awayfromitall

Wow! I usually figure out and book my own trips but the sheer size of China is quite daunting. In looking through the to-do's in various regions, here are the things/experiences that interest me.


Beijing: Great Wall: Jiankuo to Mutianyu through the Great Wall hike (toboggan at end), Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, Summer Palace, Cooking Class

Mongolia (fly into Ulaanbaatar?): Khongoryn Els Sand Dunes, stay in ger/yurt, camel ride, touch dinosaur bones

Zhangjiajie: Glass bridge Tianmen Mountain, Tianmen Shan (steps + hole in mountain)

Yangshuo Valley: Bamboo rafts

Xian: Terracotta Warriors, Chinese Pyramids of Xian

Giant Pandas (where?)

Rice Terraces (where?)

Danxia Landforms (colorful rocks)

Tuyoq (Desert, Mud town)


I suppose something like the following itinerary could work:
Travel to Beijing from US: 1 day
Beijing: 3 days
Travel from Beijing to Ulaanbaatar/Knongoryn Els: 1 day
Knongoryn Els: 1 day
Travel from Knongoryn Els/Ulaanbaatar to Xian: 1 day
Xian: 2 days
Travel from Xian to Zhangjiajie: 1 day
Zhangjiajie: 2 days
Travel from Zhangjiajie to Yangshuo: 1 day
Yangshuo: 2 days
Travel from Yangshuo to US: 1 day


Would appreciate any feedback folks can give me on this including telling me:
1) if this is crazy
2) suggesting a different order/time span for the places
3) where to see Giant Pandas/Rice Terraces
4) what part of trip could Danxia tie into, if at all?
5) other places/things that are really must-sees for folks who are more nature/adventure-seeking people.

Also, if anyone has a company to recommend to organize it all, I'd be interested in that also.

Thanks!

kja

I agree that choosing an itinerary for China is daunting! My solution – which might not work for you – was to decide that I could visit only a part of China on any particular trip, and so my initial decisions were about WHICH part to visit. I chose Beijing, Xi’an, and other parts of northern China.

Personally I wuld find the plan you outline to be ridiculously rushed and extremely frustrating, as I would spend a disproportionately large amount of time in transit for relatively little time in the places I actually visited. Just a few examples: I felt hard pressed to see even the highest of Beijing’s highlights with 6 full days in that remarkable city, and I wish I’d given Xi’an (and yes, there is an apostrophe mid-word that makes a difference) more than 3 full days. YMMV.

My trip report is from 2010 and reflects my choice to limit my month-long itinerary to parts of northern China. Many things have changed since then (for example, you can book trains well in advance now without paying extra). Even so, you might find some useful information in it.
Thanks for helping make my trip to China amazing!

Hope that helps!