Day 1: Departure – Arrival in Changsha, China

Morning: Arrive in Changsha, the capital of Hunan Province. Check into your hotel.

Afternoon: Visit the Hunan Provincial Museum to see the Mawangdui Han Tombs – Hunan’s counterpart to the Terracotta Army, a tomb over two thousand years old filled with artefacts which offer a near-complete portrait of life in the Han Dynasty. Stroll the leafy Lieshi park afterwards and visit the poignant Martyrs’ Memorial dedicated to those who gave their life defending China.

Evening: Visit Orange Island at sunset and enjoy the views of the Xiang River as Mao Ze Dong did when he wrote his poem dedicated to the beauty of the city where he grew up. See his memorial and then take dinner at the Huogongdian Restaurant and Daoist temple to try his favourite dish.

• Board Includes:
• Breakfast

Day 2: Changsha to Liuyang

Morning: Take the bullet train to Liuyang. Visit the Liuyang River for a lovely waterfront walk and learn about the Chrysanthemum Stones which were found in the river and which are used by local artists to produce stunning sculptures.

Afternoon: Visit the Chrysanthemum Stone Museum to see the work of artist Chen Jiwu, one of China’s foremost stone carvers and then explore the Liuyang Fireworks Museum to learn about the history and craft of fireworks, which were invented here more than 2000 years ago.

Evening: Enjoy the Liuyang firework display – one of the most spectacular in the world.

• Board Includes:
• Breakfast

Day 3: Liuyang to Yueyang

Morning: Depart for Yueyang by bullet train. Check into your hotel on the shores of the beautiful Donting Lake.

Afternoon: Visit the Yueyang Tower, one of China’s four great historical towers, set in an ancient walled complex on the lake itself. Views from the tower have inspired some of Asia’s greatest poets for centuries.

Evening: Take a leisurely walk along the Dongting Lake promenade and enjoy dinner at a lakeside restaurant.

• Board Includes:
• Breakfast

Day 4:  Yueyang Exploration

Morning: Explore the Dongting Lake Wetland by boat, a vital habitat for migratory birds; look for critically endangered Yangtze river porpoises – unique to the lake and the Yangtse River and the only freshwater cetaceans of their kind in the world.

Afternoon: Visit Junshan Island, known for its tea production and lovely landscapes. Enjoy a tea tasting session and learn about the importance of tea in Chinese culture, then see the huge Tientai Shengan Buddhist temple with its giant golden statues of Guanyin and Shakyamuni Buddha, the magnificent Great Buddha Hall and Ten Thousand Buddha Pagoda high on the hill overlooking the lake.

Evening: Return to Yueyang for dinner and relax.

• Board Includes:
• Breakfast
• Lunch

Day 5: Yueyang to Zhangjiajie

Morning: Travel to Zhangjiajie by bullet train. Check into your hotel.

Afternoon: Visit the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park and take the Yuanjiajie Scenic Area cable car for stunning views of the famous pinnacle mountains which featured in James Cameron’s Avatara films.

Evening: Watch the Hunan Ethnic Communities show and visit the Seventy Two Wonders Tower with its ancient merchant’s mansions and arcades.

• Board Includes:
• Breakfast
• Dinner

Day 6: Zhangjiajie National Park

All Day: Spend the in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. Explore the Golden Whip Stream trail to see the salamanders and macaques and visit the Avatar Hallelujah Mountain. In the afternoon visit Tianmen Mountain for breathtaking views of the Heaven’s gate cavern.

Evening: Enjoy the Fairy Fox pageant and musical – a Tujia ethnic fable, beautifully set against the backdrop of Tianmen Mountain.

• Board Includes:
• Breakfast

Day 7 – Zhangjiajie to Changsha

Morning: Visit the Tujia Ethnic Brocade Cultural Centre and learn about the art and weaving of the region’s largest minority group.

Afternoon: Depart Zhangjiajie and travel back to Changsha by train.

Evening: Enjoy a traditional Hunan opera performance at a local theatre

• Board Includes:
• Breakfast

Day 8:

Changsha Cultural Exploration

Morning: Visit the Yuelu Academy, the oldest extant university and Confucian academy in China, and explore its beautiful gardens and the views from the top of Mount Yuelu.

Afternoon: Visit Changsha’s Spectacular Provincial Hunan Art Gallery and see the work of region’s best painters. In the late afternoon explore Taiping Street, an historic street with shops, cafes, and local snacks. Visit British architects Zaha Hadid’s astonishing Changsha Meixihu International Culture and Art Centre, whose space ship-white coils of concrete and glass sit over reflections pools and a lake formed by a bend in the river.

Evening: Enjoy a dinner cruise with city lights on the Xianjiang River – one of the most impressive city light displays in China, with lights shimmering from one skyscraper to another and reflected in the river water.

• Board Includes:
• Breakfast

Day 9: Changsha to Mount Hengshan

Morning: Take a day trip to Mount Hengshan and visit the huge Nanyue Temple – the great Tang Dynasty temple of the Heaven Governor Huo King, which fuses Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism and has countless stunning pavilions, effigy-filled halls and pagodas.

Afternoon: Expore the stunning landscapes of Henghsa – walk to the summit of Mount Hengshan for breathtaking views over seemingly endless mountains and forests.

Evening: Return to Changsha and relax at your hotel.

• Board Includes:
• Breakfast

Day 10: Departure 

Morning: Visit the lovely Kaifu Buddhist temple and see the intricate ancient carvings and lovely contemporary art in the city’s oldest, largest and most beautiful Buddhis temple.

Afternoon: Depart from Changsha for your onward journey.

Departure.

• Board Includes:
• Breakfast