China Culture & Walking Adventure for Women
Overview
This trip is a sightseeing and active hiking adventure for female travelers to explore China from Beijing to Xian, Chengdu, Lijiang, Guilin and end the tour in Hong Kong. We'll hike Jinshanling Great Wall, walk through the old streets of Chengdu, hike Tiger Leaping Gorge, idyllic Yangshuo countryside, while also visit China highlight attractions including Forbidden City, Terracotta Army, giant panda base, enjoy Li River bamboo rafting and learn to cook Chinese gourmet food at a quaint cuisine museum. In addition, there’re also great shopping opportunities and leisure vacation time.
Duration: 17 days & 16 nights
Destinations: Beijing - Xian - Chengdu - Lijiang - Guilin - Hong Kong
Travel Style: private tour
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Upon your arrival at Beijing airport or rail station, you will be greeted by your private tour guide holding a sign with your name at the exit. You will be transferred to the hotel and enjoy the rest of day by yourself.
Beijing is a beautiful city that attracts women travelers worldwide with is historical sites, tasty foods and interesting traditions. For your leisure time which can be short or long depending on your arrival time, it’s suggested to visit some sites which are not included in your itinerary but you may want to explore by yourself, such as the Yonghe Lamasery and Wangfujing Snack Street. Yonghe Lamasery is a Tibetan Buddhist temple in the northeast corner of Beijing with hundreds of history, and Wangfujing Snack Street set on a narrow alley off the main walking street. Along the 810-meter walking street, you will find many kinds of food along the roadsides, such as the deep fried insects. Some is not normal food but for attracting tourists' attention.
This morning, meet your private guide and driver at hotel. Take a short ride before starting today’s trip with the exploration of Tiananmen Square, the world's largest city center square and the center of Beijing. Many important sites can be found here, such as the Monument to the People’s Heroes, Great Hall of the People, and the Mao Zedong Memorial. Walk through the Gate of Heavenly Peace to enter the Forbidden City, which is officially known as the Imperial Palace Museum and has a long history over 500 years. The Treasure Museum of the Forbidden City is included in the visit. As a treasure trove, a large amount of royal treasures in past dynasties can be found here, such as glittering gold and silver wares, super good pearls, emeralds, china, golden phoenix crowns, and ivory jade carvings.
Later head for Jingshan Park, right behind the Forbidden City, formerly a private imperial garden attached to the grounds of the Forbidden City. Looking from the peak in a sunny day, the visitors are able to get a full and clear view of the Forbidden City. It’s nice to have a full picture before the visit to the Forbidden City.
Later afternoon, pay a visit to Houhai Area. You will wander around Hutongs, namely Beijing’s traditional alleyways, represents Beijing’s origin, location or history. Nowadays, Houhai is a bustling commercial district. Here you can find high quality souvenirs, delicious street foods, interesting stuffs or enjoy a relaxing time in a bar with a cup of coffee or a jar of beer. Lots of popular singers used to work here in bars before they become famous.
Meal: B, L
After breakfast, meet your private guide at hotel and take a 2.5hrs ride to Jinshanling Great Wall. Jinshanling Section of the Great Wall is half-restored, so comparing with other sections of the Great Wall, Jinshanling keeps its original appearance better and is more reachable than a wild Great Wall which is not repaired at all. As a perfect fusion of military defense, the Jinshanling Great Wall provides you a stunning view, while you get an in-depth understanding of the wisdom of military science in ancient China. Your tour guide will get some snacks and water ready for you along the hike. Usually the time taking for the hike is around 3.5hrs. After the meaningful Great Wall hike, take your private ride to Gubeikou Ancient Town. The renovation of this 1000-year-old town has been beautifully done. Stay overnight in Gubei Water Town at the foot of Simatai.
OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES
- It would be nice to take an optional evening tour to visit the Simatai Great Wall. Take cable car up Simatai, when the sun set slowly and the sky is hung with rosy clouds (if weather permits), and then the watch towers are lighted with little lamps, resembling millions of stars shinning upon Simatai, the most peculiar, precipitous and deepest Great Wall.
- For female travelers if it is winter season or you’re looking for treatment after a walking day, enjoy yourself hot spring bath at night.
