The Trip

Travel from China’s booming east to chant with monks in the mystical kingdom of Tibet and wander with nomads in the fascinating far-Western Qinghai province. This expedition is designed for the traveler who wants to get off the path in China to see what is really going on in its quixotic hinterland. We have designed this year’s journey so that those of you who may not have visited China before can have more time in Beijing and Shanghai, the dual engines of modern China. The trip extension will also take you to Hangzhou, the true start of the so-called Silk Road and one of China’s most beautiful cities.

Itinerary

Day 0 - October 1: Fly to Beijing (you will lose a day of travel going over the time line)

Day 1 - October 2: Arrive Beijing
Our team will meet you at the airport and transfer you to our deluxe hotel in the center of the Beijing. You will have time to rest up before walking to Tian’anmen Square for a “sundowner” – a Mai Tai or similar at our favorite rooftop lounge overlooking the Forbidden City. We will enjoy Peking Duck and other local specialties for dinner. Sleep in Beijing

Day 2 - October 3: Fly to Xining, Qinghai
Xining is the capital of the lesser-known Qinghai Province of China and has a metropolitan population of more than 2 million (a medium sized city in China!). Xining experienced a great boom in the late 1950’s due to its proximity to the resource-rich Qaidam basin. More recently, it became famous at the Eastern terminus of the new rail link that crosses the entirety of the Tibetan Plateau. Sleep in Xining

Day 3 - October 4: Tour Xining
Today we will tour the highlights of Xining and investigate the so-called Chinese Economic Miracle and check to see if it is actually trickling down to China's largest minority groups including Chinese Muslims and Tibetan Buddhists. Xining remains heavily Buddhist. Xining is packed full of ancient Buddhist temples and historic sights. Sleep in Xining

Day 4 - October 5: Fly from Xining to Yushu
Yushu is the gateway to Qinghai’s vast Bartang Grasslands. We will take a short but beautiful flight this morning from Xining to Yushu where we will meet up with our local guide and his family for a lunch and a lecture about our upcoming experience in China’s outback. Sleep in Yushu

Day 5 - October 6: Bartang Grasslands
Today we embark upon a two-night deluxe tent camping experience in the Bartang Grasslands. We will drive over a high mountain pass and drop down into the Bartang Grasslands to experience life as true nomads. Well, almost --- our tent camping experience will be a deluxe one with beds, sheets and even a turn-down service complete with chocolates on your pillow. If you’ve ever seen the big sky country of Montana or Alaska, just wait until you count the stars of Qinghai! Sleep in Bartang Grasslands

Day 6 - October 7: Visit with nomadic tribes of Bartang
We will wander today with our guides and new friends to all kinds of interesting destinations including the Damkar and Lepka Monasteries and the Lepka Valley. A Tibetan medicine man will teach us the old ways of his shamanistic culture. You will understand why Beijing still worries about Tibetan unity when you see the strength and character of these nomadic horsemen and women. Sleep in Bartang Grasslands

Day 7 - October 8: Fly from Yushu to Xining for Lhasa-bound train
We will fly back to Xining just in time to catch our two-night train to Lhasa. This is the highest train in the world! The views are incredible and the service is first class. The train reaches an altitude in excess of 15,000 feet! But, don’t worry, you’ll be comfortably seated so you won’t need to exert yourself. Sleep on train to Lhasa

Day 8 - October 9: En route by rail across the Tibetan Plateau
Meet your fellow travelers in the lounge car to enjoy meals and a lecture from your guide. Taking the train across Tibet will allow you to become acclimated to the altitude. You’ll be ready to climb the steps of the Potala Palace when you reach Lhasa. Sleep on train to Lhasa

Day 9 - October 10: Arrive in Lhasa
After a late arrival in the capital of Tibet, you will have time to freshen up before a very relaxing meal (Tibetan pizza anyone?) and an included foot or body massage – just what you will need after your long train journey. Sleep in Lhasa

Day 10 – October 11: Lhasa sights and lecture
Tour the great Potala Palace and then sit down with a senior monk to talk about the past, current and future of the Tibetan people. Later in the day, we will visit a children’s home where we will treat over 50 Tibetan orphans to dinner! Sleep in Lhasa

Day 11 - October 12:  Fly to Shanghai or Hangzhou
Fly into Shanghai, the engine of modern China, where you will walk along the city's ever-changing waterfront, meet a few of the personalities who are reshaping modern China and learn why "what happens in Shanghai today will happen in the rest of China tomorrow." For a few of you, this will be your final night but we hope most of you will join us for a very important “vacation inside a vacation.” Just a short flight from Shanghai is the important city of Hangzhou.

Day 12 - October 13: Fly home or continue with your post-trip extension.

Pre-trip: walk on the Great Wall or work with us to create a unique itinerary that fits your desires in Beijing. If you choose this option, you will fly from the USA on September 30

Post trip: enjoy two nights in magical Hangzhou, Eastern China’s most beautiful urban destination.

The M&G difference...

One of the advantages of traveling with M&G to the Far East is that there will be no forced shopping stops. Many companies sell cheap tours to China but they don’t tell you that they defray cheap tour fares with expected shopping commissions and volume-produced “tour food”. We take you shopping if you want to go shopping (to the best shops with the most accurate prices) and we never pre-order our meals. Our small group sizes (we target 15 but never take more than 20) allow us to eat as the Chinese eat. We go to restaurants that we know well and we only order that which is fresh and recommended by our friends and the chefs who we know.

About your guide

M&G cofounder Rick loves to travel far off the path in Mainland China. In 1992 he led the first ever American tour from Vietnam by foot over the heavily fortified Vietnamese/Chinese border at Lao Cai. He became the first American allowed to lead tours in China without a Beijing observer (national guide) in the mid-1990's and today he works with local guides and drivers who are his longtime friends, not just his employees. Two years ago, Rick was selected by Geographic Expeditions to lead the first-ever tour group to a remote Miao hilltribe village in Guizhou and this year he led a Bay Area billionaire and his family on a private trip to all four corners of the Middle Kingdom. Needless to say, Rick has the “guanshi” (important Chinese expression for local connections and power) to create an unforgettable journey for you!

12 days, 11 nights
$4,900 per person in double room
$750 single room supplement

Itinerary details:
1 night in Beijing
2 nights in Xining
1 night in Yushu
2 nights deluxe tent camping in Bartang Grasslands
2 nights on train to Lhasa
2 nights in Lhasa
1 night in Shanghai

Pre-Journey Extension
September 31
Price: $300

1 night Beijing (Great wall and other sights)

Post-Journey Extension
October 14 to 15
Price: $675

2 nights in Hangzhou (and extra Shanghai sights)