China Highlights

Welcome to Shanghai! You're about to dive into one of the most futuristic cities on the planet. After settling into your accommodation, meet your travel crew before heading out for a cruise along the Bund after dark, Shanghai's past and present lighting up the water on both sides.

We'll take the high-speed train from Shanghai to Zhangjiajie, then continue on by private vehicle to Wulingyuan. This afternoon, make the ascent up Tianmen Mountain's iconic Stairway to Heaven, 999 steps straight into the cliff face on the way to Heaven's Gate. The view from the top makes every single step worth the burn.

This morning it's a walk from the hotel to the Southeast Gate to spend the day surrounded by the towering sandstone spires that gave Avatar's floating mountains their look. Zhangjiajie's scenery stands apart from anywhere else in the country.

We'll board the high-speed train onward to Chengdu. Tonight, take in a Sichuan Opera face changing show, where the masks seem to shift the instant you blink. Afterwards, settle in for a bubbling hotpot dinner and see if you can handle the numbing heat of Sichuan peppercorns.

This morning's timed for peak panda energy, giving you China's national animal at its most active. This is a genuine research and conservation centre rather than a zoo, home to upwards of 200 giant pandas and 100-plus red pandas! Afterward, the day's yours to explore Chengdu, a city so panda-mad you'll find them everywhere - building facades, street corners, even your dessert.

Small Change: Visit pandas at a genuine conservation and research base, where the focus is protecting the species.

Board the high-speed train to Xi'an, one of China's oldest cities and home to its best-preserved city walls. Grab bikes and complete the full loop along the top — 14 kilometres of ancient stone with the whole city sprawling out beneath you. From there, head into the Muslim Quarter, Xi'an's storied night market, heavy with smoke, spice and some of the finest street food around.

This morning, stand face to face with an army that's guarded an emperor's tomb for over 2,000 years, thousands of life sized clay warriors, each with a different face and discovered in 1974. With a local guide, take in the sheer scale of it all. This afternoon, board the high-speed train to Luoyang, gateway to some of China's most significant Buddhist and martial arts heritage sites.

Today it's off to the legendary Shaolin Temple, the birthplace of Shaolin kung fu and one of the most famous Buddhist monasteries in the world. Watch the resident monks in action, then get hands on with a kung fu experience of your own, learning some of the moves that have been passed down for generations. This afternoon, visit the Longmen Grottoes, thousands of Buddhist statues and carvings cut into limestone cliffs along the Yi River, one of China's most remarkable ancient sites.

This morning it's the high-speed train north to Beijing, the closing chapter of the trip. Tonight, get hands-on in a dumpling-making class, picking up a fold technique handed down over generations, then sit down to a proper Peking duck dinner - crisp skin, thin pancakes and all the trimmings, arguably China's most iconic dish.

Our morning starts with a local guide inside the Forbidden City, the imperial seat that governed China from these walls for 500-plus years. Make your way through the endless courtyards and grand halls. The afternoon is yours for more sightseeing, eating or simply take it slow.

The day you've been imagining since the moment you booked has arrived: the Great Wall of China. We'll head for Mutianyu, one of its most well-preserved stretches, the wall curling along the mountain ridges into the horizon.

Glide up via cable car through the treeline, then walk the ancient stone under your own steam, watchtowers flanking you in both directions, standing right where soldiers once guarded an empire. You will not be let down!

Your incredible 12 day trip through China comes to an end today. Those flying home will make their way to the airport, or keep the trip going and extend your stay in China with our help and the new friends you've made.