6 Days Henan Highlights Tour

Full Itinerary Day by day

Day 1 Zhengzhou Arrival

Welcome to Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan Province. You will be picked up by local tour guide in Zhengzhou airport or train stations, and escorted to check in to your hotel in Zhengzhou downtown. The rest time is free for you to relax and explore this city of Yellow River.

Where to go if you have some free time? 1) go to Henan Museum to learn about the history of the region and appreciate ancient bronze ware; 2) view how the mighty Yellow River run through the plain of Zhengzhou city in Yellow River Scenic Area; 3) hunt for local snacks at Erqi Square.

How to Get to Zhengzhou? Arrival Ideals: At present, you can get to Zhengzhou by high speed trains from Beijing (about 3hrs), Xian (about 2.5hrs), Luoyang (40mins), etc., or direct flights from Beijing (about 2hrs), Shanghai (about 2hrs), Chengdu (about 2hrs), Hangzhou (about 2hrs), Guangzhou (about 2.5hrs), etc.

Day 2 Zhengzhou - Anyang (B, L)

After breakfast, meet your guide and driver at your hotel, then drive about 2.5 hours to Anyang, one of the oldest ancient capitals of China. Before getting to Anyang, take a stop at Youli Castle in Tangyin County which is believed to be the site where the first prison in the world originated and the I Ching was created. Explore the temples, statues, imperial steles and learn about Bagua (the Eight Diagrams) here. Later, head to Museum of Chinese Characters where you can find more than 4000 pieces of character relics including inscriptions on bones, tortoise shells, ancient bronze, bamboo, silk, etc.

You will lastly arrive at the biggest highlight of today - Yinxu which is an honorable UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is the capital of the late Shang Dynasty and the first ancient capital site in Chinese history that can be verified by documents and confirmed by Oracle Bone Inscriptions and archaeological excavations with a history over 3300 years. Yinxu is also one of the largest archaeological sites in China. There were over 80 places, shrines, tombs and workshops unearthed. From these remains you can trace back on how the ancient Chinese dynasty like in 3000~4000 years ago.

Accommodate in Anyang City.

Day 3 Anyang - Kaifeng - Zhengzhou (B, L)

This morning, you will be driven about 210km (about 2.5hrs) to Kaifeng, a famous ancient capital city in China where there are many ancient buildings and relic sites remaining for you to discover Chinese history especially the prosperous era of Northern Song Dynasty (960~1127). You will visit Dragon Pavilion, a part of the ancient ruin of the imperial palace of the Song and Jin Dynasties. Then go to enjoy a leisure stroll on the Ancient City Wall of Kaifeng. With a length of 14.4 kilometers, this city wall still remains the architecture style and scale in Yuan and Ming Dynasties (1271~1644).

After lunch, you will visit the Millennium City Park, which is a real reflection of the most famous ancient painting in China titled "Qing Ming Shang He Tu" (Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival). This historical cultural theme park is a recreation of the buildings, merchant life and landscape of Kaifeng during the Song Dynasty.

Later, you will go to see Kaifeng Iron Pagoda, a Buddhist Chinese pagoda built in 1049 during Song Dynasty. This pagoda is made of iron, with octagonal-base structure standing at a height of 56.88 meters with 13 stories.

After the visit, drive to Zhengzhou, and check in to your hotel in downtown.

Day 4 Zhengzhou - Dengfeng - Luoyang (B, L)

After breakfast, your guide will pick you up at your hotel and drive you to visit the Henan Museum home to an impressive collection of 130,000 cultural relics. This museum offers the perfect opportunity to gain a comprehensive understanding of Henan's history and achievements over thousands of years. It also provides insight into half of China's history, showcasing artifacts ranging from Central Plains Chu Bronze Art to Ming and Qing Treasures and Henan Ancient Jades. Among the recommended treasures not to be missed are The Jiahu Bone Flute (6000-2000 B.C.), the "Fuhao" Owl-shaped bronze Zun (1600-1046 B.C.), the "Prince Wu" Ding (770-476 B.C.), and the White Jade Dancer-shaped Pei-pendant (206 B.C. - 25 A.D.), among others.

After sightseeing, drive about 1.5 hrs to Shaolin Temple, renowned as the birthplace of Zen Buddhism and the birthplace of Kung Fu. Here, you'll have the chance to tour grand temples and halls, marvel at stone carving art, immerse yourself in Buddhist culture, and perhaps witness the daily lives and meditation practices of the temple's monks. Be sure not to overlook the famous Pagoda Forest, the largest of its kind in China. When a revered monk passes away, their remains or skeleton are interred in an underground palace, and a pagoda is erected atop it. The pagoda's height, size, and number of layers are determined by the monk's knowledge of Buddhism, reputation, and merits and virtues accumulated during their lifetime.

