China tour: Great Wall, giant pandas, Zhangjiajie, Jiuzhaigou and Terracotta Warriors

The Great Wall of China winding over green hills at Mutianyu

Tour code AKSR0799. Special Family Tour. 17 days, 12 cities.

Shanghai (2 nights), Wudang Mountain (2 nights), Chengdu (1 night), Jiuzhaigou (1 night), Chengdu (2 nights), Zhangjiajie (2 nights), Beijing (3 nights), Xi'an (2 nights), Shanghai (1 night), Shanghai

Starts in Shanghai. Ends at Shanghai. Tour in English.

From $4,999 per person, twin sharing. Next departure 21 December 2026.

About This Tour

See the best of China in seventeen days with a small group of no more than 15 travelers. You begin on the Bund in Shanghai, learn Tai Chi on the sacred Wudang Mountain, and meet giant pandas in Chengdu. The colored lakes of Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong, the floating peaks of Zhangjiajie and the glass walkway of Tianmen Mountain bring nature at its most dramatic. In Beijing you walk the Forbidden City and the Great Wall at Mutianyu, and in Xi'an you stand before the Terracotta Warriors. Internal flights, trains, 5-star hotels and most meals are included.

This China tour package covers the country from east to west in seventeen days, in a small group of no more than 15 travelers. It brings together the great imperial sights, the most famous natural wonders and a few experiences that most tours leave out.

You start in Shanghai with Yu Garden, the Shanghai Museum and the Bund. Then you fly to Wudang Mountain, a sacred Taoist peak, to see temples in the clouds and learn Tai Chi from a master. In Sichuan you visit the colored pools of Huanglong, spend a full day in Jiuzhaigou Valley, see the ancient Dujiangyan waterworks and meet the giant pandas of Chengdu, with a hotpot dinner and a Sichuan Opera show along the way.

Next come the sandstone peaks of Zhangjiajie, which inspired the film Avatar, and the glass skywalk of Tianmen Mountain. In Beijing you walk the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace and the Great Wall at Mutianyu, then visit the Temple of Heaven. The tour ends in Xi'an with the Terracotta Warriors and the old city wall.

As a China tour from the USA, this is a land package that starts and ends in Shanghai, with all flights and high-speed trains inside China included. You stay in 5-star hotels, with daily breakfast and most lunches and dinners. Meals are Chinese set menus with vegetarian options at many stops, and travelers with vegetarian or Jain needs can tell us when they inquire. For Indian families looking for a China small group tour, it is a complete first visit.

Highlights

  1. Mutianyu Great Wall, Beijing
  2. Giant pandas in Chengdu, Chengdu
  3. Zhangjiajie Avatar peaks, Zhangjiajie
  4. Jiuzhaigou Valley, Jiuzhaigou
  5. Terracotta Warriors, Xi'an
  6. Tai Chi on Wudang Mountain, Wudang Mountain

Day by day

Day 1: Welcome to Shanghai

Shanghai

Sights: Arrival in Shanghai

Your China journey begins as you land in Shanghai, at Pudong or Hongqiao airport. After you collect your bags, our local team meets you in the arrival hall and takes you by car into the city.

Shanghai is China's largest city, a place where glass towers rise above old lanes and the Huangpu River curves through the center. On the drive in, you get your first glimpse of its scale: wide elevated roads, endless lights and the famous skyline of Pudong.

At your hotel you check in and the rest of the day is yours. You can rest after the long flight, or step out for a short walk and a first taste of the city. Tonight you sleep in Shanghai, ready for a full day of sightseeing tomorrow.

Hotel: DoubleTree by Hilton Shanghai - Pudong or similar

Day 2: Shanghai old town, museum and the Bund

Shanghai

Sights: Yu Garden, City God Temple, Shanghai Museum, French Concession, Nanjing Road, the Bund

After breakfast you set out to explore Shanghai. You begin at Yu Garden, a classical garden built more than 400 years ago in the Ming Dynasty, with pavilions, rockeries, ponds and zigzag bridges. Next door stands the City God Temple, an old folk temple in the heart of the old city.

