China Golden Route Tour with Solar Eclipse Viewing: 12 days
Itinerary
Day 1 Wed 15-Jul-09 Meal(s) Beijing Arrival
Welcome to China. Upon arrival, our local guide will take you to your downtown hotel. The rest of the day is on your own to explore the city.
Day 2 Thu 16-Jul-09 Meal(s) (B+L+D) Beijing
Sightseeing: Tiananmen Square / Forbidden City / Temple of Heaven / Beijing Duck Dinner
Today you will start the day with a trip to the largest public square in the world: Tiananmen Square. Tiananmen Square is regarded as a symbol of China and capable of holding one million people.
Then you'll head to the Forbidden City, which consists of more than 9,000 rooms and covers an area of 72 hectares. The Forbidden City is the largest and the best preserved Imperial Palace in the world.
After lunch, you will take a short drive to the Temple of Heaven, which was built specifically for worship of heaven and prayers for good harvests during the Ming and Qing dynasties. The entire complex is a treasure trove of ancient Chinese architectural designs and arts and was listed as UNESCO’s World Cultural Heritage in 1998. In the evening, enjoy a Beijing Duck Dinner.
Day 3 Fri 17-Jul-09 Meal(s) (B+L) Beijing
Sightseeing: Badaling Great Wall / Spirit Way / Ming Tombs
After breakfast, you will visit the Badaling Great Wall where you will experience at first hand the wonder of the Great Wall. For lunch you'll sample some delicious fare in a local restaurant. Afterwards, take a short drive to visit the Spirit Way and one of Ming Tombs. The Spirit Way is an impressive marble archway as well as the entrance to the Ming Tombs. It is flanked with many animal and human statues on the left and on the right of the avenue.
The Ming Tombs represent the royal tombs of the Ming Dynasty. Thirteen emperors of the Ming dynasty from 1368 to 1644 are buried there.
Day 4 Sat 18-Jul-09 Meal(s) (B+L)
Beijing – Xian by air
Sightseeing: Summer Palace / Lama Temple
Today you will start the day with a trip to the Summer Palace, which has a history of over 800 years. All the man-made hills, halls, pavilions and temples, including Kunming Lake and Longevity Hill, blend together harmoniously in spite of their individual styles. After lunch, you will also pay a visit to the Lama Temple. It is a typical Tibetan Monastery in Beijing and reveals various architectural styles from Han, Mongolia, Manchuria and Tibet, and features the impressive 60-foot Maitreya Buddha, carved form a single sandalwood tree.
After visiting the Lama Temple, you will go directly to the airport to take a flight to Xian and transfer to your downtown hotel.
Day 5 Sun 19-Jul-09 Meal(s) (B+L) Xian
Sightseeing: Terra Cotta Soldiers Museum / Bell Tower / Big Wild Goose Pagoda
Today you will visit what has been called the 8th Wonder of the World - the Terra Cotta Soldiers Museum, which was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. Altogether over 7,000 pottery soldiers, horses, chariots, and even weapons have been unearthed there.
After lunch, you will visit the Bell Tower. Originally built in 1348, the Bell Tower in Xian is situated in the very heart of the city and is the best-preserved and best-known one in China.
You will also visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, which is one of the most famous Buddhist pagodas in China and initially built in 589.
The evening is free for you to explore the city.
Day 6 Mon 20-Jul-09 Meal(s) (B+L)
Xian - Shanghai by air
Sightseeing: Provincial History Museum / City Wall
Starting the day early, you visit the Provincial History Museum, which houses a large collection of historic and cultural artifacts unearthed in Shaanxi Province. Later you mount the City Wall. It was restored during the Ming dynasty and is considered the largest and most intact Ming Dynasty castle in the world. From there you can have a good view of Xian. In the mid-afternoon, you will take a flight to Shanghai and transfer to your hotel. The evening is on your own to explore the city.
Day 7 Tue 21-Jul-09 Meal(s) (B+L) Shanghai
Sightseeing: Yu Garden / Jade Buddha Temple / Shanghai Xin Tian Di
In the morning, you will visit the Yu Garden, a former private garden, called a work of art, consisting of designs with different styles of traditional Chinese horticultural art. After lunch continue by visiting the Jade Buddha Temple, which is renowned for its 2m-tall Buddha carved from a single piece of white jade, brought to China by a Burmese monk in 1822. Then you will stroll along Shanghai Xin Tian Di, which has become an urban tourist attraction that holds the historical and cultural legacies of the city.
