| 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 your 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 and the
Forbidden City. Then we will go to watch an entertaining acrobat show.
(includes: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Our
welcome dinner in the evening provides an opportunity to sample special
Chinese cuisine combined 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. We travel to the Ming Tombs
and walk on the Sacred Way to see the resting place of 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 is regarded as the most strategic section of the Wall.
The section is quieter and less commercial than some other areas and it provides
the opportunity to visit the Sacred Way, another highlight of the Great
Wall heritage. Day
5 Beijing
to Xian
Today, our tours includes a visit to the Summer
Palace (Yiheyuan), which dates back to the 12th century when the Jin ruler
built his Gold Mountain Traveling Palace. We walk along the Long Corridor beside
Kunming Lake and take a detour to the Garden of Harmony before taking the ferry
next to the Marble Boat. In the next part of our tour we take a fascinating
Rickshaw ride and visit an old residential area and see how local people
live. Our guide will then escort you to Houhai, a popular relaxing and
eating out place for both Western and Chinese tourists. For travelers who 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 Xian, the former capital of China and starting
point of the ancient Silk Road. (Includes:
Breakfast, Lunch) Day
6 Xian
As
the ancient capital of China for many dynasties, Xian has a lot 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 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 times of China. (Includes:
Breakfast, Lunch) Day
7 Xian
to Kunming
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. We take a flight to Kun
Ming. (Includes:
Breakfast, Lunch) Day
8 Kunming
/ Dali
Visit the Stone Forest,
a vast area of limestone pillars that formed like a natural forest. After
lunch, visit the 'Colorful Yunnan' where we get to know the unique local products,
and have a taste of its local well-known Pu'er tea. Take a flight to Dali in the
evening.(Includes: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) Day
9 Dali
Drive to Erhai Lake and cruise on the Lake. Enjoy the local Tea Ceremony.
Appreciate the residential house of Bai Ethnic in Dali Ancient town. (Includes:
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) Day
10 Lijiang
After
breakfast you will visit Three Pagodas and Butterfly Hot Spring.
After lunch, drive to Lijiang, a beautiful shining jewel on the Northwest
Yunnan Plateau neighbouring the Tibetan Plateau, and better known as "Shangri-La".
Lijiang is granted World Cultural Heritage status. We visit the Old Town with
a maze of narrow streets dating back to the Yuan dynasty as if we step
back through time. (Includes:
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) Day
11 Lijiang
After breakfast, drive to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Yufeng temple
as well as the Black Dragon Pool. Optional evening musical performance
by the Dongba ethnic minority tribe. (Includes:
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) Day
12 Lijiang / Kunming
Morning is free until you take your flight to Kunming. (Includes: Breakfast, Lunch) Day
13 Kunming -
Hanoi
We take a flight to Hanoi, Vietnam where upon arrival you meet our guide and transfer
to your hotel. This evening join your guide for a tour briefing in your hotel
before we sample the wonders of Vietnamese cuisine at one of the city's
finest restaurant. (Includes: Breakfast,
Dinner) Day
14 Hanoi
Today we explore Hanoi's charming French colonial boulevards. Our tour includes
visiting the Temple of Literature, Ho Chi Minh mausoleum and the
former leaders home built on stilts. In the afternoon we explore Hanoi by cyclo,
driving through the lively Old Quarter, a series of 36 ancient streets where peddlers
trade their wares as they have done for centuries. Finally we have a walking tour
around Hanoi's traditional houses in Ma May street and explore Hang Be
market. In the evening we enjoy the famous water puppet theatre performance.
(Includes: Breakfast,
Lunch) Day
15 Hanoi - Halong Bay
The next morning we journey east to Vietnam's greatest natural wonder, Halong
Bay. Upon arrival we board our traditional style Junk and sit down for a fresh
seafood lunch. We spent the afternoon cruising the bay's 3000 magnificent
limestone islets for spectacular ocean views. The beauty of Halong bay make it
one of the best scenery spots in the world. Return to Hanoi.
(Includes: Breakfast,
Lunch) Day
16 Saigon
Today we take the internal flight to Saigon. Upon arrival we meet our guide and
take a city tour walking along Saigon's historic boulevard and visiting
some of the city's most interesting sites. We then travel to Cholon, the
bustling Chinatown district. We explore the city's largest market for a
look at the diverse fresh vegetables, herbs, spices and tropical fruits that will
be our daily fare during the week ahead. (Includes:
Breakfast,
Lunch) Day
17 Saigon - Cu Chi Tunnels
After breakfast we travel to see the Cu Chi tunnel system built by Communist
guerillas during the Vietnam War. The tunnel system acted as an underground village
as is more than 200km long, 3 to 4m below ground. The unique tunnels were strong
enough to sustain the weight of 50 tons tanks, heavy artillery as well as 100kg
bombs. In
the evening we will maintain the Vietnamese culinary theme at a local restaurant.
(Includes: Breakfast,
Lunch, Dinner) Day
18 Saigon
Today we experience a journey deep into the Mekong Delta, Vietnam's most
fertile region and the source of a large amount of the country's fresh food. Enjoy
lunch with local specialties, such as fried Elephant Fish and Rice Balls. (Includes:
Breakfast, Lunch) Day
19 Saigon Departure
Free until transfer to the airport for your flight home. (Includes:
Breakfast) Small
Group Departure Dates & Price (2009 - 2010)
| Ref |
Dates
| Twin
share (£) | |
MCV |
weekly departures | From
£1960 |
Contact us
for your holiday price based upon your prefered departure date.
Hotel
upgrade is available and private tailor-made tours can also be arranged. Price
Includes (The
prices shown are 'per person') - All
flights within China, Vietnam and China-Vietnam including airport tax.
- All
airport/hotel transfers where specified (private transfer).
- Selections
of superior/deluxe (4 star) hotel accommodation in well furnished rooms with private
facilities.
- Sightseeing
tours including entrance fee by professional English-speaking tour guide.
- Meals
as specified in the itinerary.
Price
Does Not Include - International
flight to Beijing and back from Saigon. We can arrange various airline carriers
and from your local airport departure. Please enquire at the time of your booking.
- Visa
fee (please go to Visa
Service for
details).
- Travel
Insurance.
Flights:
International return flight are not included in the package, however as an agent
for many airline consolidators, we can help you to obtain flights at competitive
rate and in various class, such as BA, Singapore Airline, Vietnam Airline, Air
France, KLM, Lufthansa, Finnair etc. Please ask for more details at the time of
your booking. Accommodation
for this tour: Carefully selected 4 star hotels. For details of our
hotel collection, please visit 'Accommodation' page. Your
Meals Meals: We include all breakfast
at hotel, some lunches and dinners on tour. Other
fact of our tour arrangement
This tour is suitable for anyone with an average level of fitness and
mobility. 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 and Vietnam to you, and connect closer to local people. Small
group travel with like minded people and flexibility on tour. Suitable for all
age travellers. 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. | 
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