Itinerary

Day 1      Arrive Hong Kong

Welcome! Your family won't have to worry about anything upon arrival at the airport. Simply exit customs and someone will be there to meet you. They will even help with check-in at the hotel.
    
Meals: None
Lodging: Centrally located 4 * hotel    

Day 2      Explore Hong Kong

Today is free to relax or do some exploring with your family; your hotel can arrange for guided tours if you wish or we can arrange for a private tour for just your family (not included in land cost). Consider a Hong Kong Island tour to visit Man Mo Temple, Aberdeen Fishing Village, Stanley Market, Repusle Bay, and see Victoria Peak by tram. Another option is Ocean Park, one of the largest oceanariums in the world, which features aquariums, dolphin shows, rides, a film simulator, and giant pandas — it’s got something fun for everyone in your family. You can also take a cable car ride over the Park. Another option is a tour of the Lantau Islands. Your family can take a ferry out to see Silvermine Bay, Po Lin Monastery, Cheung Sha Beach, and Tai Village, then it’s only a short ride out to the China Sea to see Chinese White Dolphins. It is only a short walk from your hotel, situated on the Kowloon side, to the waterfront, for a spectacular nighttime view of Hong Kong's harbor.

    
Meals: Breakfast
Lodging: Centrally located 4 * hotel    

Day 3      Guilin and Yangshuo's Natural Beauty

After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your flight to Guilin, a place of impressive natural beauty. After arriving in Guilin, drive just a few hours away to Yangshuo, which is nestled among imposing limestone karst formations that have inspired poets and painters for centuries. In the evening, watch the incredible Impression Liusanjie light show. The show was designed and directed by Zhang Yimao, the same person who directed the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
    
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Lodging: Centrally located 3-4 * hotel    

Day 4      Biking in Yangshuo, Boating in Fuli

This small town offers a relaxed and intimate alternative from the major cities of China and is an excellent place to explore by bicycle. You and your family can join your local guide and spend a few hours exploring the wonderful scenery in the surrounding countryside, including Moon Hill, a limestone pinnacle with a moon-shaped hole. The kids will love climbing and exploring this unique natural wonder. Your family will also meet some of the inhabitants of the nearby villages. After finishing your bike ride, enjoy a home-cooked lunch at the home of a local family. Afterwards, take a leisurely boat ride down the Li River to the picturesque market town of Fuli, which has stone houses and cobbled lanes. Return to Yangshuo by car for your overnight.
    
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Lodging: Centrally located 3-4 * hotel    

Day 5      Sights and Sounds of Chengdu

Fly to Chengdu, a city which has been influenced by a history of trade built on “cottage industry” handicrafts. Recent changes in Chinese regulations have seen a revival of this private industry tradition and signs of a thriving market are at almost every turn. Afterwards, visit Renmin Park, where there is a bonsai rockery and a kids’ playground. Your family can take a delightful trip around the park's lake in a pedal boat for a fun way to see all that the park has to offer. Across the lake from the teahouse is the entry to an underground museum/funhouse that will be sure to delight all the members of your family. Originally a bomb shelter, the building now houses a Chinese monster show. It also contains models of New York, Sydney, Rome and the Taj Mahal. Time permitting, visit other local sites in Chengdu. In the evening, you will attend the "Changing of the Faces" performance. During the show, the performers change their colorful masks so quickly that a new face appears almost like magic.
    
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Lodging: Centrally located 4 * hotel    

Day 6      Visit the Giant Pandas

One of the highlights of this family trip to China is a visit to the Giant Panda Research Center. Here, your family will be able to watch the pandas at play, and learn about how pandas survive in the wild. Unlike a zoo, the pandas here are in open enclosures with lots of green space and large play structures, which ensures your family an exciting visit with these playful, happy creatures. The Giant Panda is one of the world's most endangered species and has become an icon for conservation movements everywhere. Though still found in parts of the Sichuan province, they are very difficult to spot in the wild. Seeing these amazing creatures up close is something that kids of all ages are sure to enjoy.  Return to your hotel in Chengdu for your overnight.
    
