European Homeland Heritage Tour B

After visiting lovely pandas in Chengdu, you will fly to the beautiful and mysterious Yunnan Province in southern China, including destinations of Lijiang, Dali and Kunming. Having 25 minority nationalities, the highest number in China, Yunnan is a culturally diverse province. You can find the oldest Chinese characters, unique traditions and customs, and beautiful clothes and ornaments of different nationalities. Moreover, you have the great opportunity to witness all kinds of flowers blooming in the snow-capped mountain in Lijiang, crops of various colors growing on the scarlet earth in Kunming, and explore the ear-like lake Erhai in Dali. Yunnan is such a wonderful place. Your experience there will definitely linger in memory for a long long time!

Itinerary

Day 1: Depart for Chengdu En Route
accommodations: n/a
meals: n/a
Take flight to Chengdu.
Day 2: Chengdu
accommodations: Chengdu Yinhe Dynasty Hotel
meals: n/a
Arrive in Chengdu. Our English-speaking tour guide and driver will meet you at the airport exit and transfer you to hotel.
Day 3: Chengdu
accommodations: Chengdu Yinhe Dynasty Hotel
meals: B/L
Embark on an extraordinary journey to the Panda Breeding Research Base this morning. Everyone will have the rare opportunity to hold and hug a baby panda; something everyone in the family is sure to enjoy. Continue on to Huanglongxi which is a 1700-year-old scenic town in Sichuan Province. It has been lovingly restored to retain its old world charm, so that visitors can walk the streets as they would have done a couple of centuries ago.
Day 4: Chengdu
accommodations: Chengdu Yinhe Dynasty Hotel
meals: B/L
Explore Leshan Giant Buddha is a statue of Maitreya (a Bodhisattva usually represented as a very stout monk with a broad smile on his face and with his naked breast and paunch exposed to view) in sitting posture. The Buddha is located to the east of Leshan City, Sichuan Province, at the confluence of three rivers, namely, Min River, Qingyi River, and Dadu River. The statue makes itself the most renowned scenic spot in Leshan City. In December, 1996, the location of the Buddha was included by UNESCO on the list of the World Heritage sites.
Day 5: Chengdu/Lijiang
accommodations: Grand Lijiang Hotel
meals: B/L

After breakfast, visit the People’s Park with tea house & garden. Full of vegetation and shade, it is a great place to visit with friends or family. You’ll be surprised to see so many people exercising together to traditional Chinese music. People dance, do tai chi, play badminton or sing Chinese Opera songs. The Teahouse is as relaxing and shady a setting as any place in Chengdu. Your English-speaking tour guide and driver will transfer you to airport.
Chengdu/Lijiang        by air ( Your guide has tickets )
Your English-speaking tour guide and driver will pick you up at the airport and transfer you to hotel.

