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China Homeland Heritage Tours For American Families

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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

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Panda Heritage Tour

This is a tour specially designed to meet the interests for every member in your family and to ensure a balance of special hands on cultural activities, sightseeing and the leisure time the whole family needs.

Enjoy a scenic Li River Cruise, hug an adorable baby panda and explore the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum. Designed exclusively for adoptive families and their travel companions, this tour is carefully crafted to ensure a balance of special hands on cultural activities, sightseeing and free time that the whole family needs. This tour starts in Southern China and concludes in Northern China. The trips to your child's province on days 8-10 are customized according to your preferences and price is determined accordingly.

Tour Overview

Tour Code: PHT-06

Trip Duration: 16 days/15 nights

Click below for: Tour Price / Accommodations

Guangzhou, Guilin, Chengdu, Xian, Beijing

Departure Dates: Every Monday

Day 1 : US/Guangzhou

meals: N/A

Depart US for China to begin your Panda Heritage Tour. Get your journal ready to record your weeks of 'once- in-a-lifetime' memories!

Day 2 : Guangzhou

meals: N/A

Arrive at Guangzhou New BaiYun International Airport. Your private English-speaking guide and driver will bring you to the hotel upon your arrival. Have a good rest tonight to adjust to your new time zone and surroundings.

Day 3 : Guangzhou/Guilin

meals: B/L/D

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 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. Take the late afternoon flight to Guilin. Tonight you will stay at the Ming Garden Apartment Suites, which is located among 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 and guests can also enjoy free late checkouts until 6:00 p.m. (all hotels request checkouts before 12:00 noon). In this authentic cultural experience you will have the rare chance to live among local residents within the same wonderful apartment complex. We can even arrange an assistant to make traditional Chinese meals for your whole family or to assist you with your children.

Day 4 : Guilin/Yangshuo/Guilin

meals: B/L/D

After breakfast, embark on a scenic cruise along the Li River 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.

Day 5 : Guilin

meals: B/L/D

Begin your tour with a visit to the Reed Flute Caves (Ludi Yan). Enjoy the spectacular 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). After lunch, 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.

Day 6 : Guilin/Chengdu

meals: B/L

After breakfast, your local guide and driver will bring you to the airport and arrange for your flight to Chengdu. After your arrival in Chengdu and a tasty lunch, explore the Silk Embroidery Institute and the People's Park with Tea House and Garden.

Day 7 : Chengdu

meals: B/L

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

Day 8 : Chengdu/Province

meals: B

Depart Chengdu 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 around the area and absorbing a sense of the city and locale.

Day 9 : 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 10 : Province/Xian

meals: N/A

Today you will fly from your child's Province to Xian, which is a cultural treasure trove of Chinese history. This evening, just relax and walk around the city, journal about your family's connections and insights regarding the last couple of days or cuddle up in the hotel with some food.

Day 11 : Xian

meals: B/L

Explore the breathtaking Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum today. Discovered by several local farmers in 1974, the 2,000-year-old lifelike warriors are known as the 8th world wonder. Learn to make Chinese traditional JiaoZi (dumplings) in the local restaurant and have a JiaoZi lunch there.

Day 12 : Xian/Beijing

meals: B/L/D

After breakfast, you may visit the Shaanxi Provincial History Museum, where antiques from the Prehistoric era through the Qing Dynasty are on display. In the afternoon, visit Xian's ancient city wall and enjoy the panoramic views of the city. This is the only intact city wall in China. Enjoy walking, exercising and riding a bike as a family. Tonight, have a wonderfully fun excursion as you get onboard an overnight express train to Beijing. While others take care of travel, cozy up in your train berth for a peaceful night's rest.

Day 13 : Beijing

meals: L

Arrive in Beijing this morning. Your local tour guide and driver will meet you at the train station exit; they will bring you to your hotel after breakfast. 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 14 : 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 15 : Beijing

meals: B/L

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.

Day 16 : Beijing/US

meals: B

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

Tour Prices:

Valid: Nov 01, 2012- Dec 31, 2013

	1 Person	2-5 Persons	6-9 Persons	10 Persons	Hotel Single Supplement
Standard Class	$2899.00	$2150.00	$1899.00	/	$375.00
Deluxe Class	$3799.00	$2599.00	$2350.00	/	$820.00
Superior Class	$4250.00	$2799.00	$2550.00	/	$1040.00

Note: child price is 80% of adult price.

Accommodations:

City	Standard Class	Deluxe Class	Superior Class
Guangzhou　.	Home Inn Rujia Huadiwan	Guangdong Victory Hotel	Guangzhou China Hotel
Guilin　.	Home Inn Rujia Qichezhan	Ming Garden Apartment Suites	Ming Garden Apartment Suites
Chengdu　.	Home Inn Rujia Luoma Subway Station	Tianfu Sunshine Hotel	Chengdu Sheraton Lido Hotel
Xian　.	Home Inn Rujia KeJi Road	Days Hotel & Suites Xinxing, Xi'an	Sheraton Xian Hotel
Beijing　.	Home Inn Rujia HePingLi W. St.	Novotel Peace Hotel	Nikko New Century Hotel Beijing

Hotel Information:

Hotel	Indoor Pool	Outdoor Pool	Gym	Safe Box	Refrigerator	Hair Dryer	Kitchen
Home Inn Rujia Huadiwan						√
Guangdong Victory Hotel		√	√	√	√	√
Guangzhou China Hotel		√	√	√	√	√
Home Inn Rujia Qichezhan						√
Ming Garden Apartment Suites				√	√	√	√
Ming Garden Apartment Suites				√	√	√	√
Home Inn Rujia Luoma Subway Station						√
Tianfu Sunshine Hotel		√	√	√	√	√
Chengdu Sheraton Lido Hotel	√		√	√	√	√
Home Inn Rujia KeJi Road						√
Days Hotel & Suites Xinxing, Xi'an			√	√	√	√
Sheraton Xian Hotel	√		√	√	√	√
Home Inn Rujia HePingLi W. St.						√
Novotel Peace Hotel	√		√	√	√	√
Nikko New Century Hotel Beijing	√		√	√	√	√

Inclusions

Airfare of Guangzhou/Guilin/Chengdu
Xian/Beijing soft sleeper train tickets
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 8-10 and the airfare of Chengdu - province city - Xian 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 USD213.00/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.
We recommend applying for travel visas 2-3 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 or your agent 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.

To review full listing of terms and conditions, refer to: http://www.lotustours.net/info/terms.shtml