13-Day Best of China with Avatar Hallelujah

Day 1 Arrival in Beijing, Greet & Meet at Airport, Transfer to Hotel

Destination: Beijing
Meals included: Dinner at Halal restaurant
Accommodations: Novotel Beijing Xin Qiao Hotel or similar

Your professional Muslim expert tour guide will meet you at the arrival hall of the airport with your private vehicle on standby and assists you to your hotel. Relax at hotel to recover from the jet lag.

Day 2 Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Fresh Water Pearl, Temple of Heaven

Destination: Beijing
Meals included: Breakfast at hotel, lunch & dinner at Halal restaurants
Salat prayer: Niujie Mosque
Accommodations: Novotel Beijing Xin Qiao Hotel or similar

Explore Beijing from Tiananmen Square in the morning. Located in the center of Beijing, Tiananmen Square is the largest city square in the world and it has great cultural significance as it was the site of many important events in Chinese history such as Chairman Mao’s declaration of the establishment of the People’s Republic of China on Oct, 01, 1949. Next walk to the Forbidden City. As the royal residences of the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties from the 15th to 20th century, the Forbidden City was the centre of state power in late feudal China and witnessed the enthronement of 14 Ming and 10 Qing emperors over 505 years. Visit fresh water pearl shop and the Temple of Heaven after lunch at a local Halal restaurant and Salat at the 900 year old Niujie Mosque. The Temple of Heaven, built between 1406 and 1420 by the same emperor who was responsible for building the Forbidden City, is where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties would worship the god of heaven and pray for good harvest. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site regarded as a masterpiece of architectural and landscape design.

Day 3 Great Wall, Jade Carving, Sacred Way of Ming Tombs, Photo Stop at Olympic Venues

Destination: Beijing
Meals included: Breakfast at hotel, lunch & dinner at Halal restaurants
Accommodations: Novotel Beijing Xin Qiao Hotel or similar

Visit the Great Wall of China and jade carving factory in the morning. The Great Wall was continuously built from the 3rd century BC to the 17th century AD on the northern border of China as the great military defense project of successive Chinese Empires. Today, the wall is still impressive at 3,750 miles in length, stretching from the Bohai Sea to the Gobi Desert. The Great Wall embodies unparalleled significance as the national symbol for safeguarding the security of the country and Chinese people. Visit the Sacred Way of the Ming Tomb after lunch and Salat at a local Halal restaurant. The Sacred Way is a stone paved path which stretches as long as one kilometer to the north of the main gate of the Ming Tombs. Next, make a photo stop at the 2008 Olympic Venues of Bird Nest (National Stadium) and Water Cube (National Aquatics Center).

Day 4 Summer Palace, High Speed Train to Xian (about 5 hours)

Destinations: Beijing & Xi’an
Meals included: Breakfast at hotel, lunch & dinner at Halal restaurants
Accommodations: Mercure Xi ‘an Downtown or similar

Morning visit to the largest and best-preserved royal garden in China, the Summer Palace. Using Kunming Lake and Longevity Hill as the basic framework, the Summer Palace combined political and administrative, residential, spiritual, and recreational functions within a landscape of lakes and mountains, in accordance with the Chinese philosophy of balancing the works of man with nature. The natural landscape of hills and open water is combined with artificial features such as pavilions, halls, palaces, temples and bridges to form a harmonious ensemble of outstanding aesthetic value. Board second class high speed train to Xian in the afternoon. Xian is the ancient capital city of China and the starting point of Silk Road.

