Nature’s Wonder Tour – West Lake & Yellow Mountains (15th – 20th June 2009) HK$9,500 (inclusive of Dragon Air tickets, 5-star hotel accommodation, transportation and meals)
| Date | Itinerary |
| 15/6 12:20-14:35 |
HK to Hangzhou (KA620 HKG/HGH) |
| 16/6 | Hangzhou |
| 17/6 | Tunxi to Yellow Mountains |
| 19/6 | Yellow Mountains |
| 20/6 11:20/13:40 |
Hangzhou to Hong Kong (KA627 HGH/HKG) |
N.B.
- Price includes Dragon Air air tickets, 5-star hotel accommodation (except on the top of Yellow Mountains where only 4-star hotels are available and 3 meals) and tips on a twin bed basis
- Price excludes airport tax, insurance fees, carrier fees in Yellow Mountains (participants can retain carriers at their own expense or to carry their own lugguages to the cable cars to Yellow mountains and leave thelugguage at the hotels on top of the Yellow Mountains)
West Lake is a famous fresh water lake located in the historic center of Hangzhou, in Zhejiang province of eastern China and has a history back to the start of the Qin dynasty (221BC). When Marco Polo passed through the city in the 13th century, he described it as one of the most splendid in the world.
West Lake is not only famous for its picturesque landscape, it is also associated with many scholars, national heroes and revolutionary martyrs, thus embracing many aspects of Chinese culture. In addition, many ancient buildings, stone caves and engraved tablets in surrounding areas are among the most cherished national treasures of China, with significant artistic value.
Around the year, all kinds of flowers (peach blossom, lotus, osmanthus, plum blossom, tulip etc) and plants in West Lake and on surrounding mountains blossomed alternatively, which enriches the landscape of plantation around the lake. There are 14 lotus cultivation areas in West Lake, spanning a total area of 130 Chinese acres and making a splendid tourist spot.
Hongcun Village is an ancient village built in about 1113 at the foot of the Yellow Mountains. It was made a UNESCO world heritage and a scene made famous worldwide as a filming scene in the movie “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”. The architecture and carvings of the approximately 150 residences dating back to the Ming and Qing dynasties are said to be among the best of their kind in China.
Sea of Clouds | Sunrise
A UNESCO world heritage site, Yellow Mountains (also known as Huang Shan) is a mountain range in southern Anhui province in eastern China. It was formed approximately 100 million years ago when the ancient sea disappeared due to uplift. It gained its unique rock formations in the Quaternary Glaciation. The area is well known for its “sea of clouds” scenery, sunrise, sunset, rugged granite peaks, and old pine trees.
The vegetation of the area varies with altitude: Below 1,100 meters, moist forest can be found; deciduous forest stretches from 1,100 meters up to the tree line at 1,800 meters; above that point, the vegetation consists of alpine grass-lands. The area has diverse flora, where one-third of China's bryophyte families and more than half of its fern families are represented. Many of the area's pine trees are more than a hundred years old and have been given their own names (such as Welcoming-Guests Pine, which is thought to be over 1500 years old). These old pine trees are seen as a symbol of vigor as they rooted not in soil but on rocks. Furthermore, Yellow Mountains' moist climate facilitates the growing of tea leaves, and the mountain has been called "one of China's premier green tea-growing mountains”.
The area has also been a location for scientific research because of its diversity of flora and wildlife; in the early part of the 20th century, the geology and vegetation of Yellow Mountains were the subject of multiple studies by both Chinese and foreign scientists.
Thunder Peak Pagoda (Leifeng Pagoda) is a popular site to watch sunset over the West Lake for centuries. The original pagoda was built in 975 and was renovated in 2001. Buddhist scriptures written on silk werefound in the foundation, along with other treasures. At the bottom of the pagoda is a museum with English captions.
Temple of the Soul’s Retreat is one of Hangzhou’s chief attractions. It was built in AD 326 and due to war and calamity, has been destroyed and restored. The walk up to the temple skirts the flanks of Peak Flying from Afar, is believed to be magically transported from India. The highlights are the Buddhist carving lining the riverbanks and hillsides – all 470 of them, dated from the 10th to 14th centuries. One of the best carvings is the famous “laughing Maitreya Buddha. The main temple building are restorations of Qing dynasty structures. In the Great Hall, it lies the magnificient 20m-high stature of Siddhartha Gautama.
