15 Days Beijing Lhasa Chengdu Guilin Shanghai Tour for Students

Transfer to your reserved hotel after arrival in the Beijing airport.

The rest of the day is at leisure.

Stay overnight in Beijing.

Visit the majestic Great Wall (Badaling section) and the Ming Tombs. You will be taken on a group tour to the Great Wall, the most famous symbol of China and one of the world's most remarkable architectural wonders. This section was first built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD).

Then visit the Ming Tombs- the burial site of the emperor Wanli, who was the 13th emperor of the Ming Dynasty who ruled for 48 years until his death in 1620.

Stay overnight in Beijing.

• Great Wall (Badaling section)
• Ming Tombs are a collection of mausoleums built by the emperors of the Ming dynasty of China.

First, stroll on the historic Tiananmen Square which is the largest city square in the world and the spiritual heart of China, and then the magnificent Forbidden City which used to be the imperial palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties with a history of around 600 years.

In the afternoon, you will marvel at the incredible Summer Palace and Temple of Heaven. Summer Palace was an imperial summer resort of the Qing Dynasty. The Temple of Heaven is a royal sacred site where prayers for good harvests, prosperity and harmonious life are offered.

In the evening, transfer to the Beijing West train station for the Tibet train to Lhasa.

Stay overnight in the train.

• The Temple of Heaven - the largest existing ancient sacrificial building complex in China
• Forbidden City

It is quite a long journey that will take 43 hours to Lhasa.

On the first day you will pass through two important provincial capital cities in northwest China, Lanzhou and Xining. Xining is known as the beginning of Qinghai-Tibet Railway. Travelling along the rail line, you could see the scenery of countryside and city in northwest China.

The last stop for today is Xining, where you will arrive in late afternoon.

Stay overnight in the Train.

• Qinghai-Tibet railway
• Dining car scene on the train to Lhasa

Today, you will witness the most beautiful scenery of Qinghai-Tibet Railway. Spectacular land of snows, boundless desert, vast grasslands, grand ice mountains, and beautiful lakes will continually appear and strongly attract your heart.

You will arrive in Lhasa in the afternoon. Your tour guide will hold a board with your name and welcome you in the exit of the train station. A private car will take you from the train station to the reserved hotel.

Stay overnight in Lhasa.

• Tour guide will meet you at Lhasa Railway Station.
• Lhasa River

In the morning, visit the famous Potala palace and explore its grand and myriad chapel. You will appreciate its audience halls, the jeweled and Golden burial chortens (stupa Tombs) of past Dalai Lamas, and tremendous number of Buddhist frescoes, thangkas, combinations of mandala, etc.

Then, you will visit the Tibet Museum which was officially inaugurated in October of 1999, with a permanent collection that celebrates the History of Tibetan Culture. The History of Tibetan Culture Exhibition incorporates superb examples of several thousand years of Tibetan history, politics, religion, cultural arts, and customs.

After lunch, you will visit Sera Monastery, which was founded in 1419 by Tsongkapa's disciple Jamchen Choeje. You can see motivated monks engage in spirited debating on life questions and religious teachings and many lamas sitting or standing in the yard debate a certain topic their teacher has given.

Stay overnight in Lhasa.

• Amazing Potala Palace at twilight
• Holy Jokhang Temple

After breakfast, we will drive to TUNBO Tibetan incense and Thangka production center to watch the Tibetan incense making process and the production process of thangka painting. You can spend this morning to carefully watch and research the material and production of Tibetan incense and Thangka constitute.

After lunch, drive to Potala Tibetan Carpet Factory. Tibet carpet also called CADEN that is, very popular in Tibet. There are small carpets and big ones, as big as a single bed. "CA" in Tibetan means "top ". Then we will visit the Tibetan Medical Expo Center under the Medical College. During Ancient times in Tibet, the customs of sky burial is there. In the regular process of the autopsy, they understand the position and role of the human body in bone, muscle, viscera, etc., and because of the effect of Tibetan sky burial, ancient Tibetan invented Tibetan medicine.

