General Tours World Traveler’s 19-day From Japan to China’s Yangtze tour gives clients an opportunity to take in the sights, sounds and tastes of East Asia. This year and the next, the tour begins on Sept. 22, Oct. 20 and March 23, 2010, with stops in Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto and including destinations and activities featured in General Tours’ Yangtze Sampler tour of China. The 12-day Yangtze Sampler tour includes a Victoria Cruises’ cruise along the Yangtze River from Yichang to Chongqing and is ideal for clients with less time to explore Asia.
The From Japan to China’s Yangtze tour begins in Tokyo where clients will visit the Imperial Palace Plaza and the new Roppongi Hills City View Observatory, as well as learn about the Japanese tea ceremony. After ascending the forested slopes of Mount Fuji, clients will reach Hakone where they will cruise across Lake Ashi and take a cable-car ride up Mount Komagatake.
A 180-mile per hour ride on Kyoto’s Bullet Train will then take clients to Kyoto, where they will see the more then 600-year-old Kinkaku-ji Temple, also known as the Golden Pavilion; the Heian Shrine; and the 1,001 statues of Buddha in the Sanjusangendo Temple. Clients will also have the chance to walk along the lantern-lined paths of the Lasuga Shrine and wander among hundreds of tame deer at Nara’s Deer Park.
“This is the only fully escorted tour combining Japan’s Golden Route, the highlights of China and a Yangtze cruise, and our clients love the unique cultural excursions we include,” said Bob Drumm, president of General Tours.
In China, clients will sail and sightsee their way down the Yangtze River from Yichang to Chongqing, enjoying views of the Three Gorges Dam Site in San Dou Ping and an excursion through the Daning or Shennong River tributaries to the Small Gorges.
While in Beijing, clients will scale the Great Wall of China; visit the Ming Tombs; see the Olympicsaquatics center, also known as the Water Cube; and will travel through a hutong where a resident family will talk about life in the older neighborhoods of China.
Making their way through Xian, clients will explore the excavation site for the Terra-Cotta Warriors. In Shanghai, clients will stop at the Yu Yuan Gardens and take a trip to the Shanghai Museum.
The From Japan To China’s Yangtze tour begins at $5,299 per person, based on double occupancy, including sightseeing and port charges, all transportation in Japan and China and three internal flights within China. International airfare, including the flight between Kyoto and Beijing, is not included. Single supplements begin at $1,300.
Rates for the Yangtze Sampler tour begin at $2,199 per person, based on double occupancy, and include complete sightseeing and port charges, as well as on-tour transportation and flights within China. International airfare is not included. From September through April 2010 the program will be available from $2,399 per person.
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