12-day Harbin Chengdu Mt.Emei Leshan Jiuzhaigou Winter Tour

Day 1 Arrival in Harbin
Transfer via: your own arranged flight/train
Meals: D
Places to visit: St. Sofia Church, Central Street, Zhaolin Park Ice Lantern Art Fair
Upon arrive in the ice city Harbin in the early afternoon, you will be met by local English speaking guide at Harbin airport or railway station and transferred to the hotel, then start your trip from Central Street.

We head to Central street after watching the grand church. The Central Street, also known the Zhongyang Street, which was originally built in 1898 when there were abundant of Russian business man in Harbin, China. The Central Street is considered as the architectural art galley: Baroque and byzantine lining both sides, including Russian bakeries, French fashion houses and Japanese restaurants and so on. It's a good place to see architectural styles as well as for shopping and taste different Cuisine.

Then we lead to the Saint Sophia Church, with Byzantine style and meaning of 'God's wisdom' for name, look so beautiful as if it had been made by God's hands. The church's original shape and Latin cross footprint was preserved during reconstruction.It was first built in 1907 and rebuilt into brick and wood structure in 1912. It is the largest Orthodox Church in the Far East.

In the evening,  you will visit the Ice Lantern Fair in Zhaolin Park. Ice Lantern Fair, also named the Ice Lantern Show, it is hold every year from 5th January to the end of February in Zhaolin Park. The park located in the downtown, it is a small and peaceful place. Still you can see pretty ice sculptures without many crowded. Especially at night when the ice sculptures are lit then which looks like a magical world.

 

Day 2 Harbin
Meals: B, L, D
Places to visit: Sun Island, Harbin Polarland, Siberian Tiger Park, Ice and Snow World
The Sun Island Scenic Area (Tai Yang Dao). It's a great place for escaping the hot summer with cool weather and nice scenery, flowers, lakes and cute animals in the forest. When it comes to winter the island will be covered by thick snow and there will be a world-famous snow sculpture show: International Snow Sculpture Art Expo. There are various of massive, huge snow sculptures which is so impressive and amazing.    

Harbin Polarland seats in Sun Island and is the first polar land themed park mixed with fish, sharks, dolphins animal shows, polar land sights and Harbin winter ice festival interactive experience. Then you will enjoy Songhua River fish banquet in Longhua Yucun.

Afternoon you will make an safari-style adventure in the Siberian Tiger Park. Siberian Tiger Park located on the north bank of the Songhua River. It is the largest natural park for wild Siberian tigers of China, even in the world. There are over 500 Siberian tigers this park. Here you can see wild tigers closely and take some fantastic photos.

In the evening you will go to visit the Ice and Snow World. Located on the north bank of the Songhua River, the Ice and Snow Amusement World is a major attraction of Harbin Interactional Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival dunging the winter. There are full of awesome ice and snow sculptures created by artists from all around world. Kind note that please wear enough layers of proper clothes and warm shoes to keep you away form the freeze especially when you want to stay there longer to enjoy the beautiful scenery.

Optional evening show: Russian song and dance performance


Day 3 Harbin
Meals: B, D
Places to visit: Jihua Skiing Resort
After breakfast, we will drive about 1.5 hours to Jihua Ski Resort where you can select to enjoy skiing and more activities are on your interests. (Ref. ski price: CNY180/ 2 hours; CNY240/4 hours). Late afternoon, we will drive back to Harbin for free evening relax.

Jihua Ski Resort, also called Jihua Changshou Mountain Ski Resort, sits in Binxi National Forest Park as the nearest SSSSS-level national ski resort to Harbin downtown (38km).This national ski resort is built in a natural basin and surrounded by mountains, the towering peaks snake around and enclose the resort forming a natural wind-sheltered heaven. The resort has 15 different ski slopes, which in total cover a distance of 30 km, cater for beginner, medium and advanced-level skiers. The resort has a ski school, which offers more than 100 professional skimeisters. The resort is the only training base for National Youth Skiing Team. The resort area gets heavy snowfall, with about 150 days of snow every year. It can receive 5,000 people at the same time. It is an ideal place for cross-country skiing.


Day 4 Harbin/Chengdu/Mt. Emei
Meal: B, L, D
Places to visit: Stalin Park, Winter Swimming Performance
As the Ice City, Harbin is a ideal place to have winter swimming activities. The average temperature here is -18 °C in winter and many local people had get used to take winter swimming. You can see all kinds of people males, females, from youth to to 70 years old men swim through the frozen surface of the Songhua River. Also there is Winter Swimming Competition held in Harbin every year.