Day 5 Terracotta Warriors & Reproduction Factory, Great Mosque, Muslim Quarter

Destination: Xi’an
Meals included: Breakfast at hotel, lunch & dinner at Halal restaurants
Salat prayer: Xian Great Mosque
Accommodations: Mercure Xi ‘an Downtown or similar

Morning visit to the Terracotta Warriors and Horses and its reproduction factory. Considered one of the foremost archaeological discoveries of the 20th century, the 2,000-year-old Terracotta Army was discovered by accident in 1974 by local farmers digging a well. The 8,000-plus life-sized figures are arranged in vaults to guard the tomb of Qin Shihuang, the first emperor of China, a major architect of the Great Wall and unifier of China. Visit the Muslim Quarter after lunch and Salat at Xian Great Mosque. The area north of the Drum Tower is the Muslim Quarter of Xian which covers several blocks with an estimated 60,000 Muslims in the region. There are about seven ancient mosques in the area, among which the Great Mosque built in 742 is most famous and popular among all. Experience a seemingly endless labyrinth of street food, restaurants and bustling local life at Xian’s Muslim Quarter.

Day 6 Little Wild Goose Pagoda, Xian Museum, City Wall, Fly to Zhangjiajie

Destinations: Xi’an & Zhangjiajie
Meals included: Breakfast at hotel, lunch & dinner at Halal restaurants
Accommodations:  Pullman Zhangjiajie Hotel or similar

Visit Small Wild Goose Pagoda and Xian Museum in the morning. With a history of more than 1,300 years, Small Wild Goose Pagoda was built to store the Buddhist scriptures delivered from ancient India. It is a perfect example of the multi-eaved square brick pagodas built in ancient China. Currently there are 13 storeys left as the top two storeys were destroyed in earthquakes. Continue to visit Xian Museum. Xian Museum boasts nearly 130,000 relics that all relate to the history of Ancient China and Xian specifically. Afterwards visit Xian City Wall. The City Wall of Xian is one of the oldest and best-preserved city walls in the world. Walking atop the Wall you can get the panorama of Xian skyline. Fly to Zhangjiajie late in the afternoon or at night.

Day 7 Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, Grand Canyon Glass Bridge

Destination: Zhangjiajie
Meals included: Breakfast at hotel, lunch & dinner at Halal restaurants
Accommodations:  Pullman Zhangjiajie Hotel or similar

Take a cable car up to Tianzi Mountain to see the full extent of the Wulingyuan Scenic Area. Scenic spots here include: Imperial Brush Peak, Fairy Spreading Flowers Peak, Warrior Taming a Horse and Devine Troops. Then take a shuttle bus to Yuanjiajie scenic area. Yuanjiajie is the place that was used as the backdrop in the James Cameron movie “Avatar”. Huge rocks with unique shapes rising from deep valleys and surrounded by higher mountains. It offers a breathtaking sight and looks like a painting. Scenic spots at Yuanjiajie include: Avatar Hallelujah Mountain, the First Bridge under the Heaven, Back Garden and Enchanting Stage. Get down the Mountain by Bailong Elevator which is the world’s tallest outdoor sightseeing elevator and the fastest passenger elevator with the biggest capacity. Afterwards, hike the Golden Whip Stream for 40 minutes along the stream to enjoy an eyeful of green plants and listen to the gurgle of streams and singing of birds. Continue visiting Grand Canyon Glass Bridge. This record-breaking glass-bottomed and transparent bridge stands 984 feet above the ground.

Day 8 Baofeng Lake, Tianmen Mountain

Destination: Zhangjiajie
Meals included: Breakfast at hotel, lunch & dinner at Halal restaurants
Accommodations: Best Western Grand Hotel Zhangjiajie or similar

Enjoy a relaxing boat ride at Baofeng Lake in the morning. Then, take a bus to Baofeng Lake Waterfall. With thunderous sound, the waterfall is pouring down from a hundred meters above. Take cable car to the top of Tianmen Mountain. Enjoy a captivating view of Tianmen Mountain and Wulingyuan Scenic Area on the summit. Walk to the Cliff Hanging Walkway, built on the over 1,400 meter (4,593 feet.) high steep cliff. One section of the plank way has a glass floor which is known as Sky Walk. Descend to Tianmen Gate that gives the mountain its name. Take a shuttle bus down the winding 99-Bend Road to the cable car station.

