Beijing. O/N Beijing

Beijing - Today, your tour guide will meet you in the lobby of your Beijing hotel at 8:00am. You will then be taken to Tiananmen Square.

Tiananmen Square (Tiananmen Guangchang) - At Tiananmen Square, you can capture stunning photos of the Tiananmen Tower, Monument to People’s Heroes, and Memorial Hall of Chairman Mao. Located in the heart of Beijing, Tiananmen Square has been the site of numerous historical events and gatherings over the centuries. Today, it hosts grand celebrations, military parades, and welcoming ceremonies for foreign dignitaries. Visitors can also admire the towering Monument to People’s Heroes and the solemn Memorial Hall of Chairman Mao. Traditional structures like the Tiananmen Tower, Zhengyang Gate, and Qianmen Arrow Tower are also present.

Forbidden City-The Palace Museum - Next, you will cross the Tiananmen Tower to visit the Forbidden City, where 24 emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368 - 1911) resided and managed state affairs. The Forbidden City, the largest and best-preserved ancient wooden complex in the world, served as the imperial palace during the Ming and Qing dynasties. The palace is divided into the Inner Court and Outer Court by the Palace of Heavenly Purity, with the Outer Court used for state affairs and the Inner Court as the living quarters for the imperial family. The complex also functions as a vast museum, showcasing over a million national treasures.

Mutianyu Great Wall - Upon arriving at the scenic area’s parking lot, you will take an electric car to the entrance and then a chairlift up to the 14th watchtower. Enjoy a leisurely hike on the wall for about 2 hours, ending with a toboggan ride down. The Mutianyu section of the Great Wall, built and restored in the early Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644), is one of the most renowned sections. Known for its unique beauty, Mutianyu stands out among the Great Wall sections. Your professional guide will provide historical insights and answer any questions about the Mutianyu Great Wall.

Beijing - Finally, you will be escorted back to your Beijing hotel.

Beijing. O/N Beijing.

Beijing - In the morning, your guide and driver will pick you up from your hotel to continue your Beijing tour.

Temple of Heaven - Your first stop will be the Temple of Heaven, the largest group of royal ceremonial buildings in China. Emperors used to hold annual sacrificial ceremonies here to worship heaven and pray for a good harvest. Today, it is a large park where you can see locals exercising and engaging in recreational activities.

Back Lakes (Hou Hai) - Next, you will visit Beijing Hutong, where you will take a rickshaw ride through the old alleys and visit a Hutong family to see how traditional Beijingers live. The area is filled with popular restaurants, cafes, and local food stores, making it a great place to have lunch and taste local cuisine. Your guide will offer suggestions. After lunch, you can stroll around Houhai Lake and explore more of the Hutong area.

Lama Temple (Yonghegong) - After visiting the Hutong, you will be driven to the Lama Temple, the largest Buddhist temple in Beijing. The temple combines various architectural styles from different ethnic groups, including Han, Manchu, Mongol, and Tibetan. Opened to tourists in 1981, it attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors and pilgrims annually.

Summer Palace (Yiheyuan) - A 30-minute drive will take you to the Summer Palace, known as the museum of ancient royal gardens. Your expert guide will show you around the garden, which mainly consists of Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake. The Long Corridor, 728 meters (796.2 yards) long, is the longest corridor in Chinese gardens, linking Longevity Hill with Kunming Lake. You can admire the exquisite murals and enjoy the melodious music while walking along the corridor.

Beijing - Finally, your guide and driver will escort you back to your hotel.

Beijing - Lhasa by flight. O/N Lhasa.

Beijing Capital International Airport - Today, there are no activities planned. You will take a flight to Lhasa, possibly CA3922 14:55-19:10, which takes around 4 hours.

Lhasa Gonggar Airport - Upon arrival in Lhasa, you will be picked up and transferred to your hotel. Your guide will assist with check-in, and you can acclimate to the high altitude at the hotel.

Lhasa. O/N Lhasa.

Potala Palace - Your morning excursion will take you to the magnificent Potala Palace. Originally built in the 7th century as an imperial palace, it was reconstructed in the 17th century and has since been the political, religious, cultural, and economic center of Tibet. The 13-story building contains over 1,000 rooms, various statues, stupas, murals, and artifacts, making it the largest treasure house in Tibet and attracting numerous travelers and pilgrims daily.

Jokhang Temple - After lunch, you will visit the Jokhang Temple, located in the city center. Built in the 7th century during the peak of the Tubo Kingdom, this temple is a perfect blend of Tibetan, Han, Nepalese, and Indian architectural styles. It is also a sacred Buddhist temple housing a rare life-size statue of Sakyamuni at age twelve.

