China Natural Wonders Discovery — 16 Days

Arrive in Beijing and transfer to your hotel. The rest of the day is free for you to rest after the flight and to take a first walk in the neighbourhood. Beijing has served as China's capital for much of the past eight centuries, since the Yuan dynasty established its seat here in the 1270s.

Begin at the Forbidden City, the Ming- and Qing-dynasty palace complex that housed twenty-four emperors behind its vermilion walls, then climb Jingshan Park for the classic rooftop view across the compound. In the afternoon visit the Summer Palace, the Qing court's lakeside retreat built around Kunming Lake and the Longevity Hill pavilions.

Travel north to the Great Wall at Mutianyu, a Ming-dynasty stretch (1404) restored with watchtowers strung along ridgelines above the forests. Your guide explains how the wall was built and garrisoned to defend the capital. On the return, pass the Bird's Nest — the National Stadium built for the 2008 Beijing Olympics — seen from the outside.

Visit the Temple of Heaven, where Ming and Qing emperors made annual sacrifices for a good harvest within its circular, sky-bound Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests. Later walk Shichahai's lakeside lanes and the hutong off Qianmen Street, where courtyard homes and small shops preserve the grain of old Beijing.

Take the high-speed train west to Xi'an, the Tang-dynasty capital and eastern terminus of the Silk Road. In the afternoon visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, built in 652 to house Buddhist scriptures brought from India, and stroll Tang Paradise Never Night City, a pedestrian district evoking Tang-era nightlife.

Stand before the Terracotta Army, the thousands-strong guard buried around 210 BCE to protect China's first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, in the afterlife. Back in the city, walk the Xi'an Ancient City Wall — a Ming-era rampart from 1370 still circling the old town — and browse the Muslim Quarter for a look at the city's Hui community and food culture.

Board the high-speed train south to Guilin, a city famed since the Tang dynasty for the limestone peaks that rise from the Li River plain. The remainder of the day is free for you to rest or wander the riverside at your own pace ahead of the terraces tomorrow.

Drive into the Longji Rice Terraces, where the Zhuang and Yao peoples carved stepped fields into the mountains over some eight hundred years, turning the slopes into vast ribbons of paddy. Your guide explains the terracing and the harvest cycle as you walk among the fields and the traditional wooden villages.

Cruise down the Li River past the karst peaks that have featured in Chinese landscape painting for centuries, reaching Yangshuo. Continue through the Yulong River and the Ten-Mile Gallery of pinnacles, then stroll Yangshuo West Street, a pedestrian lane of cafés and craft shops set against the green hills.

Take the high-speed train to Zhangjiajie, gateway to the sandstone pillars of Wulingyuan. The rest of the day is free to rest after the journey and prepare for the park; your guide can suggest a relaxed walk or local dinner in the evening.

Enter Zhangjiajie National Forest Park and ride the Bailong Elevator, a glass outdoor lift rising 326 metres up the cliff face, to the quartz-sandstone pillars. Your guide points out Avatar Hallelujah Mountain, the pinnacle whose floating-rock silhouette inspired the film's scenery, and explains how the columns were shaped by erosion.

Cross to Tianmen Mountain by cable car and walk the glass skywalk clinging to the cliff, then pass through Tianmen Cave, a natural arch worn through the rock face. In the evening fly to Shanghai, where you transfer to your hotel after landing.

Enjoy a free day in Shanghai to rest or explore on your own. You might revisit the riverfront, browse a museum, or simply absorb the rhythm of the city; your guide remains available to suggest neighbourhoods and restaurants suited to your interests.

Tour Yu Garden, a Ming-dynasty scholar's garden of rockeries and pavilions within the old town, then walk Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street and the tree-lined French Concession. Visit Tianzifang's lane workshops and finish along the Bund, the colonial waterfront, with a night view over the Huangpu River.

Travel to Suzhou for a day among its celebrated classical gardens, the scholarly retreats of pond, pavilion and ornamental stone refined from the Song dynasty onward. Depending on the plan you may also stroll a canal street or water town before returning to Shanghai in the evening.

Transfer to the airport for your departure flight, bringing the sixteen-day journey to a close. Your driver and guide see you through to check-in, and you leave from Shanghai with a sweep of China's capitals, rivers and peaks behind you.