After lunch you visit the Shanghai Museum, home to more than 120,000 pieces of ancient Chinese art, from bronzes and ceramics to calligraphy and jade. Then you stroll the leafy streets of the former French Concession, still one of the most charming parts of the city. Late in the day you walk Nanjing Road, one of the busiest shopping streets in the world, and reach the Bund, where grand old buildings face the modern towers across the river.

In the evening the group gathers for a roast duck welcome dinner, a warm start to the journey together. It is a day of about 15,000 steps.

Hotel: DoubleTree by Hilton Shanghai - Pudong or similar

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 3: Fly to Wudang Mountain

Shanghai, Shiyan, Wudang Mountain

Sights: Flight to Shiyan, Danjiangkou Reservoir views

After breakfast you check out and transfer to the airport for your flight west to Shiyan, the gateway to Wudang Mountain in Hubei province. The guide does not travel on the plane, and a new guide meets you when you land.

Shiyan is known in China as the automobile city, an industrial town tucked among green hills. The Han River flows through it, and nearby lies the wide, shimmering Danjiangkou Reservoir. As you drive toward the mountain, the city gives way to forested slopes and the first sight of the peaks that have drawn Taoist pilgrims for centuries.

You check in at your hotel close to Wudang Mountain. Lunch and dinner today are on your own, so you can rest after the flight and enjoy a quiet evening in the fresh mountain air before two full days on the mountain.

Hotel: NARADA Wudangshan Hubei or similar

Meals: Breakfast

Day 4: Wudang Mountain, the Taoist holy peaks

Wudang Mountain

Sights: Golden Summit, Taihe Palace, Taizipo, Purple Cloud Palace

After breakfast you enter the Wudang Mountain scenic area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most sacred Taoist mountains in China. A cable car carries you up toward Tianzhu Peak, the highest point, where Taihe Palace and the gilded bronze Golden Hall sit on the Golden Summit above a sea of clouds.

Next you visit Taizipo, also called Fuzhen Temple, the best preserved and largest temple on the mountain, where legend says the god Zhenwu studied as a youth. Then you continue to the Purple Cloud Palace, the grandest Ming Dynasty Taoist complex still standing on Wudang, its red walls and tiled roofs built into the mountainside. Lunch is included along the way.

Today is a mountain day of 8,000 to 20,000 steps, and the guide sets the pace for the group. In the evening you return to your hotel for dinner and a well earned rest.

Hotel: NARADA Wudangshan Hubei or similar

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 5: Tai Chi at Wudang and fly to Chengdu

Wudang Mountain, Chengdu

Sights: Yuzhen Palace, Tai Chi lesson, Taiji Lake cruise, Yuxu Palace, flight to Chengdu

After breakfast you visit Yuzhen Palace, the temple of Zhang Sanfeng, founder of Wudang martial arts. Its blue bricks and grey tiles feel quiet and timeless. Here a Tai Chi master leads you through a gentle health exercise, your first taste of the art that made Wudang famous.

In the afternoon you board a boat on Taiji Lake and cruise the clear waters of the Danjiangkou Reservoir, with views of Tianzhu Peak and the seventy-two peaks around it. Then you visit Yuxu Palace, the largest of Wudang's palaces, once a center of imperial Taoism in the Ming Dynasty, with red walls and the Yongle Emperor's stele pavilion. Lunch and dinner are included.

After dinner you transfer to Wudang Mountain airport for an evening flight to Chengdu, arriving late at night. You check in at your hotel in the capital of Sichuan.

Hotel: Sheraton Chengdu Lido Hotel or similar

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 6: Huanglong and its terraced color pools

Chengdu, Songpan, Huanglong, Jiuzhaigou

Sights: Train to Songpan, Huanglong Scenic Area, Five-Colored Pond, Huanglong Temple

After breakfast you board a train from Chengdu north toward Songpan, climbing into the high country of western Sichuan, a land of Tibetan villages, deep valleys and snowy peaks.

