15-Day Sichuan, Guangxi and Hunan Scenic Group Tour

Welcome to Beijing, the capital city of China! Upon your arrival at the airport/train station in Beijing, the driver will meet and greet you at the exit, and then escort you to the well-selected hotel in downtown Beijing. The rest of the day is free on your own so you can have a good rest for the jet lag or explore by yourself around your hotel. Arrival Ideas: Beijing is well connected by air and high speed rail. There are two airports - Beijing Daxing International Airport (北京大兴国际机场) and Beijing Capital International Airport (北京首都国际机场) operating many international and domestic airlines. Travelers can go to Beijing by air from most cities of China, like Hong Kong (香港), Shanghai, Guangzhou (广州), Chengdu, Xian, Guilin, Hangzhou (杭州), Kunming (昆明), Wuhan (武汉), Xiamen (厦门), Guiyang (贵阳), Chongqing (重庆), and Lanzhou (兰州).

Today you will spend the whole day exploring the ancient citadel of Beijing through China's famous landmarks, imperial grandeur, and royal gardens. After breakfast, your guide will pick you up at your hotel and head to Tiananmen Square (天安门广场), the world's largest public square and symbol of China. It has witnessed many major events in China's history over the past decades, and from here you can take great photos of Tiananmen Gate (天安门城楼), seen daily on CCTV News. Walking across the square, you will visit the mighty and splendid Forbidden City (故宫), the world's largest palace complex and former home of 24 Chinese emperors. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Forbidden City has about 500 years of history, serving as the political and ritual center of China during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties.

In this morning, you will head northwest of Beijing (about 1.5-2 hours’ drive, 73km) to the Great Wall at Mutianyu (慕田峪长城). The Great Wall boasts a history over 2,000 years and stretches more than 3,000 miles across several provinces of northern China, making it one of the most impressive ancient masterpieces on the planet. Mutianyu Great Wall is connected with the Jiankou Great Wall (箭扣长城) in the west and the Gubeikou Great Wall (古北口长城) in the east. Mutianyu is the longest and best fully-restored Great Wall with fewer tourists and is also famed for its 23 Ming-era watchtowers and dramatic views. Take the cable car up to the 14th watchtower and then enjoy the memorable hiking time on the wall while visiting its western route.

Transfer via: High speed train Beijing-Xian arranged by AOT (second class seat). On this day, you will have some time till your driver escorts you to the train station for a high-speed train to Xian (about 4.5-5.5 hours). Welcome to Xian, the capital of 13 ancient Chinese dynasties! Upon arrival at the train station, your driver will greet you at the exit and escort you to your hotel in Xian.

After breakfast, your guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel. Drive about 40km (about 1 hour) to uncover one of the greatest archaeological discoveries in the world - the Terracotta Army Museum (秦始皇帝陵博物院), built by the first emperor of China, Qin Shihuang (秦始皇), to protect him in the afterlife. Around 8,000 vivid life-size Terracotta Warriors (兵马俑) have been found so far. First, visit the largest and most imposing pit, believed to contain over 6,000 terracotta figures of soldiers and horses. You will be amazed by this subterranean life-size army of thousands standing silently to guard the emperor. Marvel also at the fabulous artistic skills of ancient Chinese artisans. Next, move to another pit where you can see around 1,300 warriors and horses.

This morning, you will go to visit the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, one of Xi'an's most recognizable landmarks and symbol of the magnificence of the Tang Dynasty. This seven-story pagoda standing in the tranquil Da Ci'en Temple (大慈恩寺) is one of China's best examples of a Tang-style pagoda (squarish rather than round). It was completed in AD 652 to house Buddhist sutras brought back from India (印度) by the monk Xuan Zang (玄奘). His travels inspired one of the best-known works of Chinese literature, Journey to the West. Later, you will have the opportunity to explore the lively and bustling Muslim Quarter (回民街) (Muslim Street). This historic quarter, situated just behind the Drum Tower (鼓楼) about 430 meters west of the Bell Tower (钟楼) in downtown Xian, has been around for over 1,000 years.

After breakfast, you will travel approximately 17 kilometers by coach to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding (成都大熊猫繁育研究基地), located in the northern suburbs of Chengdu. Here you can admire China’s endearing national treasure—the giant panda, and learn about their living habits and conservation efforts. Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding (commonly known as Chengdu Panda Base) is home to more than 100 giant pandas, making it the base with the largest captive giant panda population in the world. You can watch giant pandas of all ages playing, eating, climbing hills, climbing trees, sleeping and engaging in other lovely and interesting behaviors. Accompanied by a guide, you may also visit the Panda Museum (大熊猫博物馆) to discover more stories about pandas.

