An exciting, varied and challenging 24 day expedition to China.

Absorb the spirit and culture of Beijing, visit the Forbidden City. Cycle tour from the heart of the city in Tian'anmen Square to the paddy fields of the north. Trek different varying sections of the famed Great Wall. Journey into the interior and trek the spectacular Huishan mountains and undertake a rural community project with incredible opportunities for interaction with the locals. Travel by train and marvel at the incredible wonder that is the Terracotta Army!

Itinerary at a Glance

Day 1 - Depart UK
Day 2 - Arrive Beijing.  Drive straight into the heart of the city and see Tian’anmen Square, followed by a free afternoon   
Day 3 - Visit the Forbidden City.  Absorb the spirit and culture of China and the many amazing sights here.  The afternoon will be free for sightseeing and shopping. 
Day 4 - Visit the Temple of Heaven.  In the afternoon take a short training bike ride.
Day 5 - Cycle to Huairou.  Leaving Tian’anmen Square, we travel along Chang’an Avenue (the longest avenue in the world) and be amongst thousands of local people on bikes! 
Day 6 - Cycle to Bailongtan via the Miyun reservoir, which is one of the largest in China
Day 7 - Cycle to Jinshanling.  We leave the main road for a small rural road to cycle from Bailongtan to Jinshanling with breathtaking mountain views
Days 8/9 - Trek the Great Wall.  Over the next two days we undertake a trek along and around the tough yet outstandingly beautiful Great Wall of China.  Expect some steep terrain with magnificent views!  
Day 10 - Hot Springs Circuit.  Today we drive to Chengde, where our goal is to cycle to the hot springs, and there will be a chance to cool off on arrival. 
Day 11 - Cycle to Chengde
Today we cycle back to Chengde and say goodbye to our bikes. Time for another adventure...
Day 12 - Hammer Rock Mountain and Emperor’s Summer Palace.  First a trek up the famous Hammer Rock Mountain, then its time to explore the beautiful grounds of the Emperor’s Summer Palace
Day 13 - Trek the Great Wall at Mutianyu.  This is one of the best preserved sections of the Great Wall and has only recently opened  
Day 14 - The day will be free in Beijing., before we take the overnight sleeper to Xi'an
Day 15 - In Xi'an there will be a chance to walk along the historic city wall, as well as visit a large pagoda.  In the afternoon there will be free time to explore Xi’an further and see many more famous sights 
Day 16 - Local Markets - today we practice our bartering skills in the markets 
Days 17/18 - Rural Community Project.  We help these friendly school children with painting the school classrooms and cleaning up the grounds
Days 19/20 - Huishan Mountains.  Situated east of Xian, these mountains are unbelievably spectacular. There are four peaks and we should aim to reach the top of each with day treks 
Day 21 - Leaving the mountains, we will spend most of the day seeing the famed Terracotta Warriors, which is a real highlight, and only a short distance by vehicle from the centre of Xi’an 
Day 22 - A free day in Xi'an followed by the overnight train to Beijing 
Day 23 - Explore Beijing do any last minute shopping
Day 24 - Depart for UK