From the station you continue to the Huanglong Scenic Area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of China's finest high plateau wetlands. A cable car takes you up the mountain, and an electric car carries you on toward the Five-Colored Pond. Huanglong Valley is famous for its terraces of golden travertine, filled with pools of turquoise, green and blue water, set against forests and snow-capped peaks. Near the pond you see Huanglong Cave and the old Huanglong Temple. Lunch is a Chinese set meal.

After the visit you ride the cable car back down and drive to your resort near Jiuzhaigou. Dinner tonight is at the hotel or a Sichuan banquet with crispy duck.

Hotel: Hilton Jiuzhaigou Resort or similar

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 7: A full day in Jiuzhaigou Valley

Jiuzhaigou, Chengdu

Sights: Jiuzhaigou Valley, Long Lake, Five-Flower Lake, Mirror Lake, Shuzheng Waterfall

After breakfast you spend the whole day in Jiuzhaigou National Park, often called the most beautiful place in China. It takes its name from the nine Tibetan villages in the valley, and it is a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site.

An eco bus carries you along the Y-shaped valley, stopping at its most famous sights. Long Lake is the largest, fed by snowmelt with no outlet. Five-Flower Lake, the eye of Jiuzhaigou, shines in shades of blue and green and never freezes. On calm mornings Mirror Lake holds a perfect reflection of the mountains and forest. Shuzheng Waterfall spreads over 100 meters wide as it tumbles into the valley. Lunch is a buffet inside the scenic area.

In the evening you enjoy a Tibetan style feast or a Sichuan banquet, then board the train back to Chengdu, arriving late at night at your hotel.

Hotel: Sheraton Chengdu Lido Hotel or similar

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 8: Dujiangyan, Du Fu Cottage and Sichuan Opera

Chengdu, Dujiangyan, Chengdu

Sights: Dujiangyan Irrigation System, Du Fu Thatched Cottage, Sichuan Opera face-changing show

After breakfast you drive about an hour west to the Dujiangyan Irrigation System, built around 256 BC and still watering the Chengdu Plain today. An electric car takes you around this clever ancient work, where a fish mouth shaped dike splits the Minjiang River in two to stop floods and feed the fields.

After a Chinese set lunch you return to Chengdu and visit Du Fu Thatched Cottage, the former home of the great Tang Dynasty poet, set in a quiet garden of bamboo and streams by Huanhua Creek.

In the evening you sit down to Yuanyang hotpot, the famous Chengdu dish served in a split pot with one spicy side and one mild. During dinner you watch face-changing, a dazzling art of Sichuan Opera in which performers switch masks in the blink of an eye. You return to your hotel in Chengdu.

Hotel: Sheraton Chengdu Lido Hotel or similar

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 9: Giant pandas and the train to Zhangjiajie

Chengdu, Zhangjiajie

Sights: Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, high-speed train to Zhangjiajie

After breakfast you visit the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, about 10 km from the city center. An electric car takes you through bamboo forests, lakes and lawns designed to feel like the pandas' natural home. You watch the pandas eating bamboo, climbing and playing, and if you visit in breeding season you may see the young cubs.

After a Chinese set lunch you board a high-speed train from Chengdu East to Zhangjiajie West. The guide does not travel on the train. For several hours you watch the countryside of central China pass by, rice fields, rivers and green hills.

You arrive in Zhangjiajie in the evening, where a guide meets you and takes you to your hotel. Dinner tonight is on your own.

Hotel: Pullman Zhangjiajie or similar

Meals: Breakfast and lunch

Day 10: Zhangjiajie, the Avatar mountains

Zhangjiajie

Sights: Tianzi Mountain, Yuanjiajie, Bailong Elevator, Golden Whip Stream, Charming Xiangxi show

After breakfast you enter Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, China's first national forest park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. More than 3,000 sandstone pillars rise from the forest here, the landscape that inspired the floating mountains in the film Avatar.

You ride the cable car up Tianzi Mountain for wide views over a sea of stone peaks. Then you walk the cliff paths of Yuanjiajie, past the pillar known as the Avatar Hallelujah Mountain and the natural stone bridge called the First Bridge Under Heaven. The Bailong Elevator carries you down the cliff face. In the afternoon you walk along Golden Whip Stream, a clear creek winding between towering peaks, where macaques may play in the trees. Lunch includes vegetarian options.

