12-Day Best of China & Panda Keeper Program

Day 1 Arrival in Beijing, Greet & Meet at Airport, Transfer to Hotel

Destination: Beijing
Meals included: Dinner at Halal restaurant
Accommodations: Novotel Beijing Xin Qiao Hotel or similar

Your professional Muslim expert tour guide will meet you at the arrival hall of the airport with your private vehicle on standby and assists you to your hotel. Relax at hotel to recover from the jet lag.

Day 2 Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Fresh Water Pearl, Temple of Heaven

Destination: Beijing
Meals included: Breakfast at hotel, lunch & dinner at Halal restaurants
Salat prayer: Niujie Mosque
Accommodations: Novotel Beijing Xin Qiao Hotel or similar

Explore Beijing from Tiananmen Square in the morning. Located in the center of Beijing, Tiananmen Square is the largest city square in the world and it has great cultural significance as it was the site of many important events in Chinese history such as Chairman Mao’s declaration of the establishment of the People’s Republic of China on Oct, 01, 1949. Next walk to the Forbidden City. As the royal residences of the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties from the 15th to 20th century, the Forbidden City was the centre of state power in late feudal China and witnessed the enthronement of 14 Ming and 10 Qing emperors over 505 years. Visit fresh water pearl shop and the Temple of Heaven after lunch at a local Halal restaurant and Salat at the 900 year old Niujie Mosque. The Temple of Heaven, built between 1406 and 1420 by the same emperor who was responsible for building the Forbidden City, is where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties would worship the god of heaven and pray for good harvest. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site regarded as a masterpiece of architectural and landscape design.

Day 3 Great Wall, Jade Carving, Sacred Way of Ming Tombs, Photo Stop at Olympic Venues

Destination: Beijing
Meals included: Breakfast at hotel, lunch & dinner at Halal restaurants
Accommodations: Novotel Beijing Xin Qiao Hotel or similar

Visit the Great Wall of China and jade carving factory in the morning. The Great Wall was continuously built from the 3rd century BC to the 17th century AD on the northern border of China as the great military defense project of successive Chinese Empires. Today, the wall is still impressive at 3,750 miles in length, stretching from the Bohai Sea to the Gobi Desert. The Great Wall embodies unparalleled significance as the national symbol for safeguarding the security of the country and Chinese people. Visit the Sacred Way of the Ming Tomb after lunch and Salat at a local Halal restaurant. The Sacred Way is a stone paved path which stretches as long as one kilometer to the north of the main gate of the Ming Tombs. Next, make a photo stop at the 2008 Olympic Venues of Bird Nest (National Stadium) and Water Cube (National Aquatics Center).

Day 4 Summer Palace, High Speed Train to Xian (about 5 hours)

Destination: Beijing & Xi’an
Meals included: Breakfast at hotel, lunch & dinner at Halal restaurants
Accommodations: Mercure Xi ‘an Downtown or similar

Morning visit to the largest and best-preserved royal garden in China, the Summer Palace. Using Kunming Lake and Longevity Hill as the basic framework, the Summer Palace combined political and administrative, residential, spiritual, and recreational functions within a landscape of lakes and mountains, in accordance with the Chinese philosophy of balancing the works of man with nature. The natural landscape of hills and open water is combined with artificial features such as pavilions, halls, palaces, temples and bridges to form a harmonious ensemble of outstanding aesthetic value. Board second class high speed train to Xian in the afternoon. Xian is the ancient capital city of China and the starting point of Silk Road.

