CHINA: GREAT WALL, GORGES & GIANT
PANDAS ITINERARY:
Ages 10 and Up
Days 1-2 Depart U.S. / Arrive Beijing
Cross a day off the calendar as you fly over the
International Dateline. Upon arrival in Beijing, your family
will be met at the airport and escorted to your hotel. D
Days 3-5 Beijing - Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, Pen
Pals, Great Wall, Chinese Acrobats
Check out Tiananmen Square and wander through the Forbidden
City, a maze of opulent palaces, serene gardens, astonishing
carvings and sculptures, which was closed to commoners for
nearly 500 years.
Meet your Chinese pen pals at the Children's Palace. In the
spirit of true cultural exchange, you'll help young students
practice their English while you practice Chinese and try your
hand (or feet) at art, calligraphy, music or dance.
Explore more of Beijing's palaces and temples. Learn to travel
the city as millions of residents do - on two wheels. You'll
bike through Hutongs, the ancient alleyways of Beijing, for a
close-up look at this fascinating city. One evening enjoy a
performance by Chinese acrobats whose death-defying feats and
balancing skills have thrilled audiences for generations.
Astronauts have seen it from space, but your vantage point is
right on top of the Great Wall of China, one of the largest
construction projects ever completed. You'll explore a tiny
portion of its 4,000-plus miles, in an area where fewer tourists
venture. B, L, D
Days 6-7 Xi'an - Terra Cotta Warriors, Forest of Stone
Tablets, Home Visit
Visit the amazing Forest of Stone Tablets, ancient tablets
from before the time of paper. It's paper you'll use later,
however, when a working artist teaches your group authentic
Chinese calligraphy.
Xi'an, former capital to eleven dynasties, is home to one of the
world's most intriguing archaeological discoveries - the famous
Terra Cotta Army of Xi'an. More than 8,000 life-size clay
soldiers and horses have steadfastly guarded the tomb of Emperor
Qin Shi Huang for more than 2,000 years. Walk among the
astonishing statues, each with its own unique characteristics
and expressions.
See the Huxian Painting Exhibition then visit the home of a
local family to learn the art of dumpling making - and to eat a
mouth-watering homemade meal. B, L, D
Days 8-9 Zhangjiajie - Flight to Zhangjiajie, Hiking
Setting out with guides on some of the least traveled trails
of China's first national park, you'll be treated to awesome
views of deep canyons and dense, primeval forests.
In the distance, the park's peculiarly massive, often
mist-shrouded sandstone pillars rise up, geological wonders in a
landscape that inspires both reverence and awe, even among the
most blasé teens! Where is the world's highest elevator? In
Zhangjiajie, and instead of going to the top of a building, it
goes to the top of a mountain. B, L, D
Days 10-11 Chengdu - Panda Breeding Institute
In the capital of the Sichuan Province, the next best thing
to seeing China's famous black and white bears in the wild is
seeing them at the Giant Panda Breeding Research Base, a serene,
protective setting where walking trails wind under a damp, lush
canopy of bamboo and past pandas doing what pandas do - munching
on bamboo. Feel the need to hold a young panda? You can do it
here for an extra charge. B, L (day 10) / B, L, D (day 11)
Days 12-13 Guilin / Yangshuo - Li River Cruise, Gumdrop
Mountains, Biking, Hiking
Witness the ancient practice of cormorant fishing. Boat down
the Li River past brooding water buffalo and bright green rice
paddies framed by the distant Gumdrop Mountains. Bring a 20 Yuan
bill with you and challenge the kids to find the scene shown on
it (the guide will help).
Feel like you've stepped back into old China as you walk through
one of its ancient villages. In Yangshuo, mix biking, hiking and
floating on bamboo rafts in the shallows of the Yulong River.
Check out the hundreds of small shops that make up Yangshuo's
bustling international shopping area, West Street; your kids
will be glad you made them save some money for tonight. B, L, D
Day 14 Shanghai - Free Day, Farewell Dinner
Fly to Shanghai where you have a free day to explore and a
special farewell dinner with your traveling companions. Extend
your adventure with more days if you wish! B, D
Day 15 Shanghai / Return Home
Crossing back over the International Dateline, you'll regain
the day you lost and arrive home on the same date you left
China.
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