In the evening you enjoy a doll fish dinner, then watch Charming Xiangxi, a colorful show of local music and dance. It is a day of 8,000 to 20,000 steps.

Hotel: Pullman Zhangjiajie or similar

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 11: Tianmen Mountain and fly to Beijing

Zhangjiajie, Beijing

Sights: Tianmen Mountain cable car, glass skywalk, Tianmen Cave, Junsheng Painting Institute, flight to Beijing

After breakfast you ride one of the world's longest cable cars up Tianmen Mountain, gliding over forest and cliffs to the summit. At the top you walk the glass skywalk fixed to the side of the cliff, with the valley far below your feet.

Then you see Tianmen Cave, a huge natural arch through the mountain, reached by the escalator inside the mountain. Lunch is a wild mushroom feast with seasonal vegetables. In the afternoon you visit the Junsheng Painting Institute, where artists use the local sand and stone to create three-dimensional landscapes of Zhangjiajie. You can try making your own at extra cost.

Later you fly north to Beijing. The guide does not travel on the plane, and a Beijing guide meets you at the airport and takes you to your hotel. Dinner tonight is on your own.

Hotel: Wanda Realm Beijing or similar

Meals: Breakfast and lunch

Day 12: Tiananmen, the Forbidden City and Summer Palace

Beijing

Sights: Tiananmen Square, Palace Museum, Summer Palace, Kunming Lake boat ride

After breakfast you begin in the heart of Beijing at Tiananmen Square, one of the largest city squares in the world, with the Gate of Heavenly Peace at its northern edge.

From there you enter the Palace Museum, the Forbidden City, home to the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties for nearly 500 years. Over about three hours you walk through vast courtyards and red halls topped with golden roofs, including the Hall of Supreme Harmony, one of the largest wooden buildings in China. Lunch is included. In the afternoon you visit the Summer Palace, the royal garden of the Qing emperors, set around Kunming Lake and Longevity Hill. A boat ride on the lake shows you the Seventeen Arch Bridge and the palace from the water.

In the evening you enjoy dinner with the group and return to your hotel. It is a day of about 15,000 steps.

Hotel: Wanda Realm Beijing or similar

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 13: Mutianyu Great Wall and the Olympic Park

Mutianyu, Beijing

Sights: Mutianyu Great Wall, Olympic Park, Bird's Nest, Water Cube

After breakfast you drive about 70 km northeast of Beijing to Mutianyu, one of the best preserved sections of the Great Wall. Built mostly of granite, this stretch climbs and dips over green, forested ridges, with 22 watchtowers along about two kilometers.

You have around three hours to walk the wall, climb between the watchtowers and take in the views over the mountains, a moment many travelers remember all their lives. Lunch is included. In the afternoon you return to the city and visit the Olympic Park from the 2008 Games. From outside you see the National Stadium, known as the Bird's Nest for its woven steel frame, and the National Aquatics Center, the Water Cube.

You return to your hotel and enjoy dinner with the group, your last evening in Beijing.

Hotel: Wanda Realm Beijing or similar

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 14: Temple of Heaven and the train to Xi'an

Beijing, Xi'an

Sights: Temple of Heaven, Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, high-speed train to Xi'an

After breakfast you visit the Temple of Heaven, where the Ming and Qing emperors came to pray to heaven for good harvests. You walk the long sacred way to the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, a round, three tiered hall with a deep blue roof, and see the Circular Mound Altar used on the winter solstice. In the park around the temple, local people gather in the mornings for tai chi, music and games.

After lunch you board a first-class high-speed train to Xi'an, the ancient capital of 13 dynasties and the eastern end of the Silk Road. The guide does not travel on the train. Through the window you watch the plains of northern China pass by.

A local guide meets you in Xi'an and takes you to your hotel. Dinner is included this evening.

