China & Tibet Highlights 14 days from £2010:

*Well paced itinerary * hand-picked deluxe hotels & cruise *special banquets and shows *small group *Guaranteed departure from 2 people

• Beijing: The Great Wall (4n)
• Chengdu: Giant Panda Reserve, Leshan Giant Buddha (2n)
• Lhasa: Potala Palace, Lhasa Sera Monastery and temples (4n)
• Xian: Terracotta Warriors (2n)

View details below...

Forbidden City

Xian Bell Tower

Leshan Buddha

Potala Palace

Day 1
Depart from Heathrow or your preferred airport for a scheduled flight to Beijing. Meals on board.

Day 2 Beijing
Upon arrival in Beijing, you are greeted at the airport by our English speaking guide and transferred to hotel by private transport. The rest of the day is at your leisure to recover from jetlag and get ready for the adventure to come! (China is 8 hours ahead of UK)

Day 3 Beijing
A full day city tour to soak up the atmosphere of Beijing. This includes visiting historical sites such as Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City. Then we will go to watch an entertaining acrobat show. (includes: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Our welcome dinner in the evening presents one of the special Chinese cuisine with live music, singing and dancing entertainment.

Day 4 Beijing
The highlights of today's tour include a visit to the Great Wall, the only man-made wonder on earth visible from the moon. Then to the Ming Tombs, walk on the Sacred Way and see the resting place for thirteen Chinese Emperors of the Ming Dynasty. Enjoy the famous Peking Roasted Duck dinner upon your return. (Includes: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

We will visit Juyongguan section of the Great Wall, which was originally constructed in the 5th century and holds the most strategic section of the Wall. The section is quieter and less commercial than some other and it provides the opportunity to visit Sacred Way, another highlight of the Great Wall heritage.

Day 5 Beijing to Chengdu
Today, our tours include the Summer Palace (Yiheyuan), the site goes back to the 12th century when the Jin ruler built his Gold Mountain Travelling Palace. Walk along the Long Corridor beside Kunming Lake. A detour to the Garden of Harmonious and return by taking a ferry from close to the Marble Boat. A Hutong tour to visit old residential area and local people's life on Rickshaw ride. Then the guide will escort you to Houhai, a popular relaxing and eating out place for both Western and Chinese tourists. For ones that would like to experience shopping in China, we can take you to the popular shopping street - Xiushui Silk Market. In the evening, we take a flight to Chengdu. (Includes: Breakfast, Lunch)

Day 6 Chengdu
We visit the Giant Panda Breeding Centre today, the best place to see Chengdu's most famous residents. Then you are transferred to Leshan mountain to visit the Giant Buddha Statue. (Includes: Breakfast, Lunch)

Day 7 Chengdu to Lhasa
We will take a morning flight to Lhasa. Upon arrival you will be transferred to the hotel, have yourself adjusted to high altitude. (Includes: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 8 Lhasa
In the morning, visit the grand-looking Potala Palace, which was built in the 7th century for the King. In the afternoon, visit Jokhang Temple and stroll in the famous local bazarr - Parkhor Street. (Includes: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 9 Lhasa
Visit Dreprung Monastery, the biggest Monastic University of Tibet which is actually a collection of Buddhist chapels and colleges. (Includes: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 10 Lhasa
A free day for you to explore the city. (Includes: Breakfast)

Day 11 Lhasa to Xian
Morning is free until you take your flight to Xian, the former capital of China and starting point of the ancient Silk Road. (Includes: Breakfast, Lunch)

Day 12 Lhasa to Xian
As the ancient capital of China for many dynasties, Xian has a lot of historical sites to offer. We will take a city tour which includes visiting Xian's well preserved Ancient City Walls, built in the early Ming Dynasty (about 600 years ago) and the historic Bell Tower where you can overlook the entire city. Our tour guide will also escort you to Fanggu Street in the city centre, where the shops have all been reconstructed to resemble ancient China. (Includes: Breakfast, Lunch).

Day 13 Xian
Today, the highlights include Terra-cotta Warriors. You will visit the luxury underground palace of Emperor Qinshihuang, The Archaeological Museum of 6,000 life-size Terracotta Warriors and their horses. The warriors were the after life protectors the first emperor who united China (221BC-206BC). Following this we will visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, built as a Buddhist Monastery during the Tang Dynasty. Fly back to Beijing later on today (Includes: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 14 Beijing to home
Be transferred to the Airport for flight home. (Includes: Breakfast)

Departure Dates & Price 2008 (£)

We also arrange private tour or tailor made departure according to this itinerary, please contact us to discuss your requirement.

Price Includes (The prices shown above are 'per person')

• All flights including airport tax. We can also arrange your local airport departure from £60. Please enquire at the time of your booking.
• All airport/hotel transfers.
• Sightseeing tours (including entrance fee) by professional English-speaking tour guide.
• Selections of deluxe hotel accommodation (4 and 5 star) in well furnished rooms with private facilities.
• Meals as specified in the itinerary.

Price Does Not Include

• Visa fee (please go to Our Visa Service for details).
• Travel Insurance.

Flights As agent of many airline consolidators, we can obtain flights in various class, with reputable airlines such as BA, Air China, Virgin, Air France, KLM, Lufthansa, Finnair etc. Depends on the availability we will choose airline for you and will try to arrange direct flight when possible. We can also provide land-only tours if you prefer to organise your own flights and save airmiles.

Your Accommodation for this tour Excellent selection of good 4 and 5 star hotels and cruises among the same standard. In some remote areas such as Tibet, the hotel standard can be lower but we will provide you with one of the best available in the area.

Your Meals We include all breakfast (mixture of western & Chinese) at your hotel and most Chinese lunches and dinners on tour. Each lunch and dinner is selected to ensure you can try a wide variety of tasty dishes. All meals included in the itinerary are pre-booked. We think it is part of the experience of trying out a few meals by yourself while you in China. Therefore the hotels we select provide a good choices of cuisine with English menu. Alternatively there are plenty of restaurants to choose from in the main sightseeing area in Chinese cities. A good meal (dinner) in a restaurant should cost about £5 per person.

Other fact Suitable for fit travellers only due to high altitude in Tibet. Please note food and accommodations in Tibet has a lower standard than big cities in China.

Our itineraries are regularly checked and updated to provide ideal and latest sightseeing spots for our travellers, and we organise our own special activities to try to introduce the real China to you, and connect closer to the local people.

Due to the enormous scale of China, our itineraries are designed at a sensible pace to provide you with the opportunity to enjoy touring the country, with a combination of escorted sightseeing, and some free time.

Small group travel with like minded people and flexibility on tour. Add on tours and city extension available, for details visit pick & mix tours page.

The itinerary is designed according to the most updated information of flights and cruises sailing schedules available, although occasionally the sequence in which cities are visited and duration of time spent in each city can change due to local conditions which are out of our control. The above itinerary highlights the main attractions that are to be visited each day. Further places of interest may be visited during your stay, which will provide unique ethnic and cultural handcraft shopping opportunities. We reserve the right to change, amend or alter the itinerary, although we will act in your best interests to handle any amendments. Please refer to the booking form for detailed terms & conditions.