China. From Beijing to ancient towns on the Tea Horse Road and secret monasteries in the mountains

Price

€2930

Days

Tour description

We will visit small towns and colorful villages to immerse yourself in the laid-back life of the authentic people of southern China.

Observe the life of the monks and talk with a real Teacher in a small monastery in the mountains near Dali No tourists!
Ride bamboo boats along the Li River, enjoying the most beautiful landscapes in the whole Middle Kingdom
Walk the Great Wall of China
Explore the Forbidden City and Temple of Heaven in Beijing
Meet cute pandas at the Chengdu research center
Take a walk between the weightless cliffs of Avatar Park and see the headwaters of the Yangtze River

Tour departures

15 May 2025 - 06 June 2025

€2930

Book

The price of the tour includes

Two domestic flights All transportation, including trains, buses, taxi and public transportation of all kinds Accommodation during the entire trip Entry tickets to parks, museums, palaces and other attractions ($500) Professional guiding services

What is NOT included

Flight to Beijing and from Kunming back home. (Let us know if you need help finding the best deals) Visa to China Insurance (mandatory) Food ($15-20 per person per day).

Tour map

Tour itinerary

Day 1

Beijing, Tiananmen Square, Temple of Heaven, Old hutong district

We arrive in Beijing and check into the guesthouse.We begin our group trip to China and after a short rest, leave for the very heart of China - Tiananmen square. Let`s walk to the Forbidden City. Yes, the world's largest palace complex is located on the largest square in the world! The Chinese emperors built this city in the city for themselves in the 15th century and have since used it as an official residence. We cannot go around all 980 buildings, but we will definitely see all the most interesting!

Next, we head to the Temple of Heaven known for its unusual round shape. Chinese emperors prayed here for the prosperity of the country. For mere mortals, the entrance here was closed. After all, the Chinese believed that only the head of the country could speak directly with the highest powers. From the grandiose palaces and pompous central areas, we return to our guesthouse. We are in one of Beijing`s famous old districts, hutong. In the evening, we explore its narrow streets and traditional courtyards, as well as enjoy a Beijing roasted duck in a restaurant popular with the locals.

Day 2

The Great Wall of China

After breakfast and take the train to Badalin (1 hour on the way). Perhaps this is the most popular place to explore the Great Wall of China. Let us explain - first we bump into a crowd of tourists and selfie lovers, and then we will walk to places where we will be the only visitors! In total, we will walk about 10 kilometers, enjoying the views.

This part of the Wall was built in 1504 and is very well preserved. It protected the empire from the unfriendly tribes of nomads. The first Chinese emperor Qin Shi Huang began to build the Wall in the 3rd century BC. He first united the scattered kingdoms into one empire and is still revered in China as a national hero. Have you seen the iconic movie "Hero"? It's about this emperor and its a must-see before your trip to China! We head to Beijing airport, fly to Chengdu, check into a hotel.

Day 3

Chengdu, Panda Research Center, Museum of poet Du Fu, The biggest shopping mall in the world

In the morning we drive to the Wolong Panda Research Center, the breeding center of the famous Chinese pandas. We will watch these funny animals - how they eat bamboo, play, and examine visitors with curiosity. And we can also see red Chinese monkeys, snow leopards and red pandas. We dine on traditional spicy Sichuan cuisine. The main secret is the use of fragrant Sichuan pepper, which has nothing in common with pepper and is made from the bark of a special tree.

Next, we head to the museum-hut of the most famous Chinese poet Du Fu. Despite fame, he fell into disgrace after criticizing the emperor in poetry. For almost four years, Du Fu lived in this reed hut he built with his own hands.

In the evening we leave for the largest shopping center in the world, New Century Global Center. We are unlikely to go around the entire 1 million 700 thousand square meters, but we will definitely see an entire Mediterranean village, take a walk along an artificial beach, and take a picture with a life-size pirate ship.

Is this trip for you?

This trip is of easy physical grade. It includes long walks in cities and villages and in the national park. We will also make a trek to the Tiger Jumping Gorge - on the first day we will cover 13 kilometers and about the same on the second day. We will travel by trains, buses (trips lasting up to 5 hours) and take two short domestic flights. Accommodation in double/twin rooms of tourist class hotels and guesthouses. Each room will have attached bathroom with hot water, almost everywhere there will be wi fi internet.