15-Day Easy China Cycling and Hot Air Ballooning Tour

Day 1 Arrive in Beijing (D)

Upon your arrival at the airport, be met and transferred to the hotel. After a short rest, you will be given a briefing on customs of cycling in China as well as the traffic regulations. Then ride your bike to Tiananmen Square – the largest public square in the world. After that, cycle to the QuanJude Roast Duck Restaurant to enjoy Peking Roast Duck dinner.

Day 2 Beijing (B, L)

Cycle to and visit the Forbidden City, ride between the red wall of the Forbidden City and the moat. In the afternoon, pay a visit to the Hutongs—on your bike, you shuttle between the beautiful Rear Lake (Houhai) and old narrow lanes, and get lost in the traditional Beijing quadrangle dwellings (Beijing Siheyuan).

Day 3 Beijing (B, L)

Ride to and visit the Temple of Heaven in early morning, where you may see not only the Temple but also many local people doing Taichi in the park. In the afternoon, be driven to the 13 Ming Tombs. You first see the Sacred Way, then the Ding Ling Tomb (underground) and then the Changling Tomb (above ground).

Day 4 Beijing to Simatai Great Wall (B, L)

After breakfast, take coach (120km) to the Simatai Great Wall, where you can make a hike along the 5.4-km-long wall. (There are cable lifts up and down the wall, you are optional to take)

Day 5 Depart Beijing (B, L)

Ride along the canal to the Summer Palace, enjoy a free afternoon and board the overnight train to Xi'an.

Day 6 Arrive in Xi'an (B, L)

Arrive in Xi'an early in the morning. Breakfast will be served at the hotel. Your cycling tour today is starting from riding on the 14-km-long ancient City Wall of Xi'an which was built 600 years ago. Then visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. End the day with a traditional Dumpling Banquet whilst enjoying the wonderful Tang Dynasty Song and Dance Show.

Day 7 Xi'an (B, L)

The highlight today is a visit(by coach) to the amazing archeological relics -- the Terracotta Warriors and Horses, included is a full circle movie presentation which provides the historical perspective for what you will see in the main exhibition halls where excavation and restoration work is still going on.

Day 8 Xi'an (B, L)

After breakfast, be picked (your personal car) to visit the Taoist Temple (the Temple of Eight Immortals), which is the best preserved Taoist temple in Xian. Then drive about 1 hour to see the Cave Dwelling Village—for centuries, the southern Shaanxi people have lived in these unique-designed caves, their crops and trees are planted above the caves. After Chinese lunch, you will transfer to visit the Shaanxi Provincial Historical Museum.

Day 9 Xi'an to Guilin (B, L)

Visit the Bell Tower and the Xi’an Steles Forest Museum with its extraordinary collection of ancient stone “books"" by personal car. Later in the afternoon, fly to Guilin, the most scenic city in China. Stay overnight in Guilin.

Day 10 Guilin to Longsheng (B, L)

Be picked up to Longsheng Autonomous County of Multi-minorities, where you will visit Ping'an Village, view the Longji (Dragon Backbone) Terraced Rice Fields, and hike about 30-minute to visit an ancient Zhouang Village. Stay overnight at Ping'an Guesthouse (best available)

Day 11 Longsheng to Guilin (B, L)

Drive back to Guilin to visit the Reed Flute Cave and Elephant Trunk Hill. (Our advice: you can make an optional cultural show of minorities in the evening. The show is not included in the itinerary, if you are interested in it, you can talk with your guide and be at your own expense.)

Day 12 Li River Cruise /Yangshuo (B, L)

Make a Li River cruise trip from Guilin to Yangshuo-the Li River is flanked by numerous incredibly beautiful karst hills. Stay overnight in Yangshuo. (Our advice: Yu can make an optional program to watch “Impression on Third Sister Liu"" performance during the night. The show is not included in the itinerary, if you are interested in it, you can talk with your guide and be at your own expense.)

Day 13 Yangshuo (B, L)

Today, your guide will hire bike with you to get lost in the beautiful Yangshuo countryside. You will take this route: Yangshuo to Baisha/Yulong River/Jiuxian/Xinlong Village/Chaoyang/Yima/Gongnong Bridge/Yangshuo. Of course, if you don't want to take this route, you can choose the easy route or the other interesting route here http://www.chinafacttours.com/travel_destinations/guilin/yangshuo-bike-riding.html. Our travel consultants will design the cycling route according to your request or ideas.

Day 14 Yangshuo (B, L)

This morning you will make an exciting hot air balloon floating (free flight) over the Yangshuo Town. Your adventure, with the security of our Chinese Australian ballooning company, includes return transfers from your hotel in luxury vehicles. Flights are approximately 60-90 minutes but may be cancelled, with a full refund, in the unlikely event of bad weather. The rest of the day is on your own arrangement to explore Yangshuo or its around area.

Note: If you don’t like hot air ballooning in Yangshuo, we can cancel it. The day is your free day with no guide. you can arrange it on your own way. In yangshuo, you can do many activities, such as caving, rock climbing, kayaking, floating, and learn Chinese cooking…please click http://www.chinafacttours.com/tours/guilin/ and see more activities and their details under the left navigation--Things to do in Yangshuo.

Day 15 Yangshuo to Guilin and departure

Take coach back to Guilin and take the afternoon flight to your next destination.

Services End