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17
Day Tibet Highland & Yangtze River Cruise
Tour Code: OAT
Visits: Beijing - Chengdu - Lhasa - Xian - Chongqing -
Yangtze Cruise 3 Nights - Yichang - Shanghai
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| Day 01 :USA - Beijing
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Set out on our exciting vacation as we
check in to our international flight. Our destination is Beijing,
the capital city of China.
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| Day 02 :Arrive Beijing
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After the flight touches down in
Beijing, clear customs and meet our tour guide. We are transferred
to our luxuriously appointed five star accommodations for a night
of rest.
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| Day 03 :Beijing(
AB, L, DP ) |
Be sure to eat plenty of breakfast as
a full day of sightseeing is in store. Our city tour of Beijing
takes us first to Tiananmen Square, or "Gate of Heavenly Peace."
We proceed to the palatial Forbidden City for full immersion in
its resplendent imperial heritage; then it is on to the emperor's
SummerPalace at KunmingLake. If time permits this afternoon, we
also visit the glorious Temple of Heaven. Dinner is served as we
attend a tasty Peking Duck Feast.
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| Day 04 :Beijing(
AB, L, DH) |
Today we marvel at the incredible
magnitude of the Great Wall, at once the imposing symbol of
Chinese national pride. Walk atop the Wall and be inspired by the
commanding view and stark beauty of the timeless frontier. Our
next stop is the MingTombsMuseum where we review the precious
artifacts buried with Ming emperors.
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| Day 05 :Beijing - Chengdu(AB,
L, DP) |
Board a flight to Chengdu, capital of
the Sichuan province and its center of commerce. Chengdu includes
visits to the Marquis Wu Shrine, the Panda Zoo and River View
Pavilion. A tempting treat is in store this evening as a dinner of
Local Specialties has been prepared for our enjoyment.
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| Day 06 :Chengdu - Lhasa(AB,
L, DH) |
Board a flight to Lhasa, capital of
the Tibetan Autonomous Region. At an elevation of some 12,000 ft
above sea level, Lhasa's thin air may cause our bodies to manifest
some signs of altitude sickness. To adapt our bodies, we are
picked up and transferred to the hotel immediately upon arrival.
No activities are scheduled this day. Please do take the time to
rest and not walk around town.
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| Day 07 :Lhasa(AB,
L, D) |
Visitors to Lhasa must visit
PotalaPalace, the largest lamasery of its type in the world. It is
also the official home to the Dalai Lama. Gaze in awe at the
architecture of the palace; no other place in the world affords us
such a view. Surrounding the PotalaPalace is Barkhor Street.
Descend the palace to walk this street which affords us a window
into Tibetan culture and allows us the opportunity to buy colorful
ethnic handicrafts rarely seen outside of Tibet. We also visit
Jokang Lamasery, where monks receive their official training and
education.
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| Day 08 :Lhasa(AB,
L, D) |
We head away from the city center by
motorcoach to YamdrokYmtsoLake, located at an elevation of almost
15,000 ft above sea level. YamdrokLake is one of Tibet's three
holy lakes; we take lunch lakeside, enjoying the ambience provided
by such peaceful, serene surroundings.
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| Day 09 :Lhasa - Chengdu(AB,
L, DH) |
Board a flight back into Chengdu where
we finish up our city tour and do some souvenir shopping. Dinner
is served at our hotel this evening.
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| Day 10 :Chengdu - Xian(AB,
L, DH) |
In the morning we tour Du Fu Thatched
Cottage, the residence of the famous Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu.
Later in the day board a flight to Xian, the starting point of the
historic Silk Road. Time permitting, we drive by Xian’s massive
City Wall and stop to visit the BellTower and Big Wild Goose
Pagoda on the way into town. If not, we’ll do it tomorrow.
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| Day 11 :Xian(AB,
L, DS) |
Xian's 5000 year history covers the
full extent of ancient Chinese civilization. The focal point of
today's sightseeing tour must be the Terra Cotta Army of Qin Shi
Huang, China's unifying emperor. Unearthed 2200 years after being
buried with the emperor, its discovery in 1974 ranks as one of the
world's top archaeological discoveries. After a special Imperial
Dumpling Banquet dinner, we attend the world renowned Tang Dynasty
Stage Show.