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Lodging: Centrally located 4 * hotel    

Day 7      The Terracotta Warriors of Xian

Fly from Chengdu to Xian, best known for its renowned Terracotta Warriors. These entombed statues are considered one of the most important archaeological finds of the century. Over 6,000 of them were individually sculpted from clay, each having a different costume, height and even facial expression. They stand in battle formation, facing east to protect the tomb of China's first Emperor, the great Qin Shihuang. Time permitting, visit the Banpo Neolithic Village, named for its early examples of Yangshao culture. Your family will also visit the ancient Imperial Hot Spring Baths, where you can relax together by taking a dip in the Springs, and the bustling countryside open market. In the evening, there will be a dinner and concert from the restored Tang Dynasty featuring court music and dance.
    
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Lodging: Centrally located 4 * hotel    

Day 8      Explore Xian

In the 10th century, Xian was thought to be the greatest city on earth. Visit its ancient sites, which include the Bell and Drum Towers, the Wild Goose Pagoda, which was built by Emperor Gao Zong in memory of his deceased mother, and the Ancient City Walls, built on the foundations of the walls of the Tang Forbidden City. If there is time, you will visit the Shanxi Museum, which holds the world's greatest repository of Tang Dynasty ceramics, paintings and imperial artifacts. In the evening, your family will board an overnight train for Beijing.
    
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Lodging: Centrally located 4 * hotel    

Day 9      Adventure in the Forbidden City

Morning arrival in Beijing, a city which offers endless opportunities for exploration. After breakfast, you and your family will begin a guided city tour that includes the enormous Forbidden City, built more than 500 years ago and off limits to commoners for almost all that time. Its size might surprise you, but what makes it fascinating is the intense detail with which it was built, ranging from intricately carved walkways to colorfully painted ceilings. The surprises at every turn make it a fun area to explore with your family. The Summer Palace and Temple of Heaven are two other fine examples of extraordinary workmanship. Your family may also have the opportunity to witness a kung-fu performance! In the evening, enjoy dinner and a performance of the unique Beijing Opera. The colorful costumes, bright makeup, and combination of singing, dialogue, dancing, and martial arts makes this show exciting for kids and culturally enlightening for parents.
    
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Lodging: Centrally located 4 * hotel    

Day 10      Hutongs - Experience Traditional Beijing

Take your family off the beaten path on a pedal-cab tour to the hutong area. Hutongs are extensive residential neighborhoods of low courtyard houses lining mazes of “streets” that may be only a meter or two wide. By some counts, a quarter of Beijing’s population lives on these very orderly, traditional old lanes. Your kids will be fascinated by life in the hutongs, and the local children will be just as curious as your kids are about them. In the afternoon, visit Milu Yuan (Milu Park), located in the Southern Marshes. Once a site where Yuan, Ming, and Qing emperors would hunt deer, rabbit, and pheasant, it is now an ecological research center. Here the kids can see Pere David’s deer (milu), a creature that became extinct in China toward the end of the Qing dynasty. The Milu Deer you see today are the descendants of 18 animals that were collected in 1898 by Lord Bedford from zoos around Europe. The research center's expansive marshlands also boast migratory birds, other endangered animals, a maze, and an organic vegetable garden - something to entertain everyone in the family! Return to your hotel in Beijing.
    
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Lodging: Centrally located 4 * hotel    

Day 11      The Great Wall

The least visited, largely unrestored, and most beautiful section of the Great Wall is located in Simatai. Standing on this incredible engineering feat and surveying the spectacular surrounding countryside is an unforgettable experience. Your family will have a great time hiking one of the few portions of the Great Wall that has maintained its Ming Dynasty architectural features, and kids will love exploring the many military watchtowers and imagining life as one of China’s great ancient warriors.  The Simatai section of the wall has many fascinating landmarks, such as the Wangjinglou Tower, the Heaven Bridge, and the Fairy Tower. Legend has it that thousands of years ago, an angel lived in the Fairy Tower. In its former life the angel was an antelope who fell in love with a shepherd; since this love was unrequited the antelope was repaid by being reincarnated as an angel. Afterwards, you'll return to your hotel in Beijing, where you can explore with your family for the remainder of the day. There are good shopping opportunities at the Silk Market and Dachilan Market.
    
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Lodging: Centrally located 4 * hotel    

Day 12      Beijing/Onward

Sadly you'll say goodbye to your guide and to China today as you are transferred to the airport for your flight home.
    
Meals: Breakfast
Lodging: None

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