The Ultimate Grand Tour of China

24 day tour/cruise - May 12, 2012

- SOLD OUT!

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Dr. John L. Lund
Dr. John L. Lund
Special Guest Educator

Tour Leader
Carol & Jim Tyndall
Let us try and tell you, in a few words, why china is the best tour anywhere in the world. A cruise on the Yangtze is more beautiful than cruising the inside passage of Alaska. The 60,000 life size stone carvings of Dazu (carved by monks over thousands of years), is a site to behold. The Li River and its staggering beauty will be one of your best days on earth. You will marvel as you explore the 9 mile (still in tact) city wall of Xian, with its draw bridges and moats still in place. Climbing the Great Wall create memories for a lifetime. The China Cultural Village makes the Polynesian Cultural Center look puny. Add the experience of seeing the Terracotta Warriors, Summer Palace, Forbidden City, Hong Kong, Beijing and so much more – All in a country that is friendly and loving to Americans. Please believe us on this one, IT IS THE BEST TOUR IN THE WORLD!!!

The Ultimate Grand Tour

  1. The China Yangtze Cruise / Tour is the very best of China.  It includes the Li River AND the Yangtze, the Terraccota Warriors in Xian, the Great Wall, the Forbidden city and a lot more.
  2. The Tibet and the Best of the Rest Tour, was designed for those that have already been to china’s Yangtze, Li River, Beijing, etc.

The Ultimate Grand Tour combines both tours and creates an Ultimate China tour that lasts 24 days with an option to add on 5 nights in Bali.  Why not do it all, you are already there.  If you have the time you can experience it all in one fantastic tour!  When you do it all in the same year you save thousands.  You illuminate that flight, time and cost of returning another year and you save by not having to visit cities on another trip that you visited on the first tour. 
***Note:  ONE TIME ONLY:  this is the first time we have created an Ultimate Grand China Tour.  Jim and Carol Tyndall, your Fun For Less Staff, wanted to do a complete tour of China with Tibet and have invited you a along.  They do not plan to do this every year, so it may not happen again.  

A Few Things that make our tours better than other tours

  • Air to China: Flying to China can be long and hard. With United, Northwest, China Air and Japan Airlines your seats are so close together your knees are up under your chin. Next year ALL of our passengers will have the luxury of flying on Singapore Air (considered the best airline in the world). We will fly from the US to Hong Kong. Every seat has extra leg room, plus its own individual television with a huge number of movies you can play whenever you want. You can even stop and fast forward at any time. THE BEST PART: We fly for less on Singapore Air than you would pay to fly the lesser airlines!
  • We include both The Yangtze River and the Li River: Most tours visit either the Li River or the Yangtze. Most do not include both. With our special tour we are going to visit both! The Yangtze River with its 4000 foot cliffs, lush green landscapes and hundreds of waterfalls is more beautiful than cruising Alaska. You can soak in the beauty from your own private balcony. The Li River may be your best day in China because its beauty is unsurpassed. In 2006 we had the Li River as an option at $599 extra. With some additional negotiations and some small changes we are able to include the Li River without increasing the price!
  • Dazu: This is a must if you are going to China. A World Heritage site, Dazu has over 60,000 life size stone carvings that have been hand chiseled into rock walls by Monks over the last 1,000 years. More than half of our passengers feel the stone carvings of Dazu were more impressive than the Terracotta Warriors in Xian.
  • 3 days in Tibet along with many sites never seen on other tours:  The ancient city of Lijing, a chance to hold a panda in Chengdu, the Stone Forest and more.
  • The worlds largest man made dam has five ship locks to move the ship up and over the dam. Each lock raises our ship 60 feet in the air – 300 feet in all. The Panama Canal ship locks pale in comparison. Most of the cruise ships do not experience the ship locks.
  • Rural Farm Visit: See what life is really like in the countryside of China. We will visit a farm village to get up close and personal with every day living.
  • Because of our government contacts and friends we have in China, we have special privileges offered to our groups that are not given to others. Give us a call and let us tell you more about why we are “The Best For Less”. No other company can deliver the quality experience you deserve in China!!!
  • Xian Great City Wall: Most tours miss the city wall. This wall is possibly the most impressive city wall still standing in the world. The Xian ancient city wall is still in perfect condition as it was 600 years ago. It is four stories high and the top is wide enough to drive four semi trucks side by side for almost nine miles around the city. Even the moat and draw bridges are still intact.
  • You will see more and do more, while living in 5 star Luxury. We are the best tour and value in China!

