25 Day Tour of China
Why we rate it
- Quickest, most cost-effective and enjoyable way to see China
- Explore the tropical south, rural west, historic north and the flourishing east
- Visit major sites and countless hidden gems in off-the-beaten-track locations
- See the sunrise from The Great Wall
- Cruise down the Yulong River on these Chinese style Gondolas – Bamboo Rafts
- Adorable pandas in Giant Panda Breeding & Research Center
- Have your Mandarin lessons
Departure is from Yes Inn at Yau Ma Tei. Optional Victoria Peak trip at 7am and then leave for mainland China at 10:30.
Tour returns on the final day at approx 8pm to Hong Kong ferry terminal.
Extras
Accommodation is not provided the night before Day 1 of your trip or for the night of the last day of your trip
Flights to and from China
Aside from the many free un-missable activities The Dragon Trip offers you, we also offer some extra activities which are great value for money, safe and fun.
Food and Drink – Eating and drinking is incredibly cheap in China, but even so, the Dragon Trip still gives you access to a great range of discounts on food and drinks in the liveliest bars in town.
Any train/bus tickets for journeys made after the trip- we provide a booking service at a cost of 30 RMB per ticket booked, on top of the price of the ticket.
Any hostels for after your trip has ended- we recommend that you use Hostel World for booking hostels. We can book hostels for you, however we will charge a service fee of 150 RMB.
Pre-departure briefing is in the lobby of Yes Inn in Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay at 7am on the first day of the trip. The address is 2nd Floor, Nan Yip Building, 472 Hennessy Road, Causeway Bay. Bring your luggage with you as you can leave it in Yes Inn whilst you hike.
Please bring details of your travel insurance along with you to the meeting. In the event of an accident, we may need contact your insurance company on your behalf, so we will need the insurance company’s name and phone number and your policy number.
Optional Activities
HONG KONG
o Victoria Peak Walk (free)
YANGSHUO
o Bamboo rafting (unmissable)
o Chinese cooking class (¥120.00)
o Yulong River bike ride (unmissable)
o Hot cupping (¥35.00)
o Deep water soloing (¥150.00)
o Rock climbing (¥170.00)
o MoonHill and the Water Buddha Caves (¥85.00)
o Cormorant fishing (¥45.00)
o Kayaking (¥150.00)
o Sally’s home village visit (¥80.00)
CHENGDU
o Blind massage (¥60.00)
o Pandas (unmissable)
o Jinli Street and Tibetan district (free)
o Hot Pot dinner (Approx¥80.00)
o Leshan Buddha (Approx ¥80.00)
o Sichuan opera (¥140.00)
o Wenshu monastery, Mao’s statue, People’s Park and traditional teahouse (free)
XI’AN
o Citywalls bike ride (¥100.00)
o Great Mosqueand Muslim Quarter tour (¥25.00)
o Terracotta Warriors(unmissable)
o Soup kitchen or Star Sun Home (Charity/Optional)
SHAOLIN
o Shaolin Temple (¥120.00)
o Hike to Dharma Cave (free)
o Kung fu lesson& show at children’s home (¥150.00)
BEIJING
o Tiananmen Square (free)
o Forbidden City (¥60.00)
o Fake market (free)
o JingShan Park (¥15.00)
o Great Wall (unmissable)
o Great Wall lunch when the group camps (¥40.00)
o Olympic Park (free)
o Temple of Heaven (¥40.00)
o Acrobatic performance (¥140.00)
o WangFujing Market (¥10.00)
o Peking duck dinner (¥70.00)
MOGANSHAN
o Moganshan peak hike (free)
o Bike ride (unmissable)
SHANGHAI
o Pub Crawl (¥180.00/¥200.00)
o French Concession Tour, Propaganda museum and Market (¥40.00)
o Karaoke (approx.¥35.00–dependent on group size)
o Zhuijiao Water Town (¥25.00)
o Yuyuan Garden (¥30.00/¥40.00)
o Tour of Peoples Square (free)
o Vue bar (¥100.00)
FUJIAN
o Stay overnight in a mudroundhouse (unmissable)
o Walking tour around the UNESCO world heritage site (unmissable)
o Tea plantation (unmissable)
o Bike tour around the roundhouses (unmissable)
MACAO
o Tour the ruins of St Pauls and the Old Fortress (unmissable)
o MacaoTower bungee jump (approx£350/USD$420)
o Trip to the Venetian Hotel (unmissable)
Visas
A visa is required for China, so once you’ve made your booking with us, we will send you detailed instructions on applying for your visa, a visa invitation letter and a detailed itinerary, and a number of other items in your booking packet.
You will need at least six months validity on your passport to get your visa. If this means getting a new passport then we will need to have a copy of your most recent passport as well as the one you booked with. You will need to follow the instructions of your countries embassy on applying for your visa and we suggest allowing two weeks for this to be processed. You should apply for your visa within three months of your travel start date. For more information prior to booking you can check the China Visa Application Service Center or the website of your local Chinese consulate. You can also find information regarding visas for Macau and Hong Kong here.
Travel insurance
We require all our customers to have backpackers travel insurance when coming on the trip.
Please bring details of your travel insurance along with you. In the event of an accident, we may need contact your insurance company on your behalf, so we will need the insurance company’s name and phone number and your policy number.
Food
Budget 15- 20 AUD per day.
Accommodation
All of the hostels are clean, air-conditioned or have fans, are safe, have good showers, internet, washing machines and most importantly, have real Chinese character. People who stay at hostels are usually young people aged 18 to 35 who are travelling on a smaller budget than people staying at hotels. So it is easy to make friends and fun to hang out at the bar (all the hostels we stay at have cool bars and lounging areas to hang out). If you would like to stay in a private room though, that is absolutely possible as well as we have room upgrades available at the time of purchase.
Upgrade to a private room
Yes! If you’d like to upgrade to a private room the prices are listed below. Just email us at least three weeks prior to departure to let us know you’d like to upgrade. The upgrade fee is for the room, not per person- i.e. if you are a couple upgrading, then you split this price between the two of you. Room upgrades include single, double and twin rooms.
HK-HK 25 days = $780
BJ-BJ 18 days = $380
HK-HK 16 days = $350
SH-SH 18 days = $380
HK-BJ 15 days = $350
Packing
If you are starting and finishing in the same location you are able to leave luggage at the hostel for only 300 HKD/CNY approx. We advise a rucksack of 50 – 70L but a suitcase is also fine. If necessary absolutely, arrangements can also be made to send things domestically, for an extra fee.
- Passport with China Visa
- Chinese yuan or credit/debit card
- Student card if you have one, as there are a few student deals on the trip
- Travel insurance policy
- Photocopies of insurance policy, bank cards, passport photo page, visa
- Flipflops
- Sensible walking shoes
- T-shirts
- Shorts/skirts
- Swimming costume
- Lightweight waterproof
- Towel
- Washbag
- Books and other entertainments for the night trains
- Mosquito repellent, sun-screen and after-sun
- Camera and charger – China is a photographer’s dream!
- Small first aid kit with medicine for diarrhea, paracetamol, disinfectant etc.
- If travelling before May or after September, please bring a hat, gloves, coat, hoodie and warm trousers with you
- A big bag and a small rucksack. We sometimes get separated from our big bags, so you’ll need to keep your valuables with you in a small bag.
If you are starting your trip in Hong Kong you can leave a bag in Hong Kong for the duration of your trip for HK$300. Bring electronic products at your own risk. Some customers choose to travel with iphones, tablets and laptops, but although theft is extremely rare on the Dragon Trip there is petty crime in some areas we visit.