Yangtze River Itinerary

11 days

Day 1

ARRIVE BEIJING

Your flight lands at Beijing, the capital of China. You are transferred to the hotel for rest and relaxation.

Day 2

BEIJING

The morning program begins with Tian An Men Square: the largest city square in the world.

Then proceed to the Forbidden City: the residence of emperors for more than 500 years, which houses numerous precious artifacts.

After lunch, visit the Summer Palace, the well-preserved Royal Garden of the Qing Dynasty.

Day 3

BEIJING

This morning starts on the Badaling Great Wall: a symbol of the Chinese ancient civilization. This 2,000 year old landmark is an astonishing feat of engineering.

En route visit a Jade carving factory followed by lunch at its Friendship Restaurant. Afterwards, visit the Sacred Way and Ming Tomb-Changling Tomb.

In the evening, enjoy the famous Peking Duck dinner.

Day 4

BEIJING > XIAN

In the morning, visit the Temple of Heaven: the largest temple complexes in China and a paradigm of Chinese architectural balance and symbolism.

Afterwards, visit the Lama Temple, the most renowned Tibet Buddhist Temple outside Tibet. Then enjoy a Beijing noodle lunch before transfer to airport for flight to Xian.

Day 5

XIAN

Today’s highlight is a visit to the Archaeological Museum with Terracotta Warriors and Horses excavated from the tomb of the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty.

Then visit the Ceramics & Art Workshop. After a lunch and a noodle-making demonstration, visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and ancient City Wall.

Optional Tang Dynasty Dinner and Show with round trip transfer.

Day 6

XIAN > CHONGQING

After breakfast, transfer to the airport for the flight to Chongqing. Upon arrival, meet and take a city tour if time permits.

In the evening, enjoy a Sichuan Hot Pot dinner. Embark on your river adventure when you board the ship after dinner.

Day 7

YANGTZE RIVER CRUISE (THREE GORGES)

Embark the 430 mile journey to view all the sights of the Great Gorges and deep mountain valleys.

Optional shore excursion in the morning to the ghost city of Fengdu.Visit the Shibaozhai in the afternoon.

Day 8

YANGTZE RIVER CRUISE (THREE GORGES)

Sail into the Qutang Gorges and Wu Gorge and notice the river changing into wild stirring waves with swirling bubbles. When the ship arrives at the famed Shennong Stream, we will change to a smaller boat and sail deep into the tributary.

Then, we return to our cruise and continue sailing into the Xiling Gorge.

Day 9

YANGTZE RIVER CRUISe > YICHANG > SHANGHAI

Continue on to the Three Gorges Dam site and pass through the five ship-locks, lowering our boat down 412 feet, before ending the cruise at Yichang.

Transfer to the airport and fly to Shanghai. Upon arrival, transfer to hotel for rest.

Day 10

SHANGHAI

Day 10 is a full day city tour to visit:

• the Yu Garden: a place of peace and comfort in the heart of bustling Shanghai,

• the People’s Park and the Shanghai Urban Planning Museum,

• the Bund: known as a miniature museum of international architecture with dozens of high buildings standing along the shore, and

• Shanghai Museum: one of the largest Museums in China.

Optional Acrobatic Show with round trip transfer.