Example Itinerary
Price is based on double or twin hotel room occupancy and includes accommodation, transfers, car/driver, English-speaking guide, activities and entrance fees, breakfasts and some casual lunches while touring. Flights and optional special activities will be quoted separately. Most personal expenses, including dinners, alcoholic beverages, spa treatments and gratuities can be paid on the spot while traveling. Prices may vary depending on season, choice of accommodation and other factors.
Golf-lovers will enjoy this fabulous 18-day tour across China, comprising the best golf courses in the country and some of the best sights too. Visit Beijing, Xian, Kunming, Lijiang, Guilin and Shanghai and be amazed at the depth and beauty of China’s culture. Visit the Forbidden City, Terracotta Warriors and the Great Wall, three of the best cultural and historic attractions in the country. See the stunning landscapes of Guilin and experience local life in the villages. This trip includes some of the most culturally significant destinations in one of the world's most historically and culturally diverse countries, all while enjoying the top golf courses in Asia.
This itinerary is an example. It’s designed to inspire you and provide you with thoughtfully curated ideas. You can choose to do this exact itinerary or completely personalize it. All trips are 100% bespoke.
Welcome to Beijing! Home to around 20.6 million people, Beijing has been the political center of the country for much of the past eight centuries and is renowned for its beautiful palaces, temples, gardens, tombs, walls and gates. Before venturing out and into the city, check into your luxury hotel-- we recommend either the Aman at Summer Palace or the Conrad Beijing. First up, explore the Forbidden City, a UNESCO World Heritage Site which mostly remains as it was during the last emperor’s reign. The world’s largest palace complex, the Forbidden City is divided into two parts and the complex houses rare treasures and curiosities in its 9,999 rooms. Next, visit the iconic Tiananmen Square, where large student protests took place in 1989. The military were mobilized and hundreds were killed during a massacre on June 4. In the afternoon, explore the hundreds of hutongs, or narrow alleyways and streets, located in Beijing, followed by a interesting tour of the 2008 Olympic Games venues.
Start your day early to get in a round of golf at one of Beijing’s world-class courses. In the afternoon, take advantage of free time to explore some of the city’s many sights. The Temple of Heaven, located in central Beijing, is well worth a visit and was deemed a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998. Often described as a masterpiece of architecture and landscape design, the grounds are a popular attraction. If you’re an art fan, head along to the Capital Museum. Home to around 200,000 cultural relics, this museum is made up of collections of porcelain, bronze, calligraphy, painting, jade, sculpture, and Buddhist statues from imperial China – it’s a must-see.
Today, visit one of the highlights of any trip to China – the famed, iconic Great Wall. One of the “new seven wonders of the world,” the Great Wall is a sight every traveler should see in their lifetime. Try to fathom the years of toil required to build the Great Wall of China as you follow its steep, snaking path through the countryside with your expert tour guide. The views of crumbling, original sections of the Wall winding over the steep mountain ridges into the far distance are highly-memorable, especially with the guidance of noted historian and the world’s foremost expert on the Great Wall. Enjoy a special five-course gourmet lunch on the Wall.
Today the tour heads by air to Xian, the capital of Shaanxi province and one of the oldest cities in China. Visit the Han Yang Ling Mausoleum, the burial place of Emperor Jing, the fourth Emperor of the Western Han Dynasty. It was built in 153 AD and covers an area of 4,942 acres. It’s an impressive site, consisting of burial pits, tombs and a graveyard. Xian is famous for its Terracotta Army and no visit to the city would be complete without seeing it. The thousands of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China, were designed to protect the Emperor in his afterlife – you’ll be amazed by the detail and scale of the army. Enjoy a dinner of China’s famous dumplings – ground meat or vegetable wrapped in a thin piece of dough and cooked. It’s the perfect end to an action-packed day.
You’ll be up early to head out to another golf course, this time in Xian. Enjoy a round on the course in the morning, and in the afternoon discover the end of the Silk Road. Explore one of Xian’s Muslim neighborhoods by visiting the Great Mosque of Xian, originally built in 742 under the auspices of the Tang Dynasty. Stroll and admire the tranquil environs of the mosque’s four courtyards and view such rare pieces as a Ming dynasty handwritten copy of the Koran.
In the morning, take a flight from Xian to Kunming, home to several universities, museums, galleries and other important economic, cultural, and educational institutions. Once you’ve arrived, visit the Stone Forest and see the huge limestone formations. Since 2007, two parts of the site, the Naigu Stone Forest and Suogeyi Village, have been UNESCO World Heritage Sites as part of the South China Karst. The park is littered with pagodas, lakes and vantage points from which to take in the scenery. Local legend says the forest is where Ashima, a beautiful girl of the Yi people, was born. After falling in love, she was forbidden to marry her man and instead turned into a stone in the forest. Afterwards, drive to your hotel and rest for the evening.
Spend today at Spring City Golf & Lake Resort. Consistently voted one of the best golf courses in China, the site is made up of two golf courses as well as luxury resort homes, set against a stunning backdrop of Yangzonghai Lake. You will spend this morning at the Mountain course. Today you'll try your hand at the Jack Nicklaus designed 18-hole Mountain Course. The course is set on high grounds overlooking the Yang Zonghai Lake, offering golfers spectacular views of the picturesque lake and the verdant hills. You’ll find this challenging course both inspiring and soothing and a great chance to focus on improving your game. In the afternoon, relax at your hotel and indulge in a soothing massage at the spa.
This morning you'll take on the Lake Course by Robert Trent Jones Jr. The natural topography contains all the requisite drama which has been used to full effect while retaining a natural element. No hole can be described as easy and will require some care. Golfers will appreciate the exacting design, the views, and temperate weather conditions. In the afternoon, take a flight to Lijiang city, where its Old Town used to be the center of silk embroidery in the southwest of China and the most important place of the Ancient Southern Silk Road.