Day 9 Bullet Train to Guilin, Yaoshan Tea Plantation

Destinations: Zhangjiajie & Guilin
Meals included: Breakfast at hotel, lunch & dinner at Halal restaurants
Accommodations: Guilin Park Hotel or similar

Take bus to Changsha (4.5 hrs) and then take scond class bullet train to Guilin (3-3.5hrs). Upon arrival, experience tea-leaf picking and tea-making process at Yaoshan Tea Plantation which offers a good chance to learn the Chinese tea culture. Here, tea farmers will brief you on the tea plantation and you may also savor many different kinds of Chinese tea.

Day 10 Li River Cruise, Yangshuo West Street, Reed Flute Cave

Destination: Guilin
Meals included: Breakfast at hotel, lunch & dinner at Halal restaurants
Salat Prayer: Chongshan Mosque
Accommodations: Guilin Park Hotel or similar

Transfer to the pier to board the Li River Cruise ship. This 83-kilometer-long waterway cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo is like traveling along a traditional Chinese painting. The landscape is decorated with startling hills, steep cliffs, fantastic caves and farming villages, and is lined with bamboo. In a Chinese poem it is written: “The River is a green silk ribbon, and the hills are jade hairpins”. Upon arrival at Yangshuo you will walk along the famous West Street. Visit the Reed Flute Cave after Salat at Guilin Ancient Mosque. The Reed Flute Cave got its name from the verdant reeds growing outside it, with which people make flutes. Inside this water-eroded cave is a spectacular world of various stalactites, stone pillars and rock formations formed by carbonate deposition. Illuminated by colored lighting, the fantastic spectacle is found in many variations along this 240-meter-long cave.

Day 11 Fly to Shanghai, People’s Square, Shanghai Museum

Destinations: Guilin & Shanghai
Meals included: Breakfast at hotel, lunch & dinner at Halal restaurants
Accommodations: Pullman Shanghai Jing’an Hotel or similar

Fly to Shanghai in the morning. Visit the People’s Square and Shanghai Museum. The People’s Square was once the finest racecourse in Asia; it is now a large open space in which locals hang out all day, every day, practicing Tai Chi and flying kites. Shanghai Museum is specially celebrated in the world for its rich and high-quality collection of 120,000 precious works of art including ancient Chinese bronze, ceramics, painting and calligraphy.

Day 12 Yuyuan Garden, Silk Store, The Bund & Nanjing Road, The French Concession & Tianzifang

Destination: Shanghai
Meals included: Breakfast at hotel, lunch & dinner at Halal restaurants
Salat prayer: Xiaotaoyuan Mosque
Accommodations: Pullman Shanghai Jing’an Hotel or similar

Visit Yuyuan Garden in the morning. This garden is a maze of Ming Dynasty pavilions, elaborate rockeries, arched bridges, and goldfish ponds, all encircled by an undulating dragon wall. Then shopping at the Chenghuangmiao market located outside the garden. Continue with a visit to silk store. Stroll along the Bund and nearby Nanjing Road after Salat prayer at Xiaotaoyuan Mosque. The Bund refers to Shanghai’s famous waterfront stretching for 1.6km along the west shore of the Huangpu River. Nanjing Road is the main shopping street of Shanghai and one of the busiest shopping streets in the world. Later, walk around the French Concession of Shanghai and enjoy a tea break & shopping at Tianzifang. The tree-lined avenues and the many fine old houses in the French Concession still retain an air of the “Paris of the East”. Tianzifang is an arts and crafts enclave famous for tiny craft shops, coffee stores, fashionable art galleries and thin alleys.

Day 13 Departure from Shanghai

Meals included: Breakfast at hotel.

Transfer to the airport for your departure flight (without guide). Wish you a pleasant journey home and thank you for traveling with IslamiChina.