Day 5 Terracotta Warriors & Reproduction Factory, Great Mosque, Muslim Quarter

Destination: Xi’an
Meals included: Breakfast at hotel, lunch & dinner at Halal restaurants
Salat prayer: Xian Great Mosque
Accommodations: Mercure Xi ‘an Downtown or similar

Morning visit to the Terracotta Warriors and Horses and its reproduction factory. Considered one of the foremost archaeological discoveries of the 20th century, the 2,000-year-old Terracotta Army was discovered by accident in 1974 by local farmers digging a well. The 8,000-plus life-sized figures are arranged in vaults to guard the tomb of Qin Shihuang, the first emperor of China, a major architect of the Great Wall and unifier of China. Visit the Muslim Quarter after lunch and Salat at Xian Great Mosque. The area north of the Drum Tower is the Muslim Quarter of Xian which covers several blocks with an estimated 60,000 Muslims in the region. There are about seven ancient mosques in the area, among which the Great Mosque built in 742 is most famous and popular among all. Experience a seemingly endless labyrinth of street food, restaurants and bustling local life at Xian’s Muslim Quarter.

Day 6 Little Wild Goose Pagoda, Xian Museum, City Wall, Bullet Train to Chengdu

Destination: Xi’an & Chengdu
Meals included: Breakfast at hotel, lunch & dinner at Halal restaurants
Accommodations: Mercure Chengdu Downtown or similar

Visit Small Wild Goose Pagoda and Xian Museum in the morning. With a history of more than 1,300 years, Small Wild Goose Pagoda was built to store the Buddhist scriptures delivered from ancient India. It is a perfect example of the multi-eaved square brick pagodas built in ancient China. Currently there are 13 storeys left as the top two storeys were destroyed in earthquakes. Continue to visit Xian Museum. Xian Museum boasts nearly 130,000 relics that all relate to the history of Ancient China and Xian specifically. Afterwards visit Xian City Wall. The City Wall of Xian is one of the oldest and best-preserved city walls in the world. Walking atop the Wall you can get the panorama of Xian skyline. Board second class high speed train to Chengdu (about 3 hours) in the afternoon.

Day 7 One Day Panda Keeper Program at Dujiangyan Panda Base

Destination: Chengdu
Meals included: Breakfast at hotel, lunch & dinner at Halal restaurants
Accommodations: Mercure Chengdu Downtown or similar

Drive out of Chengdu to Dujiangyan Panda Base (90 minutes). This Base is now the most popular panda base in China offering the Panda Keeper Program. After registration at the panda base, a professional English speaking keeper will guide you during this one day panda keeper volunteer program which includes cleaning the enclosure, weighing and cleaning bamboo, making panda cakes, feeding the pandas and watching a panda movie. Salat prayer at Dujiangyan Mosque. At the end of the program you will get Panda Volunteer Certificate granted by the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Foundation.

Day 8 Panda Sculpture, Huangcheng Mosque, Wuhou Temple, Jinli Street, Fly to Guilin

Destination: Chengdu & Guilin
Meals included: Breakfast at hotel, lunch & dinner at Halal restaurants
Salat prayer: Huangcheng Mosque
Accommodations: Guilin Park Hotel or similar

Visit Panda Sculpture named “I am Here” in the morning. Created as a charity project to raise awareness about the dwindling population of pandas by internationally renowned artist Lawrence Argent, the gigantic panda sculpture is named as “I am Here” which weighs 13 tons with a height of 15 meters. Mr. Argent has captured public imagination in the United States with his mega public art installations “I See What You Mean” and “Leap”. Vist Wuhou Temple after Salat prayer at Huangcheng Mosque. Wuhou Temple is an ancestral temple in memory of Zhuge Liang, Liu Bei and other heroes in the state of Shu during the Three Kingdoms period when Chengdu was the capital of the state of Shu. Afterwards, walk along the Jinli Ancient Street. Roaming on the 550 meters long Jinli Ancient Street that is said to have been bustling since Qin Dynasty, you can admire the charming old buildings and find diverse shops selling interesting ancient handicrafts. Fly to Guilin late in the afternoon or at night. Guilin is world famous for its serene landscapes and mysterious limestone formations which make Guilin one of the most photographed city in China.