Later, you'll be treated to a spectacular Kung Fu Show at the Shaolin Wushu Hall, typically lasting around half an hour. On occasion, several audience members may even be invited to learn a few Shaolin Kungfu techniques.

After the Kung Fu experience, drive about 1.5 hour to Luoyang, one of the greatest ancient capitals of China. Check in to your hotel in downtown. The rest time is free for you to relax.

Day 5 Luoyang City Tour (B, L)

After breakfast, your guide will lead you to explore the Longmen Grottoes, a UNESCO World Heritage site boasting the largest and most impressive collection of Chinese art from the late Northern Wei and Tang Dynasties (316-907). Take an electric car to the West Tourist Center to begin your exploration from there. You'll marvel at the remarkable Buddhist caves scattered across the West Hill from north to south. The Bingyang Middle Cave, the first royal cave, was excavated to immortalize Emperor Xiaowen's historical achievements in moving the capital to Luoyang and initiating Chineseization reforms. In the Wanfo Cave, adorned with 15,000 small seated Buddhas, you'll witness a harmonious depiction of the Western Pure Land. Undoubtedly, the highlight of the Longmen Grottoes awaits you at the Fengxian Temple, where the majestic Vairocana Buddha stands 17.14-meter tall, showcasing unparalleled carving skills through its diverse statues. After immersing yourself in the beauty of the grottoes, take a leisurely stroll to the opposite side of the river for a panoramic view, particularly of the magnificent Vairocana Buddha. Conclude your visit by exiting the scenic area aboard an electric car.

In the afternoon, you will visit White Horse Temple, located approximately 50 minutes' drive from downtown. Established in AD 68 during the Eastern Han dynasty, White Horse Temple holds the distinction of being China's first Buddhist temple, boasting a history spanning over 1900 years. Since its establishment, it has played a pivotal role in spreading Buddhism throughout China and is revered as the cradle of Chinese Buddhism. A visit to White Horse Temple offers the opportunity to admire the ancient architecture of the main temple and explore other temples in the International Zone, each featuring distinct exotic styles such as the Indian Temple, Burmese Temple, and Thai Temple.

Lastly, go to take a stroll through the ancient streets of Luoyang Old City (Lijing Gate & Shizi Street). Teeming with old residential buildings, food streets, and quaint shops, it offers a vibrant glimpse into the splendor of old Luoyang. Indulge in local snacks or shop for unique souvenirs at your leisure. After the trip, drive back to your hotel.

After the trip, drive back to your hotel.

Tips for Today: Comfortable footwear is essential for your visit to the Longmen Grottoes, as exploring the scattered grottoes across the hill involves walking several steps up and down.

Optional Night Activities: To fully immerse yourself in the grandeur of the Sui and Tang Dynasties, considered China’s most glorious period, and savor the breathtaking night views of Luoyang City, consider a visit to the Mingtang Tiantang Scenic Area. Nestled on the historic grounds of Emperor Wu Zetian's official and sacred sites, this awe-inspiring location promises exceptional panoramas from the top floor of the Hall of Enlightenment, allowing you to marvel at Luoyang's beauty under the moonlit sky.

Day 6 Luoyang Departure (B)

Today is free for you to relax until your tour guide and driver escort you to catch your flight/train to next destination. Your memorable Henan culture tour ends.

The quotation for this trip is from Request Per Person

1. This price is for one person, based on a group of 2 adults sharing one standard double-bed room in a 4-star hotel and traveling with our private tour in low seasons. It will drop greatly if your group has 4 or more members.
2. This price is subject to change according to your traveling season, month and date. There may be huge price increasing during public Chinese holidays, school summer vacations, tourism peak seasons or some special dates. (China Public Holiday 2025 Schedule Released)
3. Other factors that may change the final tour price include group size, hotel class, tour activities, fluctuation of currency exchange rate, etc.
4. This price is based on exchange rate USD 1=RMB 7.00. The final price will be based on the exchange rate in effect at the time of agreement with our quotation.
5. This price is only valid to March 31, 2025.
6. This price is not the final price until the Confirmation Letter is sent.
7. The items included and excluded in this price are for reference only. The final services included, please refer to the confirmation letter sent to you by the travel consultant.

How Our Teams Serve you at China Discovery

"Highest Standards of Quality and Honesty" is the core value of each specialized team at China Discovery.