Wake up in Lijiang and pack your equipment for another golfing day, this time on the Ancient City Course. This 18-hole course has a stunning mountain backdrop and is situated nearby a lake. You couldn’t wish for better surroundings to improve your game! In the afternoon, explore the Old Town of Lijiang. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Old Town area is made up of many winding cobblestone streets full of shops. The Old Town is now a destination spot for young Chinese artists, students, and adventurers, and you’ll want to explore it yourself. Don’t forget to check out Bar Street to unwind at the end of the day, it’s full of venues with live music and the perfect place to relax.
The Jade Dragon Snow Mountain is a spectacular sight in Lijiang, and today you’ll play golf at the foot of this impressive snowcapped peak, at the Jade Dragon Mountain Course. After you’ve finished, head to the Longtan Naxi village. The Naxi are descendants of Tibetan nomadic tribes and have a matriarchal society dominated by women where marriage is not widely practiced. Their language, style of dress and cuisine are distinct from both the Tibetans and the Han Chinese.
Enjoy a relaxing morning at your own pace in Lijiang. Perhaps you’d like to visit Xuehua, a delightful village of about 30 families of the Yi people. You will be greeted by a shaman of the Dongba, an ancient animist religion that predates Buddhism in China. Or grab a lunch of traditional Yunnanese cuisine, which is marked by its light, fresh, and spicy flavors, and liberal use of herbs, mushrooms and flowers as food. This afternoon, it’s time to say goodbye to this beautiful area of China and catch your flight to Guilin.
Preferred Hotel
Wake up in magical Guilin, dubbed one of the most beautiful parts of the country. The surrounding landscape is speckled with limestone karsts, surreal finger-like mountains that were formed through centuries of erosion and rise high above the Li River plain. Drive to the Yulong River, a quieter tributary of the Li River, for a short, private cruise on a bamboo raft through the beautiful valleys. The steep green hillsides and dramatic limestone spires that line the rivers here have inspired generations of Chinese landscape painters. Then visit a school in Huangluo village where you can play with the children and speak to their teachers about the Chinese school system. Learn more about rural life in China through the eyes of the Zhuang minority, the largest ethnic minority in China with a population approaching 16 million. Spend the evening at an “Impression Sanjie Liu” cultural show, where you’ll be left amazed.
Golf is back on the schedule today, and you’ll be taken to the Merryland Golf Course, a five-star, 18-hole course. There’s no activities scheduled for the evening so head out on your own to enjoy Guilin’s nightlife. Don’t forget to sample some local cuisine, known for its spices – especially chilli!
Enjoy a relaxing sleep in on your free and final morning in Guilin, before flying to bustling Shanghai in China’s southeast. Shanghai is one of Asia’s most dynamic metropolises, buzzing with new architecture, world-class dining, shopping, arts and nightlife. Of the city’s many unique traits, perhaps the most striking is its mix of architectural styles: traditional Chinese, European colonial and ultra-modern. Visit the iconic Oriental Pearl Tower, a large television tower and a very distinctive landmark in the area.
Today you’re back out on the golf course for another action-packed day. In the evening, attend the ERA show, a multimedia theater experience about the past, present and future of China. You’ll be left spellbound at the talents of some of the performers and aerial artists as they create magic in the air. This is a very popular evening entertainment show in Shanghai and you’ll soon see why, don’t miss it!
Visit the popular tourist attraction of Shanghai’s French Concession, followed by a trip to the Yuyuan Gardens. These gardens are the most celebrated classical Chinese gardens in Shanghai. The gardens capture the essence of southern Chinese landscape design from the Ming and Qing dynasties and are characterized by an exquisite layout, beautiful scenery, and artistic architecture. After this, take an architecture tour with an urban planning expert-cum-Shanghai historian. He will provide a highly specialized tour with fascinating insight into the city’s development over the past 150 years.
Enjoy a final day of golf today as the tour comes to an end. We hope your game has improved on the trip. You’ve experienced a diverse number of courses in some exotic locations you’re sure to remember forever.
Today’s the last day in Shanghai and the final day of your epic adventure across China. Take a day-trip to Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu province in eastern China, via bullet train. Visit the memorial hall for the Nanjing Massacre, the mass murder and war rape that occurred during the six-week period following the Japanese capture of the city. Historians estimate 300,000 people were killed during this time. Learn about the Taiping Uprising at the local museum. Small and nondescript, this museum commemorates the Taiping rebellion, a little-known event outside China that, nonetheless, was one of the most violent in modern history. Launched by Hong Xiuquan, a failed Confucian scholar who believed himself to be the younger brother of Jesus Christ, the Taiping rebellion ripped apart southern and southwestern China – going so far as to occupy territories and establish an alternate government. Finally, visit the Presidential Palace, the final stop on your amazing 18-day tour through stunning China. Following this, you’ll transfer to the airport for your international departure flight.
With Remote Lands you'll travel with people who have made Asia the solitary focus of their own lifelong adventure. As our guest, you'll discover Asia on a journey that is completely, authentically your own, adapted from our own remarkable experiences and adventures over the years.
With Remote Lands you'll travel with people who have made Asia the solitary focus of their own lifelong adventure. As our guest, in the continent that our north American founders Catherine and Jay have adored and explored for decades, you'll discover Asia on a journey that is completely, authentically your own, adapted from our own remarkable experiences and adventures over the years.
An Asia-focused magazine brought to you by Remote Lands - a platform for adventure, luxury, and authenticity from experts and explorers around the continent.
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