13-Nights Mountains and Myths in China and Tibet - Small Group Journeys — CALL
Abercrombie & Kent
OFFER ID 1678015
Blending classic destinations with off-the-beaten-path locales, this journey ranges from Beijing and the Great Wall to glittering Hong Kong, packing an in-depth exploration of Tibet and the Yunnan province in between. Explore sites that reveal the serene beauty of Tibetan Buddhist culture and learn about the lives of the Naxi minority. Visit the real-life Shangri-La and, in Lhasa, walk in the footsteps of the Dalai Lama.
13 nights | Call for pricing
Itinerary Details
1 Arrive Beijing, China
Beijing is China’s capital, a cultural and political nerve center more than 20 million people call home. Among them are our on-the-ground local experts who help open doors to the city’s most extraordinary experiences.
The Peninsula Beijing
Meals:
2 Beijing – Walking the Great Wall
Meander by pedicab through a hutong — a neighborhood of small winding alleyways — witnessing local daily life firsthand. Then travel outside the city to the well-preserved Mutianyu section of the Great Wall of China. Walk or ride a cable car to the top and view the stunning mountains. Return to Beijing, where tonight you gather for a welcome dinner.
The Peninsula Beijing
Meals:
3 Lijiang – Legends and Lost Horizons
Fly to Lijiang, a city surrounded by the lofty peaks of the Hengduan Mountains in China’s southwestern Yunnan Province. Home to over a million residents, Lijiang is the hub of the Naxi minority, the descendants of Tibetan nomads. Begin your explorations at Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Stroll Black Dragon Pool Park, its arched bridge, wood pagoda and snow-crowned mountain backdrop forming a living postcard. Stop by the Dongba Museum to learn more about the Naxi culture.
Banyan Tree Lijiang
Meals:
4 Lijiang
Immerse yourself in the local cultures surrounding Jade Dragon Snow Mountain on a guided tour. Ride by cable car up to Yak Meadow and enjoy a scenic stroll, absorbing the mountain vistas. Proceed to Yuhu Village, where you visit with a Naxi family to learn more about their unique culture, including Naxi traditional dress, and try your hand at their pictographic language.
Banyan Tree Lijiang
Meals:
5 Shangri-La – Tiger Leaping Gorge
Take a scenic drive to Shangri-La, a city named after the Hilton novel’s mythical Tibetan paradise. Cross an 8,600-foot pass, taking in the view of the Yangtze River flowing through the valley below. Stop in the charming village of Shigu to visit a memorial commemorating a historic military action. Eat lunch before continuing to Tiger Leaping Gorge, one of the world’s deepest chasms. Upon arrival in Shangri-La, settle into your modern hotel overlooking Old Town (also called Dukezong Ancient Town).
Hotel Indigo Diqing Moonlight City
Meals:
6 Shangri-La – Monastery Visit
Immerse yourself in the Tibetan culture of Shangri-La with a visit to the 300-year-old Songzangling Monastery, also known as Little Potala Palace. Stop into a Tibetan family’s home and sip yak butter tea before visiting the Tibetan Culture Museum to view a colorful thangka (traditional Buddhist painting) exhibition. Climb to Guishan Temple for scenic views and the opportunity to spin one of the largest prayer wheels in the world. Return to Old Town this evening before savoring a Tibetan hot pot dinner.
Hotel Indigo Diqing Moonlight City
Meals:
7 Lhasa – Gateway to Tibet
Fly to Lhasa, the heart and soul of Tibet, one of the highest cities on earth at 12,000 feet. Enjoy an afternoon on your own, free to relax and acclimatize.
The St. Regis Lhasa Resort
Meals:
8 Lhasa – Buddhist Treasures
Wander Lhasa’s colorful Barkhor Bazaar, perusing lively market stalls selling all manner of handicrafts, such as ornate prayer wheels, embroidered thangkas and Buddhist rubbings. You may find yourself standing side by side with Tibetan and Chinese residents or even nomads from eastern Tibet. Then discover the spiritual heart of Tibet at the sacred Jokhang, a 1,300-year-old temple housing Tibet’s most revered golden Buddha. Then venture just outside the city to the Sera Monastery, famous for its tantric teachings.
The St. Regis Lhasa Resort
Meals:
9 Lhasa – Palace of the Dalai Lama
Begin the day with Sanggye Dhunghor, where some 200 statues are carved into a dramatic rock face. Next, set foot in the towering Potala Palace, considered the crowning glory of Lhasa. Once a center of political and religious power, it contained the living quarters of the Dalai Lamas as well as their golden tombs. Proceed to the Dalai Lama’s former summer residence at Norbulingka, a colorful palace surrounded by ponds, gardens and pavilions. This evening, sip cocktails and learn about Tibetan traditional dress, perhaps donning the garments yourself.
