Budget China Homeland Heritage Tour

Small budget, great tour! Yes, these two can pair up! Even if your family has a limited budget when it comes to returning to your children's motherland, we can assist you with planning your once-in-a-lifetime tour. The Budget China Homeland Heritage Tour is for families with limited budgets and a deep insight into the importance of their children's cultural heritages.

Imagine the joy, fun and excitement your children will have when they are climbing the Great Wall in Beijing, exploring the breathtaking Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum and riding a bike on the ancient city wall of Xian. This tour provides the opportunity to reunite with the orphanage directors and caregivers, and hugging adorable baby pandas in Chengdu. Your budget trip can be very meaningful and worthwhile. (Orphanage visitation filing fees are indeed separated costs and are determined by specific visitation ordinances). The trips to your child’s province on days 8-10 are customized according to your preferences and price is determined accordingly.

Budget Summer China Homeland Heritage Tour Registration Form

Itinerary

Day 1: US/Beijing

accommodations: n/a

meals: n/a

Begin your tour to China’s most popular historical sites and cities today when you depart from the US gateway city for Beijing.

Day 2: Beijing

accommodations: Four Star Hotel

meals: n/a

Arrive at the Beijing International Airport. Your private English-speaking guide and driver will take you to your hotel. Soak in your child’s birth country while you adjust to your new time zone and surroundings.

Day 3: Beijing

accommodations: Four Star Hotel

meals: B/L

Begin your day with a tour at the Forbidden City. Listed as a world heritage site in 1987, the Forbidden City contains the largest group of intact palace structures in the world. The palace is 720,000 square meters in size and contains 9,999 rooms, numerous pavilions, gardens and courtyards. Then visit the Tiananmen Square. Noted as the largest city square in the world, the square was initially designed for political rallies and important gala events. Today the square is flanked by the Forbidden City in the north, the Great Hall of the People in the west, Mao TseTung’s Mausoleum in the south and the Museum of Chinese Revolution and the Museum of Chinese History in the east. This afternoon, stop by at the major 2008 Olympic Venues including the National Stadiums – “Bird's Nest”, the National Aquatics Center – “Watercube” on the way to the imperial gardens of the Summer Palace. The palace was originally built in 1750 and was rebuilt in 1886. Located in the western outskirts of the city, the Summer Palace is the leading classical garden in China and a UNESCO world heritage site.

Day 4: Beijing

accommodations: Four Star Hotel

meals: B/L

Visit the UNESCO world heritage site today. Begin your day with a tour at the MuTianYu section of the Great Wall. Constructed more than 2,000 years ago by China’s first emperor, the ancient wall is the world’s longest man-made structure at approximately 4,000 miles in length.

Day 5: Beijing/Xian

accommodations: Overnight Express Train

meals: B/L/D

Explore the fascinating Hutong neighborhoods. Beijing’s oldest Hutongs were constructed during the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. Your tour will take you through some of the best-preserved Hutong neighborhoods, which represented the history, culture and lifestyle of old Beijing. After a special homemade lunch at a local family residence in the Hutong Lane area, your family can learn how to make your own kites under professional instructions, and then fly your handmade kites with others at the Temple of Heaven which is China’s largest temple and altar. It is often regarded as the most recognizable symbol of China. Early this evening, get onboard a luxury express train for your overnight journey to Xian.

Day 6: Xian

accommodations: Four Star Hotel

meals: B/L

Arrive early this morning in China's ancient capital city of Xian. Known as ChangAn in ancient times, Xian was the capital city of China for 1,062 years (13 dynasties and 73 different emperors). Visit the Shaanxi Provincial History Museum for an in-depth look at China’s extensive history with more than 2,000 items on exhibit. In the afternoon, get on top the 950-year-old city wall and ride a bike; be sure to enjoy the panoramic view. Built during the early Ming Dynasty with a core of mud and covered by three layers of bricks, Xian’s city wall is the only city wall that remained intact in China today.

Day 7: Xian

accommodations: Four Star Hotel

meals: B/L

Embark on an amazing historical and cultural adventure today, beginning with an exploration at the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum, where you will find lifelike terracotta soldiers, horses, chariots and weapons created more than 2,000 years ago to guard the first emperor’s tomb. Their vibrant painted details have worn away and revealed their original earthy color. Learn to make JiaoZi (traditional Chinese dumplings) in a local restaurant and have a JiaoZi lunch there. This evening, relax and unwind. Enjoy recording your experiences of the day in a journal or just lounging in your fine hotel room.

Day 8: Xian/Province

accommodations: n/a

meals: B

Depart Xian and travel to the capital city of your designated province for an orphanage visit. A Lotus guide will sensitively and carefully assist your family as you embark on this most meaningful portion of your return trip. On this initial day of the city visit, stroll around the area and absorb the city and locale.

Day 9: Province

accommodations: n/a

meals: n/a

Your orphanage visitation typically includes a lunch meeting with the orphanage director and staff. If your family wishes to be in touch with the foster family, Lotus can also arrange a time for you to reunite if contact information is available. After lunch, you may explore your child’s finding site. Record the day’s events in your journal or just relax with your family this evening.

Day 10: Province/Chengdu

accommodations: Four Star Hotel

meals: n/a

This morning, take some final glimpses around your child’s province to capture your special memories. After breakfast, depart your province and travel to Chengdu.

Day 11: Chengdu

accommodations: Four Star Hotel

meals: B/L

Embark on an extraordinary journey to the Panda Breeding Research Base this morning. A professional panda caregiver will give a brief insight into panda research findings and everyone will have the rare opportunity to hold and hug a baby panda — something everyone in the family is sure to enjoy. After lunch, visit the fascinating SanXingDui Museum. Little is known about the mysterious culture and religious beliefs of the SanXingDui people, yet visitors can gain a sense of these people through intriguing displays of ancient and rare artifacts used in daily life and religious ceremonies.

