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
Cruise and Kung Fu Tour
Enjoy the most famous features China has to offer, all in one trip. Visit the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, and Forbidden City in Beijing, and the famous relics of the Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses Museum of Xian. After visiting these significant historic achievements, enjoy a glimpse of China's largest building project since the Great Wall-visit the Three Gorges Dam. You can relax with breathtaking scenery on the luxurious Yangtze River cruise ship. In addition to all these highlights an even more important moment awaits your family, which is your specialized tour and arrangement to visit to your child's orphanage and hometown location. You can end the trip with a stroll down memory lane at the White Swan hotel in Guangzhou. All these highlights are here in one trip. It's sure to be memorable and make "history" for your own family.
Tour Overview
Tour Code: CHHT-CAKF-OTP
Trip Duration: 18 days/17 nights
Beijing, Xian, Mt. WuDang, YiChang, Yangtze River Cruise, Chongqing, Guangzhou
Departure Dates: Every TuesdayDay 1 : Tuesday Depart for Beijing
meals: N/A
Depart for Beijing today.
Day 2 : Wednesday Beijing
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 : Thursday Beijing
meals: B/L
Day 4 : Friday Beijing
meals: B/L
Begin your day with a tour at the Great Wall, constructed more than 2,000 years ago by China's first emperor. The ancient wall is roughly 4,000 miles in length and was originally built to protect China, and eventually helped to unite the country. Create some meaningful family memories with a climb or a stroll on this great cultural and national treasure; and of course, snap some pictures as well! This evening, your family may choose to relax around the hotel pool, or choose an optional Kung Fu or Beijing acrobatic performance.
Day 5 : Saturday Beijing/Xian
meals: B/L/D
Day 6 : Sunday 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 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 Xian 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 remains intact in China today. Enjoy the traditional puppet show in the GaoJia Courtyard and your children can practice with puppets after the show.
Day 7 : Monday Xian
meals: B/L
Day 8 : Tuesday Xian/Mt. WuDang
meals: B/L/D
Begin your day with a tour at the Sha'anxi History Museum, which is generally considered the second-best history museum in all of China. Construction began in 1983 on this Tang style museum that opened to the public in 1991. With an area of 55,600 square meters and a collection of 370,000 objects, there is something for anyone interested in the long and culturally rich history of China. After lunch, you will be transferred to the Xian Bus Station for your deluxe air-conditioned bus to the Mt.WuDang (it's around 4 hours drive). Upon your arrival, your private English-speaking guide and driver will pick you up and transfer you to the hotel.
Day 9 : Wednesday Mt. WuDang
meals: B/L/D
After breakfast you will be transferred to the Mt. WuDang (1.5 hours drive) which has a long history associated with Taoism. Mt. Wudang is a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site and holds a large number of palaces and temples which exemplify the architectural and artistic achievements of China's Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. It represents the highest standards of Chinese art and architecture over a period of nearly 1,000 years. Wudang Kung Fu is a specialized internal martial arts form in China and enjoys a position parallel to Shaolin Kung Fu in the Chinese Kung Fu field. As a result, there is a popular saying "In the North respects are paid to Shaoling Kung Fu; in the South honor should be given to Wudang Kung Fu." Take cable car up to the top of the Mountain - Golden Hall and visit the Taihe Palace. Enjoy the view from a unique vantage point tonight when you stay in the hotel on Mt. WuDang.
Day 10 : Thursday WuDang/YiChang
meals: B/L/D
This morning, visit the ZiXiao Temple where you can learn Taichi shadow boxing or WuDang Kung Fu. After lunch visit the TaiZiPo Temple and Nanyan Palace, both places of traditional Taoism influence and learn more about these influences in shaping Chinese culture and thought. After lunch, you will be transferred to YiChang for the Yangtze River Cruise.Board your ship before 9:00PM for the 4 nights/5 days Yangtze River Cruise.
Day 11 : Friday Yangtze River Cruise
meals: B/L/D
This morning visit Three Gorges Dam Site - one of the biggest hydropower-complex projects in the world. It is a half mile wide and more than 600 feet high. It will create a reservoir nearly 400 miles long and enable 10,000-ton ocean-going freighters to sail directly into the nation's interior for six months of each year. It is expected to create as much electricity as 18 nuclear power plants and open up a region burgeoning with agricultural and manufactured products. Get on the luxurious Victoria cruise line ship and sail through the 3 Gorges shiplocks & Xiling Gorge.
Day 12 : Saturday Yangtze River Cruise
meals: B/L/D
Day 13 : Sunday Yangtze River Cruise
meals: B/L/D
Take an excursion to Shibaozhai town, which was built in 1750 on sheer cliffs and has local cultural and spiritual significance. You can also take a 1.5 hour hike for a great view and with photo opportunities. Or, depending on river conditions, alternate excursions may be allowed such as, Fengdu with its special culture of ghosts and afterlife among natural beauty and historic relics. Or, one may visit the town of Wanzhou, much of which is being rebuilt, due to the new reservoir.
Day 14 : Monday Chongqing/Province
meals: B
Arrive at ChongQing at 9:00AM.Meet your local English-speaking tour guide and driver at the ship. Depart Chongqing 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 15 : Tuesday 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 16 : Wednesday Province/Guangzhou
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 Guangzhou.
Day 17 : Thursday Guangzhou
meals: B/L
Day 18 : Friday Leave Guangzhou
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 home. 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 | $2999.00  | $2460.00 |
| City | Standard Class |
| Beijing . | Novotel Peace Hotel |
| Xian . | Xian Titan Times Hotel |
| Wuhan . | Tianlu Hotel |
| Guangzhou . | China Hotel |
| Hotel | Indoor Pool | Outdoor Pool | Gym | Safe Box | Refrigerator | Hair Dryer | Kitchen |
| Novotel Peace Hotel | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | ||
| Xian Titan Times Hotel | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | ||
| Tianlu Hotel | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | ||
| China Hotel | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ |
Inclusions
- Beijing/Xian soft sleeper train tickets.
- Deluxe air-conditioned bus ticket of Xian/Mt. WuDang.
- YiChang/ChongQing Yangtze River Cruise.
- 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.
Exclusions
- 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
- Orphanage visit filing fee
- Side trips to the designated provinces on Day 14-16 and the airfare of Chongqing - province city - Guangzhou which can be arranged with extra cost by us.
Important Remarks
- There will be an extra cost of USD100.00/per adult and USD75.00/per child for having the Yichang/Chongqing Yangtze River Cruise in April, May, September, and October.
- 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 info@lotustours.net for 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
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.