Eveyone in our company is working hard for only one goal, which is to ensure the highest level of service, luxury, and attention to detail from the minute you begin planning your trip, to the day you return home.

1-on-1 Travel Consultant

Our travel consultants are professional, experienced and responsible, helping you from the very beginning to the end of your China trip!

After sending us an inquiry, one of our travel consultants will get back to you within 0.5~23.5 hrs. In the next few days, he/she will be working closely with you to formulate a customized tour plan, as well as providing professional suggestions based on your travel interests, time, and budget.

Beside, he/she will keep in contact with you during your entire tour in China, continually checking if everything is going well as planned.

We're working at Chengdu Bamboo International Tours, local based in Chengdu.

Local Tour Guides

Our local guide in every destination is not only very friendly, enthusiastic but also very informative and knowledgeable.

Once you arrive in the destination, the patient and punctual guides will pick you up and take you to get under skin of the city at your own pace. By in-depth discovery and explanation, they’ll show you more about the history, culture, customs and authentic local life. Throughout the journey, they're not only expert guides who take care of all the details but also fellow travelers who are dedicated to help you explore in comfort and style.

Our guides are passionate about what they do, and it shows all the way!

Local Drivers & Vehicle

Using our private transfer service makes you comfortable, relaxed and worry free all the way!

Our private service includes licensed drivers with many years’ driving experience and air-conditioned, non-smoking, clean and well-maintained cars/vans. Drivers are local, polite, friendly and helpful, taking you to your tourist sites, hotels, airport/train stations in safety. All kinds of vehicle are offered, and yours depends on the size of your group. Usually, we offer sedan cars, SUVs, business vans (MPV) and different types of buses, all with extra space for your luggage.

Our private transfer service guarantees you the highest comfort!

Comfortable & Homelike Hotels

In each destination, you’ll enjoy a comfortable stay in a great location!

The hotels we choose are based on star rating, great locations, well-equipped facilities, cozy bed, high quality service and guests’ feedbacks. Choices are a lot ranging from luxury 5 star, comfortable 4 star to budget 3 star. You could decide where to stay to best suit for your budget and likes. Generally, the hotels have both Western and Chinese breakfast with a wide choices.

If you have already got an ideal hotel, please feel free to tell our travel consultants and they'll book the hotel for you.

Have good sleep in our well-selected hotels in all the destinations of China.

Meals & Dining

We can satisfy all the dietary requirements no matter you want Chinese local food, western food, vegetarian food or muslin food.

The restaurants we will take you for lunch or dinner are all designated tourist restaurants approved by local tourist administration bureau. They have very good sanitary conditions and the food is prepared fresh and clean.

There will be some meals excluded in your itinerary as you like, and your private guide will be delighted to give you some suggestions and take you to the local restaurants to taste like Beijing Roast Duck, Xian Dumpling Dinner, Sichuan Hotpot, etc., if you are interested in local food tasting.

All the dining options will satisfy your stomach!

Check What our delighted customers are saying about our services

Hi Rita,

The best experience ever!!!! I fell in love.

I received your lovely card and cute gifts, thank you so much.

Done it! As always it’s my pleasure to hire your company services, see you in the next adventure.

Emmy

Emmy‚ Mexico, December 15, 2024

Hi Rita,

Please kindly see the feedback below.

We are a family of 7. This private tour package definitely met our expectations! Both tour guides (Chengdu- MAY & Chongqing-DAVID) provided us a very good service, both friendly and very flexible despite the change in our tour schedules. They were also very responsible and ensured our safety, meals and transports were well taken care of, especially since we have elderly and kids in our group. Both tour guides are very fluent in English too so it is very convenient for some of the non-chinese speakers in our group.

We will look for the same tour agent again in our next trip to China!

Best Regards,

Victoria

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Victoria‚ Singapore, December 14, 2024

Hi Shirley,

Thanks for the tour, and the itinerary that you planned for us was very comprehensive and detailed. We enjoyed it very much. The tour guide was also very friendly and experienced. He followed your itinerary closely and brought us to all the sites and explained in detail. He also recommended and brought us to enjoy some of the local cuisines during lunch.

Overall, we are impressed by the excellent service, reliability and quality that yourself, the tour guide and the driver has provided us. We would like to visit China again and we will not hesitate to engage your services again. Thank you!

Regards

Chun How

Chun How‚ Singapore, December 14, 2024

Hi Shirley,

I'm writing to provide some feedback on our recent Xian and Beijing trip that you put together for us.

