Hiking in China

Today, you will be collected from your hotel by your private driver for the two-hour drive from Beijing to the Jinshanling section of the Great Wall. We recommend this section as it's far quieter than those closer to Beijing. Although there is a gondola to take you up to the wall, we suggest a circular walk along the wall, returning to the start through a valley. Your driver will return you to Beijing in the late afternoon.

This morning, you will be driven to the Temple of Heaven to have a private t'ai chi lesson with a local teacher in the park grounds. It's also a great opportunity to witness local people partaking in morning t'ai chi, dancing or a game of mah-jong. After lunch, you'll take a cycle tour led by a private guide around one of Beijing's historic hutong districts.

Today, your private driver will pick you up from your hotel and take you to Beijing South train station. Your guide will then show you to your platform, where you'll catch the five-and-a-half to six-and-a-half-hour high-speed train to Huangshan. On arrival at the station, you're met by your guide and then driven in a private vehicle to your hotel.

This morning, your private guide will accompany you on a gondola ride up Huangshan Mountain, and you can spend the rest of the day exploring the summit. Your hotel tonight is situated on the mountain, so your day can be as strenuous or gentle as you like.

We recommend an early morning today to witness the sunrise over the mountains. There are a number of viewpoints, but your guide will take you to the most appropriate depending on the weather. You then return to Huangshan train station to take the high-speed train to Hangzhou, a journey of just over three hours. Your guide will meet you at the station, and you'll travel in a private vehicle to your hotel. Depending on when your train arrives, you may have time to visit the city's West Lake.

Your driver will pick you up this morning to take you to the airport in time for your two-and-a-half-hour flight to Guilin. Arriving in Guilin, your guide will meet you before you travel to your hotel in a private vehicle. The rest of your day is at leisure — we suggest visiting Elephant Hill or the Sun and Moon Pagodas.

Today you'll travel with your private driver through the lush hills to the Longji Rice Terrace region. You'll stop at Dazhai village, the starting point of the hike to your hotel in Pingan village. Initially a steep climb out of Dazhai, you pass numerous villages with rewarding views over the rice terraces.

Continue your exploration of the rice terrace region with your private guide, before being driven to Pannie village to begin your trek up to Jinfoding Mountain and down to Xinhai. Along the way, you pass through numerous Yao villages, and if the weather is clear, you'll be rewarded with views of the Dazhai rice terraces. You're then driven back to Pingan village from Xinhai.

This morning your private driver will take you back to Guilin's airport for your flight to Lijiang. This is an indirect flight with a stop-over, usually in Kunming. You will be met at the airport by your guide and driven in a private vehicle to your hotel. The rest of your day is at leisure to explore the Old Town — we recommend visiting Black Dragon Pool for the best views of Jade Dragon Mountain.

You will be hiking to Wenhai Lake today. Your guide will meet you at your hotel for the 20-minute drive to the start of the trek at Yuzhuqintian. It's a three-hour hike along a mountain path to reach Wenhai Valley, where lunch is provided at a local farmer's house. It is then a further three hours to Baisha village where your driver will meet you for your private transfer back to your hotel.

This morning you travel to Qiaotou in a private vehicle and begin your guided trek through Tiger Leaping Gorge. The walk to your guesthouse today will take around six to seven hours. The walk can be strenuous at times, especially the final bends before you reach the highest point of the trek, from which it is mostly downhill to your guesthouse.

The second day of your trek is a downhill walk of around five hours. Afterwards, your private driver will meet you at Tina's Guesthouse, where the path meets the road, for the two-hour drive to Shangri-La.

Today, your guide will collect you from your hotel for a private tour of the 300-year-old Songzanlin Monastery, giving you insight into the day-to-day life of its monks. You will then be led over the hill behind the monastery through WangChi Ka village to Napa Lake, where your private driver will meet you and take you to a viewpoint overlooking the lake.

Your private trek through the Ringha Valley begins this morning and should take approximately seven to eight hours.

You have the day to spend at leisure relaxing and exploring Shangri-La. We recommend visiting the Old Town and Sakyamuni and Laksar Temples, which overlook the town next to the large prayer wheel.

This morning you will travel by private vehicle to the airport for your flight to Shanghai. This is an indirect flight, usually with a short stopover in Kunming. You will be met at the airport by your guide and driven to your hotel.

Your driver will meet you at your hotel today for the drive back to the airport, where you will catch your onward flight.