Winding Waterways and Chinese Beaches

Itinerary

Itinerary:
Beijing - Great Wall of China - Shanghai - Watertowns of Luzhi, Tongli and Suzhou - Putuoshan Island - Yangshuo - Ping'an - Hong Kong
Duration:
17 days / 16 nights (flexible)
Price:
From £ 2,875.- per person (excluding flights)

Explore the highlights China, taking tropical beach breaks along the way. Walk the Great Wall, amble between rice paddies and sail past Karst mountains. Mid-journey, you’ll head for the peaceful sands of spiritual Putuoshan Island and you’ll end the trip in bustling Hong Kong. This is a laid-back adventure that guarantees to get you home rested and ready for reality.

Days 1-4 – Temples and hutongs of Beijing

You’ll spend three nights soaking up the sights, sounds and smells of Beijing, an intoxicating clutter of history and modern-day ambition. Wander through the atmospheric hutongs, visit the Forbidden City and take a breather from the madness of the city at the Temple of Heavenly Peace. Top off your time in Beijing with a trip along the twisting Great Wall, one of the world’s most staggering sights.

Today you’ll be transferred from your hotel to the train station to travel from Beijing to Shanghai on the high speed ‘bullet train’, a eye-opening journey of around five hours. Drift through lantern-lined canals and swing by traditional tea houses on your way to sleek and glitzy Shanghai. It’s a trip of eye-opening extremes, pitting the old world against the new. You’ll get a taste of sleepy traditional China followed by a flash of neon drama in Shanghai, a city packed with skyscrapers and surprises on every street corner.

First, you’ll get lost in the poetry of ancient China, floating through the narrow waterways of Huangpo River and wandering through a maze of cobbled alleyways flanked with red glowing lanterns. Then, you’ll hit the streets of Shanghai, buzzing with life on a twenty-four basis. With twice as many skyscrapers as Manhattan and a mind-boggling food scene, you’ll step straight into the new world.

Days 7-10 – Putuoshan…The island that time forgot

Discover the hills and beaches of Putuoshan, a small Buddhist island marooned in the Sea of China. Meet monks in sacred temples, hike up to panoramic hilltops and stretch out on white sands. It’s worlds away from the buzzing cities on the mainland and a great place for a spiritual beach breather.

Taking the boat from Shanghai, you’ll spend three nights on Putuoshan Island, exploring the sights and hitting the sands. A tiny island with a gentle Buddhist vibe, it’s home to a handful of beautiful temples in the shadow of giant ginkgo trees. You can walk around the entire island in 2.5 hours, stopping on the beaches and watching pilgrims file up to the temples. It’s a very special place.

When you arrive back at the pier in Shanghai, you’ll grab a taxi to your hotel. If you have no plans for the evening, try visiting Xintiandee, a district of pedestrian walkways, tea houses, restaurants, renovated Shikumen houses, and a colonial French area. The next morning, you’ll travel make your own way to the airport in Shanghai where you will catch your flight to Guilin. Your flying time today will be around 2.5 hours.

Cycle between Karst Mountains and drift lazily downstream aboard a bamboo raft through the gorgeous scenery of Yangshuo near Guilin. Cycling between forested hills and a patchwork of rice paddies is a sure-fire way to feel the spirit of rural China. You’ll spend three nights in the a countryside hotel and take a trip along the river by bike and bamboo raft.

Days 13-15 – Rice terraces and Zhuang villages

Next you’ll visit the village of Ping’an, home to some of the most picturesque rice terraces in Asia. You’ll spend the night in a modest guest house surrounded by mountains and rice terraces. As there are no roads in Ping’an there is a short walk up the rice paddies to reach your guest house. Next you’ll visit the village of Ping’an, home to some of the most picturesque rice terraces in Asia. You’ll spend the night in a modest guest house surrounded by mountains and rice terraces. As there are no roads in Ping’an there is a short walk up the rice paddies to reach your guest house.

Over the last few years, Ping’an has increased in popularity and has attracted more tourists. However, there are still plenty of quieter places that your guide will take you to. With your guide you will hike through rice paddies that stretch as far as the eye can see you’ll notice just how very special this part of China is.

Early this morning, you’ll be transferred to Guilin airport, a roughly 2.5 hour journey, to catch the train to Hong Kong via Guangzhou. Gaze out over the harbour in Hong Kong, a place packed with endless possibility. With tongue-tingling cuisine and thriving traditional culture, it’s bewitching. Stare down upon silver skyscrapers from Victoria Peak, wander around bird markets and share steaming dim sum. You’ll spend two nights in a Kowloon hotel and during your stay you’ll get to visit all the big highlights of the city, from Victoria Peak to the up and coming suburbs where designers and artists are flourishing.

Today, you’ll check out of your hotel and make your own way back to the airport to begin your journey home.