China and Tibet — An Epic Independent Adventure

This was one of those trips that took a lot of organising. We travelled independently through China, using a mixture of flights, bullet trains, a Yangtze River cruise and one very long train journey, before joining an escorted trip through Tibet.

The route covered some of China’s biggest cities, spectacular natural scenery and several places that had been on the wish list for years.

Day 1 — Fly to Shanghai

1 April — April Fool’s Day, naturally.

Arrive in Shanghai and spend a few days exploring one of China’s great modern cities.

Highlights include:

• The Bund and its views across to Pudong
• Shanghai’s famous skyline
• Yu Garden and the old city
• Nanjing Road
• French Concession
• local markets and street food

Shanghai is a good introduction to China because it mixes futuristic skyscrapers with pockets of much older neighbourhoods.

Shanghai → Yichang — Yangtze River Cruise

Fly from Shanghai to Yichang and board a cruise along the Yangtze River.

Spend several days travelling through the dramatic Three Gorges region, surrounded by steep mountains and huge cliffs.

Depending on the cruise itinerary, stops may include smaller towns, temples and tributaries along the river, as well as the enormous Three Gorges Dam.

Rather than constantly packing and moving hotels, this section gives you a few days to slow down and simply watch China pass by.

Chongqing

The cruise finishes in Chongqing, one of China’s enormous inland cities.

Built across steep hills around the Yangtze and Jialing rivers, Chongqing is known for its dramatic cityscape and fiery Sichuan-style food.

From here, take the high-speed train to Chengdu.

Chengdu — Pandas and Sichuan

Spend several days in and around Chengdu.

The major attraction is, of course, the giant pandas. Our original plan was to spend time working with them, although a distemper outbreak meant we weren’t sure whether that would be possible.

Even without the volunteer experience, Chengdu is one of the best places to see giant pandas in large, carefully managed breeding and conservation facilities.

Also allow time for:

• Chengdu’s teahouses
• Sichuan hotpot
• People’s Park
• Jinli Street
• temples and traditional neighbourhoods

Chengdu → Guilin

Fly south to Guilin, where the landscape changes completely.

This is the China of steep limestone karst peaks, winding rivers and rice fields.

Spend several days exploring the region, including:

• Guilin city
• the Li River
• Yangshuo
• bamboo rafting
• cycling or walking through the countryside
• karst caves and viewpoints

This is a good place to slow the pace again after China’s huge cities.

Guilin → Xi’an

Fly to Xi’an for a couple of days.

The main reason for coming is the extraordinary Terracotta Army, created more than 2,000 years ago to guard the tomb of China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang.

Also see:

• Xi’an’s ancient city walls
• Muslim Quarter
• Bell and Drum Towers
• local markets and street food

Xi’an was once the eastern end of the Silk Road, so the city has a fascinating mix of cultures and history.

Xi’an → Lhasa — Tibet

Fly from Xi’an to Lhasa and begin a six-day escorted journey through Tibet.

Foreign travellers need permits and organised arrangements to travel in Tibet, so this part of the journey is quite different from the independent travel through the rest of China.

Allow time to acclimatise to the altitude before doing too much.

Key experiences around Lhasa include:

• Potala Palace
• Jokhang Temple
• Barkhor Street
• Sera Monastery
• Drepung Monastery
• Tibetan markets and neighbourhoods

Depending on the escorted itinerary, the journey may also include mountain passes, monasteries, high-altitude lakes and smaller Tibetan towns outside Lhasa.

The scenery alone makes Tibet one of the most extraordinary parts of the trip.

Tibet → Beijing — The Long Train

Then comes one of the great rail journeys.

Board the train from Tibet towards Beijing, spending roughly 40 hours on board.

The Qinghai–Tibet railway crosses some of the highest railway lines in the world, travelling through huge, remote landscapes before descending towards the major cities of eastern China.

The plan was to use the journey to catch up on some sleep.

Whether 40 hours on a Chinese train actually counts as restful is another question.

Beijing — The Finale

Finish the trip in Beijing.

There is plenty to fill several days:

• Tiananmen Square
• Forbidden City
• Temple of Heaven
• Summer Palace
• Beijing’s hutongs
• traditional markets and food
• Olympic Park

And then the big finale — the Great Wall of China.

Rather than simply visiting for a few hours, we planned to camp on the Great Wall, giving us the chance to experience it without the daytime crowds and watch the landscape change as the sun went down and came up again.

It was a fitting way to finish an enormous journey.

The Route

Shanghai → Yichang → Yangtze River → Chongqing → Chengdu → Guilin → Xi’an → Lhasa & Tibet → 40-hour train → Beijing → Great Wall

Planes, bullet trains, river boats, pandas, karst mountains, ancient warriors, Tibetan monasteries and sleeping on the Great Wall.

It was always going to be an epic adventure.