Explore China

Arrive into bustling Shanghai, settle into your hotel and get ready for a 6pm welcome meeting with the rest of your group and tour leader. If you arrive early with time to spare, why not get out and explore the city, starting with the Shanghai Tower? The next day, join your group for a walking tour of historical Shanghai, taking in the 1920s architecture of The Bund, the beauty of the manicured Yu Garden, and the buzzy shops and restaurant scene of Huaihai Road. In the evening, enjoy an included dinner of local specialties.

Enjoy a final few hours in Shanghai before boarding a westbound bullet train in the afternoon. Arrive into Luoyang this evening – ancient China’s capital – and perhaps make your way into the Old Town for dinner with your group.

Get ready to travel to the majestic Shaolin Monastery, the legendary birthplace of Kung Fu, and still the main location for Buddhist training to this day. Here, you’ll get the chance to learn about the warrior monks of Shaolin, watch a Kung Fu performance, and wander the beautiful Pagoda Forest. Tuck into a delicious vegetarian lunch at the nearby Yongtai Temple and spend your afternoon and evening how you please in Luoyang.

Make your way to the Longmen Grottoes, a network of 2,100 caves filled with over 100,000 rock carvings and statues of Buddha dating as far back as the fourth century. Learn more about this incredible UNESCO World Heritage site as you explore some of the masterpieces with a local guide, before taking the bullet train to Xi’an, arriving in the evening for a group dinner in the Muslim Quarter.

Today, you’ll get to visit Xi’an’s most beloved gem – the Terracotta Warriors, an incredible archaeological site featuring hundreds of clay statues of soldiers, horses and chariots all standing in battle formation. After admiring the statues, enjoy a delicious home-cooked lunch, before returning to Xi’an for the night.

This morning you’ll get to enjoy another journey aboard China’s bullet trains, as you travel across to Lanzhou, and from there onto the beautiful Tibetan town of Xiahe. Standing at 2,900 metres above sea level, this scenic town is a place of pilgrimage for many Tibetans, and you’ll get well acquainted with it as you take a walking tour with your leader. The following day, visit the Labrang Monastery and witness the monks undertaking their rituals. Depending on the season, you’ll either head to the Sangke grasslands to meet nomadic Tibetans over yak butter tea or visit a local family in town and enjoy a home-cooked lunch.

Today, you’ll travel to Lanzhou ready to catch your flight to China’s capital, Beijing, arriving early evening. Settle into your hotel before exploring the city and trying out an excellent dinner spot, as recommended by your leader.

A potential highlight of your China adventure, today you’ll get the chance to explore the iconic Great Wall of China, starting at the Mutianyu section of the wall. Either walk the wall, or take a cable car and admire the ancient guard towers, before taking a fun toboggan ride back. The following day enter the Forbidden City and its palaces, gardens and courtyards, as well as Tiananmen Square, one of the world’s largest downtown squares. Spend the evening indulging in the capital’s renowned dish – Beijing Duck – while you reflect on the magnificent adventure you’ve had. The next morning, you’ll be airport bound for your flight home.