The St. Regis Lhasa Resort
Meals:
10 Kunming – City of Eternal Spring
Fly to Kunming, the capital of Yunnan province. This “city of eternal spring” is surrounded by mountains on three sides. Kunming’s proximity to several nations just across China’s southeastern border has made it an important transit hub throughout history. Benefiting from abundant annual rainfall and a temperate climate, local gardens bursting with azaleas and rhododendrons are plentiful. Visit Western Hills, a park offering scenic outlooks and temples such as the stone-carved Dragon Gate.
Shangri-La Kunming
Meals:
11 Kunming – A Forest of Stone
Discover one of the most unusual landscapes in China, the Stone Forest. Hike among the rock pillars, spotting notable formations such as Baby Elephant, Baby Buffalo and Moon-Gazing Rhino. Stop at the Shilin Karst Geology Museum before returning to Kunming.
Shangri-La Kunming
Meals:
12 Hong Kong – Where East Meets West in Style
Walk along colorful, fragrant Yongdao Street, perusing its markets full of flowers, birds and fish before flying to Hong Kong, famed for its dazzling high-rise skyline, electric atmosphere and non-stop nightlife. The original “East meets West” Asian locale, Hong Kong is a capital of culture and a center of world trade. Enjoy an evening to explore the city as you please.
The Peninsula Hong Kong
Meals:
13 Hong Kong – Bustling Markets to Fishing Villages
Experience the city’s bustling market culture with stops at a herbal market, street-side antique shops and an open-air curio market. Ride the funicular up to Victoria Peak for a stunning view of Victoria Harbour, and finish with a traditional sampan (wooden boat) ride through the local fishing villages. Tonight, gather for a farewell dinner.
The Peninsula Hong Kong
Meals:
14 Depart Hong Kong
After breakfast, take your private transfer to the airport to board your departing flight.
Meals:
Located 400 mi/645 km south of Chengdu at an elevation of 6,200 ft/1,900 m, Kunming, the "city of eternal springs," is surrounded by gorgeous mountain scenery. It's a pleasant, well-laid-out city, with a temperate climate and many gardens and lakes. The city was a base for the Flying Tigers during the early stages of World War II. It also played a key role in the Sino-Japanese War as the end point of the Burma Road.
Kunming also has a number of golf courses. China's burgeoning middle class is enthusiastically taking to the sport of golf, and greens are being built around the city. The Lakeview Country Club course was designed by British golf pro Nick Faldo.
Kunming is home to many of China's ethnic minorities—tribal people—who consider themselves distinctly different from China's predominant ethnic group, the Han. The city is also intriguing because some of the neighborhoods escaped the ugly 1950s Chinese modern architecture that characterizes most cities in the rest of the country, although given Kunming's rapid growth and ongoing construction this may not always be the case.
Things to see in Kunming include an interesting market, some ruined pagodas, the Yuantong Temple (a glorious building set on Green Lake) and stores selling tribal handicrafts.
Perhaps the best thing about Kunming, however, is that its traditional Chinese teahouses have survived. Tucked into side streets, they serve as neighborhood centers where older citizens play games and smoke the afternoon away—visitors are welcome.
There are many lakes and old temples outside the city that make fun destinations for day trips. Most notable are the Huating Temple in the Western Hills (built in the 1300s) and the 300-year-old Golden Temple (bronze-covered pillars, roofs and gates), linked by cable car to the World Horticultural Expo Garden.
Another attraction in the vicinity is the Shilin Stone Forest of Lunan county. These oddly shaped rock formations are actually better seen during an overnight stay rather than a day trip because they're about 75 mi/125 km southeast of town, although a highway makes a day trip possible.
Well-connected by road and rail, as well as the Kunming Airport, Kunming makes an excellent hub from which to explore the Yunnan province. The metro system, comprised of six lines, is a great way of getting around.
Known as Shangri-La for marketing purposes, Zhongdian lies on the border with Tibet. (Tibetans know the area as Gyelthang.) It is home to the Rhingha Temple and the Zong Gu monastery, site of the world's largest Buddhist prayer wheel. Nearby is Pudacuo National Park and Tiger Leaping Gorge.
