Departure August 23 to September 7, 2013
On this amazing tour of China we visit the magnificent Longmen Caves. Leaders of the Northern Wei dynasty (420-589 AD) moved their capital to Luoyang in 493, and began carving out the Longmen Caves in the hills along both sides of the Yi River. The caves and niches filled with inscriptions and sculptures were added to throughout the Tang dynasty (618-907). Today the Longmen Grottoes, with their thousands of caves, pagodas and Buddhist images, are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Learn about China’s western region and how its Tibetan culture influences the rest of mainland China. China Tour with Bill Altaffer is a rare chance for you to see in depth this part of the world.
Bill Altaffer holds the world record for visiting the most UNESCO World Heritage sites (732 of 936), as well as being the second most-traveled person in the world. (World Heritage sites are natural and cultural places that are considered to have “outstanding universal value.” There are several in this tour.) He has visited all 192 UN countries, plus 300 island groups exhausted 12 passports and 130 visas, surfed on every continent and skied on six of them, visited both the North and South Poles and has been to Siberia 15 times.
Day 1 – Friday August 23 (D) Arrive Zhengzhou
Arrive Zhengzhou and transfer to hotel for free afternoon. Gather this evening for welcome dinner. Overnight Crowne Plaza Zhengzhou.
Day 2 – Saturday August 24 (B, L) Zhengzhou – Shaolin Monastery – Luoyang
Zhengzhou is a prefecture level city on the Yellow River. Neolithic settlements have been found nearby, showing that the area has been settled for thousands of years. Zhengzhou has been a major industrial and trade center since 1949.
After breakfast, set out for Luoyang, stopping at the Shaolin Temple. Built in the shadow of Mount Song, one of China’s sacred mountains, the Shaolin Temple has played an important role throughout history in housing practitioners of Chan (Zen) Buddhism. Shaolin monks are perhaps most famously known as the “kung fu” monks; they practice a form of their religion which combines Chan Buddhist philosophy with a rigorous and active training in martial arts, though because of for-profit organizations that have used the Shaolin name in traveling shows, the role of martial arts in the spiritual lives of the monks has been much misunderstood throughout the world.
After lunch, continue to Luoyang one of the seven ancient capitals of China, serving at one time or another as capital to 13 different dynasties. Originally founded in the 11th century BC, Luoyang has been destroyed and rebuilt several times. The city is renowned for many things: the nearby UNESCO-listed Longmen Grottoes, a cave complex decorated with over 100,000 images of Buddha; the Luoyang Ancient Tombs Museum, the only tombs museum in China; the Luoyang Museum in the center of town; the cultivation of the peony, the city’s flower; and the Luoyang Water Banquet. Transfer to the Luoyang Jinling Hotel.
Day 3 – Sunday August 25 (B, L) Luoyang – Xian
Explore the historical and cultural exhibits at the Luoyong Museum, celebrating the ancient capital’s importance. Among the 400,000 pieces displayed here are many choice pieces of Tang Three Color pottery.
Visit White Horse Temple and monastery. Founded in the 1st century AD, this was China’s first Buddhist temple, named in honor of the horse that carried the first Buddhist manuscripts into China. The compound includes pools, gardens and several beautiful halls. Late this afternoon, board the high-speed train to Xian, capital of Shaanxi Province and the eastern terminus of the great Silk Road. Under the ancient name Chang’an, Xian was home to 11 Chinese dynasties and is one of China’s oldest cities. At its peak in the 8th century, over a million people lived in Xian. Transfer to the Sofitel Xian
Day 4 – Monday August 26 (B, L) Xian – Mt. Huashan
Board a coach this morning for the two-hour drive to Mt. Huashan, one of the five sacred Taoist mountains. Its name means Flower Mountain because its five peaks have been said to resemble a flower from afar. Narrow stone stairs, some with dizzying vistas, lead up the steep crags, and temples, statues and pavilions are tucked in among the rocks. After the day of exploring around the mountain, return to Xian for an evening free.
Day 5 – Tuesday August 27 (B, D) – Xian – Lijiang
Transfer to the airport for a flight to Lijiang, connecting through Kunming. Arrive in Lijiang this evening and check in to hotel for dinner.
Crowne Plaza Lijiang
Day 6 – Wednesday August 28 (B, D) Lijiang
Lijiang, a UNESCO World Heritage Site near the jagged southern tip of the Himalayas is one of the best-preserved old towns in China. Its cobbled streets, most of them for pedestrians only, curve around a network of canals where people live and work. Lijiang is home to the minority Naxi people, a matriarchal culture related to the Tibetans. Their early hieroglyphic written language is the only one of its kind still in use. Visit Black Dragon Pool Park, featuring over 500 varieties of flowers set against the majestic backdrop of the Himalayas.
Take the opportunity to enjoy a leisurely walk. Around the pool is a pavilion with its own bridge across the water, the Five Phoenix Temple dating from the Ming Dynasty, and the Dongba Museum displaying Dongba scrolls and artifacts. Take a cable car up to the meadows of Yunshanping where yaks graze, and explore the Baisha Naxi Village to earn about their culture and written records. After dinner, attend a musical performance of classical Chinese music performed by the Naxi Folk Music Orchestra.
Day 7 – Thursday August 29 (B, D) Lijiang – Zhongdian (Shangri La)
Set out on the stunning drive to Zhongdian. On the road from Lijiang northwest to Zhongdian is a ten-mile Tiger Leaping Gorge, where rapids of the Yangtze River cut through plunging cliffs surrounded by 10,000-foot peaks in a fantastic ten-mile display. The gorge is part of the UNESCO-listed Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan protected area, an area of great biodiversity due to its location in the climate convergence zone. The city of Zhongian is located very near Tibet, in northwest Yunnan Province. Mountainous Yunnan is home to the largest number of minority nationalities in China, and is one of the most biodiverse regions in the World. Zhongdian is part of Shangri-La County, newly renamed to stress its Tibetan influences. Overnight Paradise Hotel.