Stay overnight in Puntsok Kungsa International Youth Hostel, 4-6 beds dorm.

• Visit Tibetan Incense and Thangka production center and closely see how they make Tibetan incense.
• See how Tibetan make the carpet in a traditional way.

Summer program: In Summer (May to August), drive about 4 hours (220km) from Lhasa to Namtso Lake which is one of the three holy lakes of Tibet and also the highest salt lake.

Camp by the lake and drive back to Lhasa on the next day.

Winter Program: Drive from Lhasa to Gyangtse and Shigatse. On the way, you can visit another holy lake Yamdrok Lake, have a far view of Karo-la Glacier, and drop a visit to Kubum monastery in Gyangtse. Stay overnight in Shigatse.

Next morning visit Tashilunpo monastery in Shigatse before driving back to Lhasa.

Stay overnight in Lhasa

• Amid Tibet’s mountains lies Yamdrok Lake, famed for its turquoise beauty and sacred charm.
• Take photo with Tibetan Yak at holy Namtso Lake

Take a flight to Chengdu in the morning. Upon arrival in Shanghai, you will be transferred to your hotel.

After checking in at the hotel , students will visit the Sichuan Provincial Museum where you can know the history and art collections of Sichuan.

You will also visit Jinsha Site Museum which is the first significant archeological discovery in China in the new millennium and was selected in 2006 as the key reservation unit of the nation.

Stay overnight in Chengdu .

This morning we will drive to Panda Breeding Reserve to take a close look at these lovely animals. You'll find out how this endangered species are being protected in China and what you can do to help.

Then we will drive about 2 hours to visit Leshan Giant Buddha. The Giant Buddha is the tallest stone Buddha statue in the world. It was carved out of a cliff facing the river by an 8th-century monk. You can take a little walk on the hill, which leads you very close to the Giant Buddha, or take a boat to enjoy the whole breathtaking view of the Buddha.

Your tour ends by driving back to your hotel.

Stay overnight in Chengdu.

• Closely see the cute giant pandas at Chengdu Panda Base.
• Leshan Giant Buddha, the largest carved stone Buddha in the world, took people more than 90 years to carve.

Take a flight to Guilin in the morning. Upon arrival in Guilin, you will be transferred to your hotel.

After lunch, we will have sightseeing of the most famous Reed Flute Caves, a fantastic wonderland of karst caves with landscape and rural scenery, and Elephant Trunk Hill, regarded as the symbol of Guilin.

Stay overnight in Guilin .

• Elephant Trunk Hill, a must-see attraction in Guilin
• Reed Flute Cave

In the morning, you'll be transferred to Zhujiang Pier to start your cruise down the Li River until you reach the relaxing Yangshuo. You will cruise through the stunning limestone karst scenery that has made this part of China so famous. Lunch will be served onboard with decent Guilin local delicacies.

In the early afternoon, disembark in Yangshuo and check in at your hotel. Then you will take a bike tour along the serene paths to explore this wonderfully laid back countryside in the region.

Then drive back to Guilin.

Stay overnight in Guilin.

• Yangshuo
• West Street is a must-see when visiting Yangshuo

Take a morning flight to Shanghai. You will be met and transferred to your hotel in Shanghai.

After lunch, visit Yuyuan Garden, a classical Qing Dynasty garden with over 30 pavilions linked by a maze of corridors and bridges over ponds. Just next to Yuyuan Garden is the Old City God's Temple Bazaar from the Song Dynasty.

Stay overnight in Shanghai.

• Enchanting ancient Yu Garden offers a respite from bustling metropolis.
• Typical rowing boat travelling in Zhujiajiao Ancient Town, pretty similar to Gondola in Venice

The guide will take you to the airport for your departure flight to next destination.