Wild Earth

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Day 1
Arrive in the historic city and capital of China, Beijing. Upon arrival you will be met by local representatives and assisted to your hotel. Beijing is one of the world’s great cities and is the historical, social and political heart of China.

Day 2
During the morning we visit the Great Wall of China, with the opportunity to see and experience just a small part of this great defensive monument. During the afternoon we continue together with our local guide to the Summer Palace, described by UNESCO as a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design when inscribed as a World Heritage Site.

Day 3
Today we continue our exploration of Beijing with a visit to the Temple of Heaven and the Forbidden City, both were constructed during the reign of Yongle Emperor and recent renovations have ensured their continued brilliance. Walk through Tian An Men Square, scene of so much modern Chinese history. During the evening we take a flight to the city  of XiAn.

Day 4
XiAn was the historical start of the ancient Silk Road and one of China’s six ancient capitals. Visit the world renowned Terra-cotta warriors, where every statue was individually crafted to guard nobility in the afterlife. Later visit the Shaanxi History Museum in XiAn, with its invaluable collections from throughout the Shaanxi Province and aboard

Day 5
Travel through the rural landscape of Shaanxi Province as we head towards Foping County and the Qinling Mountains, home of the Giant Panda and where we will spend the next days hiking and exploring in search of Panda and the regions other special inhabitants.

Day 6
Rise early to see the endangered Crest Ibis leave their nests before enjoying a breakfast in the field and then return to the hotel to prepare for departure to the Foping Nature Reserve and the Foping Protection station where we will be based for the next days exploring the Qinling Mountains.

Days 7-11
Explore the Qinling Mountains and Foping Nature Reserve from the Foping Protection Station, each day travel to different regions within the reserve to see wild Giant Panda, the reserve has the highest density of wild Panda in the world and during the winter months the Panda move to lower elevations where they are easier to observe. Other inhabitants of Foping Reserve to look for are Golden Takin and Golden Snub-nosed Monkey, both species are highly endangered and restricted to the Qinling Mountains.
The Qinling Mountains lie at the cross roads between subtropical and temperate climatic zones, the southern slopes are warm and moist weather while the mountains northern slopes are cooler and more temperate in nature. This diversity of habitat zones in such a small area has resulted in exceptional levels of biodiversity and the evolution of unique species especially adapted to the regions environment.

Day 12
After a final breakfast at the protection station walk back to the road and return to Xian where we enjoy dinner of roast fish, a local specialty.

Day 13
Join a morning flight from Xian to Shanghai. Upon arrival in Shanghai we will visit the Shanghai Museum, home to a unique collection of over 120,000 separate artifacts from China through the ages. Enjoy a farewell dinner at world renowned The Bund in the heart of modern Shanghai.

Day 14
Transfer to Shanghai International airport to connect with onwards flights