Journey of a Lifetime (ST) - 29 Day Tour

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Tour Itinerary

  • Day 1 - SFO/JFK-Beijing (IM)

    Day 1 - SFO/JFK-Beijing

    Meals: In-Flight(IM)
    Depart San Francisco (SFO Airport) at 2:50pm or New York (JFK Airport) at 4:30pm on Air China's Boeing 747 wide-body aircraft and fly (12 hours from SFO or 13½ hours from JFK) non-stop to Beijing. Cross the International Dateline.
  • Day 2 - Beijing (IM)

    Day 2 - Beijing

    Meals: In-Flight(IM)
    Arrive into Beijing in the evening. You will be met and transferred to Jiangxi Grand Hotel (4 stars).
  • Day 3 - Beijing (B, L, D)

    Day 3 - Beijing

    Meals: Breakfast(B), Lunch(L), Dinner(D)
    After breakfast, tour Tian'anmen Square, the world's largest and most famous square. Then visit the Forbidden City, where exquisite architecture and a vast glimpse of the staggeringly opulent lifestyles of the Chinese emperors and their concubines. Followed by a tour of the picturesque Summer Palace on Kunming Lake.
  • Day 4 - Beijing (B, L, SD)

    Day 4 - Beijing

    Meals: Breakfast(B), Lunch(L), Special Dinner(SD)
    After breakfast, depart Beijing by deluxe motor coach to explore the Great Wall, one of the seven world wonders. After lunch, take a tour to the Historic Hutong (narrow alleyways), which is protected by the Beijing Cultural Relics Protection Association. This will give you a chance to experience what China was like before high-rises and shopping malls took over a city. Followed by a visit to the Temple of Heaven. Tonight, enjoy a special Peking Duck Dinner.
  • Day 5 - Beijing-Urumqi (B, IM, D)

    Day 5 - Beijing-Urumqi

    Meals: Breakfast(B), In-Flight(IM), Dinner(D)
    After breakfast, fly (4 hours) to Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang. Lodging at Xinjiang Grand Hotel (4 stars).
  • Day 6 - Urumqi (B, L, D)

    Day 6 - Urumqi

    Meals: Breakfast(B), Lunch(L), Dinner(D)
    After breakfast, travel to the deep blue Lake of Heaven, surrounded by mountain peaks and alpine meadows. Then visit the nomadic Khazak Community. In the afternoon, visit the International Grand Bazaar where you'll experience the excitement of a Middle-Eastern type market.
  • Day 7 - Urumqi-Turpan (B, L, D)

    Day 7 - Urumqi-Turpan

    Meals: Breakfast(B), Lunch(L), Dinner(D)
    After breakfast, visit the Xinjiang Autonomous Region Museum, with exhibits of local arts and crafts. After lunch, travel by motor coach to Turpan. Upon arrival, explore the Jiaohe Ruins, the remains of an ancient walled capital of the Uighur with its large monastery and palace. Check into Turpan Jiaohe Manor Hotel (4 stars).
  • Day 8 - Turpan-Dunhuang (B, L, D)

    Day 8 - Turpan-Dunhuang

    Meals: Breakfast(B), Lunch(L), Dinner(D)
    After breakfast, visit the Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves in the Flaming Mountain, the Grape Valley, and the Karez Underground Irrigation Channels, a 2,000-year-old system that delivers water from nearby snow capped mountains to Turpan and its agricultural fields. Visit the local Uighur People's Family to see the Muslim lifestyle in Turpan. Take an overnight train ride to Dunhuang.
  • Day 9 - Dunhuang (B, L, D)

    Day 9 - Dunhuang

    Meals: Breakfast(B), Lunch(L), Dinner(D)
    Arrive the 2,000-year-old oasis town Dunhuang, which was the vital stopping-off post for caravans linking China and Central Asia. Travel by motor coach to Crescent Moon Lake in the Singing Sand Dunes, where the oasis meets the desert. Take an optional camel ride (fee not included). Enjoy a Cultural Performance after dinner. Lodging at Dunhuang Hotel (4 stars).
  • Day 10 - Dunhuang-Jiayuguan (B, L, D)

    Day 10 - Dunhuang-Jiayuguan

    Meals: Breakfast(B), Lunch(L), Dinner(D)
    After breakfast, visit the Mogao Grottoes, which contain the most impressive and best-preserved examples of Buddhist cave art. Hundreds of sandstone caves hold more than 2,000 statues and 45,000 paintings of Buddha and Chinese mythological figures. After lunch, travel by motor coach to Jiayuguan and check into Huayuan Hotel (4 stars).
  • Day 11 - Jiayuguan-Xi'an (B, L, D)

