China - a world on its own, not just a country surrounded by the Himalayas, the Gobi Desert, Siberia and the Pacific Ocean - immersed in history, mythology and traditions both alien and fascinating at one and the same time, a huge mass of land with the largest population on earth, the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, Tian'anmen Square, Fragrant Hill, names that conjure up our wildest dreams of eastern mystique. Among China's treasures is the Panda, a fascinating endangered species that has come to be the symbol of China itself. This program takes you, in the company of wildlife experts, into the heart of the Qinling Mountains where not only Pandas but other endangered species enjoy a protected but fragile environment.

ITINERARY

Day 1 Arrive in Beijing
Welcome to Beijing, capital of China. Being one of the biggest cities in the world, Beijing had just celebrated its 850th anniversary of being the Chinese capital. From the imperial Forbidden City to the Great Wall of China, from the Hutong alleys to the wide and straight Changan Avenue and from the courtyard houses to modern skyscrapers, Beijing has a great deal to offer for us to explore its dynamic culture, tradition and heritage. You will be met by a professional English speaking guide at the airport and transferred to your hotel for check-in. D.

Day 2 Beijing
We will start to explore Beijing from the largest square in the world, the Tian'anmen Square where you can feel the heartbeat of China. Bordered by the Great Hall of the People, Mao's Mausoleum and the National Museum of China, Tian'anmen Square has witnessed many of the historical events  happening in China since 1911. We then walk to the Forbidden City, the complex of imperial palaces which were home to the Emperors for over 500 years. Grand halls and courts gradually give way to more intimate domestic quarters, giving an insight into the pampered isolation of the emperors. After lunch, we will visit the charming Prince Gong's Palace while we tour the Hutong Alleys in rickshaws, for a glimpse of traditional Beijing local life. Before we conclude our Hutong tours we will enjoy a relaxing cruise on the Houhai Lake with traditional Chinese musical accompaniment. Tonight's dinner is Peking duck. BLD.

Day 3 Beijing
Today is one of the highlight of our China tour, the climbing of the Great Wall of China, which was first built in the Warring States period (475-221BC) as a series of earthworks erected by individual kingdoms as a defense against each other as well as from invasions from the north. Stretching almost 4500 miles from the Baohai Sea to the sands of Central Asia, the Great Wall of China is considered one of the wonders of the world. The present day wall was left from the Ming dynasty. Instead of going to the Badaling Great Wall where most tourist are arranged to visit, we will the Mutianyu part of the Wall, one of the most spectacular and least visited areas. Back to the city in the afternoon we will visit the Temple of Heaven, a masterpiece of Ming Dynasty architecture, where the Emperors performed annual sacrificial rituals for good harvests. Acrobatic Show at night. BLD.

Day 4 Beijing/Xian
Morning visit to the Summer Palace, the largest imperial garden in China. The Summer Palace was first built in the Qing emperor Qianlong's time in 1751 and burned down in1860 by the French and British army and restored by the Dowager empress Cixi for her own enjoyment. It became a favorite haunt of Cixi, who preferred it to the Forbidden City, and named it Yihe Yuan meaning the garden of health and harmony. After lunch we will fly to Xian and transfer to hotel. Xi'an was the cradle of ancient Chinese civilization dating back to 4000 BC, and the capital of China for 11 dynasties from 1046BC to 907AD. It is from here that caravans started on the Silk Road to Europe, changing the Western world forever. BLD.

Day 5 Xian (searching for Giant Pandas in Qinling Mountain)
We start our wild pandas searching tour early in the morning by driving for three hours to Foping Panda Reserve, located in the deep of Qinling Mountains. Upon arrival at Foping our Panda experts will give us lectures on Pandas life and then we will be guided by Panda experts to search for wild pandas in the following two days. Encompassing a total area of 52,000 km2, the Qinling Mountains are extremely biologically diverse. The area is home to a number of endangered species including the golden haired monkey, taken, crested ibis, golden eagle, and clouded leopard. It is one of the few remaining natural habitats where China's national symbol, the giant panda, lives. It is the natural division between northern and southern China in terms of geography and climate, and the only area that acts as the watershed for the country's two most important rivers: the Yangtze and the Yellow Rivers. Based on a national survey in the mid-1980s, approximately 1000 wild pandas were found in an estimated distribution area of around 13,000 km2. The Qinling mountain range is the northernmost distribution area for the giant panda and is also one of the areas with the densest panda population. The Qinling panda population is an independent panda population with about 200-300 pandas. The population size is relatively small and it is distributed in a separate mountain range with little connection with others, which make the Qinling population very fragile.

Day 6 Searching for wild Pandas
There's a huge variety of plants and animals in Qinling Mountains because the climate varies so much between the different altitudes of the forests of this Mountains. Many Qinling plants are rare and endangered, including the Ginkgo, one of the oldest tree species in the world. The Chinese Mountain Larch, the Miaotai Maple and the Chinese Fir are also highly endangered and therefore listed by the Chinese Government as protected species. And then there are the animals which include brilliantly colored pheasants, Giant Salamanders, Golden Monkeys and of course, the world-famous Giant Pandas.Symbol of the Worldwide Fund for Nature, the Giant Panda is one of most endangered species in the world. This big, lovable black and white bear lives mostly on bamboo of different sorts - a diet which can also threaten the panda's existence as once every 30-120 years, the bamboo plant flowers and dies. This is a natural part of the bamboo's life-cycle. So it's important that pandas live in areas with several different species of bamboo which flower at different times, otherwise the pandas would starve, as happened in 1975 when at least 138 pandas died. The last census of Giant Pandas, also known as Bamboo Bears was back in the 1980's and it suggested that there may be no more than 1000 of these creatures left in the wild.

