Backpacking China & Hong Kong

Another high-speed train takes you to Zhangjiajie, and from there you head on to Wulingyuan, your base for the next two nights. In the afternoon, climb the 999 steps of the Stairway to Heaven on Tianmen Mountain. It is steep and your legs will feel every step, but the view from the top is worth the effort.

Walk from the hotel to the Southeast Gate and spend the day in Zhangjiajie's forest of sandstone pillars, the landscape behind the floating mountains in Avatar. Lunch is included, so there is nothing to organise but which viewpoint to head for next. Nowhere else in China looks quite like it.

The high-speed train brings you to Chongqing, a huge, crowded city stacked up the steep hillsides where the Jialing River meets the Yangtze. Chongqing is where the fiery version of hotpot comes from, so dinner tonight is a bubbling pot of it, with the tingling heat of Sichuan peppercorns for anyone brave enough. Afterwards, walk down to Hongya Cave to see its stilted buildings and the skyline lit up after dark.

A free day to explore Chongqing however you like. Watch a monorail train disappear into the middle of an apartment block, wander the stairways and lanes cut into the cliffs, stop at a cafe with a view, or wait until dark, when the neon makes the whole city look like the set of a science-fiction film. Your group leader can point you in the right direction for whatever you choose.

Enjoy a slower morning in Chongqing before a short high-speed train to Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan. This evening, watch a Sichuan Opera face-changing show, an old Sichuan tradition in which performers swap painted masks faster than you can follow. However closely you watch, it is almost impossible to see how it is done.

Visit Chengdu's panda base at the time of day the pandas are at their most active. It is not a zoo but a research and conservation base working to protect the species, with more than 200 giant pandas and over 100 red pandas living there. Spend the rest of the day in Chengdu, a city so fond of its pandas that you will spot them on buildings and even on ice cream.

Take the high-speed train to Xi'an, an ancient capital still ringed by the best-preserved city walls in China. Jump on bikes and ride the full 14-kilometre loop along the top, with the old city spread out below you. In the evening, head into the Muslim Quarter's night market, where the air is full of grill smoke and the stalls sell some of the best street food in the country.

This morning, stand in front of the Terracotta Army, the clay soldiers buried to protect the tomb of China's first emperor more than 2,000 years ago. Each figure has its own face, and nobody knew they were there until farmers digging a well found them in 1974. A local guide explains how the site was found and what it took to build. In the afternoon, board the high-speed train to Shanghai.

A free day in Shanghai. Wander under the plane trees of the former French Concession, explore the ponds and pavilions of Yu Garden, or shop your way along Nanjing Road. Tonight, cruise along the river after dark, with the old banks and hotels of the Bund glowing on one side and the towers of Pudong lit up on the other.

Take one last free morning in Shanghai, then board the high-speed train to Beijing, the final stop of the trip. Come hungry tonight. First you learn to fold dumplings in a hands-on class, then you sit down to Peking duck, its crackling skin rolled up in thin pancakes with all the trimmings, one of China's most famous dishes in the city it is named after.

A local guide leads you through the Forbidden City, the palace China's emperors ruled from for almost 500 years. Its courtyards and nearly 1,000 buildings were off limits to everyone except the emperor, his family and the most trusted members of the court. The afternoon is free to see more of Beijing or take some time to rest.

The day you have been waiting for: the Great Wall of China. Head to Mutianyu, one of the best-preserved stretches, where the wall runs along the mountain ridges as far as you can see. A cable car lifts you up through the forest, and then you are on foot, walking between the watchtowers on stones that have been there for centuries.

Your 17-day trip through China ends after breakfast today. Head to the airport for your flight home, or stay on and keep exploring: your group leader can help you plan and book whatever comes next, from extra nights in Beijing to your onward travel.