China, Tibet, and the Yangtze River

OCTOBER 20 - NOVEMBER  7, 2005

Share in the experience of these ancient lands with Hamilton's Alumni Travel program. This expansive small group tour melds together visits to China's heartland and the Forbidden City with a memorable cruise on the Yangtze, China's fabled "long river" and a special visit to the mythic ancient land of Tibet. 

Highlights:

• Ride rickshaws through Beijing's back roads and alleys (hutongs) to glimpse the traditional communal lifestyle that is ages old - and fast disappearing.
• Tour Tianamen Square and the Forbidden City.
• Visit the grand Temple of Heaven complex, the Great Wall, and the Summer Palace.
• Travel to Lhasa, Tibet's capital, high on a plateau between two Himalayan ridges, and meet a Tibetan family.
• Tour Jokhang, Tibet's holiest temple; Norbulinka, the summer palace; the huge Sera Monastery; and Potala Palace, a 17th-century palace with 1,000 rooms and 200,000 Buddha images.
• Enjoy a Tang Dynasty dinner show in Xian.
• View the army of more than 7,000 life-sized Terra Cotta Warriors, horses, and chariots that had lain buried and forgotten for more than two millennia until rediscovered by local farmers in 1974.
• Visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, China's most famous Buddhist monument, the ancient city walls of Xian, and the History Museum and Shanxi Provincial Museum.
• In Chongqing, visit Erling Park for a bird's-eye view of the city.
• Cruise down the Yangtze and stop at either Fengdu, the legendary home of the King of Hades, or the longtime trading town of Wanxian.
• Pass through Qutang Gorge and tranquil Wu Gorge, then board a small sampan for a cruise through the stunning Small Gorges.
• In Sandouping, see the site of the immense Three Gorges Dam, currently under construction.
• In Shanghai, visit the broad and bustling riverfront avenue that once was the center of European influence in the Far East, then tour the Children's Palace and the renowned Shanghai Museum.
• Travel by train to Suzhou, called the "Venice of the East" for its numerous canals and bridges, and walk through the Master of Fisherman Garden.

This trip will last eighteen days, and you will be accompanied by a Bowdoin professor. This tour is arranged by Odysseys Unlimited. Price starts at $4,495 including air, land, and cruise; limited to a maximum of 33 guests.

Please contact the Alumni Programs office to request a brochure or for more information.