6 Days Ningxia Luxury Homestay Tour with Winery and Desert Camping

Full Itinerary Day by day

Day 1 Yinchuan Arrival

Welcome to Yinchuan, the capital city as well as the transportation hub of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. You will be greeted by our tour guide at Yinchuan airport/train station after your arrival, then be transferred to check in to you hotel in downtown. The rest time is free to explore this exotic northwestern city.

Free time idea: 1) go to watch the night view of Drum Tower; 2) stroll around Huaiyuan Night Market.

Day 2 Yinchuan Day Tour (B, L)

After breakfast, meet your tour guide to start today’s exploration of Ancient Xixia Kingdom, Helan Mountain Nomadic Rock Painting and Winery Experience.

The first place to visit is the Western Xia Imperial Tombs which is located about 30km from Yinchuan downtown. Being built from the 11th century to the 13th century, it is one of the largest existing imperial cemeteries with the most complete ground sites in China. There are 9 emperors' tombs and more than 200 tombs of princes and nobles. Each imperial mausoleum is an independent building group that sits north to south and is a vertical rectangle, and its scale is comparable to that of the Ming Tombs in Beijing but with completely different style like Egyptian Pyramid.

After the Western Xia culture exploration, you will take an interesting visit to Yuanshi Chateau who produces one of the best wines in the region of Helan Mountain. Thanking to the special environment and weather, the grape growing there is high in sugar content and moderate in acidity, which ensure the high quality of wines production. During your chateau visit, you will be treated to try several kinds of wines (depending on your package). The architecture of Yuanshi Chateau is also very impressive and environment-friendly with a classic Chinese garden style. Please enjoy your time!

After the winery experience, move to next site - Rock Paintings of Helan Mountain which recorded the living scenes of ancient human beings 3,000 to 10,000 years ago in northwestern China, such as grazing, hunting, sacrificial ceremony, war, dancing, etc. It is an important treasure house for the study of the culture and history of mankind in ancient time.

After all the visits and activities, drive back to Yinchuan downtown.

Day 3 Yinchuan - Qingtongxia (B)

Today you will travel to Qingtongxia which is about 100km (about 1.5 hours’ drive) to visit Yellow River Canyon & 108 Pagodas and Xige Winery.

Qingtongxia Yellow River Canyon is the place where the mighty Yellow River menders through the sinuous canyons then races to the plains of central China. The 108 Pagodas is the no.1 highlight in the scenic area. It was built in the Western Xia Dynasty (1038~1277). It is the largest existing Tibetan Buddhist pagoda group in China. There are a total of 108 pagodas arranged in odd numbers of one to nine to form a large tower group of an equilateral triangle. Buddhist believers believe that there are 108 kinds of sorrows in one's life, and praying to the 108 pagodas can relieve all the sorrows. Travelers usually take a cruise to visit the 108 Pagodas. There are two visiting routes: Route A is a short cruise on the Yellow River then take escorsion visit to the 108 Pagodas; Route B is more expensive than Route A but takes you to visit the 108 Pagodas, but also lets you cruise through the canyons with a length around 16km. To enjoy the highlights to the fullest, you will take the Route B. (If you want to save time, we can also arrange Route A.)

After visiting the Yellow River Canyon, you will go to Xige Winery where you will have lunch in its elegent restaurantand stay over the night. Xige Winery is good at wine and beautiful in architecture. It was established in 2017 by Zhang Yanzhi who graduated from the Bordeaux Wine Academy in France and is also the first Chinese member of the Académie du vin de Bordeaux. The winery has 20,000 acres of vineyards, of which 15,000 acres are old vine vineyards over 20 years old. There are more than 20 existing grape varieties, such as Snake Dragon Pearl, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, etc. During your Xige Winery visit, you will be provided an opportunity to try several amazing wines produced here in the factory, also go to find out how the Xige wines are produced by visiting their grape fields and production areas. There are two packages available: A - trying 3 kinds of wines + visiting about 2 hours; B - trying 4 kinds of wines + visiting about 2 hours. Please let your travel consultant know your preference before booking.

Accommodate at Xige Winery. Please note there are only 12 rooms available in Xige Winery. It usually sells out quickly. You'd better make booking as early as possible.

Day 4 Qingtongxia- Zhongwei (B, L)

Today you will travel to Zhongwei City which is about 110km (about 1.5 hours’ drive) away.

After arriving at Zhongwei city, go to visit Gaomiao Temple(The High Temple). It is a not just a temple but a complex of temples of not only Buddhist, but also Taoist and Confucianist, which is very unique in the world. Besides the religious culture, the architectures of Gaomiao are magnificent with complicated structures and ornate decorations. Most of the houses, temples, towers and arches were constructed during Qing Dynasty (1636~1912) and the Republic of China (1912~1949). Gaomiao Temple even provides you an insight into “Chinese Hell Culture” in its underground world.

In the afternoon when it's not very hot, you are going to enjoy desert fun in Shapotou Scenic Area on the southeastern edge of Tengger Desert which is believed as one of the five most beautiful deserts in China. What makes Shapotou unique is that both the wildness of northern China and the elegance of the southern China can be enjoyed at the same time in a single place as you standing on the high sand dunes and watching the desert extending to the north while the Yellow River is surrounded by boundless oasis.

Exploration in Shapotou Scenic Area can be different. For those who want to enjoy outdoor fun, you can take part in many activities (not included in the entrance fee), such as Sand Dune Sliding, Camel Riding, Sand Motor Riding, Floating along the Yellow River on a sheepskin raft, etc. For those who want to skip these commercial experiences, you can also find your own things to do, such as enjoying a desert walking, sitting on a sandhill to watch Yellow River flowing, visiting Desert Museum, etc. Feel free to discuss with your tour guide who will help you accordingly.

Have you ever camped in the desert? Tonight, you will have the chance to camp in a private yurt-style tent in the desert. (If you are not interested in desert camp, you can also stay in Zhongwei city.)

Day 5 Suji Yellow River (B)

After breakfast, you will be transferred to Suji Yellow River where you will stay a wonderful night. Suji Yellow River is the Chinese version of Morocco, the hottest wild luxury homestay cluster on the edges of the Yellow River and Tengger Desert. Here the nine famous Chinese hotel brands have combined high-end resorts with northwestern China’s wild terrain as well as the mighty Yellow River, keeping a perfect balance between wilderness and luxury. They also emphasize on preservation and promotion of local culture and living style which can be found on their architecture design, materials of food and drinks, etc.

Enjoy some peaceful and comfortable time in the homestay is not the only things to do in Suji Yellow River, here you can also go to cafes, bars, galleries, bookstores, picnic, etc., even to walk on the ancient ruins of Great Wall. The Dawan Village nearby, a century-old village also offers you a rare chance to explore local culture. Meals are provided in Wine & Dine, the only restaurant in the homestay areas, with flexible choices.

Day 6 Zhongwei Departure (B)

Today is free until being escorted to catch your flight/train back home or to next destination. You can either depart from Zhongwei's airport or train station, or transfer to Yinchuan to catch your flight/train. Feel free to discuss with us. 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.
2. This price is subject to change according to your traveling season, group size, hotel class, change of activities in your itinerary and possible fluctuation of currency exchange rate. If you want a lower price, you can get more people to join you, or use economy class hotels.
3. This price is only valid to March 31, 2025.
4. Reference exchange rate of USD 1=RMB 7.00. The final quote is based on current exchange rate. It may change according to the currency fluctuation, while the RMB quotation will be remained the same.

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