The town is an interesting ethnic mix of Tibetan and Han residents, with smaller populations of Naxi, Bai, Yi and Lisu, and surrounded by Tibetan villages. Unfortunately, the old town is being rapidly redeveloped as a major tourism center, replete with ubiquitous outlets selling fake tiger skins and North Face jackets, while "ethnic" dancers don their traditional get-ups to woo tourist dollars. Nightly dancing begins in the main square at 8 pm; anyone is welcome to participate in this popular tourist attraction.
Remote Lands, a New York-based tour operator focused entirely on Asia, provides tours to Zhongdian and other less-familiar destinations in China. Phone 646-415-8092. http://www.remotelands.com.
Excursions
Hong Kong Heritage Tour - 4.5 hours - Hong Kong
Hong Kong Heritage Tour - 4.5 hours - Hong Kong
Highlights:
- Start with a visit to Tsang Tai Uk also known as Shan Ha Wai "Walled Village at the Mountain's Foot", is a Hakka walled village and one of the best-preserved. Shan Ha Wai gained its current name Tsang Tai Uk from locals when it housed displaced families after the Second World War.
- A photo stop will be made at the Lo Wai Walled Village, the first walled village built by the Tang clan. The site was also declared a monument in 1997. Nearby is the Tang's Ancestral Hall, built in the 16th century, for clan rituals & ancestor worship.
- Make a wish at Lam Tsuen Wishing Tree, a big banyan tree that is popular among local villagers who come to burn joss sticks and make wishes under it.
- Next is a visit to a spectacular Tang dynasty-style Buddhist temple the Chi Lin Nunnery. This Buddhist nunnery is stunning with its monastery complex having been renovated as a piece of Tang dynasty architecture. The grand and elegant complex will surely become one of China's great cultural attractions in the years to come.
Tour can operate: Morning or afternoon
Wheelchair Accessible: No
Physical Activity Level: Light
Inclusions:
- Donation to Tsang Tai Uk
- Bottled Water
- English-speaking guide
- Round-trip private transfers from Cruise Terminal
- Meals other than specified as included
- Tips or gratuities to guides, drivers, restaurant, etc
- Drinks or personal expenses or entrance fees for any extra sightseeing or optional activities
Lamma Island Tour - 8.5 hours
Tour Duration: 8.5 hours
Tour description:
Upon arrival to Hong Kong (Ocean Terminal or Kai Tak Cruise Terminal), disembark the ship and meet your guide. This full-day guided tour will take you on a hike over the trails of Lamma Island. Discover the culture and traditions that have sprung from this unique fishing community and learn about the island’s rich history from our expert tour guide.
Our hike will follow the winding coastal path along the island and up the hillside for majestic views over the South China Sea and neighboring Cheung Chau and Lantau Island. Lamma Island has been inhabited for over 6,000 years – this route will give you a glimpse into its past, from its abandoned banana plantations, ancestral graves, and old feng shui woods to a World War 2 Kamikaze tunnel and even, a centuries old Tin Hau temple, dedicated to the local goddess of the sea, that remains a place of prayer to this day.
We’ll stop for a fresh seafood lunch by the waterfront of Sok Kwu Wan village, before continuing to the bustling village of Yung Shue Wan. Stroll through the narrow streets of tightly packed local shops and delight in the colorful bohemian community that has gradually become part of Lamma Island’s new culture.
Inclusions:
• Private transfer
• Sightseeing with Local English Speaking guide
• Entrance fees
• Meals as specified (meals only, no drinks/ waters)
• Cold towels and water on sightseeing days
Not included:
• Other meals where not mention in the program
• Drinks/ waters on meals
• China visa (Please contact your cruise for the visa details)
• Personal expenses
• Travel insurance
• Tips and Gratuities
• Other services not listed in inclusive column
Hong Kong Highlights Tour with Lunch – 6 hours - Hong Kong
Hong Kong Highlights Tour with Lunch – 6 hours - Hong Kong
Highlights:
- Cross Victoria Harbour, one of Hong Kong’s greatest assets, a jewel that people marvel at no matter how many times they visit the city using the famous Star Ferry
- Enjoy a ride on the World's steepest funicular railway, the Peak Tram!
- Take a sampan ride into the typhoon shelter for a close-up view of waterborne life.
