Explore China

Explore China

Capture the spirit of China on this 12-day tour from Shanghai to Beijing. From fast-paced modern cities to the well-preserved remnants of a long and storied history, this adventure reveals the many sides of one of the world’s great cradles of civilisation. We think it’s important to contrast the big and the bold with quiet moments and real connections. That’s why our tour of the Terracotta Warriors finishes with lunch at a local family home, and why we spend a few days in the Tibetan Buddhist town of Xiahe before tackling boisterous Beijing. Whether you’re scaling the Great Wall or sharing crispy Beijing (Peking) duck with your fellow travellers, this tour is packed with unforgettable moments.

Activities

• Complimentary Airport Arrival Transfer
• Shanghai – Leader-led Orientation Walk
• Shanghai – Yuyuan Gardens
• Shaolin – Temple, Pagoda Forest & Kung Fu show (entrace fee and transport included, leader-led)
• Shaolin – Buddhist vegetarian lunch
• Luoyang – Longmen Grottoes (entrance fee, transport included)
• Xi’an – Terracotta Warriors Tour (entrance fee, transport)
• Xi’an – Home-cooked lunch
• Xiahe – Leader-led orientation walk
• Xiahe – Labrang Monastery (entrance fee, local guide)
• Xiahe – Tibetan family visit & lunch
• Xiahe – Sangke Grassland (transport included)
• Beijing – Mutianyu Great Wall
• Beijing – Leader-led Hutong walking tour
• Beijing – Forbidden City
• Beijing – Beijing duck dinner

Highlights

• Explore the Longmen Grottoes and wonder at the thousands of Buddha statues carved directly from the limestone cliffs, including the 17-metre-high Vairocana.
• Take a spectacular hike along the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall and see towers that date back to the Ming dynasty about 600 years ago.
• Fall in love with Chinese food during a vegetarian feast at a Buddhist temple, a home-cooked lunch with a family in rural Xi’an, a Beijing (Peking) duck dinner, and more.
• Check out the mind-blowing Terracotta Army, then head to a local’s house for lunch and some insight into how life has changed since farmers discovered the vast mausoleum.
• Immerse yourself in Tibetan culture with a two-day stay in Xiahe, an autonomous Tibetan region with a deeply ingrained Buddhist tradition centred around the legendary Labrang Monastery, without having to apply for a permit for Tibet.