Day 8 Wed 22-Jul-09 Meal(s) (B+L)
Shanghai – Guilin by air
Sightseeing: View solar eclipse/ Shanghai Museum / Oriental Pearl TV Tower
Following an early breakfast we will depart for the eclipse viewing site which will be announced in the morning. Depending on the weather we will travel to the east or west of Jiaxing and this decision will be made in real time. We will locate our site in this zone where up to 5m 52s of totality can be seen. Then you will visit Shanghai Museum which is the biggest museum in China, with a collection of over 120,000 pieces of Chinese art & cultural relics. Then you will visit the Oriental Pearl TV Tower. Standing by the Huangpu River and 468 meters high, the Oriental Pearl TV Tower is the highest TV Tower in Asia.
In the late afternoon, you will take flight to Guilin and transfer to the hotel.
Day 9 Thu 23-Jul-09 Meal(s) (B+L)
Guilin – Yangshuo – Guilin by boat & private van
Sightseeing: Li River / Western Street
You will get up early in the morning and drive about 40 minutes to Zhujiang pier to take the Li River cruise, which is considered as one of China's top tourist destinations. It is the river of traditional Chinese poems and paintings. The region covers an 83-km karst area with clear, exotic, ingenious and changing characteristics. After a 4.5 hour Li River Cruise, you will arrive at Yangshuo County, a dream place for many tourists who want to see the real natural landscape and touch the countryside life.
After taking a short walk along the famous foreigner street- Western Street – you will drive back to Guilin city.
Day 10 Fri 24-Jul-09 Meal(s) (B+L)
Guilin –Hong Kong by air
Sightseeing: Reed Flute Cave / Seven Star Park / Elephant Trunk Hill 
After checking out of your hotel, you begin with a tour of Reed Flute Cave. Inside you will see many differently shaped and imaginatively named stalactites & stalagmites in what is known as "A Natural arts gallery". After lunch, you will also pay a visit to Seven Star Park. The main sights here are Seven Star Cave, Dragon Hiding Cave, Flowers Bridge, the Zoo, Mosque, and Potted Trees. Your next stop is Elephant Trunk Hill, which is regarded as the symbol of the Guilin landscape. In the late afternoon or early evening, you will take a flight to Hong Kong and transfer to your downtown hotel.
Day 11 Sat 25-Jul-09 Meal(s) (B) Hong Kong
Sightseeing: Victoria Peak / Aberdeen / Repulse Bay
You will spend half day touring around the city, including visits to Victoria Peak, Aberdeen and Repulse Bay. For lunch, you will be transferred back to the hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure to explore the city.
Day 12 Sun 26-Jul-09 Meal(s) (B)
Hong Kong – Next Destination
The morning is at leisure before boarding your flight back home.
Price
| Person | 1 | 2-5 | 6-9 | |
| Price per person( USD $ ) | 5 Star | 4671 | 3058 | 2701 |
| 4 Star | 3890 | 2670 | 2306 | |
| 3 Star | 3672 | 2560 | 2197 | |
Price list
Price Includes:
a. Entrance fees to all the scenic spots as listed above in the itinerary
b. Hotel accommodations with breakfast as specified (If there is no Western breakfast available, we have to arrange Chinese one instead)
c. All meals as specified in the itinerary. B=Western or Chinese breakfast, L=Chinese lunch in a local restaurant, D=Chinese dinner in a local restaurant
d. Internal flights including taxes and fuel fee or train/bus tickets as listed in the itinerary
e. Professional local guides and drivers in each destination city
f. Private Transfers between airports, docks, hotels and scenic spots while sightseeing in each destination city by the private air conditioned car or van
g. Luggage Transfers between airports/docks and hotels
h. Arrangements for the planning, handling, operational and communication charges
i. Government taxes.
Price excludes:
a. International air and train tickets for coming to and leaving from mainland China
b. Visa fee
c. Excess Baggage Charges
d. Meals which are not specified with "B", "L" or "D".
e. Personal expenses such as drinks, laundry, tips to guides or drivers, FAX, telephone, excess baggage charges
f. Gratuities, tips to guides and drivers
g. Personal loss, illness or damages incurred during your trip
- Tour
- Cruise
- Hotel