Meal: B, L
This morning, after some time spending in the Gubeikou Water Town, we will take a private ride back Beijing city. Firstly visit Temple of Heaven. The Temple of Heaven (Tiantan Park) is an imperial complex Taoist buildings situated in the southeastern part of central Beijing, Chongwen District. The name literally means an altar to worship the heaven. In Ming and Qing Dynasties, the Emperors would visit here at a specific time for annual ceremonies of prayer to Heaven for good harvest. Besides the impressed architectures in the park, you might also be inspired by local people who are doing variety morning exercise here. Joining a team to kick shuttlecock, watching masters writing characters on floor, appreciating a square dancing, etc., any of them would be full of fun.
After the visit of Temple of Heaven, we will treat you with some local deserts in a small and renowned snack shop. Beijing, as one of the biggest city in China, lots of popular snacks can be found here. Some of them are specially loved by local people, such as Mung Bean Milk, Rolling Donkey (a kind of dessert), Pea Flour Cake. You may not like some taste of them, but it can be fun to get close to the real local food habit.
The late afternoon is a leisure and happy time for women travelers - head for the Silk Market (Xiushui Market) for hunting for all kinds of Chinese goods you may like, mainly Chinese-made clothes, bags, shoes, and tourist souvenirs. Bargaining with salesclerk is an important skill here. If you are not sure about the proper price, a discussion with your tour guide first is always an option.
OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES
- The Legend of Kong Fu Show is a must-see production in Beijing for tourists and Kung Fu lovers. A group of the best Kung Fu practitioners of China are collected and the best directors and designers of the country are invited by CHC. There are English subtitles shown above the stage to keep you informed of the story line. There is no speaking of the actors, just Kung fu show, dance and acrobatics. The fusion of modern dance with Chinese traditional martial arts makes this performance unique and spectacular.
Meal: B, L
In the morning, with the company of your guide, you will be transferred to rail station. Say goodbye to your guide and get on a high speed train for Xi’an. The train journey takes around 4.5hrs. Upon arrival at Xi’an rail station, your tour guide will be the exit waiting for you.
After check in hotel, head out with your guide for the Muslim Quarter. Walking leisurely through the local Muslim community to glimpse Hui people’s daily life and customs and meet local Hui women. Also stimulate the appetite with hundreds of street foods, snacks and drinks at the Muslim Quarter. You may not want to miss any delicious street food here, such as roast mutton, Rou Jia Mo/Chinese Hamburger, Liangpi/cold noodles, steamed buns, etc., so a formal dinner might not be needed.
Meal: B
In the morning, meet your private guide at hotel lobby, and then set off for Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses Museum, which is one of the top attractions in China and famous for its historical significance and uniqueness. You will be offered a ride by a shuttle vehicle from the entrance to the sites, in order to save your physical energy from more than 10 minutes meaningless walking. From here, you will get to know human military force in cold weapon era, how the military was organized, what weapons they used, and the superb pottery handicraft of ancient China.
After lunch, transfer back to city area. Take a walk on the Ancient City Wall. Since the location of Xi’an gives it strategic military importance, the wall is very tall and fortified. It’s now the best-kept and longest city wall in China. Bicycles are available for renting. If you are good at riding bicycle, it would be a nice way to take a round trip on the wall instead of walking.
At a right time, enter the Datang Furong Garden, which is the first Tang Dynasty royal garden style large-scale theme park in China. The Garden is divided into several areas, including the Women Culture Area. The Women Culture Area comprehensively displays the positive, optimistic and confident spirit of women in the Tang Dynasty in terms of clothing, sports, political participation, and love. In the Tang Dynasty, the empress Wuzetian finally got the power and became an emperor. She is the only female emperor recognized by official history for ruling monarchy in Chinese history. That’s part of the reason why women culture was so colorful in Tang Dynasty. In Datang Furong Garden, the highlights such as Tang style architectures, Water Screen show, Tang cultures can’t be missed. The visit lasts to evening when the architectures are illuminated by lights.
Meal: B, L
In the morning, be met at hotel and transfer to rail station for a high speed train to Chengdu, one of the top cities to visit for women travelers. The train ride takes around 4hrs. Chengdu is the hometown of giant panda, and features longstanding history and civilization. Be greeted at Chengdu rail station and then transfer to hotel.