Barkhor Street - Adjacent to the temple is Barkhor Street, bustling with pilgrims and street vendors selling traditional Tibetan items such as prayer wheels and jewelry.

Lhasa - Finally, your guide will escort you back to your hotel.

Lhasa. O/N Lhasa.

Drepung Monastery (Zhebang Si) - After breakfast, you will visit the Drepung Monastery, located in the western suburbs of the city. It is one of the ‘Three Great Monasteries’ and the largest in Tibetan Buddhism. From a distance, the monastery resembles a heap of rice, with its white buildings layered upon each other.

Sera Monastery - In the afternoon, you will visit the Sera Monastery, the second-largest monastery in Tibet, renowned for the excellent debating of Buddhist doctrines among lamas.

Norbulingka (Precious Stone Garden) - Next, you will visit the nearby Norbulingka Park, the most beautiful and largest man-made park in Tibet. Built over 200 years ago, it served as the Summer Palace for the region’s religious leaders.

Lhasa - Finally, your guide will escort you back to your hotel.

Lhasa - Xi’an by flight. O/N Xi’an.

Lhasa Gonggar Airport - Today, your guide and driver will transfer you to the airport for your flight to Xi’an, possibly MU2334 12:25–15:20, which takes around 3 hours.

Xi’an Xianyang International Airport - Upon arrival in Xi’an, you will be picked up and transferred to your hotel.

Xi’an. O/N Xi’an.

Xi’an - In the morning, your tour guide will meet you in the lobby of your Xi’an hotel at 9:00am and transfer you to the Terracotta Warriors Museum, which is an 80-minute drive (45km).

The Museum of Qin Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses - Your guide will have reserved tickets for you online in advance and will help you skip the line at the entrance. You will explore the Terracotta Warriors Museum, visiting the three excavated pits and the Bronze Chariots and Horses Exhibition Hall. Despite being buried for over 2,200 years, the clay warriors and horses remain vivid with distinct appearances. You will spend at least two and a half hours at this remarkable site.

Small Goose Pagoda - Next, you will visit the Small Wild Goose Pagoda, located inside Jianfu Temple, about one kilometer south of Xi’an city proper. This pagoda, along with the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, is one of the two significant Buddhist sites from the Tang Dynasty, dating back 1,300 years. The two pagodas were symbols of Chang’an (Constant Peace) city, which was the name of Xi’an until the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) when Beijing became the capital of China. Chang’an served as the capital for ten dynasties.

Xi’an City Wall (Chengqiang) - After lunch, you will visit the city wall. You can walk or cycle around the wall, with bike rental fees paid locally if you choose to cycle. The ancient City Wall, which encircles the old city, is one of Xi’an’s most famous attractions. It is one of the oldest and best-preserved Chinese city walls and one of the largest ancient military defensive systems in the world.

Muslim Quarter - Your last stop will be the Muslim Bazaar, the city’s most vibrant area. You can explore the bazaar at your own pace and then return to the hotel on your own. Your guide will provide directions for returning to your hotel. The Great Mosque and the Bell and Drum Tower Square are within walking distance of the Bazaar. The Bazaar offers many boutique stores with fair prices and numerous excellent dining options for dinner.

Xi’an - Finally, your guide will escort you back to your hotel.

Xi’an - Guilin by flight. O/N Guilin.

Xi’an - In the morning, your tour guide will meet you in the lobby of your Xi’an hotel at 8:30am and transfer you to Hanyanglin, a 30-minute drive (15km).

Tomb of Emperor Jingdi (Hanyangling) - The Hanyangling Mausoleum, the site of the Mausoleum of Western Han Emperor Liu Qi, was built in 153 AD. With your guide, you will have a close look at the thousand-year-old tombs through the glass floors and walls in the tomb pits. The advanced Spectra Vision program will also recreate the real life of the Western Han Dynasty from 2,000 years ago.

Shaanxi History Museum - After lunch, you will continue your Xi’an tour at the Shaanxi History Museum. The museum, a treasure house of Chinese civilization, showcases Shaanxi’s unique historical and cultural heritage. It houses around 370,000 antiquities, ranging from prehistoric relics to those from the 1840s, spanning over a million years. The collection is notable for its value, quantity, rank, and variety. Your guide will provide detailed explanations.

