Almost Last Chance to Cruise China’s Historic Yangtse. 19 Days.

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e were at this wonderful temple on the Yangtse. It’s gone now, of course...

You’re going to have stories to tell.

Deep gorges plunging down from misty mountains (like being in an ancient Chinese scroll painting), riverbanks teeming with 4,000 years of archaeological sites, villages, pagodas... All will be submerged soon by a little engineering project called the Three Gorges Dam.

Visit it while you can. On our 19-day insider's journey through China, from Hong Kong and Guilin to the ethnic villages around Longsheng, to the Yangtse, Shanghai, Xian, and Beijing.

Along the way? Time with an expat urban history, architecture, and development expert who's cracked the code in the wild city of Shanghai. Get up close and personal with the giant pandas in Chengdu, and sample the best of the local Sichuan cuisine.

On the Yangtse, learn about the dam project during a private lecture, then see the construction site.

After touring the 21st-century city of Shanghai, take a remarkable free day in and around Shanghai with a (very) private car, guide, and driver-yours alone.

In Xian, get unbelievably close to the ancient terracotta army of Emperor Qin Shihuang (Careful-Your noses may touch). Sit down for a discussion with a group of university students to hear what's what in modern China. Visit the oft-overlooked Han Tomb Museum.

Later, the Great Wall at its best spot. Get beyond the city limits. Spend time in a private home in Beijing's Hutong neighborhood as well as in the emperors' neighborhood, the Forbidden City, where a private tour gets us special access into the otherwise-closed home of a prince.

We wind up our China journey with a farewell dinner in one of Beijing's finest dining rooms.

Almost Last Chance to Cruise China’s Historic Yangtse. 19 Days.

Departures: April, May, June, September, October or throughout the year as a private journey.

Price: Per person sharing room from $9,890
              Internal air per person (estimate) $1,250
              Single room supplement $3,790

Want more of Asia? Consider an extension into the Yunnan Province, possibly China's true Shangri-la and HQ of China's minority peoples (there are 20 or so different groups, each distinct from the next). Our route takes you alog the Yunnan Tibet highway toward, well, heaven. Want more information about the journey? Click here.

Another possibility? The Sichuan Province and Lhasa, Tibet, highest city in the world and traditional home of the Dalai Lama. Want more information about this journeys? Click here.

Better yet, combine both these extensions with our China journey for an unparalleled exploration deep into inscrutable Asia. Contact a tour specialist a R. Crusoe for more information.

R. Crusoe avian flu guarantee: Avian flu has given some travelers pause regarding a trip to bustling, lively China. R. Crusoe continues to monitor the health situation in Asia. Should the U.S. State Department issue a travel warning due to an avian flu outbreak, R. Crusoe will refund any payments made for tours to China without penalty.