Wild & Ancient China 12 Days
Highlights
- Duration: 12 Days
- Comfort: 66.6666666666667%
- Language: English
- Rating: 80.0%
- Trip ID: 44415
- Start Location: beijing-china
- End Location: beijing-china
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Guaranteed:
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- AdventureLink has carefully handpicked the tour operators in our portfolio to give you the best possible selection and experience
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- Primary Activities: Wildlife
- Other Activities: Historical Sites, history, national parks, walking
- Activity Level: Basic
China is known more for its history and culture than its natural features, but this trip encompasses all those dimensions. We visit the Great Wall and the Terracotta Warriors while also focusing on the natural wonders most visitors miss, particularly the pandas of Bifengxia.
- Day 1: Beijing, China
- Arrive in Beijing and walk through Temple of the Sun Park, where we see
locals enjoying the weather in a lovely garden setting. After our stroll
we sit at a local tea house, where our Expedition Leader gives us an
introduction to our trip over a cup of Chinese green tea. Tonight we
gather for our welcome dinner, a delicious Peking duck banquet.
- Lodging
- The Peninsula Beijing
- Description
A landmark in China’s capital city, The Peninsula Beijing is centrally located just minutes from the Forbidden City and offers superior standards of comfort and service. Decorated in classic earth tones, the elegantly streamlined furniture is designed along pleasingly simple lines. Each spacious guest room offers supremely comfortable beds, a large white marble bathroom, 42-inch screen plasma TV, coffee and tea making facilities and in-room safe. On site facilities include a modern gym, indoor heated pool and spa featuring a wide range of indulgent body treatments.
- Days 2-3: Beijing / Great Wall
- Crossing Tiananmen Square, the largest public square in the world and
symbolic center of China, we enter the vast Forbidden City, seat of the
emperors’ power. A tour of Old Beijing by pedicab reveals daily life in
narrow alleys of the city’s traditional neighborhoods. The Temple of
Heaven is a masterpiece of Chinese architecture in its harmonious
proportions and bold use of color. Later we walk along the Great Wall,
the 2,000-year-old edifice built to protect Chinese civilization from
encroaching northern tribes.
- Lodging
- The Peninsula Beijing
- Description
A landmark in China’s capital city, The Peninsula Beijing is centrally located just minutes from the Forbidden City and offers superior standards of comfort and service. Decorated in classic earth tones, the elegantly streamlined furniture is designed along pleasingly simple lines. Each spacious guest room offers supremely comfortable beds, a large white marble bathroom, 42-inch screen plasma TV, coffee and tea making facilities and in-room safe. On site facilities include a modern gym, indoor heated pool and spa featuring a wide range of indulgent body treatments.
- Day 4: Xi’an
- Fly to the ancient walled capital of Xi’an to visit the Shaanxi History
Museum, housing the many treasures that have been unearthed from the
more than 1,000 years that Xi’an served as the ancient capital of China.
Before dinner we stroll around the Muslim Quarter, where we discover a
way of life that derives as much from the ancient cultures of Central
Asia as it does from China.
- Lodging
- Sofitel Xi’an on Renmin Square
- Description
Sofitel Xi'an opened in 2005, combining modern amenities with cultural heritage. Luxuriously appointed rooms with rain shower and high-speed internet, elegant restaurant and bar, indoor heated pool, sauna and professional spa and gym combine to offer guests a memorable experience. The hotel is ideally situated on Renmin Square, close to many of the city’s historical sites, including the Bell and Drum towers, Great Mosque, Shaanxi History Museum and the Forest of Steles stone library.
- Day 5: Xi’an
- We rise early to visit the Terracotta Army, built to guard the tomb of
the first emperor to unite China. This major archaeological discovery
includes nearly 10,000 figures of warriors and horses, each differing in
features and expression. Later we stop by the Small Wild Goose Pagoda,
an important cultural relic constructed during the Tang Dynasty.
- Lodging
- Sofitel Xi’an on Renmin Square
- Description
Sofitel Xi'an opened in 2005, combining modern amenities with cultural heritage. Luxuriously appointed rooms with rain shower and high-speed internet, elegant restaurant and bar, indoor heated pool, sauna and professional spa and gym combine to offer guests a memorable experience. The hotel is ideally situated on Renmin Square, close to many of the city’s historical sites, including the Bell and Drum towers, Great Mosque, Shaanxi History Museum and the Forest of Steles stone library.
- Day 6: Xi’an / Chengdu / Bifengxia Panda Base
- Fly to Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province, where we visit the
Bifengxia Panda Base. Here we encounter giant pandas in a more natural
setting – opportunities to find them in the wild have essentially
vanished. The base breeds nearly 30 giant pandas and is the largest
captive giant panda institution in the world.
- Day 7: Bifengxia / Chengdu
- After a final morning with the pandas at Bifengxia we ride down a
26-story elevator to the bottom of spectacular Bifeng Gorge. We enjoy a
short, leisurely hike at the bottom of the gorge to take in views of the
stream, waterfalls and abundant plant life before heading back to
Chengdu.
- Lodging
- Hongzhu Hotel
- Description
While modest, the Hongzhu Hotel in Ya’an provides the best available accommodation near the Bifengxia Panda Base. Located in a quiet country setting, the hotel offers comfortable guest rooms, an on-site restaurant and bar/lounge area, fitness facilities, massage, tennis courts and an outdoor pool.
- Day 8: Giant Panda Breeding Research Base / Jiuzhaigou
- This morning we visit the Giant Panda Breeding Research Base. We see
pandas up close and learn about their habitat, mating habits, diet,
intelligence and how they have survived despite increasing natural and
human threats to their existence. Later we fly to Jiuzhaigou, notable
for its stunning scenery.
- Lodging
- Sheraton Jiuzhaigou Resort
- Description
A warm Tibetan-style welcome awaits guests at the Sheraton Jiuzhaigou, the first five-star resort in China. Surrounded by the picturesque green mountains and blue waters of Jiuzhaigou National Park, this lovely accommodation offers cozy guest rooms with spacious facilities, satellite TV, high-speed internet and mini bar. Stretch out in the modern fitness facility, indulge in a steam bath or relaxing massage, enjoy traditional Sichuan cuisine or be entertained by the resort’s Ethnic Song and Dance Ensemble hailing from the Tibetan and Qiang districts in West China.
- Days 9-10: Jiuzhaigou
- We spend two days exploring the natural beauty of Jiuzhaigou National
Park. We take in the lovely scenery on easy hikes through an idyllic
backdrop of mountains, ravines, forests, meadows, wildflowers and a
multitude of lakes and waterfalls. Tibetan culture is dominant here,
evidenced by the prayer wheels and chortens that dot the landscape.
- Lodging
- Sheraton Jiuzhaigou Resort
- Description
A warm Tibetan-style welcome awaits guests at the Sheraton Jiuzhaigou, the first five-star resort in China. Surrounded by the picturesque green mountains and blue waters of Jiuzhaigou National Park, this lovely accommodation offers cozy guest rooms with spacious facilities, satellite TV, high-speed internet and mini bar. Stretch out in the modern fitness facility, indulge in a steam bath or relaxing massage, enjoy traditional Sichuan cuisine or be entertained by the resort’s Ethnic Song and Dance Ensemble hailing from the Tibetan and Qiang districts in West China.
- Day 11: Jiuzhaigou / Chengdu
- From Jiuhuang Airport we fly back to Chengdu, where we visit the Moon
Bear Rescue Center. Also known as the Asiatic black bear, the moon bear
population has seen a precipitous decline due to poaching. Bear organs
are used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat a variety of
illnesses, creating a black market. The center is part of a recent
international effort to protect these bears from future harm. We gather
for our farewell dinner this evening.
