Classic China & Yunnan Express
From Beijing to Kunming
Tour Operator: G Adventures
Physical rating: 3 - Average
Special diets catered: Vegetarians, Vegans
Group size: 1 - 16
Age range: You must be 18 to travel unaccompanied on a G Adventures tour. For minors travelling with a guardian over 21 years old, the minimum age is 12.
Tour operated in: English
Prices From:
Tour Overview
If you’re looking for both the main highlights of China plus a little something out of the way, this is the trip for you. Take in all the classic landmarks of China – the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the Terracotta Warriors – before hopping a flight from Shanghai to Kunming so you can immerse yourself in the culture of Yunnan. (Spicy food lovers, take note – this place is heaven for cuisine.) Hiking Tiger Leaping Gorge will remain a bragging right for years to come. Whether it’s your first time in China or one of many return trips, we’ll make sure you see something new.
Highlights
break a sweat at Tiger Leaping Gorge- Trek along the Great Wall, visit the Forbidden City in Beijing and the canal town of Suzhou, experience a local meal and the Terracotta Warriors in Xi'an, marvel at the Chinese acrobats in Shanghai, break a sweat at Tiger Leaping Gorge, indulge in the spicy cuisine of Yunnan.
- indulge in the spicy cuisine of Yunnan.
- visit the Forbidden City in Beijing and the canal town of Suzhou
- experience a local meal and the Terracotta Warriors in Xi'an
- marvel at the Chinese acrobats in Shanghai
- Trek along the Great Wall
- Your Welcome Moment: Meet Your CEO and Group
Your Discover Moment: Shanghai. Great Wall excursion and entrance (Beijing). Tiananmen Square and Forbidden City guided tour. Terracotta Warriors tour (Xi'an). Master of the Nets Garden visit (Suzhou). Shanghai orientation walk. Chinese acrobat performance. Bird and Flower Market visit (Dali). Old Town Lijiang visit. City walk (Shanxi). Tiger Leaping Gorge hike. Internal flight. All transport between destinations and to/from included activities. Tiger Leaping Gorge hike. Internal flights. All transport between destinations and to/from included activities.
Itinerary
Day 1: Beijing
Location: Beijing
Arrive at any time.
Is Beijing top of your must-see list? Booking pre-trip accommodations will let you do Beijing your way before meeting up with the group.
ACTIVITY: Your opportunity to meet your CEO and fellow travellers, and learn more about your tour. Opt to join the group for a local meal afterwards. Don't forget to see the notice in the lobby (or ask reception) for the official time and place to meet up with the group.
Day 2: Beijing
Location: Beijing
Take the Beijing metro to visit the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square.
TRANSPORT: Get around underground via public transit.
ACTIVITY: MORNING Explore one of the world's largest public squares, home to the Monument to the People’s Heroes and the Great Hall of the People.
ACTIVITY: MORNING Our CEO will steer around crowds and help make the most of a visit to the Forbidden City.
FREE TIME: AFTERNOON Free time in Beijing lets you create your own unique experiences to add to your adventure. Hungry? Sample the delicacies from the food stalls or head to a local restaurant to try Peking duck. If there's a temple you're dying to see ask some of your new friends to tag along or go explore solo.
Day 3: Beijing/Xi'an
Location: Beijing
Enjoy an included visit to the Great Wall. Take an evening flight to Xi'an.
Head out of town to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall. After time spent wandering around, taking photos, and picking up souvenirs, head to the airport for an evening flight to Xi'an.
TRANSPORT: Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
ACTIVITY: Climb the rolling hills of Huairou County at Mutianyu, one of the best-preserved sections of the Great Wall. Enjoy scenic views as the wall winds along mountain ridges, and take brag-worthy photos of the wall from any of the 22 towers.
TRANSPORT: Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
TRANSPORT: Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... yup, it is a plane, actually.