After a short rest, head out to take a walking tour in city center. You will firstly visit a very local style market. Here you will find lots of food material that you have never seen before, and see how people sell their productions. You will have opportunities to make your own dumplings, taste the Spring Rolls and home-made Baijiu (liquor). Later walk to visit Kuanzhai Alley and Renming Park. As one of the three conservation districts of historic sites of Chengdu City, Kuanzhai Alley consists of three parallel Chinese old-style alleys. Tasty Chengdu delicacies and various western food and drinks can be found here. Renmin Park is hundreds meter away from the Kuanzhai Alley. Renming Park is a good place to experience local people’s life and entertainment. They enjoy their life every day by drinking tea, playing mahjong, dancing, singing in the park. You will join them with a cup of tea there. If you are interested, our guide will tell you some basic rule of Mahjong.
Meal: B, L
In the morning, drive to the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Base, which is home to nearly 50 pandas, and has just inspired the Kung Fu Panda 3 movie creators to portray a secret panda village. It will be perfect to see the pandas in the morning when they enjoy bamboo breakfast and have fun at the outdoor grassy land. Learn more about pandas, their evolutionary process & life habit, by visiting the panda delivery room.
Hot pot can’t be missed for a trip in Chengdu. Enjoy a hot pot lunch. After lunch, drive around 1 hour to visit the Sichuan Cuisine Museum, which is the only dynamic museum in the world displaying the Sichuan Culinary Culture. Here you will visit its Classic Collection hall, Raw material display area, Kitchen God ancestral hall, An-old-famous-Sichuan-restaurant ally, Raw material processing tools display area. The most important thing is that you will be guided to cook three typical Sichuan dishes, with a firsthand experience from Sichuan Cuisine’s cutting skills, control of heat, cooking process with some secret tips to presentation. With an enjoyment to the senses of sight, smell, taste and touch, you may reach for the essential features of Sichuan Cuisine. After the museum, we drive back hotel in Chengdu.
Meal: B, L
Early morning, transfer to airport by a private car. Fly to Lijiang. Lijiang is an exceptional ancient town set in a dramatic landscape which represents the harmonious fusion of different cultural traditions to produce an urban landscape of outstanding quality. Be met by a local guide and transfer to hotel. After a shot break you will be guided to explore Lijiang old town, named Dayan, the former cultural and political center of Lijiang Naxi Kingdom established in late 13th Century, with an area of 7.2 sq. km. Walk around to discover many historical streets, structures, sites, schools and secret corners.
The rest of the day is free for your own exploration and relaxing in the ancient city of Lijiang. It would be nice to buy a cup of coffee, in a laid-back coffee bar, and rest for a while.
Meal: B, L
After breakfast, you will be picked up and transferred to the start point of Tiger Leaping Gorge hiking route (altitude: 1790m) in 2-hour’s driving. Hiking Tiger Leaping Gorge is an amazing experience for adventure women. You will finish the first section at Naxi's House in around 2hrs, where you will have lunch and have a rest. The 2nd part in the afternoon is about 3.5hrs. Steep yourself in this marvelous gorge and river, and enjoy the The most difficult section is called 28 zigzags which lead you to the highest point at altitude of 2650m. You will overnight in a guest house.
Meal: B, L
After a sweet night and good breakfast, continue the trekking. Most of the roads are descend and much easier. At noon time you will reach the end of the trekking, Tina's House, for lunch. Transfer back to Lijiang after a full rest.
You May Want To Know
- The weather conditions at Tiger Leaping Gorge can change quickly and sometimes can cause landslides which may affect travel. Therefore, your guide may have got to revise the itinerary to take account of the local road and weather conditions.
Meal: B
Morning take a private transfer to Yuhu Village. The earliest residents of Yuhu village were those who raised deer for the palace of Naxi king. The Yuhu Lake here was a man-made lake constructed by the Mu family before the Ming Dynasty. Visit The Former Residence of Dr Joseph Rock, an adventurer and geographer who traveled through Yunnan and lived in Lijiang for 27 years.
After the tour, transfer to airport for a flight to Guilin. Your guide for Guilin area will be waiting for you at the exit of airport, and then transfer you to Yangshuo directly which is 1.5hrs away. Check in hotel and then enjoy a free evening.