Day 7 Searching for Wild Pandas
Our Panda expert will be together with us for the last day explorations of Pandas. We may or may not encounter wild pandas in the Foping Panda Reserves based on our luck.

Day 8 Zhouzhi Endangered Animal Protection Zone
On our way back to Xian we will stop at the Zhouzhi Endangered Animal Protection Zone to see those rare animals of Qinling Mountains, golden haired monkey, taken, crested ibis and of course the Giant Panda that we might have missed in its natural habitat.

Day 9 Xian
Morning visit to the Museum of the Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses. This is one of the greatest archaeological discoveries in the world with three exhibition halls, the largest of which is 180 meters by 60 meters, housing the continuing excavation of an army of 8,000 terra-cotta soldiers and horses that guard the tomb of Qin Shihuang, the first emperor of the unified China. It is a stunning exhibition of ancient artifacts that is well laid out and easy to view. After lunch we will visit the Tang Dynasty Big Wild Goose Pagoda which has a history of over 1300 years. We may join the locals to pray and burn incenses here. BLD.

Day 10 Xian/Chengdu
Fly to Chengdu in the morning. Centrally located in the western Sichuan Plain, Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province, is renowned for its fertile land and agricultural wealth, which have earned the city the nickname "Storehouse of Heaven". Besides the local teahouses, snack bars and bazaars (also known as free markets) are still the popular places to experience the local life. Visit Du Fu Thatched House in the afternoon. Located beside the Huanhua stream in west suburbs of Chengdu, it is the former residence of the well-known poet Du Fu of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), who came to live here to escape war. The cottage, in the style of Qing Dynasty architecture, has been well preserved. BLD

Day 11 Wolong Panda Reserve
Visit Dujiangyan Irrigation System in the morning. This system represents ancient China's superb science and technology, and is a milestone in the world history of water harnessing and irrigation technology advancement. Built around 256BC. Dujiangyan project is the world's only and oldest diversion project without a dam. Still in use, it feeds a grid of irrigation canals watering 670,000 hectares of farmland, nurturing the Sichuan into China's famous "land of rice and dish" since ancient times. After lunch, drive to the Wolong Panda Reserve.

Day 12 Wolong Panda Reserve
Wolong, which obtains its renown through Pandas, created many China records in protecting and studying Pandas, especially on its captive breeding programs. Today, only about 1000 Pandas are living their natural habitat, and most of them are found in the dense forest up the high mountains in Western Sichuan, including Wolong. BLD.

Day 13 Chengdu/Shanghai
Drive back to Chengdu and board our flight to Shanghai. Shanghai is the largest city in China with a population of 16 million. Shanghai is the economic, financial, and industrial center of China. After lunch we will visit the Shanghai old town, with its history dating back some 400 years. People love this area due to the variety of commodities and shops available. We will also visit the Yuyuan Garden. Located in the north of the Chenghuang Miao (Town God Temple area) of Shanghai, the Yuyuan Garden was built in 1559 by a high official of the Ming dynasty intending to entertain his parents. The exquisite layout, beautiful scenery, and the artistic style of the garden architecture are where the charm of Yu Yuan lies. The garden is acknowledged as "an architectural miracle in the region south of Yangtze River", "an elite of garden in southeast China", and "the mountain and forest in the embrace of the bustling city". We will stroll along the "Bund" (waterfront) which will give you a grand view of the "Wall Street" of the Orient, recalling the modern history in the last century of this great city. Nearby is the famous Nanjing Shopping Road. BLD

Day 14 One Day Tour to Suzhou
We will take the bus to Suzhou (1.5 hour), which is the city with over 2,500 years of history and regarded by Marco Polo as the "Venice of the Orient". Suzhou is also known as the Silk Capital of the World. Upon arrival we will visit Panmen City Wall. Located by the remaining section of the original city wall, the area comprises three major attractions: the ancient Land and Water Gates, the mysterious millennium-old Auspicious Light Pagoda and the time-honored Wumen Bridge spanning the Grand Canal. They echo with each other and form a delightful contrast, affording a quaint and wonderful sight of this water land in the southern Yangtze Delta. A visit to this area will certainly reinforce one's impression of Suzhou's culture and history. We begin our afternoon tour in Suzhou with the Cruise on the Narrow Canals of the old city to appreciate the ancient stone bridges, houses and local life by the canals. Then we visit the Suzhou Silk Institute and learn the ancient art of making Chinese silk products by hand. Also, we will enjoy a silk fashion show and do some shopping. Then visit the Serging Waves Garden, the oldest existing garden in the city and one of four most famous classical gardens in China built in Song Dynasty 900 years ago. After dinner at a restaurant near the famous walking street Guanqian we drive back to Shanghai. BLD.

Day 15 Shanghai/ USA
Transfer to the airport to board your flight back to USA.

Level: Moderate with long day hikes in the Qinling Mountains

Prices & Departures for 2004

Available	15D/14N On Request
Per Person in Double
2-5 participants	$3340
Single Room Supplement	$460
6-9 participants	$3025
Single Room Supplement	$400
10 or more participants	$2725
Single Room Supplement	$330

We reserve the right to substitute any of the mentioned hotels in the itinerary with properties of the same or similar class should the circumstances require us to do so.

(Subject to change)