Our five nights at Guilin Ming Garden were great as well! It is certainly our favorite place in China. The apartment is remodeled, extremely clean and has a great view; having internet access is a nice touch and there is plenty of room for our entire family. After a long day of fun, it was relaxing to come home to delicious home cooked meals prepared by our nanny Mrs Huang.She made us feel right at home with her traditional Cantonese home cooked dinners: her normal dinner consist of soup, two meat dishes and two vegetable dishes; very much like the meals our Cantonese parents made for us when we were younger and the meals had brought back fond memories.
-Helen Lee
China Homeland Heritage Tour
This is the most convenient tour to take if you plan to visit orphanages that are located in provinces in Southern China, such as, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi Guizhou, Hainan, Hunan or Yunnan. The trips to your child's province on days 12-14 are customized according to your preferences and price is determined accordingly.
Besides bringing back good memories, all travelers will be able to go sightseeing and enjoy hands on cultural activities such as biking and enjoying the great sceneries in Yangshuo, flying kites at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, and visiting Zhu Jia Jiao, an ancient town which retains its traditional Chinese paintings with its quaint buildings, traditional arched bridges and willow lined canals.
This tour intends to help adoptive families and their children to recapture the sweet memories made during their initial contact in China. Little explorers will have the chance to tour around the Shamian Island area.: They will be able to visit important landmarks in the process of completing their adoption: visiting the old American Consulate, the medical clinic where adoption medical exams are conducted, the photo shop where children's photos were taken and many more sites.
Tour Overview
Tour Code: CHDT-10
Trip Duration: 16 days/15 nights
Beijing, Xian, Chengdu, Guilin, Guangzhou
Departure Dates: Every FridayDay 1 : US/Beijing
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
meals: N/A
Arrive at the Beijing International Airport. Your private English-speaking guide and driver will bring you to the hotel upon your arrival. Have a good rest tonight and soak in the arrival to your child's birth country while you adjust to your new time zone and surroundings.
Day 3 : Beijing
meals: B/L
Day 4 : Beijing
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
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
meals: 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 under the reign of 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 of the city. Built during the early Ming Dynasty with a core of mud covered by three layers of bricks, it is the only city wall that remained intact in China today.
Day 7 : Xian
meals: B/L
Day 8 : Xian/Chengdu
meals: B/L
You will fly to Chengdu from Xian today. Visit the SiChuan Embroidery Research Institute in afternoon.
Day 9 : Chengdu
meals: B/L
Day 10 : Chengdu/Guilin
meals: B/L/D
Your local English-speaking tour guide and driver will meet you at the hotel lobby and bring you to the airport for your flight to Guilin. After lunch, explore the Reed Flute Caves. Enjoy the gorgeous views of beautiful backdrops created by the cool atmosphere and colorful lighting displays inside the caves as you pass by many fanciful shapes (don't forget to look for the Monkey King). Visit Guilin Art Museum where you could learn the basic techniques of Chinese calligraphy and landscape painting; certainly a fun activity for both adults and children. You will also meet 4 -6 years old local children there who spend most their weekends there for art class.Tonight you will stay at the Ming Garden Apartment Suites, which is located within the local Chinese residents' apartment complexes. Each unit is decorated in the Ming Dynasty Style with beautiful Ming furniture, an air-conditioning/heating unit, a private western-style bath, a kitchen equipped with microwave, refrigerator and cooking utensils; free Internet access, television and telephone. The apartment units are rated above five-stars standard and guests can also enjoy free late checkouts until 6:00 p.m. (all hotels request checkouts before 12:00 noon). All guests will have the rare chance to live among local residents within the same apartment complex. We can even arrange an assistant to make traditional Chinese meals for your family.
Day 11 : Guilin/Yangshuo/Guilin
meals: B/L/D
Day 12 : Guilin/Province
meals: B
Depart Guilin 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
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 14 : Province/Guangzhou
meals: N/A
This morning take some final glimpses around your child's province to capture your special memories. After breakfast, depart for Guangzhou.
Day 15 : Guangzhou
meals: B/L
After breakfast, tour around Shamian Island: stop at the medical clinic where adoption medical exams are conducted and visit 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.
Day 16 : Guangzhou/US
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.
Valid: August 01, 2011- March 31, 2013
 | 2-5 Persons | 6-9 Persons |
| Standard Class | $2050.00  | $1799.00 |
| Deluxe Class | $2450.00 | $2199.00 |
| City | Standard Class | Deluxe Class |
| Beijing . | Home Inn Rujia Taoran | Novotel Peace Hotel |
| Xian . | Home Inn Rujia Xiaozhai | Xian Titan Times Hotel |
| Chengdu . | Home Inn Rujia Wenshufang | Tianfu Sunshine Hotel |
| Guilin . | Guilin Tiyu Hotel | Ming Garden Apartment Suites |
| Guangzhou . | Home Inn Rujia Huadiwan | China Hotel |
| Hotel | Indoor Pool | Outdoor Pool | Gym | Safe Box | Refrigerator | Hair Dryer | Kitchen |
| Home Inn Rujia Taoran | √ | ||||||
| Novotel Peace Hotel | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | ||
| Home Inn Rujia Xiaozhai | √ | ||||||
| Xian Titan Times Hotel | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | ||
| Home Inn Rujia Wenshufang | √ | ||||||
| Tianfu Sunshine Hotel | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | ||
| Guilin Tiyu Hotel | √ | ||||||
| Ming Garden Apartment Suites | √ | √ | √ | √ | |||
| Home Inn Rujia Huadiwan | √ | ||||||
| China Hotel | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ |
Inclusions
- Beijing/Xian soft sleeper train tickets
- Airfare of Xian/Chengdu/Guilin
- Airport/hotel/airport (or train station) transfer as listed on itinerary
- Tour price includes hotel accommodations, sightseeing and meals as noted in the itinerary, intra-China airfare, private transfers and ground transportation, and the services of an English- speaking guide and 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 12-14 and the airfare of Guilin - province city - Guangzhou 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 Select Plan offered by the Travelex Insurance Company has excellent travel benefits and children 18 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/visas/china.shtml
- Lotus Travel offers a very affordable cell phone rental package to help you stay in touch with families while in China. Please contact us at 1-800-956-8873 or email us at info@lotustours.net 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.
Note: Customer Commitment - Each Lotus agent is committed to respond to each email with an acknowledgement of receipt within 24 hours. If you do not receive email acknowledgement within 1 business day, please check your spam box for our agents'response e-mail or send your notice to iris@lotustours.net or call 1-800-956-8873.