Immerse Yourself in China and Tibet

The Real Deal: Round-trip airfare, 16 nights' accommodations, meals, and sightseeing from $3,499 per person

When: Depart Apr. 11 or Apr. 25, 2007; add $100 for departures May 2, 16, 30, July 11, 25, Aug. 8, 22, Oct. 17; $200 for June 13, 27, Sept. 12, 19, 26, Oct. 3, Oct. 10,

Gateways: New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco; add $100 for Pacific time zone; $200 for Mountain time zone; $250 for Central and Eastern time zone

Book By: A $300 deposit must be received by Dec. 15, 2006; afterwards, the package price increases by $200 per person

Contact: Ritz Tours, 626/289-7777, ritztours.com 

The escorted tour includes round-trip airfare on Air China (U.S. to Beijing and Shanghai to U.S.), 13 nights in hotels throughout China, and a three-night Yangtze River cruise. The trip begins in the capital, Beijing, with three nights at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. You'll visit the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, the Great Wall, and the Ming Tomb Museum, and sample Peking duck for dinner. A morning flight brings you to Lhasa, the high-altitude capital of Tibet dubbed "the roof of the world," where you'll spend three nights at the Lhasa Hotel. Among highlights are the Potala Palace, former home of the Dalai Lama, and nearby Jokhang Lamasery, where monks are trained.

On the way to Tibet's second largest city, Shigaste, by private bus, you'll stop at Yamdrok Tso Lake, one of three Tibetan holy lakes. After one night at the Shigatse Hotel, travel by bus to Gyantse for a one-night stay at the Gyantse Hotel and a trip to the Pelchor Monastery. You'll return to Lhasa and catch a flight to Chengdu, the capital of southern China's Sichuan province, where you'll stay overnight at the Sheraton Hotel. Another plane ride brings you to Xian, one of China's most ancient cities, where you'll check in to the Sheraton Hotel for two nights; see the spectacular terra-cotta soldiers of Chin Shih Huang; and enjoy a traditional performance.

For the final leg, you'll fly to Chongqing and settle into an exterior cabin with windows, a balcony, private bathroom, and air conditioning on the MS Queen cruise ship. After the three-night voyage through the Wu and Xiling Gorges--and a visit to the Three Gorges Dam--you'll fly to Shanghai for two nights at the Crowne Plaza Fudan in Shanghai. A tour of the Ming Dynasty Yu Garden, the Shanghai Museum, and shop-lined Nanjing Road rounds out the trip. (Note that all domestic flights are on Air China.)

You can extend your stay in Beijing for $110-$180 or in Shanghai for $95-$130 either before or after the package trip; rates are per room per night.

Before you go, check the weather forecast, exchange rate, and local time at BudgetTravelOnline.com.

What Makes This a Deal? In comparison, the lowest round-trip, multicity fare we've found for mid-April 2007 is $915 per person from Los Angeles (Air Canada). For about $2,500 more, Ritz Tours covers the international airfare, 16 nights' accommodations, the cruise, several flights within China and Tibet, private bus transportation, sightseeing and entrance fees, all meals, and air/hotel transfers.  

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