Your 24 day Package includes

The quality throughout is all 5 star, from the hotels to the luxury mini suites on your Yangtze cruise.

  • Special Guest Educator during your Yangtze Cruise: Dr. John Lund
  • Exotic Tibet
  • Partial list of cities you will visit:  Hong Kong, Kunming, Lijiang, Chengdu, Lhasa, Tibet, Beijing, Xian, Wuhan, Yichang, Fungdu, Chongqing, Dazu, and Guilin along with many villages and the countryside
  • 5 day 4 night Yangtze River cruise (includes all side tours from the ship)
  • 5 Star Cruise Ship on the Yangtze, all rooms are mini suites with private balconies
  • Small groups - only 30-32 passengers on a 50 passenger bus. You will not be crowded!
  • The Li River & the Yangtze River – rarely will you find a tour that includes both the beautiful Li and the Majestic Yangtze
  • World Heritage Site: Dazu Stone Carvings – not included with other tours
  • All transfers to & from airports, hotels & ship
  • Many cultural or entertainment shows including the spectacular dinner show at Tang Dynasty Theater
  • Everyday is a full day of sightseeing. We are not like others who have free days or free afternoons stuck in places where they try to sell you an after noon or evening tour. Everything is included with us
  • Except Hong Kong - full American breakfasts daily, quality dinners daily and lunches while on the ship
  • “Whisper Perfect” headset receive – you can hear every word even when you step away from the group to take that important picture
  • Option to purchase Singapore Airlines to Hong Kong and home. This is the number one airline in the world

Pricing Information

Fun For Less Member Price:
( price above is a cash/check discount rates.)

Call for our deeply discounted airfare on Singapore airlines

*Price includes 5 star hotels, hotel taxes, quality meals, quality buses and guides,
Yangtze cruise, shore excursions, entrance fees, transfers, escorts and educators.
Price does not include airfare, taxes, fuel surcharges, tips, visa and fees.

Itinerary

Day 1 May 12: Fly to SFO
You will fly in the evening to San Francisco to catch our late night flight from California to Hong Kong.

Day 2 May 13: Fly to Hong Kong
Approximately 1:30 am depart from SFO to Hong Kong on Singapore Airlines.

Day 3 May 14: Hong Kong
This morning early you will arrive into Hong Kong. Upon arrival we will enjoy a tour of Hong Kong that includes a boat ride on old Sampans through the harbor of Hong Kong. Overnight Hong Kong.
 
Day 4:  May 15:  Hong Kong
Today will be a day to explore Hong Kong or take a ferry to Macau.  Everyone that visits Hong Kong says they just didn’t have enough time to really enjoy this fascinating city.  Overnight Hong Kong.
 
Day 5:  May 16:  Hong Kong – Kunming
This morning we will fly to Kunming near the majestic Stone Forest.  After arrival into Kunming we will do a city tour before heading to our hotel.
 
Day 6:  May 17:  Stone Forest - Lijiang
Early morning departure for the Stone Forest, known since the Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644) as the “First Wonder of the World.  Like the Li River’s unique mountains, you will marvel at the majestic unbelievable rock formations of the Stone Forest.  It covers 96,000 acres with both large and small stone forests.  We will also visit the Golden Temple and visit a market before heading by air this evening  to the ancient town of Lijiang. 
 
Day 7: May 18:  Lijiang
We will spend a full day enjoying and exploring the ancient town of Lijiang.  A UNESCO World Heritage Site located near the Jade Dragon Sow Mountian, Lijiang’s history goes back over 800 years.  The Lijiang old town is famous for its orderly system of waterways and bridges.  Here you will see what China was like hundreds of years ago.  We will also visit Mu’s Residence and Dragon Pool Park.    
 
Day 8:  May 19:  Lijiang – Chengdu – Lhasa Tibet
This morning we will take the short flight from Lijiang to Chengdu.  It is from Chengdu flights fly into and out of Lhasa Tibet.  After an approx.. 2 ½ hour layover, we will fly to Tibet.  Lhasa is over 11,000 feet and often referred to as the “Top of the World”.  We will rest today and this evening as we allow our bodies to adjust to the altitude.  If we take our first day slow, we find it easy to adjust to the altitude for our two days of touring.
 
Day 9:  May 20:  Tibet
Our day will include the world famous Portola Palace a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  The Potala Palace was the chief residence of the Dalai Lama until the 14th Dalai Lama fled to Dharamsala India after an invasion in 1959.  The first Palace was built in 637, the modern palace today in 1645.   There are 13 stories of buildings, containing over 1,000 rooms, 10,000 shrines and about 200,000 statues.  Also included is the Sera Monastery was founded in 1419.  It is the best place to see Monks learning and debating the teachings of Buda. 
 