TRANSPORT: Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
ACTIVITY: Enjoy a brief walk with your CEO. He/she will give you some tips on finding things like supermarkets, main squares, and ATMs. For more specific or in-depth information, an official guided tour is recommended.
Day 4: Xi'an/Suzhou
Location: Xi'an
Meals: LUNCH
Visit one of China’s greatest archaeological treasures—the Terracotta Warriors—and enjoy a local lunch at a farmhouse. Opt to cycle the ancient city walls before an overnight train to Suzhou.
ACTIVITY: Take a guided tour of the Terracotta Warriors where more than 8,000 clay soldiers and hundreds of replica horses and chariots stand in three pits. Learn why the Emperor Qin Shihuang commissioned the statues to serve as his army in the afterlife and how they were discovered. Spend a half-day exploring this archaeological wonder.
TRANSPORT: Experience overnight travel like a local. Sit back and get some well-earned (and likely much-needed) rest en route to your next stop.
Day 5: Suzhou
Location: Suzhou
Visit Suzhou, the "Venice of the East." Explore the Master of the Nets Garden, one of China's most exquisite gardens.
ACTIVITY: Tour through the serene classical garden and UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Day 6: Suzhou/Shanghai
Location: Suzhou
Travel to Shanghai and take an orientation walk along the Bund.
Arrive in the afternoon to Shanghai. After an orientation walk along Shanghai's famous Bund, you are free to explore the delights this modern Chinese city has to offer.
TRANSPORT: Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
ACTIVITY: Take a stroll along the Bund, a main road that follows the Huangpu River, with our CEO. This is a great opportunity to get a layout of the city and figure out what you want to explore next.
Day 7: Shanghai
Location: Shanghai
Enjoy free time in this bustling city before watching a spectacular Chinese acrobat show in the evening.
FREE TIME: FULL DAY Take advantage of your free time today to visit Yuyuan Gardens, return to the Bund, or do some shopping on Nanjing Road.
ACTIVITY: Enjoy a Chinese acrobatic show with tumbling, balancing and plate-spinning and amazing contortionists— truly not to be missed!
Day 8: Shanghai/Kunming
Location: Shanghai
Fly to Kunming and start exploring beautiful Yunnan.
Fly from Shanghai to Kunming to start exploring Yunnan. Opt to visit Green Lake Park where you can see singing, dancing, and locals doing tai chi or going further afield to the Stone Forest.
TRANSPORT: Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... yup, it is a plane, actually.
Day 9: Kunming/Dali
Location: Kunming
Meals: BREAKFAST
Enjoy a walk around the Bird and Flower Market in Kunming before boarding an express bus to Dali. With free time, opt to visit the old town, take a boat around Lake Erhai, or ride a bike to Xizhou.
Enjoy free time in Dali with optional activities like visiting the old town, taking a boat around Lake Erhai, and riding a bike to Xizhou. Choose to spend some time wandering the local markets.
ACTIVITY: Enjoy the exotic scents and vibrant colours of of this lively flower market. You'll find several locals shopping for house pets; birds are among the most popular items but you can buy crickets, too!
TRANSPORT: Climb aboard, grab a seat, and enjoy the ride.
FREE TIME: AFTERNOON Get out and explore.
Day 10: Dali
Location: Dali
Meals: BREAKFAST
Enjoy a free day to continuing exploring this scenic town.
FREE TIME: FULL DAY Get out and make the most of your time in beautiful Dali.
Day 11: Dali/Shaxi
Location: Dali
Meals: BREAKFAST
Travel by bus to Shaxi with free time to explore. Enjoy an included walk around the quiet cobblestoned streets, viewing the fabulous ancient architecture of this hidden traditional village.
Travel by local bus to Shaxi, a valley that whispers of times past, nestled away in the foothills of the Himalayas. If time allows, visit the Shibaoshan rock carvings, which are over 1300-years-old and evidence of the spread of Mahayana Buddhism into Yunnan from Tibet.
