• China Off the Beaten Track: Huangshan & Shangri-La

    ★★★★★

    4.9/5 748 Latest reviews

    Tour Code: ODY-CN-447

    Destination: Shanghai, Huangshan, Hangzhou, Kunming, Dali, Lijiang, Shangri-La, Chengdu, Xi’an, Beijing

Duration

21 Days

Tour Type

Private & Bespoke

Tour Style

Adventure

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Itinerary
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About This Trip

Explore China’s classic sights and off-the-beaten tracks in 21 days. You will visit the highlights in the major cities, including the grand buildings in the Bund of Shanghai, the mysterious Terracotta Warriors of Xi’an, the ancient winding Great Wall of Beijing, and the cute giant pandas of Chengdu. Deep into China, you will explore the magnificent Mt. Huangshan and the mesmerizing West Lake in Hangzhou. Besides, discover the essential parts of Yunnan: the UNESCO-listed Kunming Stone Forrest, the elegant Dali Erhai Lake, and enjoy a scenic trek in Lijiang through Tiger Leaping Gorge, where towering cliffs and rushing waters create striking landscapes.

Itinerary Summary

DAYPLACEHIGHLIGHTS
1 – 2ShanghaiThe Bund, Yu Garden, Yuyuan Market, Peace Hotel, Former French Concession
3 – 5HuangshanMt. Huangshan Scenic Area, Hongcun Village
6HangzhouWest Lake, Tea Plantation
7 – 14YunnanKunming: Stone Forest
Dali: Erhai Lake Biking Tour, Bai Minority Villages
Lijiang: Trekking along Tiger Leaping Gorge
Shangri-La: Free Time
15ChengduGiant Panda, Wenshu Temple, Tea House, Jinli Old Street
16 – 17Xi’anTerracotta Warriors, Ancient City Wall, Muslim Street, Great Mosque
18 – 21BeijingJinshanling Great Wall, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven
Quick Question

Itinerary

Welcome to Shanghai, the most cosmopolitan city in China! Your personal tour guide will meet you at the arrival hall and escort you to your hotel in downtown. The rest of the day is yours to relax.

🍽 Local dining

◷ Flexible timing

▱ Beijing

Spend around two hours exploring the Bund, where a collection of historic buildings reveals Shanghai’s rich architectural and cultural past. As you walk along the Huangpu River with your guide, you will gain deeper insight into the stories behind these landmarks and how the city has evolved over time.

After that, head to Yu Garden to appreciate the traditional Chinese garden and lounge around the bustling Yuyuan Market outside it, and then visit a silk workshop to see how small cocoons are transformed into elegant silk. Finally, finish today’s tour with a relaxing roam around the former French Concession.

🍽 Local dining

◷ Flexible timing

▱ Beijing

After breakfast, take the high-speed train departing from Shanghai. Arrive in Huangshan after 3 hours, be picked up and led to visit Hongcun, one of the most charming ancient villages that has been listed in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Overnight in a characteristic countryside hotel nearby.

🍽 Local dining

◷ Flexible timing

▱ Beijing

Have some leisurely time in the morning and then proceed to Huangshan Scenery Area (the Yellow Mountain). Take a cable car up and then walk around 30 minutes along the stone path to get to the hotel. Settle down at the hotel and visit the West Sea Area in the afternoon.

🍽 Local dining

◷ Flexible timing

▱ Beijing

Get up early and have a chance to catch the spectacular sunrise. Later, check out the hotel and explore the Beihai Area before taking the cable car down for the 3 hours’ high-speed train to Hangzhou. Arrive in Hangzhou in the late afternoon, be greeted and transferred to your hotel by the local tour guide.

🍽 Local dining

◷ Flexible timing

▱ Beijing

It is an easy day for you to discover the enduring beauty of Hangzhou with its poetic West Lake, fabulous green tea plantation, and the affable Hu Qingyu Traditional Chinese Medicine Drugstore. Here, you can see a busy scene that is closely related to the lives of ordinary people for hundreds of years ago.

🍽 Local dining

◷ Flexible timing

▱ Beijing

Leisure morning to do further exploration in the city on your own. In the afternoon, take 3.5 hours’ flight to Kunming, meet local tour guide and then move to the hotel near downtown.

🍽 Local dining

◷ Flexible timing

▱ Beijing

Today, you will firstly visit the famous Stone Forest – a bizarre rock formation created over millennia erosion of rain and wind, and then take the high-speed train to Dali. Get to Dali in the early evening, and then be welcomed by local tour guide and driver.

🍽 Local dining

◷ Flexible timing

▱ Beijing

A cycling day along Erhai Lake today! The biking tour will take around 5 hours, and you will pass through beautiful farmlands and many Bai minority villages, such as Yangbo, Zhongzhuang, and Haishe. Stop here for taking photos or tasting local food. Finally, ride back to the old town along the coming road, or another way along the National Highway 214.

🍽 Local dining

◷ Flexible timing

▱ Beijing

Drive 3 hours forward the northwest for a visit of Shaxi Ancient Town, an important stop on the ancient tea-horse road, which still maintains the oldest features. After the tour in Shaxi, drive to Lijiang by another 2 hours. After arriving in Shuhe Old Town of Lijiang in the late afternoon, check into the hotel and relax on your own.