Day 10:  May 21:  Tibet
Our full day tour today will includet the famous Barkhor street.  Located on Barkhor Square is the most sacred and important Temple in Tibet, the Jokhang Temple built around 642 AD.  You will witness the many that come daily to worship.  We will also visit Norbulingku (The Jewelled Park), it is a palace surrounded by a park.  Built in 1755, it served as the traditional summer residence of the successive Dalai Lamas from the 1780’s up until 1959 when the Dali fled to India;  The Norbulingku is another UNESCO World Heritage site. 
 
Day 11:  May 22:  Tibet – Chengdu
Late this morning we will fly from Lhasa Tibet to Chengdu.  After our city tour we will stay in Chengdu. 
 
Day 12:  May 23:  Chengdu – Guilin
Today will be the day of the Pandas.  We will visit the famous Panda Resurch Center in Chengdu.  There have been more Pandas born here than anywhere else in the world.  You see them in the morning when they are active and often the young playing together.  In the past, those that have wanted to, have been able to hold a baby panda.  Later this afternoon you will leave the group that is doing the Tibet and the REST of the BEST Tour and fly to Guilin.  Tomorrow night you will join with the group that is doing the China Yangtze Tour.  They are in Hong Kong tonight and will fly to Guilin tomorrow to join with you at the Li River.
 
Day 13:  May 24:  Guilin
Guilin is the most beautiful city in all of China.  This the river and on one side and a beautiful park on the other side, our hotel is in the perfect location to explore and enjoy the beauty of Guilin.  You will have a small tour in the morning and the rest of the day will be free to explore, shop and relax before you join the Yangtze group that arrives this evening. 
 
Day 14:  May 25:  Li River
This will be a highlight day as we sail on the Li River through some of the most beautiful and unique rock formations found anywhere in the world. The scenic drive to and from the Li River is filled with terraced rice paddies. Later in the afternoon you will visit the beautiful Reed Flute Cave before returning to your hotel. Guilin is possibly the most beautiful city in China.
 
Day 15:  May 26:  Guilin – Wuhan – Yangtze Cruise Ship
This morning you will fly to Wuhan. We will then take a beautiful drive to the 3 Gorges Dam and our 5 star luxury ship on the Yangtze. We will spend 5 days 4 nights cruising the beautiful majestic Yangtze.
 
Day 16:  May 27:  Cruising the Yangtze
Cruising the Yangtze can be more beautiful than cruising the inside passage of Alaska. With lush green mountains, manicured farms and fjord like 3,000 foot cliffs, you will be awe struck at its beauty. We will start our day by visiting the world's largest man made dam. We will then enter the 5 ship locks of the 3 Gorges Dam. The ship's locks of the Panama Canal pale in comparison. Each of the 5 ship locks will raise the ship 60 feet into the air. Spectacular, unique, mystic and magical are the adjectives describing the magnificent scenery along the Three Gorges, unfolding on a monumental scale, equal to the Grand Canyon. Today we will go through the Misty Gorge where you will see exquisite peaks, grotesquely shaped rocks and silvery waterfalls.
 
Day 17:  May 28:  Cruising the Yangtze
We will start our day with our shore excursion into the Three Lesser Gorges. This is one of the most beautiful places on earth. We will then return and continue sailing through Wu Gorge and on to the grandest Gorge on the Yangtze, the Qutang Gorge.
 
Day 18:  May 29:  Cruising the Yangtze
Today will be a highlight day as we visit the new city of Fendgu, thewhole city including parks, homes and businesses have all been built in the last few years. Today you will meet the people, visiting their homes and seeing how they live.
 
Day 19:  May 30:  Chongqing – Dazu – Xian
This morning we leave our 5 star luxury ship on the Yangtze in Chongqing and then drive back into the mountains to visit the special stone carvings of Dazu. Here monks have been carving life size stone carvings for over 1,000 years. There are 60,000 of them! Most of our passengers have liked this site as well or better than the Terracotta Warriors in Xian. A MUST SEE IN CHINA. This place is rarely on tours offered by others and again will be one of your favorite highlights of China. We will also stop at a farming community out in the country to see what rural farm life is really like. We will return to Chongqing to take our flight to Xian.
 
