15-Day China Ancient Sites and Cultural Treasures Odyssey Tour

Day 1 Arrival/ Beijing

Upon your arrival at the Beijing Capital International Airport, be met and transferred to the hotel. Remain of the day is your free time.

Day 2 Beijing (B, L)

View the famous ancient Chinese architectural sites, the Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace. In the evening, experience local culture at the Beijing Opera, including a behind-the-scenes look at the colorful make-up being applied to the performers. Peking Roast Duck for lunch.

Day 3 Beijing (B, L)

After breakfast, you will be driven around the Olympic Green and stop for two views, the National Stadium (Bird's Nest) and the National Swim Center (Water Cube). While you are not allowed inside you can view them from outside and take photographs.

Ming Tombs and the Sacred Way

First walk the Sacred Way then visit the underground Ding Ling Tomb and the Chang Ling Tomb (above ground). Have lunch at a famous Chinese restaurant.

Great Wall Mutianyu Section

About 1 hours drive from Beijing downtown, this section is less touristy than Badaling Great Wall. It includes cable car tickets up and down.

Day 4 Beijing/Luoyang (B)

Have a free day for your own exploration of Beijing. Be picked up to the train station for your overnight train to Luoyang.

Day 5 Luoyang (B, L)

Be met at the train station and transfer to have breakfast. Drive to see the Mecca of Chinese Kong Fu --Shaolin Temple, then visit the Pagoda Forest and local Kong Fu School.

Day 6 Luoyang (B, L)

In the morning, visit the World Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO--Longmen Grottoes. After lunch, be picked up to the train station for the train to Xian. Be met and transfer to hotel.

Day 7 Xian (B, L)

After breakfast, visit the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum, Hua Qing Hot Spring and the Big Wild Goose Pagoda.

- The Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses: the most important archaeological find in the 20th century; an army of terra-cotta warriors and the bronze chariots entombed in vast underground vaults at emperor Qin's tomb since 2200 year ago.

- Hua Qing Hot Spring: a popular attraction to enjoy the beautiful scenery and 3000-year history.

- The Big Wild Goose Pagoda: the city emblem, which was first built in Tang Dynasty for the storage of Buddhist scriptures taken from India by Monk Xuanzang.

Day 8 Xian/Lhasa (B)

Take a morning flight to Lhasa. Be met and transfer to the hotel. Have a good rest to acclimatize to the altitude reaction.

Day 9 Lhasa (B, L)

Travel to the world highest holy land of Buddhism--Potala Palace and the beautiful Jokhang Temple - the center of Tibetan Buddhism. Then visit the traditional Tibetan street--Barkhor Street.

Day 10 Lhasa (B, L)

Trip to the famous Drepung Monastery and the Dalai Lama's once summer palace-- Norbulingka. After that, proceed to visit the Carpet Factory.

Note: The wonderful Tibetan Dance & Song Show can be enjoyed from the end of April to the end of October in the Crazy Yak Hotel but it is not performed every day. If you visit Lhasa and be lucky during this time, you can enjoy it with a Buffet (including a cup of drink, not expensive). But if you want to enjoy this, you may miss the Carpet Factory because time not permits. We can arrange it according to the season and your request.

Day 11 Lhasa/Gyantse (B, L, D)

Drive from Lhasa to Gyantse (190 km). On the way you will see holy Yamdrok Lake, Karola Glacier and Kambala Pass (at 4800 m) + Karola Pass (at 5010 m). Stay at Gyantse Hotel.

Day 12 Gyantse (B, L, D)

Drive from Gyantse to Shigatse (90 km). Visit Phalkhor Monastery then Kumbum Stupa and then Tashilunpo Monastery. Stay at Shigatse Hotel.

- Phalkhor Manstery: the only temple in Tibet housing monks from different religious sects.

- Kumbum Stupa: Standing on its top, you can have a nice view of Gyantse

- Tashilunpo Monastery: originally built in 1447, the headquarters of Panchen Lama.

Day 13 Shigatze/Lhasa (B, L)

Drive along the Yaluzangbu River back to Lhasa (350 km). On the way you will see the legendary Brahmaputra River.

Day 14 Lhasa/Chengdu (B, L)

Take a morning flight to Chengdu, be met and transfer to visit Giant Panda Breeding Center. Stay at Chengdu overnight.

- Giant Panda Breeding Center: First opened in 1987, a semi-wild area where those lovely Chinese national treasures can be allowed to freely roam.

Day 15 Chengdu (B, L)

Drive to visit Dujiangyan Irrigation System, Qingcheng Mount (cable car included).

- Dujiangyan Irrigation System: an over-2200-year-old water conservation project in Sichuan, it is still used for irrigation and flood-controlling.

- Qingcheng Mount: a famous Taoist holy mountain in China, together with the Dujiangyan Irrigation System, it was listed as the Cultural Heritage by UNESCO.

Be escorted to the airport for your homebound flights.

Services End

·The hotel, guide and transfer are all based on double occupancy. If the visitor travels alone, he or she must pay for the other person. This additional charge is called single supplement.

· If the traveler number is odd (such as 3, 5, 7...), the odd number person who stays in one single room has to pay the single room supplement. Since the hotel is on the double occupancy.

E-mail:booking@chinafacttours.com
Toll Free (USA): #1-800-268012
Telephone: (+86) 773-3810888; (+86) 773-3810555
Fax: (+86) 773-3810333
Office hours (GMT-0800): 9:00–18:00