Driving Route: Beijing – Datong – Yanmenguan Great Wall – Lijiashan Village – Jingbian Wave Valley – Yucha Grand Canyon – Hukou Waterfall – Xi’an – Luoyang – Shaolin Temple – House of the Huangcheng Chancellor – Guabi Highway – Pingyao – Taiyuan – Baishi Mountain – Beijing
Best Time to Visit: May to August
Day 1 Beijing
Day 2 Beijing
Day 3 Beijing - Beijing Campervan Camp
Day 4 Beijing Campervan Camp - Datong (340 kilometers, 5 hours on the expressway )
Day 5 Datong - Hanging Temple (100 kilometers, 1.5 hours, 3/4 of the time on the expressway)
Day 6 Hanging Temple - Yanmenguan Pass (160 kilometers, 2.5 hours on the expressway)
Day 7 Yanmenguan Pass - Lijiashan Village, Linxian County (350 kilometers, 6 hours on the expressway)
After walking along the Great Wall in the morning, you can take the helicopter to get a bird's eye view of the Pass if you like. And then drive to the Lijiashan Village, a hidden village carved into the mountains.
Park at the parking lot of the Lijiashan Village.
Overnight in the campervan.
Day 8 Lijiashan Village - Jingbian Wave Valley (225 kilometers, 4 hours on the expressway)
In the morning, visit the Lijiashan Village if you like. The Lijiashan Village is located in Shanxi province on the coast of the Yellow River. Today, there are around forty families left; the local school has only four students. Some of these ancient houses have been turned into small hotels. Most of these houses have more than five hundred years of history. They are on nine levels of terrace hills; the stairs connecting them are all from the ancient Ming Dynasty.
And then drive to the Jingbian Wave Valley.
Park at Yanjia Zhaizi Village.
Overnight in the campervan.
Day 9 Jingbian Wave Valley
Today visit the Jingbian Wave Valley - some of China’s most amazing landscapes, formed gradually over time from the erosion of red sandstone. In spite of their unique colorful layers, the canyons aren’t as well-known as other destinations.
Park at Yanjia Zhaizi Village.
Overnight in the campervan.
Day 10 Jingbian Wave Valley - Yucha Grand Canyon (220 kilometers, 4 hours on the expressway)
In the morning drive to Yucha Grand Canyon and visit the grand canyon in the afternoon. Located in Yucha village, Ganquan county, Shaanxi province, Yucha Grand Canyon is one of the natural wonders of the Loess Plateau. Rain over millions of years has sculpted its red sandstone into various textures and shapes. The canyon's unique geological beauty echoes Antelope Canyon in the United States.
Park at Yucha Village.
Overnight in the campervan.
Day 11 Yucha Grand Canyon - Hukou (210 kilometers, 5 hours on the state roads)
Day 12 Hukou - Xi’an (330 kilometers, 5 hours on the expressway)
Day 13 Xi’an - Lintong (40 kilometers, 1 hour)
Today is free at leisure and you may go shopping and prepare food for the coming trip. At 16:00, set off to Lintong. In the evening, if you like, you may admire a dance and music show – Song of Everlasting Sorrow, the love story of a Chinese emperor.
Park at the parking lot of the Museum of Terracotta Warriors and Horses.
Overnight in the campervan.
Day 14 Lintong - Luoyang (370 kilometers, 6 hours on the expressway)
Day 15 Luoyang - Shaolin Temple - Dengfeng (80 kilometers)
Day 16 Dengfeng - House of the Huangcheng Chancellor - Wang Mang Ridge (310 kilometers, 5 hours on the expressway and state roads)
Drive to the Wang Mang Ridge Scenery Tourist Area.
Wang Mang Ridge Scenery Tourist Area, consisting of more than 50 peaks strewn at random discretion, is a typical representative of the Mount Taihang sceneries. According to legend, Wang Mang of the Western Han Dynasty run after Liu Xiu to this place to pitch a camp, for which it was given the name.
En route, if you like, visit the House of the Huangcheng Chancellor.
House of the Huangcheng Chancellor has the reputation of the "Greatest Cultural Residence in North China". China's National Tourism Administration gave it a 5A rating in 2011.
Park at the parking lot of the Wang Mang Ridge Scenery Tourist Area.
Overnight in the campervan.
Day 17 Guabi Highway, Wang Mang Ridge - Pingyao (320 kilometers, 5 hours on the expressway)
Today, you need to get up early to admire the spectacular landscape of sunrise, cloud sea, steep cliffs, and waterfalls. Then take a bus to visit the Guabi Highway, a section of highway carved into the mountains. In the afternoon, drive to Pingyao Ancient Town.
Park at the parking lot of the Pingyao Ancient Town.
Overnight in the campervan.
Day 18 Pingyao
Day 19 Pingyao - Taiyuan (130 kilometers, 1.5 hours on the expressway)
In the morning, visit the 1,000-year-old Shuanglin Temple if you like.
The Shuanglin Temple is a large Buddhist temple in the Shanxi Province of China. Founded in the 6th century, the UNESCO World Heritage site is notable for its collection of more than 2,000 decorated clay statues that are dated to the 12th-19th centuries.
Then drive to Taiyuan. You may visit the Jinci Temple if you like.
Park at the parking lot of the Jinci Temple.
Overnight in the campervan.
Day 20 Taiyuan - Baishi Mountain (370 kilometers, 5 hours on the expressway)
In the morning, drive to the Baishi National Geographical Park. Baishi National Geographical Park was named a world geographical park by UNESCO in 2006. It is particularly well-known for its appearance during overcast days when the tops of nearby peaks can be seen jutting out from within low-lying clouds and mist.
Park at the Dongmen Parking Lot.
Overnight in the campervan.
Day 21 Baishi Mountain - Beijing (260 kilometers, 4 hours on the expressway)
Drive back to the Beijing Campervan Camp in the morning. After arrival, return your campervan, and then take a car to the hotel. If you like, visit the Sacred Way. The Sacred Way is lined with statues of guardian animals and officials of the Ming Tombs.
Farewell Banquet: Peking Duck
Overnight at a local hotel in Beijing.
1) Documents and approval for self-driving in China
2) China temporary driving permit
3) Campervan usage (including compulsory traffic insurance, fixed third party liability insurance)
4) 01 English-speaking guide service and 01 maintenance worker service
5) Bus service for city tour and airport transfers in Beijing
6) Entry tickets of the following attractions (Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, Yungang Grottoes, Jinhuagong Mineral Museum, Yanmenguan Pass, Yucha Grand Canyon, Wild Goose Pagoda, Great Mosque, Museum of Terracotta Warriors and Horses，Longmen Grottoes, Shaolin Temple, Guabi Highway, Pingyao Ancient Town, Baishi Mountain)
7) Meals as listed in the schedule (excluding drinks, beverages)
8) 4 star hotel accommodations in Beijing (twin share basis, single room supplement will be additionally charged)
9) Night parking fee for campervans
10) Support vehicle
1) International flight/trains
2) Campervan fuel charges, road toll and parking fees along the route except at night
3) Meals that not listed
4) Entry tickets that not listed
5) Hotel accommodations that not listed
6) Travel insurance
7) Personal expense
8) Tips for tour guide and maintenance worker