    Day 11 - Jiayuguan-Xi'an

    Meals: Breakfast(B), Lunch(L), Dinner(D)
    After breakfast, tour Jiayuguan Pass, which is the western end of the Great Wall of China. Fly (2 hours) to Xi'an in the afternoon. Lodging at Wan Nian Grand Hotel (4 stars) or similar.
  • Day 12 - Xi'an (B, L, SD)

    Day 12 - Xi'an

    Meals: Breakfast(B), Lunch(L), Special Dinner(SD)
    After breakfast, the morning is primarily devoted to leisurely view the world famous Army of Terracotta Warriors, horses, and chariots buried with the first Chinese Emperor, Qin Shihuang. After lunch, visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. After a Dumpling Dinner, enjoy a traditional Tang Dynasty Music & Dance Show.
  • Day 13 - Xian-Lhasa (B, L, D)

    Day 13 - Xian-Lhasa

    Meals: Breakfast(B), Lunch(L), Dinner(D)
    After breakfast, visit the Ancient City Wall. Then fly to Lhasa, the world's highest city and also known as "City of Sunshine." Check into Tangka Hotel (4 stars). Spend the balance of the day relaxing and acclimatizing to the altitude.
  • Day 14 - Lhasa (B, L, D)

    Day 14 - Lhasa

    Meals: Breakfast(B), Lunch(L), Dinner(D)
    After breakfast, visit the Dalai Lama's Potala Palace, which sits atop the sacred Putuo Hill. Enjoy serenades by Tibetan musicians while feasting on local cuisine.
  • Day 15 - Lhasa (B, L, D)

    Day 15 - Lhasa

    Meals: Breakfast(B), Lunch(L), Dinner(D)
    After breakfast, take a full day tour to the extraordinary 1,300-year-old Jokhang Temple with its Buddhist masterpieces, the Drepung Monastery, and more!
  • Day 16 - Lhasa-Chengdu (B, L, SD)

    Day 16 - Lhasa-Chengdu

    Meals: Breakfast(B), Lunch(L), Special Dinner(SD)
    After breakfast, fly to Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province. Visit the Panda Reserve Institute.  Lodging at Tibet Hotel (5 stars).
  • Day 17 - Chengdu-Dazu-Chongqing (B, L, D)

    Day 17 - Chengdu-Dazu-Chongqing

    Meals: Breakfast(B), Lunch(L), Dinner(D)
    After breakfast, travel by motor coach to Chongqing. Enroute, visit Dazu, world famous for its 50,000 stone sculptures. In the evening, pre-board on a 5-star cruise ship, either the Princess Jeannie, Elaine or Sheena. You will set sail downstream in the morning.
  • Day 18 - Yangtze River Cruise (B, L, SD)

    Day 18 - Yangtze River Cruise

    Meals: Breakfast(B), Lunch(L), Special Dinner(SD)
    After breakfast, enjoy some cultural programs or Tai Chi. After lunch, you will either tour the Ghost City, Temples or the Relocation Village. Enjoy a special Captain's Party tonight.
  • Day 19 - Yangtze River Cruise (B, L, D)

    Day 19 - Yangtze River Cruise

    Meals: Breakfast(B), Lunch(L), Dinner(D)
    After breakfast, the cruise ship will enter Qutang Gorge. In the afternoon, pass through the Wu Gorge with its deep zigzagging valley and lush forested mountains. Then experience a once in a lifetime adventure when you transfer to a small riverboat and cruise up the tributary Shennongxi Stream for a close-up view of the life of the local minority people and to the Bamboo Gorges. In the evening, enter Xiling Gorge and navigate through the Three Gorges Ship Lock.
  • Day 20 - Yangtze River Cruise (B, L, D)

    Day 20 - Yangtze River Cruise

    Meals: Breakfast(B), Lunch(L), Dinner(D)
    After breakfast, visit the Three Gorges Dam Site and tour the Hydroelectric Plant. Then navigate through Gezhou Ship Lock. There will be Tai Chi, Cultural Programs, a Crew Show, Dancing and Movies as entertainment as you sail downstream towards Wuhan.
  • Day 21 - Wuhan (B, L, D)

    Day 21 - Wuhan

    Meals: Breakfast(B), Lunch(L), Dinner(D)
    Disembark the cruise ship around noon and check into Jin Jiang Hotel (5 stars).
  • Day 22 - Wuhan-Guilin (B, L, D)

    Day 22 - Wuhan-Guilin

    Meals: Breakfast(B), Lunch(L), Dinner(D)
    After breakfast, visit the Hubei Provincial Museum or East Lake. Then fly to Guilin, a city of surreal beauty. Lodging at Guilin Plaza Hotel (4 stars).
  • Day 23 - Guilin (B, SL, D)

