18-Nights Signature: China from the Great Wall to Shangri-La - National Geographic Signature

18 nights from: $12,999

Signature: China from the Great Wall to Shangri-La
Traverse the full breadth of China, from the Great Wall and the Gobi Desert to the bamboo forests of Sichuan and the karst peaks of the south. Guided by experts, unlock the secrets of the Terracotta Warriors, go behind the scenes of panda conservation, and cruise the Li River at sunset on an expedition that spans millennia.

Highlights
Savor an exclusive Peking Duck dinner atop the Great Wall as the sun sets over the peaks, Go behind the scenes in Xi’an to see rare artifacts and unearthed antiquities, Observe the statues, learning about the army’s lost colors and preservation, Gain entry to the Buddhist caves to view unparalleled Silk Road murals and statues, Watch the dunes of Mingsha Mountain turn gold at sunset from the Crescent Spring oasis, Go behind the scenes learning about the conservation and care of giant pandas, Share a communal banquet, barley wine, and traditional music with Naxi villagers, Shop a spice market and master the heat of Sichuan cuisine in a hands-on class, Sip yak butter tea and share stories in the home of a local Tibetan family, Jia Community lunch Enjoy a farm-to-table meal and hear the story of a G Adventures-supported restaurant.

Accomodation
Train travel is often used throughout our China trips as it's an easily accessible and fast way to make the most of the time you have in China. While packing for your trip please note the following restrictions and remember that the local policies in place are for yours and everyone's safety. Prohibited items on China's trains and metro: 1. Any knives or scissors 2. Items or food that have an unpleasant odour (ex. Durian) 3. Open liquor bottles (new bottles with the seal intact are okay) 4. Pressurized/flammable containers over 120ml in size (ex. sunscreen spray, mosquito repellent spray, hairspray, etc.) Prohibited items on trains to/from Guangxi Province - Guilin/Yangshuo 1. Floria Water - a mosquito repellent water common in China 2. Self-heating food items (self-heating hot pot, rice, etc.) 3. As well as everything on the previous list above

Group Leader
All National Geographic Signature group trips are accompanied by one of our National Geographic Expedition Leaders throughout. The aim of the Expedition Leaders is to take the hassle out of your travels and to help you have the best trip possible. They will provide information on the places you are travelling through, offer suggestions for things to do and see, recommend great local eating venues and introduce you to our local friends. While not being guides in the traditional sense you can expect them to have a broad general knowledge of the countries visited on the trip, including historical, cultural, religious and social aspects. We also use local guides where we think more specific knowledge will add to the enjoyment of the places we are visiting- we think it's the best of both worlds.

Group Size Notes
Max 22

Meals Included
18 breakfasts, 12 lunches, 15 dinners

What's Included
Your G for Good Moment: Jia Community Restaurant, Yangshuo
Your Welcome Moment: Welcome Moment - Meet
Your Expedition Leader and Group, Beijing Signature Moment: Great Wall of China Talk with an Expert, Jinshanling
Your Foodie Moment: Sunset Beijing Duck Dinner on the Great Wall, Jinshanling
Your Foodie Moment: The Tang Dynasty Cultural Show with Dumpling Dinner, Xi'an Signature Moment: Institute of Archeology Visit, Xi'an Signature Moment: Dujiangyan Panda Base Visit, Dujiangyan Shi
Your Foodie Moment: Chengdu Hot Pot Dinner, Chengdu
Your Foodie Moment: Sichuan Spice Market & Cooking Class, Chengdu
Your Foodie Moment: Visit and Long Table Dinner at Luna Village, Luna
Your Local Living Moment: Tibetan Family Visit, Shangri-La.
Arrival and departure transfer. Forbidden City Visit. Temple of Heaven Visit. Tiananmen Square Visit. Great Wall of China Jinshanling Section. Mogao Grottoes Visit. Free Time in Dunhuang. Sunset at Mingsha Mountain & Crescent Spring. Yadan National Geologic Park Visit. Yumen Pass and Ruins of the Han Great Wall Visit. Xi’an’s West Gate Visit. Terracotta Warriors Visit. Muslim Quarter Visit. The Great Mosque Visit. Giant Panda Breeding Center Visit. Sample Tea at a local Tea House. Yulong Snow Mountain and Impression Lijiang Show. Baisha Village Visit. Songzanlin Monastery. Old Town Shangri-La. Sunset Li River Cruise. Fuli Village Visit. Shanghai Circus World Acrobatics Show. Shanghai French Concession. Yuyuan Garden. Engaging Discussions with the National Geographic Expedition Expert throughout. Porterage at hotels and when getting on and off of vehicles. Tips are included for all activities, meals and porterage, except for your Expedition Leader.
All transport between destinations and to/from included activities.

Fuli Travel Packages

Categories: Fuli

Yangshuo has become a mecca for travelers in recent years. Free Yangshuo Travel
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Yangshuo Travel Agents

Ironically, amid magnificent natural beauty, Yangshuo's main pedestrian street, West Street, has the feel of the Las Vegas Strip, with hawkers trying to coax tipsy travelers into noisy clubs. Unless they have state-of-the-art earplugs, guests at hotels within a block of West Street will likely have difficulty sleeping before 2 am.

The highlight in Yangshuo for many, though, is an evening performance of Impression Liu Sanjie, co-directed by Zhang Yimou (known internationally for creating the opening ceremony production at the Beijing Olympics), Wang Chaoge and Fan Yue. The 70-minute, open-air musical on the Li River runs March-December and features a cast of more than 600 performers wearing traditional Zhuang, Miao and Yao dress.

Daylight activities include river cruises on and hikes along the Li River and its tributaries. The stunning landscape will look familiar to those who saw Star Wars: Episode III—Revenge of the Sith since much of the movie was filmed there. In fact, the route from Yangdi to Xingping has a view that is so breathtaking that the scene has been engraved on the 20-yuan banknote.

One of the most popular hikes is on Moon Hill, starting approximately 5 mi/8 km south of Yangshuo, on the road to Wuzhou. Spectacular views of the entire Guilin and Yangshuo area reward intrepid hikers who make it to the top.

For those who are not content to walk along or hike in the mountains but want to hang on their dramatic facades, Yangshuo has more than 400 climbing routes, and there are many well-supplied climbing shops in the area. The annual Yangshuo Climbing Festival takes place there in December. http://www.ysclimbfest.com.

After a day of hiking, climbing or floating along the river, a variety of restaurants and regional dishes await. Both Yangshuo and Guilin cuisine are known for their use of spices, especially chili. Beer fish (pijiu yu) is a local specialty cooked with several species of fish. Whichever fish is used is cooked whole, so diners need to be aware of bones. For those who want to delve deeper into the local cuisine, a number of cooking schools in Yangshuo and Guilin offer classes.