- Feast on a traditional Dim Sum Lunch
- Visit Stanley, a popular market town on the sunny south side of Hong Kong Island
Tour can operate: Morning
Wheelchair Accessible: No
Physical Activity Level: Light
Inclusions:
- One way Star ferry ticket
- One way peak tram ticket
- 15-minute Sampan ride
- Chinese Dim Sum lunch with Chinese Tea
- Bottled Water
- English-speaking guide
- Round-trip private transfers from Cruise Terminal
- Meals other than specified as included
- Tips or gratuities to guides, drivers, restaurant, etc
- Drinks or personal expenses or entrance fees for any extra sightseeing or optional activities
Treasures of Kowloon (private tour) - 4 hours - Hong Kong
Treasures of Kowloon (private tour) - 4 hours - Hong Kong
Highlights:
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Visit a Qing Dynasty fort – The Kowloon Walled City Park
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Visit one of Hong Kong’s most popular temples, Wong Tai Sin, which specializes in fortune-telling.
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Explore the Tang dynasty-style Buddhist temple, the Chi Lin Nunnery. This Buddhist nunnery is stunning with its monastery complex
Tour can operate: Morning or afternoon
Wheelchair Accessible: No
Physical Activity Level: Light
Inclusions:
- Private vehicle on hire
- English speaking guide
- 1 x bottled water per person
- Round-trip private transfers from Cruise Terminal
- Minimum 2 persons required for the tour
- Meals other than specified as included
- Tips or gratuities to guides, drivers, restaurant, etc.
- Personal expenses or entrance fees for any extra sightseeing or optional activities
Macau Excursion – 8 hours - Hong Kong
Macau Excursion – 8 hours - Hong Kong
Highlights:
- Visit the famous A-Ma Temple. It is located on the south-western tip of the Macao peninsula overlooking Barra Square and the seashore.
- Explore the historic heart of Macau including St. Paul's Ruins and Senado Square.
- Summit the Macau Tower, where you can gaze out over Taipa and Coloane, look for Macau's landmarks and historical sites or try to spot Hong Kong's outlying islands.
Tour can operate: Morning
Wheelchair Accessible: No
Physical Activity Level: Light
Inclusions:
- Round trip TurboJet Economy ferry ticket from Macau to Hong Kong and Macau to Hong Kong
- Entrance to Macau Tower
- Bottled Water
- English speaking guide
- Round trip private transfers in Macau
- Round-trip private transfers from Cruise Terminal in Hong Kong
- Meals other than specified as included
- Tips or gratuities to guides, drivers, restaurant, etc
- Drinks or personal expenses or entrance fees for any extra sightseeing or optional activities
Hong Kong - Full Day Macau Tour by jetfoil (10 Hours)
Hong Kong - Full Day Macau Tour by jetfoil (10 Hours)
Highlights:
- Visit Statue of Kum Iam, dedicated to Kum Iam, the Goddess of Mercy. It is 20 meters tall and made of bronze. The construction cost was MOP 30 million.
- Visit Macau Tower, 338 meters high and ranked the 11th highest in the world.
- Continue to Temple of A-Ma, was built 400 years ago in homage to a girl who saved seamen's lives. Macau was later named by the Portuguese settlers in mid-16th Century.
- Ruins of Sao Paulo - An imposing facade is all that is left of a church built by Italian and Japanese Jesuit priests in 1602.
- A short visit in one of the famous casinos
Tour can operate: Morning
Wheelchair Accessible: No
Physical Activity Level: Light
Inclusions:
- Local English Speaking Guide
- Ground transportation Seat-In-Coach
- Lunch
- 2 bottles of water and 2 cold towels per person
- Sightseeing including admission fees according to itinerary.
