel. Accommodation.
Day 7. 05/10 Xi’an (MP) Buffet breakfast at the hotel. In the morning, we will start by visiting the Terracotta Warriors of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, one of the greatest discoveries of Chinese culture. Lunch of jiaozi (Chinese ravioli) at one of the most famous restaurants in Xi’an. In the afternoon, we will walk along the ancient city walls of Xi’an, the legendary Muslim Quarter full of shops and street food stalls, and visit the Great Mosque built in 742 AD. Worth highlighting is the harmonious blend of Sino-Arab architecture, reflecting the influence of Arab culture in China. Return to the hotel.
Day 8. 06/10 Xi’an-Guilin (MP) Buffet breakfast. Transfer to the airport to take our flight to Guilin. We will head towards the mountains to embark on another new adventure at the Reed Flute Cave. A natural cave created by the erosion of limestone. Its interior houses a wonderful landscape of stalactites and stalagmites, and countless legends about this cave, whose name comes from the type of reed that grows inside. Next, we will finish our daily visits by seeing the peculiar limestone formation shaped like a pachyderm, “Elephant Trunk Hill.” Return to Guilin. Dinner included at a local restaurant. Check-in at the hotel.
Day 9. 07/10 Guilin-Longsheng (MP) Buffet breakfast. Excursion to the beautiful rice terraces of Longsheng. Inhabited by various ethnic minorities, these mountain rice terraces are off the beaten track, offering more authentic landscapes of rural China. Once we reach the first small village, we will take a short, easy walk with a local guide along stone paths through a small village with wooden houses and small craft shops. Return to Guilin. (Lunch included.) Return to the hotel.
Day 10. 08/10 Guilin-Yangshuo-Hangzhou (MP) Buffet breakfast. Get your cameras ready again!! Amidst infinite mountains, we will enjoy a paradise of water and mountains of countless shapes on a cruise along the legendary Li River. Also known as the Lijiang River, numerous geological studies claim that this region was under the oceans 300 million years ago, and due to continental drift, it emerged, creating a karst labyrinth of hundreds of mountains eroded by rain and wind, generating a great variety of original shapes. They are often compared to those of Halong Bay in Vietnam. It is common to see numerous water buffaloes on the riverbank, as well as fishermen in their bamboo canoes, using a type of bird, the cormorant, to make their catches. Lunch included on the cruise. After disembarking, we will take a walk along the main street of Yangshuo town, then transfer to the airport to fly to Hangzhou. Known in the Middle Ages as “Paradise on Earth,” Hangzhou is one of the most beautiful cities in China. Although many ancient buildings were destroyed during the Taiping Rebellion, the capital of Zhejiang Province has managed to maintain its beauty thanks to its incomparable natural landscapes. Arrival in Hangzhou, transfer to the hotel.
Day 11. 09/10 Hangzhou (MP) Buffet breakfast. During this morning, we will travel to West Lake, which has inspired famous poets, thinkers, and artists since the 9th century. It houses numerous temples, pagodas, pavilions, gardens, ornamental trees, as well as a causeway and artificial islands. Next, we will visit the famous Lingyin Temple (Temple of the Soul’s Retreat), one of the most prominent temples of Chinese Buddhism. Destroyed and rebuilt throughout history, it still stands, preserving all its charm. There, you can touch the belly of the namesake Buddha, as they say in these lands that it brings good luck. Next, we will visit Huagang Park, which has a lake divided into three parts and four islands. It features peacocks, traditional Chinese houses, and numerous attractive spaces for walking. Finally, we will continue our bucolic journey and head to Mei Jia Wu, “The Tea Village.” The village has a history of more than 600 years and is recognized as one of the major tea production centers in Hangzhou. Return to the hotel.
Day 12. 10/10 Hangzhou/Suzhou (MP) Buffet breakfast. In the morning, transfer to the train station to depart by “high-speed train” to Suzhou, known as the “Venice of China” due to the presence of water and its canals in the city. Transfer and accommodation at the hotel. Afternoon visit to Tiger Hill in Suzhou. According to a Chinese legend, King Fu Chai of the ancient State of Wu buried his father, Helu, along with 3,000 swords. On the third day after the burial, a white tiger appeared on the tomb, hence the name of the hill. With over 2,500 years of history, it has become the symbol of this beautiful city, receiving more than 2 million tourists each year. Transfer to the hotel. (Lunch included.)
Day 13. 11/10 Suzhou/Shanghai (MP) Today we will explore and walk through the most famous garden in this city, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site: the Master of the Nets Garden. A marvel of Chinese simplicity and harmony. Next, we will travel to the beautiful village of “Tongli,” known as one of China’s water towns. After a unique walk through its streets and canals, we will continue to our next destination: Shanghai, China’s financial capital and a huge cosmopolitan and modern city, with extreme skylines that will leave incredible urban images of an increasingly Westernized China etched in our retinas. Accommodation at our hotel. (Lunch included.)
Day 14. 12/10 Shanghai (MP) Buffet breakfast. We will start the day with an essential tour visiting Yu Garden. It was designed during the Ming Dynasty, between 1559 and 1577. An official named Pan Yunduan wanted his elderly parents, who were too old to travel to the capital, to see what such a garden looked like. That is why he named it Yu Garden (Yu means health and tranquility). In the same area as Yu Garden, we can stroll through the Old Town. Full of places of interest, it is easy to get lost while winding through the ancient alleyways with names like “East Second Horse Road” in their Spanish translation. Lunch included. Next, we will visit the Jade Buddha Temple. Built in 1882. During the Qing Dynasty, a monk named Hui Gen made a pilgrimage to Tibet. On his return to China, the monk stopped in Burma; there, a Chinese immigrant gave him five jade statues representing Buddha. Hui Gen built a temple to house the statues thanks to the donations he received. However, the original temple was occupied in 1911, and the statues and the temple were moved to their current location. The Jade Buddha Chamber contains a seated Buddha image; it weighs 3 tons and is 1.95 meters tall. Another hall contains the reclining Jade Buddha figure, representing the death of Buddha. Later, we will move to the Bund, a symbol of the city’s history with spectacular views of the “Pudong” promenade and modern Shanghai. And, to put the cherry on top, we will walk through Tianzifang, an area full of alleys and small shops to do some last-minute shopping. Return to the hotel.
Day 15. 13/10 Shanghai – International Flight Buffet breakfast. At the agreed time, transfer to the airport to take our return flight to Spain. Arrival in the afternoon and end of the trip.