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"Uncle Louie" Flexible Holiday Tour

"Uncle Louie" Flexible Holiday Tour

This year, make it the most memorable holiday ever!! What better gift to give your family than experiencing a "once in a lifetime trip"! You will get to visit a Chinese school; make (and eat of course) dumplings during the home stay in a farmer's home, and experience other golden glimpses of daily life in China. This is all in addition to experiencing the key cultural sites of Beijing, Xian, and Chengdu, including: Forbidden City; Tiananmen Square; climbing the Great Wall; seeing the 8th Wonder of the Ancient World (Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses museum); visiting the Panda Research Center (panda hugs optional! You will also get to explore the iconic karst landscape mountain scenery and more! It is great to travel without summer heat; when traffic is minimal and crowds are somewhere else.

Take advantage of low season for international airfare and celebrate with your family in China. You can mark your holiday while cooking Christmas dinner together at a cooking school and enjoying a fine meal together! The next portion of the trip is usually private family time with a schedule customized to your child's hometown visit, if desired. What better gift to give your family this year? Email louie@lotustours.net to get started on the best winter holiday ever--with absolutely priceless memories. Travel often etches sweet memories in our hearts-a most precious of all gifts!

Tour Overview
Tour Code: LY-HA18-1215
Trip Duration: 12 days/10 nights
Click below for: Tour Price / Accommodations
Beijing,Xian,Chengdu,Guilin,Yangshuo
Departure Dates: Dec-15-18
Day 1 : Dec-15-18 Saturday North America/Beijing
meals: N/A
Leave your home city for Beijing today.
Day 2 : Dec-16-18 Sunday 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 : Dec-17-18 Monday Beijing
meals: B/L
This morning explore the fascinating Hutong neighborhoods. Beijing's oldest Hutongs were constructed during Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. Your tour will take you through some of the best-preserved Hutong neighborhoods that represent the history, culture and lifestyle of old Beijing. After a special homemade lunch at a local family residence in the Hutong Lane area, you can visit the Summer Palace.
Day 4 : Dec-18-18 Tuesday Beijing
meals: B/L/D
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 about 4,000 miles in length. Visit the Peking Duck Restaurant and see how the professional chef roasts Peking duck-Beijing's most famous dish, is traditionally served with Mandarin pancakes, and green onions for brushing on the hoisin sauce. Enjoy your Peking Duck dinner there.
Day 5 : Dec-19-18 Wednesday Beijing/Xian
meals: B/L/D
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. In the afternoon, visit China's largest temple and altar-the Temple of Heaven, which is often depicted as the most recognizable symbol of China. Early this evening, get onboard a luxury express train for your overnight journey to Xian.
Beijing/Xian Soft Sleeper Train Z19 (8:41P/8:15A + 1 day) (Your tour guide has tickets)
Day 6 : Dec-20-18 Thursday 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).
Travel on top of the 950-year-old city wall on 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. After a traditional Chinese hot pot lunch, you will visit the Tangbo Art Museum this afternoon.
Day 7 : Dec-21-18 Friday Xian/Hu County
meals: B/L/D
Embark on an amazing historical and cultural adventure today beginning with the exploration of the Terracotta Warriors & Horses Museum, a UNESCO world heritage site since 1987. Created 2,000 years ago to guard the tomb of China's first emperor QinShiHuang, the passing of time and the elements have gradually worn away the vibrant painted details from the soldiers and horses to reveal their original earthy terracotta color. Learn to make terracotta warriors in one local craft factory. Continue your trip to Hu County famous for its peasant farmer artists who create vibrantly colored peasant paintings and intricate paper cutouts. Visit the local elementary school and have a 45-minutes class with the local children (Please remember to bring some gifts to the children for the school visit). Tonight you will have the rare opportunity to stay at a typical farmer's home and also learn to make JiaoZi (traditional Chinese dumplings) with the family and enjoy the home-made JiaoZi dinner there. After dinner, tonight you will have a dancing party with local farmers at the village grain-sunning ground, which is a common community event and ever so fun to join in!
Day 8 : Dec-22-18 Saturday Hu County/Xian/Chengdu
meals: B/L
Enjoy a rare glimpse into China's countryside living through a visit to the workshops and galleries where you can learn about the artist's special techniques, purchase artwork or paper cutouts and even try your hand at creating your own magnificent work of art. Visit the farmer's old village and you will be surprised by the huge difference between the old village and new village where you are staying. After your included Chinese lunch, you will return to the Xian Airport for your flight to Chengdu.
Xian/Chengdu HU7855 (2:15P/3:35P) (Your local guide has tickets)
Please meet your local guide and driver at the Chengdu airport exit for transfer to the hotel. As an optional evening entertainment, tonight, you will get to enjoy a traditional show at a tea house-it is a favorite one of adults and kids alike and is often a highlight of the trip to China! Get your camera ready and see if you can figure out the art of the local custom of "face changing". It's a fascinating local artistic work.
Day 9 : Dec-23-18 Sunday Chengdu
meals: B/L
Go on an extraordinary journey to the Panda Breeding Research Base this morning. After lunch, visit the Chengdu old town-JingLi Street, which combines the culture of the Three Kingdoms Period with the folk customs of Sichuan. The tea-houses, stores and hotels are modeled on the architectural style of a traditional old town in western Sichuan Province from the Qing (1644-1911) Dynasty. As you stroll down the narrow streets, you will find local artisan Shu Embroidery, lacquer products, calligraphy work and other local handicrafts. Visiting stores on this street, one feels like you have catapulted back in time and you will appreciate the relaxing and local unique flavor of this ancient street.
Day 10 : Dec-24-18 Monday Chengdu/Guilin
meals: B/L
You will be transferred to the Chengdu Airport for your trip to Guilin this morning.
Chengdu/Guilin CA4323 (8:35A/10:05A) (E-tickets issued by our China office)
Meet your tour guide at the Guilin Airport exit for a full day tour in Guilin.
Visit the tea farm this morning. You will have Guilin Rice noodle for your lunch in one of the local famous rice noodle restaurant. More than 700 years ago, the Italian traveler, Marco Polo, introduced spaghetti to Italy, then to all western countries. After your Guilin Rice noodle lunch, you won't be surprised why local people can have noodles every day, every meal. Explore the Reed Flute Caves in afternoon. 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).
Day 11 : Dec-25-18 Tuesday Guilin/Yangshuo/Guilin
meals: B/L/D
You will be transferred to Yangshuo this morning by a private bus. This morning, your family gets a "hands on" opportunity with a cooking class in one of the local restaurants. Then relax and enjoy your own cooked Chinese lunch. After the lunch, enjoy a bamboo rafting trip on the Yulong River in afternoon. The Yulong River is a branch of the Li River. Its scenery is even more beautiful than the scenery along the Li River. Your children will love the bamboo rafting on the Yulong River than the tourist cruise on the Li River. You will be transferred back to Guilin during late afternoon.
Day 12 : Dec-26-18 Wednesday Guilin/Orphanage City
meals: B
Today you will be transferred to either airport or train station, or bus station for traveling to the next destination city. Please give us your traveling information including orphanage city and your preferred international gateway city (Guangzhou, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Beijing, etc.). We will create remainder of the trip as a private family tour. You may choose timing for your visit to the orphanage, your child's hometown city and more. This customized portion of the trip is determined according to your specifications and is not included in the base tour cost.