Day 8 – Friday August 30 (B, L) Zhongdian (Shangri La)
Today visit the Songzanlin Monastery, begun in 1679 in the traditional Tibetan style of Lhasa’s Potala Palace. Crowning the top of a hill at almost 11,000 feet, the Tibetan Buddhist monastery complex includes two lamaseries and many living spaces for the monks. The main prayer hall can hold 1,600 monks, and is beautifully decorated with frescoes and sculptures. The rest of the day is yours to explore independently.
Day 9 – Saturday August 31 (B, L) Zhongdian
Drive about 50 minutes outside of Zhongdian to Pudacuo National Park, established in 2007 with the help of the Nature Conservancy. The wetlands surrounding its two lakes are a favorite habitat of migratory birds, particularly the rare Black-necked Crane. Over 100 endangered species are found here, as well as 20 percent of the country’s plant species. Bitahai is the highest lake in Yunnan, at around 11,000 feet. Mountains surround the beautiful lake. In early summer when the lakeside azaleas are in bloom, the fish eat the mildly poisonous petals and float about as if drunk. Several villages of ethnic Tibetans farm and graze animals in the valleys and the uplands surrounding the park. In the afternoon, pay a visit to a local Tibetan family in Xiagei village.
Day 10 – Sunday September 1 (B, D) Zhongdian – Kunming – Taiyuan – Pingyao
Following breakfast, transfer to the airport for a flight to Kunming with an onwards connection to Taiyuan in the northeastern part of China. From Taiyuan, travel approximately 1.5 hours by coach to Pingyao. Upon arrival, check in to the hotel for dinner and overnight International Financier Club.
Day 11 – Monday September 2 (B, L) Pingyao – Mt. Wutaishan
Explore Pingyao’s well-preserved 14th Century city walls and Multitude of early residence. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Pingyao used to be called “Turtle City” because of the placement of the gates in its 40-foot walls. China’s first bank was founded here. Later, make the drive to Mt. Wutaishan. Overnight Flowers Villa.
Day 12 – Tuesday September 3 (B, D) Mt. Wutaishan – Datong
This morning explore around Mt. Wutai. Mt. Wutai, or Wutaishan, one of China’s four sacred Buddhist Mountains, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2009. Dotted with 53 monasteries, life-size clay sculptures and one of the finest timber buildings from the Tang Dynasty, the five flat peaks of Wutaishan have been tended and beautified for 2,000 years. Nine different emperors made pilgrimages to Wutaishan to honor the bodhisattva of wisdom, Manjusri, believed to live here. Experience the incredible views from Dailuoding Temple and visit the Tibetan Yellow Hat sect Pushading Temple, reminiscent of the Potala Palace in
Lhasa. Drive to Datong. Overnight Tiangui International Hotel.
Day 13 – Wednesday September 4 (B, L) Datong – Day trip to Xuan Kong Si Hanging Monastery
Datong is a city of two and a half million in the northern tip of Shanxi Province near Inner Mongolia. Founded in 200 BC near one of the gates of the Great Wall, it was originally named Pingcheng. Datong was the capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty from 398 to 494 AD. Today it is a coal-mining city best known for its Yungang Grottoes, over 250 caves filled with 51,000 Buddhist sculptures created during its years as the capital. Take a tour of the caves of the 5th century Yungang Grottoes, adorned with Buddhist carvings and statues – over 50,000 of them. The caves cover almost a kilometer of a bluff on Wuzhou Mountain, and illustrate the evolution of Indian Buddhist art into a more Chinese style. Then drive to the Hanging Monastery (Xuan Kong Si), built 1400 years ago, on Mt. Hengshan with its precipitous cliffs and old pines. Return to Datong for a free evening and an independent dinner.
Day 14 – Thursday September 5 (B) Datong – Taiyuan – Beijing
Drive to Taiyuan Airport to catch a flight to Beijing. Upon arrival, checks in to hotel located near the airport. Overnight CITIC Hotel Beijing Airport
Day 15 – Friday September 6 (B) Beijing
Free day in Beijing. Overnight CITIC Hotel Beijing Airport.
Day 16 – Saturday September 7 (B) Depart Beijing
Following breakfast at the hotel, use hotel’s complimentary shuttle to transfer to the airport for your departure flight homebound.
Cost $7895, per person:
Single supplement $1,695
Based on minimum of 6 passengers traveling
Note: Extra nights at the Hotel Beijing Airport $165 per night for single – $180 per night for double, including breakfast and all taxes
CALL NOW for more details 415-331-3791
Includes:
– hotel accommodations listed in itinerary or similar
– services of Bill Altaffer as tour leader (please see bio below)
– Local guides and drivers
– all ground transportation by train, coach or tram
– flights within China; entrance fees
– meals indicated by B-Breakfast, L-Lunch, D-Dinner
– emergency travel insurance
– bottle water on coaches.
We do not recommend participation by children less than 12 years of age.
Does not include:
– air fare from the U.S. to China
– passport or visa fees
– items of a personal nature such as phone calls, laundry, alcoholic beverages, etc
– airport departure taxes
*** We reserve the right to substitute hotels listed in itinerary with hotels of similar quality.
Itinerary subject to change.***
A more detailed itinerary and information on obtaining visa will be sent to all participants on deposit.