Day 9 Li River Cruise, Yangshuo West Street, Two Rivers & Four Lakes

Destination: Guilin
Meals included: Breakfast at hotel, lunch & dinner at Halal restaurants
Salat Prayer: Guilin Chongshan Street Mosque
Accommodations: Guilin Park Hotel or similar

Cruise the Li River in the morning. The 83-kilometer-long waterway from Guilin to Yangshuo is like an artist’s masterpiece, cruising is like traveling along a traditional Chinese landscape painting. The landscape is decorated with startling hills, steep cliffs, fantastic caves and farming villages, and is lined with bamboo. In a Chinese poem it is written: “The river is a green silk ribbon, and the hills are jade hairpins”. Cruising on the Li River is enjoyable no matter what the weather is like. During sunny days, you can see the inverted reflection of the hills on both sides clearly in the water. During cloudy days, the hills are surrounded by mist and you may feel that we are cruising in a mystical paradise. And when the rain comes, drizzle is like a vale, which covers the hills and river, and you may feel the poetic connotations of this too. Stroll along the famous West Street upon arrival at Yangshuo. Back to Guilin perform Salat at Chongshan mosque. Afterwards, visit the Two Rivers & Four Lakes Scenic Area. These lakes and rivers are linked up and formed Guilin’s central round-the-city water system, making Guilin just like a grand beautiful park.

Day 10 Yaoshan Mountain, Tea Plantation, Reed Flute Cave, Fly to Shanghai

Destination: Guilin & Shanghai
Meals included: Breakfast at hotel, lunch & dinner at Halal restaurants
Accommodations: Pullman Shanghai Jing’an Hotel or similar

Morning visit to Yaoshan Mountain with round-trip chairlift and Yaoshan Tea Plantation. Yaoshan Mountain is 903.3 meters above sea level and is the highest mountain in Guilin. Enjoy a beautiful view of rocks, flowers and brooks during the chairlift ride. Afterwards, experience tea-leaf picking and tea-making process at Yaoshan Tea Plantation. Continue with a visit to Reed Flute Cave. The Reed Flute Cave got its name from the verdant reeds growing outside it, with which people make flutes. Inside this water-eroded cave is a spectacular world of various stalactites, stone pillars and rock formations formed by carbonate deposition. Illuminated by colored lighting, the fantastic spectacle is found in many variations along this 240-meter-long cave. Fly to Shanghai late in the afternoon or at night.

Day 11 Yuyuan Garden, Silk Store, The Bund & Nanjing Road, People’s Square, Shanghai Museum

Destination: Shanghai
Meals included: Breakfast at hotel, lunch & dinner at Halal restaurants
Salat prayer: Xiaotaoyuan Mosque 
Accommodations: Pullman Shanghai Jing’an Hotel or similar

Morning visit to Yuyuan Garden. This garden is a maze of Ming Dynasty pavilions, elaborate rockeries, arched bridges, and goldfish ponds, all encircled by an undulating dragon wall. Then spend some time shopping at the Chenghuangmiao market located outside the garden. Afterwards, stroll along the Bund and nearby Nanjing Road. The Bund refers to Shanghai’s famous waterfront stretching for 1.6km along the west shore of the Huangpu River. Nanjing Road is the main shopping street of Shanghai and one of the busiest shopping streets in the world. Continue with a visit to silk store, the People’s Square and Shanghai Museum after lunch and Salat at Xiaotaoyuan Mosque. The People’s Square was once the finest racecourse in Asia before 1949, it is now a large open space in which locals hang out all day, every day, practicing Tai Chi and flying kites. Shanghai Museum is specially celebrated in the world for its rich and high-quality collection of 120,000 precious works of art including ancient Chinese bronze, ceramics, painting and calligraphy.

Day 12 Departure from Shanghai

Meals included: Breakfast at hotel.

Transfer to the airport for your departure flight (without guide). Wish you a pleasant journey home and thank you for traveling with IslamiChina.