NEW TRIP
From the Great Wall to Hiking Yangshuo’s Karst Landscapes
Exploring the Heart of China
Overview
From imperial Beijing to the karst landscapes of Yangshuo, this immersive adventure brings us into China’s cultural heart. We visit celebrated sites like the tomb of the Terracotta Warriors, one of the great archaeological discoveries of the 20th century, and the iconic Great Wall of China, complementing them with lesser-known gems like the 2,000-year-old UNESCO-listed Dujiangyan Irrigation System. Neighborhoods of traditional alleyways like Chengdu’s Jinli Street and Beijing’s hutongs give us a taste of local life, and day hikes find us among lush rice paddies and sacred mountains—and we’ll even visit a panda sanctuary. Our local guides bring us to their favorite spots to savor authentic regional cuisine, and teach us mahjong and tai chi, bringing China’s culture, history, and contemporary life vividly into focus.
Arrive: Beijing, China
Depart: Guilin, China
Highlights
- Walk secluded sections of the Great Wall of China
- Enjoy regional cuisine—Peking duck in Beijing, Sichuan specialties in Chengdu
- Hike Mt. Huashan, one of China's Five Sacred Taoist Mountains
- Discover incredible archaeological sites including the Terracotta Warriors and the ancient Dujiangyan Irrigation System
- Take a bullet train to Chengdu and visit the famous Wolong Panda Reserve
- Boat, bike, and walk Yangshuo’s spectacular karst landscape
Itinerary
Meet in Beijing and discover highlights like Tian’anmen Square, the Forbidden City, and the Temple of Heaven, and enjoy a traditional peking duck dinner. A drive out to Jinshanling brings us to a lesser-visited section of the Great Wall of China where we can enjoy a walk on these ancient stone ramparts.
Fly to Xi’an, once the Silk Road’s easternmost point. Here we cycle on the city walls, explore the Muslim Quarter, see the Han Dynasty-era Hanyangling Mausoleum, and visit the Terra Cotta Warriors—one of China’s most remarkable archaeological sites. Out in Huayin, we visit the ancient Taoist Xiyue temple and spend a day hiking on Mt. Huashan, China’s most famous sacred peak.
A bullet train brings us to Chengdu where we savor Sichuan cuisine, visit an embroidery museum, play mahjong, take a cooking class, and enjoy a Sichuan opera performance. A short drive to Dujiangyan finds us in panda country—here, visit the Wolong Panda Reserve, home to 150 giant pandas, then take a tour of the Dujiangyan Irrigation System, dating from the 3rd century BC, and hike some of the area’s lush montane trails.
After a short flight to Guilin in southeast China, we head to Yangshuo, savoring the views of limestone karsts dotting green fields. We’ll enjoy three days in this breathtaking landscape, biking through the countryside, boating on the meandering Yulong River, and hiking terraced rice paddies between ancient villages in Longsheng. Depart on Day 15.
Accommodations
Scroll through our signature accommodations for this trip below. Although it is highly unlikely, we may make substitutions when necessary.
What the Trip is Like
This trip is rated a Level 3+, Moderate to Strenuous. Cultural exploration, megacity tours, and day hikes of 2-5 hours are our focus, and on many days we’ll be on our feet for 4-7 hours. Trails can be quite rough; be prepared for uneven ground.
Average Hiking Day
- 4 hours
Challenge Day
- Day 7: 6-7 hours
Our hikes are mostly over easy to moderate terrain with well-marked paths. Some hikes take place on boardwalks or packed dirt. Others, like those on the Great Wall, Mt. Huashan, and Mt. Qingcheng, feature uneven, rocky terrain with some steep sections. Sections of the Great Wall at Panlongshan are “wild” and require the use of both hands and feet to navigate. Our Mt. Huashan hike is the most physically demanding—an all-day trek with many steep steps that require significant effort for both ascents and descents. We are active with cultural walks or village strolls almost every day. Our city days include walking tours, and we take bicycling excursions on two days.
We strongly urge you to train for your trip, as your enjoyment depends highly on your level of fitness. The best training for a hike is to hike, especially over hills or rough terrain. The next best activities are running, swimming, bicycling, or other cardiovascular exercises. Stair-climbing machines are excellent preparation for hiking uphill. Make sure your hiking boots are sturdy, comfortable, and thoroughly broken-in.
We stay in comfortable accommodations at luxury international hotels during our city stays, and in the countryside, we stay in the best available hotels. All accommodations have en-suite bathrooms and other modern conveniences.
The food is a highlight of this trip as we delve into 8,000 years of culinary history. Meals will be primarily authentic Chinese cuisine made of fresh, local ingredients and spices, and we blend fine dining experiences with authentic farmhouse meals and traditional tea sessions. Some days feature Western meals for variety. Western breakfast options will be available daily, including bread, cheese, eggs, and the like. Some of our culinary highlights include an authentic Peking duck dinner in Beijing, a dumpling-making lesson in Xi’an, and a cooking class in Sichuan. Special diets (gluten-free, dairy-free) can be accommodated, but please advise us about dietary restrictions in advance.
A van will transport the group’s luggage, so you only need to carry a daypack for items you need during the day (rain gear, sweater, camera, water bottle, etc.). Over the course of the trip we take two domestic flights of approximately two hours each and one 3.5-hour bullet train ride. Our longest daily drive time is 2.5 hours, and we take one leisurely boat ride in Yangshuo.
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Itinerary
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Trip Levels
With more than 200 different adventures to choose from, we want to help you find the trip that’s right for you. Our Trip Level system ranks each trip in two ways: a number rating from 1 to 6 according to the activity, and general travel rigors. 1 is the easiest and 6+ the most difficult.