Day 1 Arrival in Xian

Your Xian driver will hold a welcome sign with your name written on and wait for you upon your arrival and then transfer you to your Xian hotel safely.

Day 2 Terracotta Warriors Museum, City Wall, Muslim Quarter

09:00: Your native tour expert will pick you up at your hotel lobby and take you to enjoy this first-day trip.

10:00 - 12:30: After about an hour's drive, you will arrive at the world-famous Terra-cotta Warriors Museum. You will see the 8000+ Terracotta Warriors archeological dig with your own eyes and get a sense of the daily discovery an archeologist goes through at the Xi’an site! You will know why the Qin Shi Huang’s Mausoleum was built and how. You will even see a miniature model resembling the legendary tomb.

12:30 - 13:30: You will go to a nice restaurant locals frequented for lunch. Biang Biang Noodles, Dumplings, Chinese Hamburgers are highly recommended.

14:30 - 16:00: Driven back to the city, you will visit the Ancient City Wall. Like any other city walls, this one was built for the protection of the town. What makes it different is that this Xian City Wall has survived over 600 years of history and still standing. As it’s 13.74km long in perimeter, there are two ways to cover it. You may choose to rent bikes or ride a golf cart. Either way, you will have a full view of the inner city of Xian.

16:10- 17:00: Your last stop will be the Muslim Quarter. Located behind the Drum Tower, Muslim Quarter is one of the liveliest places in Xian. Strolling in the communities, you will feel the enthusiasm and hospitality of the local people. They are yelling to sell their goods, trying to allure you to taste their food, and engaging you with small handmade artifacts.




17:30: Your guide will accompany you back to your hotel, and you will have a free evening.






    

Day 3 Mount Huashan

07:30: Your tour guide will pick you up and take you to Mount Huashan today for a fantastic mountain hiking tour.

09:30 - 15:00: It takes about 2 hours to drive to Mount Huashan from Xian city, along the way some beautiful views of the countryside will be presented. Arriving at the mountain, you will find yourself completed awed by the magnificence of the mountain. As one of the greatest mountains in China, Mount Huashan bears the fame of steepness. Most people come here to seek challenges and excitement, especially when they stand on the narrow wooden planks with nothing other than a rope fastened in their waists. Unfortunately, the wooden plank was shut down earlier this year due to some unexpected accidents. There are still other facts that made Mount Huashan famous, one of which is Taoism. Huashan has been a sacred place for Taoists. Until now, quite a few old Taoism practitioners are living there. There are three ways to complete this tour. We will arrange you to take the shuttle bus and cable car to the West Peak, from where you can hike a little. After that, you will ride the cable car from the same spot and get down the mountain.




17:00: You will be escorted to your hotel.






    

Day 4 Huangdi Mausoleum, Yan'an City

07:00: Your Xian guide and driver will pick you up early in the morning and head for Huangling Mausoleum.

10:00 -13:00: It takes about 3 hours to drive to Huangdi Mausoleum. Praised as the “First Tomb under Heaven”, Mausoleum of the Yellow Emperor is the burial site for Xuanyuan Yellow Emperor, the ancestor of Chinese Ethnic Peoples who, in 5000 years ago, united all the small clans in central China area and invented houses, clothes, boat, music and many other tools, laying the foundation for agricultural development of Chinese civilization.

Located in Beiqiao Mountain, north of Huangling county in Yan’an city, Mausoleum of the Yellow Emperor is the place for emperors and celebrities in later generations to offer their respect and sacrifice to the Yellow Emperor. The first of such ritual was held in the Third Year of Qinlinggong (422 B.C.). In 110 B.C., Emperor Wu in Western Han Dynasty led an army of 180,000 people to practice national offerings and sacrifices there. Ever since, it became the formal spot for national sacrifices, and began to collect all kinds of relics from later dynasties.

Visiting the Mausoleum of the Yellow Emperor, one thing you can’t miss is the Ancient Cypress Trees Forest. The mausoleum has the earliest, largest and best-preserved Cypress Forest. There are about 80,000 cypress trees, of which about 30,000 have survived over 1000 years. One cypress tree allegedly planted by the Yellow Emperor himself has a history of about 5000 years, making it the oldest cypress tree. After visiting the Mausoleum of Yellow Emperor, you will understand how sacred this place is to Chinese people and why it is so important.

13:00-14:00: Enjoy lunch nearby the Yellow Emperor’s Tomb on your own account.




16:30: You will be driven to Yan’an hotel for rest.

Day 5 Zaoyuan Revolution Site, Valley of the Waves Jingbian

08:00: Your tour guide will meet you at the hotel lobby of your Yan’an hotel and take you to wander in Yan’an city first.