🍽 Local dining

◷ Flexible timing

▱ Beijing

It is a free day for your own exploration.

You may just ramble around in the old town, or take an optional tour to the Jade Snow Mountain or Baisha Village. Whatever is necessary, please feel free to ask for advice with your travel consultant.

🍽 Local dining

◷ Flexible timing

▱ Beijing

Today, you will have a trekking tour in the countryside north of Lijiang and enjoy the stunning scenery of the Tiger Leaping Gorge.

Firstly, drive to Qiaotou where you will start the trekking until the Tea Horse Guesthouse. The trekking tour will take around 4 to 5 hours, depending on your physical strength.

🍽 Local dining

◷ Flexible timing

▱ Beijing

Continue trekking for about 2-3 hours to Tina’s Guesthouse, where your private driver will pick you up and transfer you to Shangri-La (3 to 4 hours will be needed on the road), which will easily evoke your imagination of the mysterious Orient.

Note: Being so high with the average elevation of 3,200 m, you may feel some altitude sickness while in Shangri-La. Good rest and slow paces are highly recommended.

🍽 Local dining

◷ Flexible timing

▱ Beijing

Free time for you to refresh from the previous days’ trekking and get adjust to the high altitude. Late in the afternoon, take a flight to Chengdu. After arrival, be transferred to the downtown hotel by your Chengdu guide.

🍽 Local dining

◷ Flexible timing

▱ Beijing

Today, you will visit the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding firstly to see the adorable pandas, followed by a trip to the Wenshu Temple where you can spend some time sitting in its tea house and enjoying a cup of traditional Chinese tea and absorb the special atmosphere of Chengdu. Your tour today will end by Jinli Old Street.

🍽 Local dining

◷ Flexible timing

▱ Beijing

Head to Xi’an by the high-speed train. When arriving in Xi’an after 4 hours, your private guide will pick you up and escort you to the hotel. Take a short break at the hotel and then have a bicycle tour on the top of the Ancient City Wall to enjoy the old city panorama.

🍽 Local dining

◷ Flexible timing

▱ Beijing

This morning, drive about one hour to visit the legendary Terracotta Warriors and marvel at the thousands of vivid life-size clay armies. In the afternoon, get back and explore the city by exploring Muslim Street and the Great Mosque.

🍽 Local dining

◷ Flexible timing

▱ Beijing

Say goodbye to the ancient capital of Xi’an and then take the high-speed train to Beijing – China’s present capital and another historical city of China.

After arriving in the early afternoon, be met and escorted to visit the imperial Summer Palace. Later on, check into the hotel.

🍽 Local dining

◷ Flexible timing

▱ Beijing

Your discovery in the city will start from Tiananmen Square, the badge of the Chinese political centre. From there, you can proceed to the Forbidden City. Walk from the Meridian Gate to East Flowery Gate, you will not only feel the mysterious ambience in the royal palace, but also see the Imperial Ancestral Temple where royal members worshiped their ancestors. Afterward, go on with a tour to the Temple of Heaven, which is a holy place the emperor would visit annually to pray for good harvest for his empire.

🍽 Local dining

◷ Flexible timing

▱ Beijing

Today’s journey will take you to the magnificent Great Wall – a must see site in China.

To avoid the crowds and get a better view, Jinshanling Great Wall is recommended for you and it will take about 2.5 hours to drive from the city. This is one of the best-preserved sections which keeps many original features. You can do a hike on it for around 3 to 4 hours according to your interests.

🍽 Local dining

◷ Flexible timing

▱ Beijing

Farewell time now! When you are ready, the guide and driver will transfer you to the airport for your international flight back home.

🍽 Local dining

◷ Flexible timing

▱ Beijing

Why Choose Inner Mongolia Jiuhong Travel Service Co., Ltd.

12-Year TripAdvisor Award

Travellers’ Choice winner every year since 2013

No Commission Shopping

Zero shopping stops, zero pressure, zero hidden agendas

100% Private

Every tour is exclusively yours — no strangers, no shared buses

Expert Local Guides

Licensed, English-speaking guides with deep local knowledge

Real reviews from real travellers

  • u003cemu003eu003cemu003eI highly recommend Inner Mongolia Jiuhong Travel Service Co., Ltd. The team is very easy to work with, has excellent ideas and the guides are knowledgeable and easy to be with. Very solid itineraries and execution — flexible, high quality, and great value for money.u003c/emu003eu003c/emu003e
    James T.
    Verified · TripAdvisor
  • u003cemu003eu003cemu003eWe visited both Xi’an and Shanghai under Jiuhong’s arrangement and received the same first-class service in both cities. The guides were knowledgeable, flexible, and happy to discuss all aspects of modern China — giving insights difficult to obtain elsewhere. Strongly recommended.u003c/emu003eu003c/emu003e
    Greenfly
    Couples · Verified · TripAdvisor
  • u003cemu003eu003cemu003eWe had a wonderful action-packed day. Fei Fei was amazing — her knowledge was very impressive and she was a real pleasure to be with. This was certainly the highlight of our stay in this beautiful city. Thanks so much.u003c/emu003eu003c/emu003e
    Ludovic V.
    Couples · London, UK · Verified · TripAdvisor

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