We travel a lot, in the past year to Japan, New Zealand, China, Turkey, Africa, China, and finally this Xian/Beijing trip. I bring this up to highlight that we deal with a lot of travel professionals. You are easily the best travel professional we have dealt with through all of those trips. My wife, who happens to be Chinese asked me to make sure to keep your contact information for future China trips, with the intention of replacing the China based agent her brother usually uses for our trips.

Please let your manager know that we would probably not have used your company if not for you. Bamboo Travel is new to us and in a foreign country, so we had doubts as to what to expect. Your service was excellent from start to finish which really gave us confidence in your company. We had a little bit of an unusual itinerary and some constraints related to our other China travel prior to this tour. You were able to work through all of our issues with fast responses to our questions.

You also went what I would say was above and beyond expectations. The final example of that is a friend in the US was shipping some things to our hotel in Beijing for me to bring home to her. I contacted you to confirm the hotel name before they shipped the items, expecting I would then have to figure out the shipping details. Your reply not only confirmed the hotel, but you provided the shipping info in both English and Chinese, which saved me the hassle of trying to figure which address to use. Not a huge thing, but it's those small things that add up to a big difference in customer experience.

Thanks again for everything!

Xian:

Our guide was Waldner and we liked him from the start. We were just coming off another tour with another company which had maybe the best tour leader we've ever had. Even though we were always comparing Waldner measured up well. He was great at explaining the history of places we visited as well as answering our cultural questions. The restaurants/food were very good. He and the driver also modified the itinerary somewhat to optimize the driving based on our arrival and departure times and locations. We liked the hotel in Xian. The car (van) was very comfortable. Waldner also helped arrange tickets for a night show for us.

Beijing:

Pickup was great; even though we got in late the guide that picked us up was there and actually met us at the track. Cindy was our guide and we really liked her also. She is very knowledgeable and willing to answer (a lot of) questions. This was my 3rd time in Beijing and it was amazing what a difference having a good guide made. Cindy and the driver also modified the itinerary to optimize the driving. She also helped us book tickets to two shows, one of which was not on your list of optional items (Lao She tea house). Cindy was concerned about us ordering a cab so she stayed at the show to make sure we got back to our hotel ok. The restaurants/food were very good. The hotel was good but not great; for example we had hot water issues every day, and when I went to pick up a package that was shipped to me they just left me to dig through a pretty large pile of packages all addressed in Chinese.

To wrap up, I would rate the overall experience of looking for a trip, picking a company, and traveling 9.5 out of 10. Shirley, your service was 10 out of 10.

See you next trip!

Terry

Terry ‚ USA, December 11, 2024

Dear Rita,

Feedback.

The trip organised by Rita Jiang to Beijing and Xian was very well planned and enjoyable, showing the best of Chinese history, culture, heritage, and enormous progress.

Your 2 guides, Linda Chua and Beryl are very good. Linda went out of her way to take us to Peking Opera at night. The kids were tired, so we did not go to Summer palace and Heavenly temple, and did not go to Xian Pagoda. It was our choice, so its ok. (I have been to all)

The 2 bus drivers were excellent, very careful, disciplined and good temperament and helpful. I could not give a tip to Beryl at Xian station, as I had to rush into toilet inside, and did not know she could not enter the train Station.

The pace was good, but the last day of train from Xian, to hotel (plus late dinner scrabbling in Beijing), then early next morning to airport was too Hectic. However, it was because we had to return on 8.12.24. we wish we could stay longer in Xian, and elsewhere. We could probably have gone to Xian by train, then fly back to Beijing by plane, but one way tickets could cost much more.

Anyway, thank you very much for all your fine arrangements. We all enjoyed the short trip.

For the kids, the major highlights were the Great Wall, Terracotta warriors, Acrobatic show. They will treasure. I will plan more trips for them to China.

Best wishes and warm regards,

Richard

Richard‚ Singapore, December 11, 2024

Check What our customers are saying about us on Tripadvisor.com

excellent assistance, helpfulness and courtesy. My contact 'was Shirley, prepared friendly and punctual. Highly recommended...

Luciano P

"Travel consultant Mr Wonder Wang was so helpful and he planned our trip to Xi’an and Beijing so well. Mr Waldner is an amazing guide. His knowledge and enthusiasm made our tour very memorable..." read more »

Reviewed on December 13, 2024

Luciano P

"excellent assistance, helpfulness and courtesy. My contact 'was Shirley, prepared friendly and punctual. Highly recommended..." read more »

Reviewed on December 13, 2024