Victoria Cruises is joining forces with Avalon Waterways to create an 18-day Fascinating China & Mongolia with a Yangtze River cruise program, as one of several new soft-adventure itineraries being launched by the Globus Family of Brands in 2009.
The itinerary features a five-day sailing along the temple-lined Yangtze River on the five-star Victoria Anna along with ground accommodations in properties that include the Hilton Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia, the Shangri-La Golden Flower Hotel in Xian, and deluxe Westin properties in Shanghai and Beijing. Travelers will also spend a night in the Gobi Desert in an authentic Mongolian Ger camp.
Included in the tour price are daily American breakfasts, 13 lunches and 14 dinners, intra-tour flights and a multitude of shore excursions and cultural sightseeing. Other activities include a welcome dinner and stroll along The Bund in Shanghai, along with visits to a local silk factory, the Yu Yuan gardens, the Children’s Palace, the Shanghai Museum and an acrobatics show.
The five-day Yangtze River cruise will sail from Yichang to Chongqing aboard the luxurious new Victoria Anna and will bring passengers to centuries-old pagodas and temples along the mist-shrouded river and the Three Gorges Dam Site in Sandouping.
In Xian, the tour includes visits to the Dayan Pagoda, built in 652 A.D. and a lacquer workshop, as well as a trip to the enormous tomb of China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huangdi, who was accidentally discovered by local farmers in 1974. Fittingly, clients will also have an opportunity to see the Xian’s life sized terra-cotta warriors, various 3rd-century statues and a Tang Dynasty dinner show.
In Beijing, clients’ experiences will include an invitation into the courtyard of a family’s home for a tea ceremony and visits to the Forbidden City and its Imperial Palace, the 100-acre Tiananmen Square, the former Summer Palace and the Great Wall.
The Mongolia & The Gobi Desert itinerary includes a city tour of Ulaanbaatar and visits to the Gandan Monastery, Eagle Valley National Park and the Gobi Glacier.
At Bayan Zag, the group will explore the Cemetery Of Dinosaurs and visit a camel breeder’s camp, as well as enjoy a Mongolian folklore performance and an archery lesson with an optional horseback ride.
Pricing begins at $5,709 per person, based on double occupancy and not including international airfare.
Avalon Waterways
www.avalonwaterways.com
Victoria Cruises
www.victoriacruises.com