TRANSPORT: Climb aboard, grab a seat, and enjoy the ride.
ACTIVITY: Take a walking tour of the city, hitting the main highlights. Each route will be different, but you can expect to see the best this city has to offer.
FREE TIME: Don't waste a minute, get out and explore.
Day 12: Shaxi
Location: Shaxi
Meals: BREAKFAST
Enjoy a free day in Shaxi to continue exploring.
FREE TIME: FULL DAY Get out and see more of this charming village.
Day 13: Shaxi/Lijiang
Location: Shaxi
Meals: BREAKFAST
Travel to Lijiang and explore the UNESCO Heritage-listed Old Town. Opt to visit the Black Dragon Pool Park.
Make the most of time in Lijiang before heading out for the famous hike along Tiger Leaping Gorge.
ACTIVITY: Walk through the charming old town of Lijiang, a World Heritage Site and home to the Naxi minority. Observe scenes from another era, with old men smoking pipes and women in their traditional costumes. Get lost in the small pedestrian lanes that meander throughout the town -- every twist and turn reveals picturesque old buildings, local arts and crafts, fast flowing canals, and beautiful arched bridges. You can also spend an afternoon resting in a pavilion in the Black Dragon Pool Park, gazing at the reflection of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and listening to the local Naxi music.
TRANSPORT: Climb aboard, grab a seat, and enjoy the ride.
Day 14: Lijiang/Hetaoyuan
Location: Lijiang
Meals: BREAKFAST
Take a bus to Tiger Leaping Gorge and start on the famous hike. The route follows the stunning scenery of the Yangtze as it cuts through the gorge.
TRANSPORT: Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
ACTIVITY: Enjoy a first day of hard walking on a combination of a new dirt road and smaller farmers' trails. Ascend the '28 bends', where the path twists and turns, climbing steeply, until you come out at the top of the path (not the top of the gorge – that is still several hundred metres above you!). Enjoy the stunning, hard-earned views from the top! You can also see where a tiger reputedly jumped across the gorge, a mythical occurrence from which the gorge derives its name.
Day 15: Hetaoyuan/Lijiang
Location: Hetaoyuan
Meals: BREAKFAST
Hike in the morning before taking a bus back to Lijiang.
The hike ends in the morning, followed by an express bus back to Lijiang. Relax and enjoy your accomplishment.
ACTIVITY: Continue on for the second day of the hike – it's easy walking today. Enjoy breathtaking views of Jade Dragon mountain and waterfalls along the way.
TRANSPORT: Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
FREE TIME: AFTERNOON Explore more of this city or just just relax and recover.
Day 16: Lijiang/Kunming
Location: Lijiang
Meals: BREAKFAST
Enjoy a free day in Lijiang before flying back to Kunming.
Finish up any sightseeing still on your list and fly back to Kunming. Enjoy an optional final meal with the group.
FREE TIME: HALF DAY Cross a few more things off your list in this charming village.
Day 17: Kunming
Location: Kunming
Meals: BREAKFAST
Depart at any time.
ACTIVITY: Not ready to leave? Your CEO can help with travel arrangements to extend your adventure.
What's Included
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Accommodation
Hotels/guesthouses (15 nts), sleeper train (1 nt).
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Meals
9 breakfasts, 1 lunch
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Tiger Leaping Gorge hike
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Master of the Nets Garden visit (Suzhou)
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Your Welcome Moment: Meet Your CEO and Group Your Discover Moment: Shanghai
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Terracotta Warriors tour (Xi'an)
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Internal flights
-
All transport between destinations and to/from included activities
-
City walk (Shanxi)
-
Chinese acrobat performance
-
Great Wall excursion and entrance (Beijing)
-
Shanghai orientation walk
-
Internal flight
-
Old Town Lijiang visit
-
Bird and Flower Market visit (Dali)
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Tiananmen Square and Forbidden City guided tour