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| Day 12 :Xian - Chongqing -
Yangtze Cruise(AB, L, D)
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Depart Xian for Chongqing by air.
Located in Sichuan province, Chongqing holds distinction as being
China's largest municipality and is famous for its tongue-numbing,
spicy cuisine. After a brief city tour, we journey to the docks
where our Victoria Cruise ship awaits to take us on our Yangtze
River adventure.
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| Day 13 :Yangtze River Cruise(B,
L, D) |
The first shore excursion of our
cruise occurs either at Shibaozhai, Fengdu or Wanzhou dependent on
local river conditions. Shibaozhai's main attraction is its
12-story wooden pagoda which was constructed without use of a
single nail. Fengdu is known as the "GhostCity" and contains
hundreds of statues of ghosts and devils in a depiction of the
afterlife. Wanzhou is known as the "Gateway to Eastern Sichuan."
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| Day 14 :Yangtze River Cruise(B,
L, D) |
Today we enter the portion of the
Yantgze that contains the famed Three Gorges. The ship gingerly
navigates the narrow waterway of Qutang Gorge to arrive Wushan,
where we board smaller motorized vessels to access the Lesser
Gorges via either DaningRiver or Shennong Stream. As the vessel
plies through the shallow waters, we enjoy the spectacular scenery
afforded by this tributary of the mighty Yangtze. Returning to the
ship, we sail through Wu Gorge and Xiling Gorge, noting the
pristine beauty of this region.
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| Day 15 :Yangtze River Cruise -
Yichang - Shanghai(B, L,
DH) |
Our ship arrives at SandoupingVillage
in the morning. Here we disembark to visit the mighty Three Gorges
Dam site, the largest project of its kind in the world. Arrival at
Yichang signals the end of our Yangtze River cruise. Disembark and
transfer to the airport to board a short flight to Shanghai.
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| Day 16 :Shanghai(AB,
L, DS) |
Shanghai is China's most vibrant and
cosmopolitan city. It is also it’s largest with a population of 13
million covering 2448 square miles. Experience the charm of modern
Shanghai as we visit Yu Garden, famous shopping district Nanjing
Road, and the Bund. Entrance tickets have also been provided for
our group to visit the ShanghaiMuseum. In the evening a special
performance of Chinese Acrobatics has been scheduled.
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| Day 17 :Shanghai - USA(AB)
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| The morning is free until we board our
homebound int'l flight, bidding a fond farewell to China.
Features
Hotels:
Beijing - Days Hotel (5*)
Chengdu - Crowne Plaza (5*)
Lhasa - Lhasa Hotel
Xi'an - Hyatt Regency (5*)
Yangtze River - Victoria Cruises (5*)
Shanghai - Sofitel Oriental (5*)
Tour Package Includes:
Fine Dining
3 meals a day as specified
Full American or buffet breakfast daily Chinese or western dinners
in hotels or at local restaurants
Local specialties: Peking Duck Feast in Beijing, Imperial
Dumpling Banquet in Xian, Spicy Cuisine in Chongqing, Local
specialty in Chengdu
Special Entertainment
Shanghai - Chinese Acrobatics Show
Xian - Tang Dynasty Stage Show
Air Fare
Round trip trans-Pacific air ticket
China domestic air tickets
Sightseeing
Comprehensive sightseeing tours and shore excursions as
specified
Experienced and knowledgeable tour guide throughout in China
Travel Protection
Travel Protection Insurance provided at no additional cost to
you, if final payment received 45 days prior to the departure date
“USTOA” $1 Million Travelers Assistance Program
Tax for this package is $171 |
ABOUT
US 
ADVENTURE TOURS
Starting
September 1, 2005 China domestic airports will no longer collect
airport taxes on the spot. Instead, domestic China airport taxes
are to be included in the airline tickets issued prior to
departure. Thus, we must charge the domestic tax amount as a
separate charge from the tour fare for all tour dates departing
after September 1, as listed below:
