Cultural Discovery Tour In China With Yangtse River Cruise

Arrive Hong Kong and check into hotel.

Overnight Standard Hotel

Situated in a dramatic setting, Hong Kong is a lively, sophisticated city and the world’s third largest financial centre. We start with an orientation walk and leave the afternoon free for optional excursions. Public transport is efficient and easy to use. You can take a funicular railway to Victoria Peak or a launch out to a floating restaurant in Aberdeen Harbour. Alternatively explore the jade market or admire the latest sartorial and electronic fashions.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

This morning will be left free to explore Hong Kong further. In the late afternoon we transfer by coach to the Sheng Shui train station close to the Chinese border. From Sheng Shui we then take a train to reach the pedestrian only border at Lu Wu. As we cross on foot and porters are not available please make sure you can comfortably carry your own luggage. After clearing immigration and customs we walk the short distance to nearby Shenzhen station from where we take an overnight train to Guilin, located on the west bank of the Li River. This is where the famous poetic landscape of China, at least its rather stereotyped Western image, is found; it has been the subject of Chinese poets and painters since time immemorial. The sparkling green plain is laced with lakes and rivers, in the midst of which looms a bizarre array of dome-like pinnacles and towers. These stretch into the distant horizon as far as the eye can see, separated from each other by winding ravines and penetrated by subterranean caves – a scene of great romantic beauty. They were uplifted from a limestone seabed about 300 million years ago, and eroded until only the tall rocky domes and towers remained.

Overnight Basic Train Included meals: Breakfast

Upon arrival, we visit a local hotel for breakfast before we drive a short distance to the Bamboo Reed Dock where we board our boat on the Li River and cruise to Yangshuo via Old Xinping. Lunch is taken aboard the boat during the journey as we pass along the most scenic stretch of the river. An afternoon arrival in Yangshuo offers the opportunity to explore this laid back town – a contrast to the bustle of Hong Kong.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Yangshuo has a lot to offer so the day is left free for you to explore at your own pace. You can walk into the surrounding karst summits or hire a bike and cycle through country back lanes. Alternatively, you can soak up the atmosphere of this beautiful riverside town. You may want to practice your bartering skills in the local market – selling batiks and silk paintings, or you may be tempted to buy a ‘Little Red Book’. This evening you may choose to go to an amazing sound and light show (optional).

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

A morning drive takes us to the stunning rice terraces of the Longji area. These amazing feats of agricultural engineering climb to a peak of 800m known as the ‘Dragon’s backbone’. The area is home to both the Zhuang and Yao minorities and we may see the women working in the fields in their colourful costumes. We spend the night in a local guesthouse in the small village of PingAn. Please note there is a 30 minute walk up steps to our guesthouse.  Our main luggage will not be with us this evening.

Overnight Simple Guest House Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

This morning we will have time for another walk along the rice terraces if you wish before returning to Guilin for our flight to Chengdu.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

This morning we drive to the Panda Research Centre to see the animal synonymous with China. We’ll then pay a visit to the Wenshu Monastery, dedicated to the God of Wisdom, where we have a chance to sample their famous Buddhist vegetarian cuisine (optional). We then head for Dazu, a former county town famous for its Buddha rock carvings.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

This morning we visit the cliff sculptures at Baoding Shan (Precious Summit Hill). It is fascinating to wander beside the many brightly painted images carved into the rock face, amongst the most impressive of which is an enormous reclining Buddha, 31m long and 5m high! We then drive to Chongqing where we join our riverboat for a two and a half day cruise along the Yangtse River. The longest river in China, it runs through nine provinces forming a delta in the south which has attracted a very high population density to the region. In addition, the river flows through important industrial centres which form the economic heart of China. We travel on board a four star cruise boat fully equipped with two berth airconditioned cabins. Our boat carries approximately 150 passengers with your fellow travellers likely to come from a variety of different countries. After our first night on board we arrive at the Temple of Fengdu, for an opportunity to explore the town.  

Overnight Basic Cabin Included meals: Breakfast

Our journey will take us 193km through the ‘Three Gorges’, each one spectacular in its own way. We start our journey into the gorges on the second day. The first is Bellows Gorge (Qutang Xia) which is only 8 km long. This was always considered a treacherous but necessary part of the river for it was the only way to reach Sichuan province from the eastern lowlands which are surrounded by impassable mountains. After passing through Bellows Gorge, we enter Wu gorge and travel up Shennong stream to admire smaller gorges. Wu gorge is 40km long and it follows a relatively calm stretch of river. Surrounded by hazy mountain peaks, this mystical section of the Yangtse is steeped in legend. Finally, the third gorge we travel through is Xiling Gorge which is actually comprised of several smaller gorges along a 78km stretch, a smaller motorised boat for lesser gorges. Finally we descend via a series of locks through the dam itself.

Overnight Basic Cabin Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

In the morning we disembark and drive to take a tour of the dam itself and learn about this amazing project, one of the great engineering wonders of the world. We then continue our cruise to Yichang where we disembark for our flight to Shanghai.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Shanghai is one of Asia’s most vibrant and dynamic cities. It began as a fishing village in the 11th century, but after the end of the first opium war and of the five newly opened treaty ports Shanghai soon became the most cosmopolitan city, with Asian, Russian, European and Jewish influences. Here were cabarets and ballrooms, fine shops and satirical newspapers, and with such style and influence Shanghai was dubbed the ‘Paris of the Orient’. Today its elegant past is still noticeable as you walk down ‘the Bund’. This wide avenue is a good place to start to get to know the city: people practice Tai Chi early in the morning. We make a city sightseeing tour to visit the famous Jade Buddha temple with its white jade statues, continuing on to the 16th Century Yu Yuan Gardens. We also visit the museum which houses some very good examples of Ming pottery. In the evening you may wish to see the city’s world famous troupe of acrobats (optional).

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Our tour ends this morning after breakfast.

Included meals: Breakfast