Day 6:  Lijiang
accommodations: Grand Lijiang Hotel
meals: B/L
Visit Lijiang's Ancient City—Dayanzhen, a town that is carefully laid out around a central square with small cobblestone streets and lanes radiating out in all directions. With the neat brick houses and fabulous views, Dayanzhen is the perfect place to stay away from the bustling activities at metropolitan cities. Move on to the Black Dragon Pool (Yu Quan), also known as the Jade fountain to view its green deep waters and magnificent sceneries of the Jade Dragon Mountain.
Day 7: Lijiang
accommodations: Grand Lijiang Hotel
meals: B/L
After breakfast, visit the spectacular Jade Dragon (Yulong) Snow Mountain, which towers over the land at an elevation of 18,360 feet at its highest point; an optional cable car ride to the Dragon Spruce Meadow is available for those who are interested. Your tour continues at the Jade Peak Lama Temple (Yufeng Si), a small lamasery that is famous for its ancient Camellia Tree of 10,000 blossoms. After lunch, visit the White Water River to enjoy the extraordinary views in the area before exploring the Ming Dynasty Baisha Mural Paintings that Lijiang is famous for. If time permits, you may attend an optional performance of Baisha music performed by the Naxis.
Day 8: Lijiang/Dali
accommodations: Asia Hotel
meals: B/L
Your English-speaking tour guide and driver will transfer you to Dali. Visit the Bai minority people's town—Xizhou, a few kilometers away from Dali where many Bai homes still retain their traditional architectures, paintings and layout intact. Browse the crowded market town prior to lunch. Explore Dali's Three Pagodas (San Tsai) this afternoon. Surviving through storms and earthquakes over ten centuries, the Three Pagodas are still the significant symbols of exceptional architectural technology and the brilliant culture of Dali. Your tour continues at the beautiful Butterfly Spring (Hudie Quan) and the Butterfly Museum, where thousands of butterflies gather in spring. Then attend a special performance of the Bai Nationality Three Course Tea, Singing and Dancing Show. Enjoy the Three Course Tea along with the performance of traditional Bai Nationality folk songs and dance.
Day 9: Dali
accommodations: Asia Hotel
meals: B/L
Visit Erhai Lake this morning. The lake is one of the seven largest freshwater lakes in China where boats and fishing vessels usually sail by; be sure to enjoy the spectacular sceneries of Mt. Cangshan and several small islands nearby. Move on to the top of Mt. Cangshan to view colorful blossoms of azaleas, camellias and rhododendrons. After lunch, visit Dali's ancient city, which contains stonewalls, gray tiled roofs, phoenix and dragon carved windows and doors and streams that crisscrossed the city.
Day 10: Dali/Kunming
accommodations: Kunming Grand Park Hotel
meals: B/L
Your English-speaking tour guide and driver will transfer you to bus station.
Dali/Kunming    by air-condition deluxe bus ( Your guide has tickets )
Your English-speaking tour guide and driver will pick you up and transfer you to hotel.
Enjoy a delicious Chinese lunch followed by a tour of the World Horticultural Expo. As KunMing’s climate is essentially spring-like all year round, the gardens are constantly in bloom with a profusion of camellias, orchids, azaleas, and primroses.
Day 11: Kunming
accommodations: Kunming Grand Park Hotel
meals: B/L
After breakfast embark on a full-day tour of KunMing’s Stone Forest (ShiLin). Covered by water millions of years ago, this exposed bed of limestone spires have become weathered and split by natural erosion due to the elements of wind, rain, and time forming the intriguing shapes that form this mystical “forest”. Return to KunMing this afternoon.
Day 12: Kunming/Province
accommodations: Deluxe Hotel
meals: B/L
Depart Kunming and travel to the capital city of the designated province for an orphanage visit. Lotus guides 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, one can spend time strolling the area and absorbing a sense of the city and locale.
Day 13: Province
accommodations: Deluxe Hotel
meals: B/L
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 14: Province/Guangzhou
accommodations: Victory Hotel
meals: B/L
This morning take some final glimpses around your child's province to capture your special memories. Then depart for Guangzhou.
Day 15: Guangzhou
accommodations: Victory Hotel
meals: B/L
After breakfast, your guide will take you to Yuexiu Park where you can enjoy a story-time of traditional Chinese folktales. Then explore the halls and courtyards of the Chen Family Temple covering more than 10,000 square meters.
Day 16: Leave Guangzhou
accommodations: n/a
meals: B
Meet your private English-speaking tour guide and driver at the hotel lobby and transfer to the airport for your flight back home.

You may extend your tour to visit other cities in China, such as your child’s birthplace.

Inclusions

  • Chengdu/Lijiang air ticket
  • Dali/Kunming air-condition bus ticket
  • Airport (or bus station) /hotel/airport (or bus station) transfer as listed in 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 in itinerary. (B = Breakfast, L = lunch, D = Dinner)

Exclusions

  • International Airfare. [Airlines have not released price or renew contract for 2009].
  • Side trips to the designated provinces on Day 12-14 and the airfare of Kunming - province city – Guangzhou which can be arranged with extra cost by us
  • Orphanage visit filing fee to the Provincial Civil Affair Bureau.
  • 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
  • Some meals.
  • Tipping to tour guide and driver.
  • Chinese visa.
  • Expenses of a personal nature.

Terms and Conditions:

  • Deposit: 20 percent of the total tour cost deposit is due at the time of registration
  • Balance: Balance is due 60 days before departure
  • Terms & Conditions: Our terms and conditions are listed on

    Lotus Travel Terms and Conditions

Remark:

  • To qualify for a child discount, a child has to be under 12 year old on last day of tour.
  • In China, a child over 3’10” tall is charged adult fare for admission tickets, transportation fare (except for airfare) and meals in restaurant. Lotus Travel’s assumes all children under 12 years old to be under the height of 3’10” and quotes you a child’s fee. If your child exceeds this height limit, you might be asked to pay for transportation fare and admission ticket difference by your tour guide while in China.
  • 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 state “free time” or “free day”, no activities will be planned for you, neither will you have a tour guide or driver.
  • It might be worthwhile purchasing travel insurance; the Travelex plans we recommend covers children under 16 for free with an adult coverage. Please see attached document for detail.
  • A Chinese visa is good for 3 months only. We can apply about 2 months before your departure. If you want our service, a regular visa-processing fee is $100, which include consulate application fee and express mail fee.
  • Lotus Travel offers a very affordable cell phone rental package to help you stay in touch with families while in China. Please contact us for detail.