Meal: B, L
In the morning, be met at hotel by your private tour guide and driver, and then head for Xingping. Nine Horse Fresco Hill is said to be the most beautiful and famous hill along Li River. You will set off on your private bamboo rafting to visit the picturesque Li River, from Xingping to Nine Horse Fresco Hill. The cruise duration is around 1.5hrs. After thdfe cruise, spend some time to visit the Xingping Ancient Town. Walking on the Xingping Old Street, you will find that the old city wall, slop-roof houses with black tiles are getting along with the new lifestyle; brick-tile structure and historical relics are kept integrated.
After the Li River Cruise, take a trip to Mt. Xianggongshan. The Mt. Xianggongshan requires hundreds of stairs to take before reaching the top, so you are supposed to be in a good level of fitness. The reward is worth of the hiking. Standing on the sightseeing stage, thank your own self for choosing this site. A panoramic view over the Li River and surrounding hills comes out as a vast Chinese landscape painting before you.
Kind Note
- Tourists, both male and female, who are at the age of over 70 years or shorter than 1.2m (kids), are not allowed to take bamboo rafting according to local policy for security reason. Please let us know in advance if bamboo rafting is not proper for you, then we can change for another good activity.
Meal: B, L
Today we will hike deep into the countryside of Yangshuo, experiencing some of the best hiking trails in Yangshuo, as you walk along the Yulong River. Enjoy yourself the every moment to close up to nature consist of amazing limestone Karst formation, rural farmlands, fruits gardens and tranquil old villages. The hiking tour will end at Jiuxian village, a charming serene village hidden in green mountains and near Yulong River. It is well-known for its old grey brick buildings and historical relics that can be found throughout Jiuxian Village. The hiking time is around 3hrs.
Later transfer to Guilin rail station for the bullet train to Hong Kong. Be met by English speaking driver at the rail station and then privately transfer to hotel.
Meal: B, L
Meet your guide and driver at hotel, and then transfer to the peak tram terminus. Ride the tram, a kind of oldest funicular railway up to the top of Victoria Peak. Opened in 1888, now it becomes popular experience among tourists. On a clear day, the tram journey can be very pleasant. Victoria Peak is the highest point on Hong Kong Island. It’s said that the journey to Hong Kong is not complete without a visit to Victoria Peak. The view it offering attracts a large amount of tourists.
After the peak tram, start the Peak Circle Walk which takes around 1.5hrs for 3.5km. Some of the best views of the Victoria Harbour are on the Peak Circle Walk, which winds around the highest point on Hong Kong Island. Descend the peak and be transfer to Central District. Immerse yourself to the modern street view here at Central District. We will guide you to experience the popular escalator, a pedestrian transportation system connecting the Central Business District with Mid-levels District, and take a visit to the Soho Food District for a local style meal including authentic dishes like pork Cutlet, egg tart, Wunton noodle etc.
Continue to visit the Avenue of Stars, where honors celebrities of the Hong Kong film industry. Take a selfie with Bruce Lee on the Avenue of Starts, where a life-size bronze statue of the martial arts hero sets. Also “hold hands” with Chinese Kungfu stars Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh. Their hand prints are a few meters in front of Lee’s statue.
The last stop for today is Tai Kwun, a center for heritage and arts. Tai Kwun is located in the heart of Central District, in the restored Central Police Station compound, comprising three declared monuments-the former central Polica Station, Central Magistracy and Victoria Prison. You will be immersed in the rich heritage of the unique historical compound through interactive tours, heritage storytelling spaces and thematic heritage exhibitions. After the tour, transfer back hotel.
Meal: B, L
As you may have known Hong Kong is a paradise for women’s shopping experience. Today it’s time for crazy shopping, in the shopping paradise, lady-friendly city, Hong Kong. Here you can find high-end luxury brands, colorful street market goods, enormous factory outlets, etc. The top popular shopping areas are like Stanley Market, Sneakers Street, Ladies Market (Mongkok street), Central. Find a proper shopping place for you to spend the day. Hong Kong won’t let you disappointed.
Meal: B
Free at leisure until the appointed time, be met by your driver at hotel and take the private transfer to airport. Say goodbye to China and we hope for your next visit.
Meal: B