08:30 -10:00: Your first sight today is the Zaoyuan Revolution Site. Located about 8km to the northwest side of Yan’an city, Zaoyuan Revolution Site had served as the base camp for CPC Central Committee from 1944 to March 1947. It used to be a private manor for a local landlord. With the CPC Central Committee moved here, it became part of the governmental property. In here, the Communist Party has led the whole country to win the final war against the Japanese and meanwhile fought fiercely against the Chinese Nationalist Party, laying the foundation for the establishment of new China. Inside the Zaoyuan, you will find many old residences that hosted Mao Zedong, Zhu De, Zhou Enlai, Liu Shaoqi, etc., the heroes that shed blood and toiled for the revolution and development of China. Besides the historical significance, Zaoyuan is also a serene garden where you can completely relax.

12:30 - 13:30: You will drive to the Valley of the Waves in Jingbian county and find a nice local dining place for lunch and rest a little.

14:00 - 17:00: After lunch, you will head for one of the highlights of this trip - the Jingbian Valley of Waves. Located 22km from the Jingbian county, the Valley of Waves is a wonderland created by the millions of years of wind, water, and sand. The complex layers of the stones there were made by the giant sand dunes that began their deposition journey in the Jurassic Period, which is about 150 million years ago. The sand dunes gradually got covered by the layers of red sand soaked in underground water. Over an extended period, the minerals in the water congealed the sand into sandstone, forming a layered structure. It’s quite miraculous that the Valley of Waves can be discovered in a place that is covered by loess. Unlike the Valley of Waves in Arizona, this valley features red only. Looking from a distance, the layered sandstone in the narrow area looks like red mud flowing to the bottom. While in the relatively flat area, those layered red sandstone look more grand and stunning.




17:30: Yulin Hotel drop off for rest.






    

Day 6 Hukou Waterfall, Drive Back to Xian

08:00: Your tour guide and driver will pick you up and take you to visit the mother river of China - Yellow River in Yichuan county.

13:00 - 16:00: It takes about 5 hours to drive from Jingbian county to the Hukou Waterfall. Upon your arrival, you may choose to have lunch before enjoying the breathtaking views.




As the second-largest waterfall in China (the largest one is Guangguoshu Waterfall in Guizhou Province), and also the largest Yellow Waterfall in the world, the Hukou Waterfall is a natural waterfall formed by the middle part of the Yellow River flowing pass the Jinshaan Grand Canyon. On its east side is the Ji County of Shanxi Province, while its west side is the Yichuan County in Shaanxi Province. The whole waterfall is 30 meters wide, 50 meters deep, and the water scale can be 30,000 m3 at largest. When the surging Yellow River flows by the narrow spout-shape channel with stone cliffs towering aside, a sublime natural view is created. You can imagine that with 300-meter wide Yellow River water being suppressed to pass the 20/30-meter wide channel within a buffer distance of 500 meters, the stream at a speed of 1000 m3/s rushes down to the cliffs, what a splendid scene!






21:30: So far, the out-of-Xian trip comes to an end. You will get back to this ancient city and explore more the next day.

Day 7 Shaanxi History Museum, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Yongxingfang Food Street

09:00: Today, you will explore the old Xian city for its hidden gems and taste the authentic food and snacks. Meet your guide, and get ready!

09:20 - 12:00: Your first destination is the Shaanxi History Museum. As the grandest museum in Shaanxi Province, Shaanxi History Museum has a collection of over 113,000 historical and cultural relics. The museum itself is a magnificent architectural complex in the Tang Dynasty style, simple, unsophisticated, but elegant and unique. It combines the architectural style of the ancient Chinese palaces and courtyard building, so it looks harmonious, graceful, and imposing. The museum is divided into three galleries with close to 3,000 picked exhibits on display, which depicts the over one million years of history of Shaanxi that ranges from 1.15 million years ago to the eve of the Opium War in 1840. In here, you will admire the long history of Chinese civilization.

12:00-13:00: Enjoy lunch at a nice local restaurant.

13:00 - 15:00: Just a few minutes' drive, you will come to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. Situated in Da Ci'en Temple in the south suburb of Xi’an, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda is one of the most famous Buddhism pagodas in China. The pagoda had been a real skyscraper in Chang’an city then for over millennium since it was first constructed in 7th century A.D. It was the one which people could have a bird-eye view of the whole city from the top in the past. The story behind it that is related to the well known Monkey King makes it pretty famous all of the countries. If you are right on time, you may catch a grand Fountain Show in the North Square of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda.

15: 30-17:00: Your last stop will be the Yongxingfang Food Street. Unlike the Muslim Quarter, where only Halal food is served, Yongxingfang Food Street is actually about the native Shaanxi culinary culture. You will see that there is no duplicate food here. Every restaurant focuses on just one kind of local food from a specific place in Shaanxi Province. This trip will save you the trouble of journeying to the countryside for authentic local cuisine. You can also try the “Shuaiwanjiu," meaning that you get to have a bowl of wine and smash the bowl after drinking. In the evening, the lit red lanterns do set a great mood for food and leisure.




17:30: Get back to the hotel for rest.






    

Day 8 Departure Xian

Being picked you up 4 hours before your flight, you will bid farewell to this magic place.