Day 12: Chengdu/Guilin

accommodations: Guilin Hotel Universal

meals: B/L/D

Your local English-speaking tour guide and driver will meet you in the hotel lobby, bring you to the airport and arrange your flight to Guilin. Enjoy a delicious lunch upon your arrival and then tour the Reed Flute Caves. Enjoy the beautiful backdrops of the lighting displays inside the caves as you pass by the many fanciful shapes there; don’t forget to look for the Monkey King!

Day 13: Guilin

accommodations: Guilin Hotel Universal

meals: B/L/D

After breakfast, embark on a Li River scenic cruise and enjoy a delicious lunch onboard. The landscape of Guilin is noted as the most gorgeous in China, with sparkling clear waters and magnificent green hills. You will see fishermen fishing with their trained cormorant birds occasionally as well. Your children will be excited to watch water buffalos either grazing along the riverbanks or taking lazy afternoon swims. Visit the ShiWaiTaoYuan water garden on the way back to Guilin from Yangshuo.

Day 14: Guilin/Guangzhou

accommodations: Overnight Express Train

meals: B/L/D

Today you can visit the Diecai Hill, which is one of the most popular attractions in Guilin and a place known for amazing scenery and stone carvings. This area is known as Folded Brocade Hill due to its rock formations, piled up layer upon layer on each other, as folded brocade. Also enjoy a visual feast of magnificent scenes such as Diecai Pavilion, Wind Cave and Cloud-Catching Pavilion, with stone inscriptions created by famous Chinese scribes. Visit the Duxi Peak for the Art Gallery in the GuangXi Normal University where your family can learn the basic techniques of Chinese calligraphy and landscape painting; certainly a fun activity for both adults and children. After dinner, get onboard an express train to Guangzhou.

Day 15: Guangzhou

accommodations: Guangzhou White Swan Hotel

meals: L

When you arrive around 9 a.m., your local English-speaking tour guide and driver will pick you up at the Guangzhou train station and take you to the hotel. Today you will tour around Shamian Island: stopping at the medical clinic where adoption medical exams are conducted and visiting the photo shop where your child’s visa photo was taken. In the afternoon, take another trip down memory lane when you visit the American Consulate. Your guide will then escort you to a local park where you can linger and relax while enjoying a story-time of traditional Chinese folktales to deepen your understanding of the rich cultural heritage of your child. Bring closure to the lifelong memories from the past two weeks this evening. Enjoy journaling, some last minute shopping or sightseeing before you embark on a return trip.

Day 16: Guangzhou/US

accommodations: n/a

meals: B

Please meet your private English-speaking tour guide and driver at the hotel lobby and travel to the Guangzhou New Bai Yun Airport for your international flight back to the United States. Cross the International Dateline and arrive home on the same day.

Inclusions

Beijing/Xian and Guilin/Guangzhou soft sleeper train tickets
Airfare of Chengdu/Guilin
Airport/hotel/airport (or train station) transfer as listed on itinerary
All listed sightseeing and tour programs with private English-speaking tour guide and private van or bus with driver
Hotels and meals as stipulated on itinerary
All prices are quoted in US Dollars and are subject to change without notice. Please check at time of booking
All prices are quoted per person based on two people sharing a room (double occupancy). Single supplement applies for single travelers

Exclusions

US/Beijing, Guangzhou/US international airfare. Please contact us for discount international airfare starting from your city
Passport and/or China Visa Fees
Some meals
Tips to guides and drivers
Expenses of a personal nature
Provincial Civil Affair Bureau orphanage visit filing fee
Side trips to the designated provinces on Day 8-10 and the airfare of Xian - province city – Chengdu which can be arranged with extra cost by us
The cost of holding the panda and taking a picture is additional to the entry fee. The costs are USD185.00/per person for holding a baby panda. Although the Pandas are cute and adorable, they may inflict accidental injuries in their playful nature

Important Remarks

For different scheduled tour, please contact us for a price quote
All prices are quoted in US dollars, per person, based on two people sharing a room (double occupancy)
A child has to be 11 years old or under on the last day of the tour to receive a discount.
Twin beds in China hotels, about 50 inches wide, are closer in width to the 54" double size beds in the U.S., and much wider than the 39 inches wide twin beds found in U.S. homes.
A soft sleeper train compartment is equipped with two bunk beds and sleeps four. If there are less than four people in your party, Lotus Travel highly recommends purchasing the extra seats in the compartment to ensure privacy.
If your itinerary states "free time" or "free day", no activities would be planned for you and your English-speaking tour guide and driver would not be present.
Lotus Travel highly recommends clients to purchase travel insurance. The Travel Plus Plan offered by the Travelex Insurance Company has excellent travel benefits and children 15 and under are free of charge when traveling with an adult.
A Chinese visa issued at the Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles is good for 6 months. We recommend applying for travel visas at least two months before your departure. For detailed information, please visit the Web page at http://www.lotustours.net/promo/visas/index.shtml
Lotus Travel offers a very affordable cell phone rental package to help you stay in touch with families while in China. Please contact our cell phone rental specialist Theresa for more details.
A $500.00 per person non-refundable deposit is due at the time of registration.
Balance is due 60 days before departure.

Lotus Travel Terms and Conditions

Tour Overview

Tour Code:
BCHHT-04
Trip Duration:
16 days/15 nights
Price:
Adult: $1,799.00
Child: $1,440.00
Departure Dates:
2008:9/7, 9/14, 9/21, 9/28, 10/12, 11/2, 11/9, 11/16, 11/23, 12/7, 12/14, 12/21, 12/28

2009: Every Monday
For more information, please contact our Homeland Heritage Tour expert, Louie.