- Personal Expenses, Tipping
Hong Kong Island Tour (4 hours)
Hong Kong Island Tour (4 hours)
Half day tour to Hong Kong Island
Highlights
- Sheung Wan Dried Food & Herbal Market
- Man Mo Temple
- Peak Tram ride (share-basis)
- Sampan ride at Aberdeen Fishing Village
Tour Duration: 4 hours
Wheelchair Accessible: No
Physical Activity Level: Moderate
Inclusions:
- Transportation is by private vehicle (Mercedes Benz S-350) with services of a driver and an English-speaking guide
- Local bottled water & entrance fees during sightseeing
- Gratuity to the guide & driver
- Service voucher
Not Included:
- Any cruise arrangements
- Any meals
- Travel insurance
- Any visa
Hong Kong: Kowloon Market Tour (4 hours)
Hong Kong: Kowloon Market Tour (4 hours)
Half day tour to Markets in Kowloon
Highlights
- Flower Market
- Fish Market (where can try some local food, e.g. signature milk tea, egg tart, pineapple bun on client's own account)
- Jade Market
Tour Duration: 4 hours
Wheelchair Accessible: No
Physical Activity Level: Moderate
Inclusions:
- Transportation is by private vehicle (Mercedes Benz S-350) with services of a driver and an English-speaking guide
- Local bottled water & entrance fees during sightseeing
- Gratuity to the guide & driver
- Service voucher
Not Included:
- Any cruise arrangements
- Any meals
- Travel insurance
- Any visa
Hong Kong: New Territories Tour (4 hours)
Hong Kong: New Territories Tour (4 hours)
Half day tour to the New Territories in Hong Kong
(Not operated on Tuesdays)
Highlights
- Sam Tung Uk Hakka Walled Village Museum
- Tai Fu Tai Ancestral Family Clan House
Tour Duration: 4 hours
Wheelchair Accessible: No
Physical Activity Level: Moderate
Inclusions:
- Transportation is by private vehicle (Mercedes Benz S-350) with services of a driver and an English-speaking guide
- Local bottled water & entrance fees during sightseeing
- Gratuity to the guide & driver
- Service voucher
Not Included:
- Any cruise arrangements
- Any meals
- Travel insurance
- Any visa
Hong Kong: Lantau Island Tour (5 hours)
Hong Kong: Lantau Island Tour (5 hours)
Half day tour to Lantau Island in Hong Kong
Highlights
- Ngong Ping Cable Car ride (share-basis)
- Ngong Ping Village - "Walking with Buddha"
- Po Lin Monastery
- Giant Buddha
Tour Duration: 5 hours
Wheelchair Accessible: No
Physical Activity Level: Moderate
Inclusions:
- Transportation is by private vehicle (Mercedes Benz S-350) with services of a driver and an English-speaking guide
- Local bottled water & entrance fees during sightseeing
- Gratuity to the guide & driver
- Service voucher
Not Included:
- Any cruise arrangements
- Any meals
- Travel insurance
- Any visa
Hong Kong: Disposal Tour (4 hours)
Hong Kong: Disposal Tour (4 hours)
Commerce a vehicle/driver/guide at disposal for 4 consecutive hours
Tour Duration: 4 hours
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Physical Activity Level: Light
Inclusions:
- Transportation is by private vehicle (Mercedes Benz S-350) with services of a driver and an English-speaking guide
- Local bottled water during sightseeing
- Gratuity to the guide & driver
- Service voucher
Not Included:
- Any cruise arrangements
- Any meals and entrance fee
- Travel insurance
- Any visa
Hong Kong Island Tour (8 hours)
Hong Kong Island Tour (8 hours)
Full day tour on Hong Kong Island
Highlights
- Sheung Wan Dried Food & Herbal Market
- Man Mo Temple
- Peak Tram ride (share-basis)
- Sampan ride at Aberdeen Typhoon Shelter
- Dim Sum lunch reservation (on client's own account)
- Repulse Bay
- Stanley Market
Tour Duration: 8 hours
Wheelchair Accessible: No
Physical Activity Level: Moderate
Inclusions:
- Transportation is by private vehicle (Mercedes Benz S-350) with services of a driver and an English-speaking guide
- Local bottled water and entrance fee during sightseeing
- Gratuity to the guide & driver
- Service voucher
Not Included:
- Any cruise arrangements
- Any meals
- Travel insurance
- Any visa
Hong Kong: Disposal Tour (8 hours)
Hong Kong: Disposal Tour (8 hours)
Commence a vehicle / driver / guide at disposal for 8 consecutive hours
Tour Duration: 8 hours
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Physical Activity Level: Light
Inclusions:
- Transportation is by private vehicle (Mercedes Benz S-350) with services of a driver and an English-speaking guide
- Local bottled water during sightseeing
- Gratuity to the guide & driver
- Service voucher
Not Included:
- Any cruise arrangements
- Any meals and entrance fee
- Travel insurance
- Any visa
Beijing is the country's economic, cultural and transportation center as well as a famous historical capital of China. Located in northwest North China Plain, Beijing is the second largest city in China with a population of more than 11 million and is ideal to visit all year. There are numerous museums and libraries with the largest collection of books in the country. It also serves as a center for science and technology. It is a hub of communications, with good railroad and air links with all parts of China and with major cities of the world, thus facilitating the rapid development of tourism as an important industry in Beijing. Beijing is an ancient city with a long cultural history. The four feudal dynasties--Jin, Yuan, Ming, and Qing had all set up their capital here and it became a most concentrated place of the country's scenic spots and historical sites. The best known are the Palace Museum, the Summer Palace, the Great Wall and the Temple of Heaven. Beijing aims to develop into a modern international metropolis..
Vacation Details
* This departure has been designated a guaranteed departure by the operator, meaning that the minimum number of guests has been met, although still subject to weather and other conditions.
All fares are quoted in US Dollars.
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