On this day, you will be escorted to the train station in Chengdu for your high-speed train journey to Guilin (5-6 hours). (Note: In some circumstances, you may take a flight from Chengdu to Guilin, which takes about 1.5 hours.) Welcome to Guilin, the land of nature's masterpieces. Upon your arrival in Guilin, your driver will meet you at the exit of the train station/airport and escort you to your hotel in downtown Guilin. In this afternoon, start your visit to the Symbol of Guilin - Elephant Trunk Hill (象鼻山). Located at the intersection of the Li River (漓江) and Peach Blossom River (桃花江), Elephant Trunk Hill looks like a huge elephant drinking water from the river. Then you will pay a visit to the Reed Flute Cave (芦笛岩), a classic scenic spot with karst landforms. The notable stalactites and stalagmites in the cave resemble animals or plants.

“East or west, Guilin landscape is the best”. After breakfast, you will go to explore the most dramatic natural scenery along the Li River, which is renowned as one of the “the world’s top 10 watery wonders” by National Geographic. Drive about 1 hour from your hotel to the pier and start a 4.5-hour relaxing sightseeing Li River cruise trip to Yangshuo. Along the 84-kilometer scenic cruise, you will feast your eyes with endless Chinese paintings of winding rivers, numerous green limestone karst peaks, grazing water buffalo, farmers working in the fertile fields, and idyllic villages set at the bases of the hills. (Note: Lunch is served on the cruise with simple local Chinese cuisine.) After arriving in Yangshuo, the driver will pick you up from the dock and drive to your hotel in Yangshuo town for a short rest.

On this day, you will be escorted to train station for your high speed train to Zhangjiajie (about 7 hours). Upon your arrival in Zhangjiajie, your driver will meet you at the exit of the train station and escort you to your hotel.

After breakfast, you will have a whole day to explore Wulingyuan (武陵源) Scenic Area, a spectacular island of nature dominated by more than 3,000 narrow quartz sandstone pillars. First, take a sightseeing bus to Bailong Elevator (百龙天梯) that within 1.5 minutes you can go from the valley bottom up to the pillar peak. It is the fastest and as well as the tallest outdoor elevator in the world. Next, enjoy the hike into a mysterious Pandora World - Yuanjiajie (袁家界), where is rightly the shooting location of “Hallelujah Mountains (哈利路亚山)” in reality. Catch the chance to shoot South Sky Pillar, the landmark of Yuanjiajie, about 150 meters high vertically rising high from the deep valley, looking like a giant standing so upright under heaven.

After breakfast, you will be transferred to the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon (张家界大峡谷) for the sweeping Grand Canyon Glass Bridge experience. The Grand Canyon Glass Bridge wants to say “hello” to you and makes you yell “my god” to give a deeper impression of Zhangjiajie. Suspended between two peaks, the glass bridge is 430 meters long and 300 meters high, which is the longest and highest glass bridge in the world. Standing on the transparent glass is like floating in the air and you can have superb panoramic view of the entire Grand Canyon. After your “tremble” on the glass bridge, move to the Baofeng Lake (宝峰湖) to do a scenic cruise to bring you back to peace. Surrounded by green trees and stone peaks of various shapes, Baofeng Lake is an idyllic place for relaxation.

After breakfast, your guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel lobby. Today, you will make a sweeping visit to Tianmen Mountain (天门山), one of the world’s most beautiful mountains. You won’t miss the chance to experience the world’s longest cable car, walk on the glass skywalk, and pay a visit Heaven’s Door and view Avenue toward Heaven with 99 turns. First, go to take the 30-minute cable car with 7,455 meters in length which means you’ll travel from the city of Zhangjiajie to the top of Tianmen Mountain. From the cable car you will have a well suited view of Heaven’s Door and a shocking look at the wandering Avenue toward Heaven. Next, move to Tianmen Temple (天门山寺) where you can enjoy the typical Qing Dynasty styled Buddhist structure with verdant forest surrounding by. Now, the challenge time is coming.

Today, your group will have full day to experience the well suited blend of East and West in the "Paris (巴黎) of the East." Explore brilliant museums, classical gardens, futuristic skyscrapers, and dramatic architecture - all in one lively city. First, head to Pudong and the Lujiazui (陆家嘴) financial district, home to a trio of well-known skyscrapers. The Shanghai Tower (上海中心大厦), China’s tallest and the world’s second-tallest building at 632 meters (2,073 ft), soars with a dramatic 120-degree twist from base to peak. Ride the world’s fastest elevators (64 km/h) to the "Top of Shanghai Observatory (上海天文台)" on the 118th floor, 546 meters above ground. Enjoy sweeping 360-degree views of the city, with the Jin Mao Tower (金茂大厦) and Shanghai World Financial Center (上海环球金融中心) below. Later, visit the Shanghai Museum (上海博物馆) (East), one of the world’s finest museums of ancient Chinese art.

It is time to end your 15 days China group tour. You will have some time in Shanghai and explore more on your own till be escorted to the airport/train station for your flight or high speed train to your next destination. Trip Extension Ideas: If you want to explore other Asia (亚洲) destinations rather than return home right away, we would be glad to assist you with an extension trip. Feel free to tell us your ideas! Price: What’s Included & What’s Excluded The above price is based on a group tour for 2 people sharing one standard double-bed room in 3-star hotels. Price varies depending on travel date, group size, hotel class, program in your itinerary and possible fluctuation of currency exchange rate.