Hotel: Wyndham Grand Xi'an South or similar

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 15: Terracotta Warriors and the Wild Goose Pagoda

Xi'an

Sights: Terracotta Warriors, Huaqing Palace, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Datang Everbright City

After breakfast you drive out of Xi'an to the Terracotta Warriors, part of the tomb of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor to unite China in the 3rd century BC. In the great pits you see row upon row of life size clay soldiers, archers and horses, each face different, buried for more than 2,000 years. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the great sights of the world.

Nearby you visit Huaqing Palace, the hot spring retreat of Tang emperors at the foot of Lishan Mountain. Lunch is included. Back in the city you see the Big Wild Goose Pagoda in Da Ci'en Temple, built in the Tang Dynasty to hold the sutras the monk Xuanzang brought back from India.

In the evening you have free time at Datang Everbright City, a long pedestrian avenue of Tang style buildings that glows with lights after dark. Dinner is included.

Hotel: Wyndham Grand Xi'an South or similar

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 16: Xi'an City Wall and fly to Shanghai

Xi'an, Shanghai

Sights: Xi'an City Wall, Yongning Gate, Bell and Drum Tower Square, Huimin Street, flight to Shanghai

After breakfast you climb the Xi'an City Wall at Yongning Gate, the south gate. This is the oldest and best preserved city wall in China, so thick that it is wider than it is tall, and from the top you look over the old city inside it.

Next you walk to the Bell and Drum Tower Square, where the 600 year old Bell Tower faces the Drum Tower across the square. Then you wander Huimin Street, the Muslim Quarter, a stone paved lane of old courtyards, mosques and stalls famous for Xi'an street food. Lunch is included.

In the afternoon you fly back to Shanghai. The guide does not travel on the plane, and our team meets you on arrival and takes you to your hotel for your last night in China. Dinner is included this evening.

Hotel: DoubleTree by Hilton Shanghai - Pudong or similar

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 17: Farewell to China

Shanghai

Sights: Shanghai airport

Your seventeen day journey through China comes to an end today.

A shared transfer leaves the hotel at 7:00 am for Pudong or Hongqiao airport, depending on your flight. If you need to leave earlier, your guide can help you arrange a taxi.

You leave with China in your memory: the Bund at night, the pandas of Chengdu, the floating peaks of Zhangjiajie, the Great Wall and the silent army of Xi'an. Safe travels home.

Where you will stay

Shanghai (3 nights)

Wudang Mountain (2 nights)

Chengdu (3 nights)

Jiuzhaigou (1 night)

Zhangjiajie (2 nights)

Beijing (3 nights)

Xi'an (2 nights)

What is included

Hotels and stays

Meals

Coach and ground transport

Tour manager and guides

Sightseeing and entry fees

Flights and visa

What is not included

Meals

Flights and visa

Travel insurance

Tips and gratuities

Personal expenses

Optional tours

Departures

Frequently asked questions

How many days do you need to see China?

Seventeen days lets you see Shanghai, Beijing, Xi'an and the great natural sights of Sichuan and Zhangjiajie without rushing. This tour links them with included flights and high-speed trains.

How big is the group on this China tour?

The group is no larger than 15 travelers. English-speaking guides lead the sightseeing in each city.

Are flights inside China included?

Yes. Economy flights and high-speed trains between the cities in the day plan are included. International flights to and from Shanghai are not included.

Do you see giant pandas on this China tour?

Yes. You spend about two hours at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, with an electric car around the park.

How much walking is there on the China tour?

Several days include 8,000 to 20,000 steps, especially on Wudang Mountain, in Jiuzhaigou and in Zhangjiajie. Cable cars and eco buses help, and the guide sets the pace for the group.

Is this China tour good for Indian and South Asian travelers from the USA?

Yes. Akshar Travels has planned trips for South Asian travelers since 1997 and is based in New Jersey. Meals are Chinese set menus and regional specialties, so please share any vegetarian, Jain or other food needs when you inquire and we will confirm what is possible on this route before you book. You travel in a small group of up to 15 with English-speaking guides, 5-star hotels and all internal flights and trains included.

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