Day 1 Arrive in Guangzhou. Transfer is provided if you are arriving on the group flight.

Day 2 Transfer by coach (approx 30 km) to Shan Shui to begin our cycle trip to Zhoaqing. (60 kms)

Day 3 City tour of Zhaoqing visiting a kindergarten, where the 3 to 7 year old youngsters perform musically and paint for us. Then cycle 20km to Mt Dinghu, a nature reserve and visit a 300 year old Buddhist monastery on the mountain.

Day 4 Drive out of Zhaoqing to the small town of San Shui, to begin cycling to Qing Yuan (80 km), through classic rural China. The road weaves past high bamboo forests and small villages, the ubiquitous rice paddy fields and vegetable gardens.

Day 5 We drive 30 km from Qing Yuan then cycle 30 km to Jiu Long. Lime stone carst mountains tower over fields and tiny villages. Take a short boat ride through a spectacular stalagmite cave then wander through the local markets.

Day 6 Cycle on remote backroads to Yangshan (95 kms).

Day 7 Cycle 60 km to Lianshan stopping enroute at Yao (a minority group in China) territory. The Yao minority still live very traditional lives, relatively untouched by Western influences. Their culture, traditional dress and distinctive facial features set apart from the rest of the Chinese population. Today’s cycling is easy but does wind through mountainous terrain. The road is a mixture of paved and dirt surfaces. We drive over the mountains and encounter stunning scenery as we cycle past terraced rice paddies, small villages with thatched rooves and colourful costumed people.

Day 8 In the morning we visit a local school and then cycle 70 km before taking the bus for a further 60 km to Zhongshan.

Day 9 Cycle 80 km to the village of Yangshuo, set amidst limestone pinnacles and rice paddies. The village has fantastic shopping and restaurants.

Day 10 Morning biking 9km to visit Moon Hill. Hike to the top of the hill for the views. Continue riding in a loop on Moon Hill road through the countryside of rice paddy fields, returning to Yangshuo by noon. After lunch drive to the Li River to board a boat and cruise downstream to Fu Li town (2 hours). Take a short walk around the town before driving back to Yangshuo. In the evening boat upstream to watch cormorants catching fish in local fishing villages.

Day 11 We cycle from Yangshuo on a very beautiful but basic country road to Jin Bao then on to Baisha for a picnic lunch (60 km). Drive back to Yangshuo.

Day 12 Drive to Guilin to take the afternoon flight to Xian.

Day 13 The old walled city of Xian, the capital of Shaanxi Province, is a vivid example of old and new China. The modernised new city bustles around the quaint, winding lanes of the Old Quarter. Xian is the traditional starting point of the Silk Road. The thousands of Terracotta Warriors, who stand outside the tomb of Qin Shihuang, were uncovered in 1974. Each warrior stands over 6 feet tall and has different features and characteristics. From the Warriors we visit the Banpo Neolithic Village, where the remains of the oldest civilisation in China were found, and then on to the Huang Hot Springs. Overnight Xian.

Day 14 Visit the Big Goose Pagodas in Xian, classic examples of Chinese temple architecture. A free afternoon to explore Xi'an before we board the overnight train for Beijing.

Day 15 Arrive Beijing in the morning and transfer to your central hotel and base for 3 nights. Visit Tiananmen Square and Mao’s Mausoleum, the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven. The City is a magnificent group of palaces, pavilions, courtyards and deep terracotta walls. Ornately furnished palace rooms, priceless artworks and treasures are all now open to the public after 500 years of seclusion.

Day 16 Day exploring the Great Wall, from the remote Huang Ya Guan section. This is a 3 hour drive from Beijing.

Day 17 Visit the Summer Palace and the Lama Temple. In the evening attend the famed Beijing Acrobats.

Day 18 Late afternoon a group transfer to Beijing Airport.