Beside the Flood Control Monument is the Stalin Park. It's a lovely park to enjoy leisure for local people. It's a ideal place to keep the heat away in the summer, you can sample some snacks and dink a bottle of beer under the trees and feeling the cool breezing. In winter it become an ice activities center. There are all sorts of ice related sports holding there like ice swimming, ice skating, ice hockey and ice sailing and so on. After you will stroll along the down town and see the St. Sophia Cathedral square, the St. Alekseyev Church, the Russian Flavor Street, Gogol Street, and enjoy the Russian Bar Street.

Take a afternoon flight to Chengdu, your local guide will meet you and you will be driven to Mount Emei. The rest of the day is yours to relax.


Day 5 Mt. Emei
Meals: B, L, D
Places to visit: Mt. Emei, Wannian Temple, Qingyin Pavilion, Baoguo Temple
After breakfast, take the local sightseeing bus to Mt. Emei to visit the Wannian Temple, which is one of the most ancient temples on the Emei Mountain; the Qingyin Pavilion, which was built in the fourth year during the period of Emperor Xi Zong in Tang Dynasty（877）; the Baoguo Temple, at the foot of Mount Emei, was built between 1573 and 1619 during the Ming Dynasty;and the wild monkey protection area.


Day 6 Mt. Emei/Leshan/Chengdu
Meals: B, L, D
Places to visit: Giant Buddha, Plank Cliff Path
Transfer to Leshan to see the world's largest stone Giant Buddha, and then visit the Lingyun Temple, which was built during the Tianbao period of the Tang Dynasty, is famous throughout Sichuan, and, indeed, throughout the world; then the ancient Plank Cliff Path, along the cliff on the right flank of the Giant Buddha is a 300-odd-meter nine-turn plank road, paved with 217 steps that range from a maximum width of 1.45 meters to a minimum width of 0.6 meters; and the Stele Forest, which was built in 1984 with an area of 600 square meters, is pushed up among underbrush and ancient trees between Duiyue Peak and Zhurong Peak, and it is an important place of interest at Mountain Lingyun. Drive back to Chengu.


Day 7 Chengdu
Meals: B, L, D
Places to visit: Chengdu Giant Panda Base, Jinsha Ruins & Museum, Jinli Old Street
Today, you will be picked up to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding to see the adorable panda bears. After lunch, pay a visit to the Jinsha Ruins & Museum, is one of the sites with the largest amount of ancient elephant tusks in the world, and the largest number of gold and jade artifacts in China; and the Jinli Old Street to mingle with the locals.


Day 8 Chengdu
Meals: B, L, D
Places to visit: Wuhou Temple, Dufu's Thatched Cottage,
Visit the Wuhou Temple, whichis a famous Buddhist temple located in the northwest of Chengdu, was discovered that the image of Bodhisattva Manjusri (Wen Shu) appeared in the red light; and the Dufu's Thatched Cottage, is an idyllic 24-acre (97,000 m2) park and museum in honor of the Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu at the western outskirts of Chengdu, adjacent to the Huanhua Xi, (Flower Rinsing Creek). The remainder of the day is for your independent exploration.

 
Day 9 Chengdu/Huanglong/Jiuzhaigou
Meals: B, L, D
Places to visit: Huanglong National Park
After breakfast, transfer to the airport for the flight to Jiuzhaigou. Upon arrival, be met and transferred to the hotel check in. Later, climb over the snow mountain by bus to overlook the Snow Pearl Peak of Mt. Minshan. Snow Pearl Peak, with a height of 5588 meters,is the main peak of Mt. Minshan. Next, proceed to visit the the Five Color Pool, the Xiseng Waterfall and some other beautiful spots in the Huanglong National Park. Huanglong National Park is known for its colorful pools formed by calcite deposits, especially in Huanglonggou (Yellow Dragon Gully), as well as diverse forest ecosystems, snow-capped peaks, waterfalls and hot springs.


Day 10 Jiuzhaigou
Meals: B,L,D
Places to visit: Jiuzhaigou Valley  
There is a word goes that in China: "He who returns from Jiuzhaigou will not see the water landscapes in other places again". Today, you will verify this word by visiting the Long Lake, the Multi Color Pool, the Panda Lake, the Mirror Lake, the Tiger Lake, the Nourilang Waterfall, the Peral Waterfall and etc..


Day 11 Jiuzhaigou
Meals: B, L, D
Places to visit: Jiuzhaigou Valley  
Today, continue to enjoy your sighseeing in Jiuzhaigou Valley by bus .


Day 12 Jiuzhaigou/Chengdu/Exit
Meals: B
After breakfast, you're escorted to the airport for the flight to Chengdu. In Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport, you'll take the flight (your arrangement) to your next destination.