REMARKS:

    B = Breakfast      L = Chinese Lunch                D = Chinese Dinner
    CA= Air China     CZ=China Southern Airline     MU=China Eastern Airlines
Tour Prices:
$1799.00 per adult & $1439.00 per child   Booking Tour

Accommodations:
City Hotel Deluxe Class Superior Class
Beijing . Novotel Peace Hotel N/A N/A
Xian . Holiday Inn Xi'an Big Goose Pagoda N/A N/A
Xian . County Farmer's House N/A N/A
Chengdu . Chengdu Tibet Hotel N/A N/A
Guilin . Sheraton Guilin Hotel N/A N/A

Hotel Information:
Hotel Indoor Pool Outdoor Pool Gym Safe Box Refrigerator Hair Dryer Kitchen
Novotel Peace Hotel   √     √   √   √   √
N/A            
N/A            
Holiday Inn Xi'an Big Goose Pagoda   √     √   √   √   √
N/A            
N/A            
County Farmer's House           √  
N/A            
N/A            
Chengdu Tibet Hotel       √   √   √   √
N/A            
N/A            
Sheraton Guilin Hotel     √   √   √   √   √
N/A            
N/A            

Inclusions

  • Soft sleeper train ticket of Beijing/Xian;
  • Airfare of Xian/Chengdu/Guilin;
  • 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.
  • 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

  • N. America/China/N. America int'l 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;
  • Extending trip to orphanage city or other destination cities after Guilin which can be arranged with extra cost by us;

Notes:

  • For different scheduled tour, please contact us for a price quote
  • A child has to be less than 12 years old to receive a discount.
  • Twin beds in China hotels, about 40-50 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.
  • 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 Plus Plan offered by the Travelex Insurance Company has excellent travel benefits and children 15 and under are free of charge when traveling with an adult.
  • You need to apply for your Chinese visa 3 months before the trip. Please visit our website at http://www.lotustours.net/visas/china.shtml for detailed visa information and contact our visa agent-Apple at apple@lotustours.net for any visa questions
  • Lotus Travel offers a very affordable cell phone rental package to help you stay in touch with families while in China. Please contact our cell phone rental specialist Theresa 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.
  • Lotus Travel Terms and Conditions
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