- Lodging
- Shangri-La Hotel
- Description
Located just 25 minutes from the airport in Chengdu’s cosmopolitan Jinjiang District, the Shangri-La affords spectacular views of the nearby Jinjiang River. The hotel’s spacious guest rooms offer luxurious facilities including an invigorating rain shower, plasma screen TV, complimentary broadband internet access, Wi-Fi, mini bar, coffee and tea making facilities and in-room electronic safe. During your stay, enjoy a drink at Mooney’s, the hotel’s traditional Irish pub, take a dip in the indoor swimming pool or relax with a treatment at Chi Spa, inspired by traditional Asian healing philosophies to restore balance and harmony to the mind and body.
- Day 12: Depart for Home
- After an early breakfast we transfer to the airport for flights home.
Trip Includes
- Airport transfers on Day 1 and final day of itinerary (and on day prior to start of trip if you are staying at The Peninsula Beijing)
- accommodations
- land transportation and all internal flights
- meals from dinner on Day 1 to breakfast on final day
- bottled water in vehicles
- and bottled water and soft drinks at meals
- services of an NHA Expedition Leader
- local tour escort and local guides
- some gratuities and all permits
- entrance fees
- taxes
Trip Excludes
- Transportation from your home city to Beijing, China, and from Chengdu back to your home city
- early arrival airport transfers (other than those described above)
- late departure airport transfers
- passport and visa fees
- optional activities
- items of a personal nature (phone calls, laundry, internet, etc.)
- alcoholic beverages
- some gratuities
- airline baggage fees
- airport and departure taxes
- required medical evacuation insurance
- optional travel insurance
Trip ID#: 44415
CANCELLATIONS: 20% cancellation fee applied if cancelled 60 days prior to departure. Cancellations within 60 days are 100% non-cancelable
Kelly Tompkins
About Kelly
Kelly is the Founder of AdventureLink and a passionate adventure traveler. He specializes in cycling and trekking tours but can help you in a wide variety of activities and destinations.
- Destination expertise All Countries
- Activity expertise All Activities
- Recommended trips
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"It was a great trip! Nat Hab has never disappointed me! I have loved all of the guides I have had so far. It is a nice mixture of culture, history, people, places, environment, animals, and being active. I always tell people with Nat Hab you experience the place, not just look at it!"
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80%“We had the chance to see and do things that would never be available on our own. It was a trip of a lifetime. And I got to hold hands with a panda... You made my dreams come true.”
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90%"Brad Josephs' experience and knowledge on this trip helped me realize very quickly that I'd made a the right decision to travel to China with Natural Habitat. I can't imagine a better experience for a first time traveler to this exotic and little understood country. I returned home to US with altered perceptions of China as a land of great contrasts. He presented an engaging power point talk to us and explained information about Panda habitat, reproduction and conservation. Brad made this trip exceed expectations."
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90%"You continue to distinguish yourselves with your choice of guides and itineraries. Our guides were really wonderful people completely in control of all situations and thoroughly attentive and responsive. The itinerary was excellent. The panda reserve was the highlight and certainly speaks for itself. It was a real treat to visit Juizhaigou, where we were virtually the only westerners around."
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80%“Natural Habitat is still my number one choice because of the best programs, the best variety of destinations, the guaranteed departures – and most of all, the best animal encounter adventures! Natural Habitat never fails to deliver an unforgettable experience.”
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90%The experience with the pandas was unmatched. We felt so lucky to have interacted with the pandas as we did. This trip was the BEST! Can't wait for another Nat Hab adventure."
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70%“Best guides we have ever had.”
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90%“This is the best trip I have ever taken. Many thanks to all the guides. I will recommend it to any who are curious!”
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90%“The guides were superb. Our guide's knowledge of the pandas and Chinese culture was invaluable. Claire was exceptional – so helpful, attentive, and always cheerful. Philip, our local guide in Chengdu, was terrific.”
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90%“All our guides couldn't have been better. They were so knowledgeable, attentive to all our needs and totally flexible as to the wants of the group. The experience with the pandas was unmatched. We felt so very lucky to have interacted with the pandas as we did.”
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80%“Every guide was outstanding – they were always pleasant, always taking care of you and laughing, and they obviously enjoy what they do!”
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