Day 1 | SHANGHAI Arrival day.
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Day 2 | SHANGHAI A full free day to visit some of Shanghai's historic and cultural sights. Evening option to watch the world famous Shanghai Acrobats.
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Day 3 | ZHOUZHUANG A short bus trip to the wonderful old town of Zhouzhuang. The rest of the day is free to explore the beautiful buildings, bridges and canals.
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Day 4 | NANJING A short bus trip to Suzhou, where we catch the train to Nanjing.
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Day 5 | NANJING A full free day to explore this old 'southern capital'. You have the option to take a bike ride to visit the mausoleum of revolutionary leader Dr Sun Yat Sen, Ming city walls and Xuanwu Lake.
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Day 6 | YICHANG (MAOPING) A morning flight and bus transfer to Yichang. In the afternoon a short hike through Xiling Gorge.
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Day 7 | THREE GORGES HIKE (BADONG) A local boat takes us to and from our optional half day hike through Xiling Gorge.
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Day 8 | THREE GORGES HIKE (HOME STAY) Hike along Wu Gorge and stay with a local family on the edge of the gorge, opposite the beautiful 'Goddess Peak'.
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Day 9 | THREE GORGES HIKE (WUSHAN) In the morning hike either an upper or easier lower trail through a breathtaking side gorge, before returning by boat to Wushan.
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Day 10 | CHONGQING We take the fast ferry to Chongqing at the upper end of the reservoir formed by the Yangtse Dam project.
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Day 11 | CHENGDU Morning bus to Chengdu. Free afternoon to explore Chengdu's many temples or tea houses.
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Day 12 | CHENGDU - XICHANG Morning visit to the Panda Sanctuary and free afternoon to explore some of Chengdu's other sights. Overnight train to Xichang.
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Day 13 | XICHANG Morning arrival in Xichang and transfer to hotel. A full day excursion to visit some of the nearby minority villages and markets.
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Day 14 | LUGU LAKE We take the bus to Lugu Lake, where we stay in a small Musuo minority village on the lakeshore.
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Day 15 | LUGU LAKE - LIJIANG In the morning we cross Lugu Lake in local 'Pig Trough' boats, stopping en route to visit a temple on an island. We have lunch on the edge of the lake, then take an afternoon bus to Lijiang.
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Day 16 | LIJIANG A full day to explore this fascinating Naxi minority village.
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Day 17 | TIGER LEAPING GORGE We take a bus to Qiaotou for the start of our hike through this spectacular gorge. Today we hike for approximately 2 hours and stay with a local Naxi minority family inside the gorge.
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Day 18 | TIGER LEAPING GORGE A full day hiking through the gorge, and another night still within the gorge.
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Day 19 | DALI A morning hike before taking a bus to Dali.
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Day 20 | DALI A full day to explore Dali, Erhai Lake or, perhaps some of the nearby villages, by bike.
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Day 21 | KUNMING A morning bus trip to Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province. A free afternoon to explore the city.
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Day 22 | KUNMING Tour ends.
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We travel upstream from Shanghai in the East all the way to Zhongdian in Yunnan, in the far west of China. The towns and villages we visit along the way give us the opportunity to see how life is lived on the shores of this majestic river. 
