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Contact UsFly from New York to Guangzhou. Other flight arrangements could be made if you wish to visit Beijing, Shanghai or other places in China.
Arrive Guangzhou 05:45 AM. Follow signs to clear immigration formalities and claim your luggage. Meet Celestial Voyagers representative outside immigration and luggage claim. You will have a quick overview of Guangzhou, a sprawling port city northwest of Hong Kong on the Pearl River. Connecting flight Guangzhou Dali, MU#5734 Leaves at 12:05 and arrives Dali at 18:20. Assistance on arrival and transfer to your hotel. Check-in for 3 nights: Gurong Hotel 4* (or similar) You could also leave one day earlier and rest in Guangzhou to adjust to jet lag.
9:00 AM Meet your guide for a full day sightseeing of Dali which includes: A walking tour through the Old town to see the South Gate, the church, the local market and the three pagodas. In the afternoon drive to Cangshan Mountain to visit a small tea plantation. Pick up tea and make tea.
9:00 AM Meet your guide for a full day excursion to the villages of Xizhou and Zhoucheng:
● Morning market to buy some fresh vegetable and edible flowers for cooking class.
● Cooking class at Bai Courtyard
● Visit Bai architecture and learn to make Rushan (local cheese).
● Learn how to make and drink three courses tea.
● Visit old stage and tiedyed workshop.
● Drive to Rose Garden and learn how to make Rose Cake.
9:00 AM Departure with your guide for Lijiang. En route, visit Shaxi Town, Xingjiao Village, grottoes on Shibaoshan Mountains Lijiang is a Unesco World Heritage Site. situated in the northwest part of China’s Yunnan province, it is home to the Naxi and several other ethnic minority groups. A commercial center in the 1300s, its old town encompasses cobblestone streets, canals and Central Market Square with shops and restaurants. Black Dragon Pool has famed views of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain range, fronted by the Moon Embracing Pavilion. Check in at hotel for 2 nights. Palace Hotel 4* (or similar).
9:00 AM depart for a full day sightseeing of Lijiang which includes:
● Walking tour of Lijiang Old Town through small paths and canals
● Climbing to Wangulou Pagoda for a bird view of the old town
● Visit the former residence of the botanist Joseph Rock in Yuhu Village
● Fresco in Baisha Village
9:00 am Departure with your guide to Zhongdian. En route you will visit:
● Stone drum Park, the first bend of the Yangtze River in Shigu
● Tiger Leaping Gorge with soft trekking in the gorge
Arrival to hotel around 5:00 PM. Check in for 2 nights: Hilton Garden Hotel 4* (or similar) ShangriLa as formerly called Zhongdian. It was renamed in 2001 after the fictional land of ShangriLa, in the 1933 novel “Lost Horizon” by James Hilton.
09:00 AM Meet your guide for a full day sightseeing of Zhongdian which includes:
● Visit to Songzanlin Monastery
● Meeting a Tibetan Family in a village and learn how to make yak butter tea
● Visit to Ringha Monastery
● Walk in the old town and visit Giant Pray Wheel
07:30 AM: Meet your guide to go to the airport to take your flight to Lhasa Zhongdian Lhasa flight MU#5939 10:35 12: 40. Assistance and transfer on arrival to go to your hotel. Check in for 4 nights: Hotel Four Point by Sheraton 4* (or similar). Remainder of the day for acclimatization to the altitude which is just over 12 000 feet. Lhasa is the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region. It is built on the Lhasa River’s north bank in a valley of the Himalayas.The red-and-white Potala Palace once served as the winter home of the Dalai Lama which counts around 1,000 rooms,
This is the first day of the Shoton Festival in Lhasa. Shoton means yogurt banquet. It is also called The Tibetan Opera Festival as well as the Buddha Exhibition Festival. Hundreds of Tibetan people gather at Drepung and Sera monastery. They come up, well dressed in their ethnic costume to see the famous Buddha Thangkas or “Mandalas” which depicts Buddhist deity scenes showing the life of the Buddha. As you visit Lhasa during the Festival, here are some of the unique experiences you will see during the religious and folk festivities:
● Lamas carrying the giant Jampa Thangka and hanging on foothills
● The sound of sutra bugle reverberating through the valley.
● Giant hanged Jampa thangka at Drepung and Sera monastery.
● Tibetan opera performance at Norbulingka Palace.
● Exciting horse race with the presentation of traditional horsemanship
● Wonderful and unique yak racing
● Men or women, young or old, dress in their gorgeous clothes
● Colorful tents setting up everywhere
● Tibetan foods and drinks served on their carpet in front of the tents
● Lively dancing and singing by these fascinating people
● Tibetans throwing White Khada on the giant Thangka.
All the visits of Lhasa will be organized around the Festival events.
All the visits of Lhasa will be organized around the Festival events.
9:00 AM Meet your guide to go to the train station and board your train for a 22 hour train ride from Lhasa to Xining, in the province of Qinghai. Along the journey, you will enjoy stunning views of the Tibetan Plateau as you cross the 1972 kilometers which links the 2 cities, (soft sleeper cabin) Depart Lhasa 11:15 AM
Arrival Xining at 08:55 AM. Meet your guide at the train station and commence your visit of Xining which includes:
● Xining Museum
● Ta’Er Monastery
● Local market
Official checkin time at the hotel is 3:00 PM for immediate occupancy rooms must be booked for the previous night. Zhongfayuan Hotel 4* (or similar)
08:00 AM Meet your guide to go to the airport for your flight to Guangzhou Xining / Guangzhou CZ#3250 11:00 am 2: 25 PM. Arrive Guangzhou, meet assistant at the airport Connecting flight out of Guangzhou is CZ#699 leaving at 8:00 PM and arriving JFK 11:00PM You could also leave one day later and overnight in Guangzhou if you have a different connection for your return.
This sample tour is just an example of a specific itinerary related to the country we just described to give you an idea of what is available in that country when you travel.
All our trips are tailor-made and we are at your disposal to plan your trip in consideration of how many people will be traveling, how many days you wish to travel, the season, the standard and the location of the hotels, the amount of meals you wish to include, the guided tours or experiences which will show you not only the “must see” landmarks but also the special interest sites and events you will love that are off the beaten track.
Francoise is the president and founder of Celestial Voyagers. She graduated with a tourism degree at Nice University in France and has worked as a tour director and operations manager in France, Australia and Mexico. Settling in New York City, she founded Celestial Voyagers with the aim of creating uniquely curated group travel for adults and Academia.