Day 20:  May 31:  Xian – Terracotta Warriors
We will spend the day visiting the Terracotta Warriors, one of the world’s great archeological treasures. We will also visit the Wild Goose Pagoda. Xian is the capitol of 11 dynasties and one of the largest medieval cities in the world. Today will also include a city tour with a special visit to Xian’s ancient city wall. This may be the best preserved City Wall in the world. Dating back over 500 years, the ancient city wall stretches almost 9 miles around the city with its moat and draw bridges still in tact. The top of the wall is wide enough to put 4 semi trucks side by side. This evening we will attend one of the best cultural shows you will see anywhere in the world – The Tang Dynasty Dinner and Cultural Show. This fantastic show is full of music, dance and colorful traditional costumes. Overnight Xian.
 
Day 21:  June 1:  Xian – Beijing
This morning we will visit the Wild Goose Pagoda, before heading to the airport for our flight to Beijing. We will spend the afternoon visiting the Beijing Olympic sites along with a visit to Tiananmen Square before reaching our hotel
 
Day 22:  June 2:  Beijing
Today we will visit the Temple of Heaven and then head to the Summer Palace (the summer residence of China’s Emperors. This afternoon we will make our anticipated visit to the Forbidden City. A huge complex of palaces, pavilions, courtyards and gardens. The Forbidden City was off limits to common people for over 500 years.).
 
Day 23:  June 3:  Beijing – Great Wall
This morning early we will travel 40 miles north of Beijing to the Great Wall. This extraordinary 4,000 mile long fortification was built to thwart the barbarian invasions. A walk along the enormous towered and turreted wall is spectacular. We will return to Beijing where you will have a free afternoon to shop at Silk Alley or relax before your flight back home.
 
Day 24:  June 4:  Fly to the US OR to Bali if doing the extension
This morning you will fly home OR take the recommended extension to the most beautiful island on earth – Bali!!!

Optional Bali Extension

6 Day 5 night extension

“Travel and Leisure” each year rate the best islands in the world – for the 5th time in a row (to no one’s surprise that’s been there) Bali was rated the number one island in the world. This is your chance to experience the #1 Island at a cost so low, you cannot afford to stay home. You will love the warm and friendly people of Bali. Your 5 star luxury beach resorts have hundreds of acres of private grounds and private beaches. Similar luxury hotels on the beach in Hawaii would cost upwards of $800 to $1,000 per night. Think what a Ritz Carlton Beach resort would be like and you have the picture of what you will have in Bali. These resorts with their many beautiful swimming pools - that include waterslides and waterfalls - are fun for any age.  You will be staying in two hotels located on different sides of the island. One of them has on its grounds and part of the resort, the number 1 golf course in all of Asia. This Greg Norman Championship course plays 7 of its holes along the ocean or out over the ocean. It is equal to or better than the beautiful courses found along the California Coast Line. Best of all you can play 18 holes with cart and caddie for under $100 when staying at the hotel

Fly the #1 Airline in the world, Singapore Air, from Beijing to Bali

Day by Day Itinerary:
 
Day 1:  June 4:  Fly to Bali
This morning we will fly from Beijing to Singapore on Singapore Air. We will change planes in Singapore and continue on to Bali, the most beautiful Island on Earth. You will then check into your luxury 5 star hotel located on the Beach - The Pan Pacific Nirwana Golf & Spa Resort.
 
Day 2:  June 5:  Bali
Full day tour of Bali. You will enjoy beautiful layered rice paddies, enjoy one of the most beautiful rafting in the world as you float by moss covered cliffs and deep jungles in the middle of Bali. You will also have a private show put on by the Barong Dance Group. We will do additional shopping and visit the Monkey forest before returning to your beach resort hotel. The Pan Pacific Nirwana Golf & Spa Resort.
 
Day 3:  June 6:  Bali
Free day to enjoy your fantastic Pan Pacific Nairwana Golf and Spa Resort Hotel.  You can relax, play golf or chose to do any number of options, like riding elephants or bike riding down a volcano Mountain. 
 
Day 4:  June 7:  Bali
This morning we will take a ½ day tour of Tanah Lot, the Royal Temple and spend time shopping in the local flea market. We will then transfer to the beautiful Bali Intercontinental Beach Resort. This afternoon you will enjoy one of the great pleasures found on Bali – A two hour Bali massage followed by your own flowered bath.
 
Day 5:  June 8:  Bali
Full day to enjoy your beach resort. The Bali Intercontinental Resort and Spa Day.
 
Day 6:  June 9:  Fly Back to the US
 
Your Optional extension includes:
  • 5 star luxury beach resorts
  • All tours of the Island & Hindu Temples
  • Balinese shows & unsurpassed shopping
  • The most beautiful rafting trip in the world
  • 2 hour Bali Massage