    Day 23 - Guilin

    Meals: Breakfast(B), Special Lunch(SL), Dinner(D)
    After breakfast, visit Reed Flute Cave and Solitary Beauty Peak, which offers a panoramic view of the city. A Tea Banquet will be arranged for lunch
  • Day 24 - Guilin-Yangshuo (B, L, D)

    Day 24 - Guilin-Yangshuo

    Meals: Breakfast(B), Lunch(L), Dinner(D)
    After breakfast, travel by deluxe motor coach through lush countryside surrounding Guilin, where you will see bamboo, water chestnut, sugar cane, and rice fields. Arrive at a local village and embark on a memorable 3-hour Li River Cruise passing through scenic Yangshuo. Lunch will be served onboard. Disembark cruise ship and check into New West Street Hotel (4 stars). The rest of the day is on your own. Rent a bicycle or a tuk-tuk to go to the countryside and experience the real life of Chinese Farmers.
  • Day 25 - Yangshuo-Shanghai-Suzhou (B, IM, D)

    Day 25 - Yangshuo-Shanghai-Suzhou

    Meals: Breakfast(B), In-Flight(IM), Dinner(D)
    After breakfast, fly (2 hours) to Shanghai and transfer to a deluxe motor coach (1 ½ hours) to Suzhou, known as "Venice of the Orient." Lodging at Glamor Hotel (4 stars).
  • Day 26 - Suzhou (B, L, D)

    Day 26 - Suzhou

    Meals: Breakfast(B), Lunch(L), Dinner(D)
    After breakfast, visit Garden of the Fishing Net Master. Followed by a tour of the Silk Spinning Factory.
  • Day 27 - Suzhou-Shanghai (B, SL, SD)

    Day 27 - Suzhou-Shanghai

    Meals: Breakfast(B), Special Lunch(SL), Special Dinner(SD)
    After breakfast, depart by motor coach (1 ½ hours) to Shanghai. After a special Mongolian BBQ Lunch, tour the Oriental Pearl TV Tower and the Shanghai Municipal History (Wax) Museum. After an amazing Shanghai Acrobatic Show, enjoy a special Farewell Dinner. Lodging at Central View Suites Hotel (4 stars) or similar.
  • Day 28 - Shanghai (B)

    Day 28 - Shanghai

    Meals: Breakfast(B)
    After breakfast, enjoy a free day to explore the city at your own pace, shop or simply relax.
  • Day 29 - Shanghai-Beijing-SFO/JFK (B, IM)

    Day 29 - Shanghai-Beijing-SFO/JFK

    Meals: Breakfast(B), In-Flight(IM)
    After breakfast, depart Shanghai at 8:10am (if out of SHA Airport) or 11:35am (if out of PVG Airport) on Air China and fly (16 hours) to San Francisco (SFO Airport) with a same day arrival at 12:40pm. (Flight time includes a stopover in Beijing. Your luggage will be transferred automatically to SFO). *Some tours will have the opportunity to travel by Maglev Train to the airport, please click on the following link for details on Maglev Train Disclosure.

    If your final destination is New York (JFK Airport), it takes 17     ½ hours with a same day arrival at 2:30pm. (Flight time includes a custom inspection in Beijing where you must claim and re-check your luggage). *No Maglev Train available for JFK departure due to different airport in Shanghai (SHA Airport).
  • Itinerary
  • Tour Dates & Prices
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    › SFO means depature to China from San Francisco International to Beijing, China.

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This tour will give you the most bang for the buck. We have weaved together the Silk Road, Tibet and Three Gorges along with the highlights of China to introduce our most comprehensive tour possible in a single month.  Experience China's glorious past and exotic present while traveling on the ancient trade route from Urumqi to Dunhuang. Enjoy the beauty of Crescent Moon Lake and ride a camel on the amazing Singing Sand Dunes. View archaeohis tlogical digs that uncover the area's history and absorb the unique flavor of the present Uighur and Han cultures. Then visit Xi'an, which served as the beginning of the Silk Road, to tour the excavation site of the renowned Terracotta Army. Next is a place distant and mysterious, Tibet is found on "The Rooftop of the World," in the shadow of the Himalayas, and is home to a civilization that possesses over 5,000 years of history. At 12,000 ft. above sea level, the Tibetan plateau is called the "Country of Snow Mountain," and is the foundation of this tour. This spectacular tour also includes a cruise on the Yangtze River followed by the serenely picturesque landscape of Guilin and Yangshuo. To top it all off, you will visit the principal cities, Beijing and Shanghai. This tour offers an unsurpassed and ultimate China experience...a journey of a lifetime!


 

Mogao Grottoes, Dunhuang

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