Big Wild Goose Pagoda (Dayanta) - Instead of entering the temple to visit the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, you will have a photo stop here for half an hour. Based on suggestions from previous guests, it is sufficient to see the pagoda and the statue of Monk Xuanzang at the south square outside the temple. Built during the Tang Dynasty, the pagoda was once the site where Xuanzang translated Buddhist sutras. Today, the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda Area is a popular spot for both tourists and locals in Xi’an, offering charming night scenes and a relaxing atmosphere. The south square leads to the Great Tang All Day Mall, where you can enjoy unique Tang Dynasty-style sculptures and classical music performances. The north square features the largest musical fountain in Asia, with scheduled show times.

Xi’an Xianyang International Airport - After the tour, you will be driven to Xianyang International Airport for your flight to Guilin, possibly CA1225 18:40-20:50, which takes around 2 hours.

Guilin Liangjiang International Airport - Upon arrival in Guilin, you will be picked up and transferred to your hotel (driver only, no guide).

Guilin. O/N Guilin.

Guilin - Your guide will pick you up at your hotel lobby around 08:30 in the morning and escort you to the famous Reed Flute Cave, a 30-minute ride away.

Reed Flute Cave (Ludi Yan) - Upon arrival at the cave, you will explore the underground karst cave and marvel at the stunning formations of stalagmites and stalactites. The Reed Flute Cave is renowned for its numerous stalagmites and stalactites, which resemble bamboo shoots, pillars, curtains, and flowers, creating a magnificent underground palace. Inside the cave, you will discover more astonishing sights, such as stone lions, miniature forests, pagodas, and crystal chambers, each with a romantic or interesting story. The vivid interpretation by your guide, along with the lighting, adds mystery to the scene. The cave tour lasts about 40 minutes.

Dragon’s Backbone Rice Terraces - After a two-hour drive, you will reach the entrance to the Longji Terraces, where you will purchase entrance tickets for the rice terraces in Ping’an Village. This village, known for its beautiful rice terraces, is a 30-minute drive away. The Dragon’s Backbone Rice Terraces, with a history of over 650 years, are a splendid agricultural spectacle. The most famous part of the terrace cluster is the Ping’an Village Rice Terrace, the first to be discovered by tourists and photographers. The terraces, formed by narrow rice fields dug along hill slopes, are connected by winding flagstone trails. Viewing platforms offer visitors panoramic views of the terraces. You can also experience the traditional way of life of the Zhuang people, including helping in the fields, trying on their colorful ethnic costumes, and visiting their unique stilted houses.

Ping’an Village - Upon arrival, you will take a moderate trek along steps to Ping’an Zhuang Village, a 40-minute walk. Your guide will take you on a stroll around the village, where you can see the unique wooden stilted houses of the local Zhuang people. You will have lunch in the village. After a short break, continue your terrace exploration to the No.2 Viewing Platform (Seven Stars with the Moon), a 15-minute walk, offering a fantastic bird’s-eye view of the Longji Terraces. You will have ample time to take pictures and enjoy the fresh air at the platform. Then, head to the No.1 Viewing Platform (Nine Dragons and Five Tigers), a 30-minute walk along a flat path.

Guilin - Afterwards, you will return to your Guilin hotel by private car around 18:00pm, with free time for you.

Guilin - Yangshuo. The tour ends.

Guilin - In the morning, your guide and driver will pick you up from the hotel around 07:45 and escort you to the Zhujiang pier, where you will start the Guilin Li River cruise to Yangshuo (4-star boat with buffet lunch).

Li River - Boarding is scheduled for 9:20am, and the journey takes about 4 hours. With your guide’s company and interpretation, you can immerse yourself in the stunning karst landscape of rolling hills, verdant forests, odd caves, and tranquil villages along the Li River. A buffet Chinese lunch will be served on board before you reach Yangshuo at 2:00pm.

Xianggong Mountain - After disembarkation, you will be driven to see the Yangshuo Xianggong Hill. You will climb for 15 minutes along a moderately sloped staircase to reach the top of Xianggong Hill. Please inform your guide in advance if you need a walking stick. Located between the famous Yellow Cloth Shoal and the Mural Hill, Xianggong Hill is one of the best viewing platforms in Guilin to take in the beauty of the Li River. The breathtaking view of the meandering Li River making a 180-degree bend attracts countless visitors and photographers annually.

Guilin - Finally, your guide will escort you to your Yangshuo hotel or Guilin hotel/airport/train station, marking the end of the tour services.

• Private car and personal guide throughout the tour
• All entrance fees included
• Lunch provided
• Comfortable travel with in-vehicle air conditioning
• Three economy-class flights from Beijing to Guilin included

• The hotel and dinner