Day 1 Leave USA for Shanghai

In flight on route to Shanghai.

Day 2 Arrive in Shanghai

Arrive in Shanghai in the late afternoon. Upon arrival, you will be met and transferred to Nikko Hotel of JAL for overnight. .

Day 3 Shanghai/Chengdu by FM541 0840/1120 Boeing 757

Arrive in Chengdu. You will be met at airport and transferred to Jingjiang Hotel. Check in and lunch. Practice driving luxurious Mitsibushi Montero equivalent jeep and study traffic rules. City tours to Chengdu's old temples and have tea at traditional Chinese tea house. Chengdu is a 2000-year-old city and the capital of Sichuan Province, which is China's most populated province, and also known as the home of Giant Pandas. Hotel accommodation will be at Jingjiang Hotel .

Day 4 Chengdu to Wolong Distance: 145km; Time taken: 4 hours

Today you will drive to Wolong Nature Reserve 145 km from Chengdu, known as a "living fossil" because of China's national treasure - the giant pandas living there. Hotel accommodation will be at Panda Inn .

Day 5 Wolong

In 1980, WWF and the Chinese government jointly built up the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP). Now 40 Pandas live inside. You may spend the whole day with the pandas as a volunteer, following workers to learn how to feed these lovely animals. At the end of the working day, certificate and uniform will be awarded by the center officials. Hotel accommodation will be at Panda Inn .

Day 6 Wolong to Chengdu
Distance: 145km; Time taken: 4 hours

On the way back from Wolong to Chengdu, you will visit Dujiangyan, an ancient water conservancy project dated back to 227 B.C. Dujiangyan Handwork, on Minjiang River, is 55km away from Chengdu. This project comprises of three major parts, which have been functioning for over 2000 years guarding against floods and irrigating a vast area of arable land. The irrigation area now covers 30 counties and cities, close to 1.67 million acres. Hotel accommodation will be at Chengdu Jinjiang Hotel .

Day 7 Chengdu to Leshan Giant Buddha to Chengdu
Distance: 345km; Time taken: 3 hours

Leshan Giant Buddha, a stone statue of the seated Maitreya 71 m in height, is located east to Leshan at the confluence of River Minjiang, River Qingyijiang and River Daduhe. It is carved out of a solid rock right on the cliff of the Qixia Peak of Mt. Linyun close to the banks of the three rivers. The work on the statue started in the year 713 A.D. and completed some 90 years later. It is now the largest stone-carved Buddha in the world. Hotel accommodation will be at Chengdu Jinjiang Hotel .

Day 8 Chengdu to Dazu Rock Carvings to Chongqing
Distance: 446km; Time taken: 4 and half hours

You will drive from Chengdu to Chongqing and visit Dazu Rock Carvings en route. Dazu Rock Carvings came into being in the late Tang Dynasty (892 AD), and flourished in the end of Southern Song Dynasty. Rocks and stones here are ideal for carving, so the founders chose here as the site. There are over 50000 figures of Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism on the rocks. Hotel accommodation will be at Chongqing Yangtze Holiday Inn .

Day 9 Three Gorges

This morning, you will embark a deluxe cruise sailing to three gorges. The Yangtze River is the largest river in China and ranks third in the world, with a total length of 6,300 km, passing through eight provinces, and finally joins in the East China Sea at Shanghai. The three gorges, being honored as a fairyland on earth. Precipitous cliffs and steep rugged mountains erect to a dizzy height; from here the river takes its turn into gorges with rushing currents in them, while, with drifting clouds on, peaks thrust into the sky and change themselves into the exquisite varying shapes, thus making the three gorges of the best tourist attraction in China. Overnight is on cruise.

Day 10 Three Gorges

Today, you will have an off-shore visit to Fengdu, with temples constructed on the Mingshan Hill by the river bank and many statues of ghosts and devils mounded in the temples. Fengdu County is called " a devil city". In the afternoon, you will be sailing through Qutang Gorge. The Qutang Gorge, known for its magnificence, is only 8 km long with many scenic spots, such as " Meng Liang Staircase", "the Ancient Zhandao (board walk and footpath), " Kui Gate", " Seven-gate Cave", "Bellows Gorge", "Rhinoceros Watching the Moon". Overnight is on cruise.

Day 11 Three Gorges

Today, you will disembark the cruise for another off-shore sightseeing to Small Three Gorges. The Small Three Gorges, referring to the three separate valleys of the Daning River. With clear water flowing fast through gorges and precipices and peaks covered with green vegetation, you can take a small junk to enjoy these extremely marvelous spectacles of nature. In the afternoon, you will be sailing through the Wu Gorge and Xiling Gorge. Wu Gorge, 44 km long, is known for its deep valley and quiet beauty. The most beautiful peak is the Goddess Peak. Xiling Gorge extends 66 km in length. Overnight is on cruise.

Day 12 Wuhan

This morning, you will pass Gezhou Dam. Gezhou Dam is the first biggest dam built on the Yangtze River. The dam is 2,561 meters in length and 70 meters in height. It consists of 27 spillways, 21 generator units, 12 sluice gates and 3 ship-locks. The annual generating capacity is 14.1 billion kwh. In the afternoon, you will disembark at Wuhan. Wuhan is an important city in the central part of China, as an important hub of north-south, west-east water and land communications. Among scenic spots in the city are " Yellow-Crane Tower" and "the East Lake". Hotel accommodation will be at Wuhan Tian An Holiday Inn .

Day 13
Wuhan to Shanghai by SZ4541 0945/1055 Boeing 757

This morning, you will fly to Shanghai, China's largest metropolitan port city. You will visit the emporium-lined Nanjing Road; the Bund, or "Wall Street of the East"; the Old Quarter, with its narrow streets and alleys and the centuries old Yu Yuan Garden. Hotel accommodation will be at Shanghai Peace Hotel.

Day 14 Departure for USA

Transfer to airport for flight home arriving in US the same day.

Price subject to changes in certain travel terms and market seasons.

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fhdiao@hotmail.com.