3-Day Luoyang – Zhengzhou – Kaifeng Private Tour Including Longmen Grottoes and Shaolin Temple

Attractions: Longmen Grottoes, Luoyang Museum
Meal: Not Included
Hotel: Overnight in Luoyang

After breakfast, your guide will take you to visit Longmen Grottoes, which contains the largest and most impressive collection of Chinese art of the late Northern Wei and Tang Dynasties (316-907). The UNESCO World Heritage site is densely scattered on the cliffs of Mount Longmen (West Hill) and Mount Xiangshan (East Mountain) – on two banks of Yi River. West Hill houses the major caves with notable displays of Buddhist sculptures and calligraphic inscriptions.

After the great sightseeing in Longmen Grottoes, drive to Luoyang Museum which shows ancient Luoyang from all perspectives. There are more than 1,000 exhibits dating back to the Tang Dynasty (A.D. 618 ~ 907) and even to the earliest prehistoric times (before the 21st century B.C.) in the informative display halls, such as exquisite tri-colored glazed potteries, various bronzeware, ancient clay sculpture, treasured calligraphy and paintings, etc.

Attractions: Shaolin Temple, Kungfu Show
Meal: Not included
Hotel: Overnight in Zhengzhou

In the morning, we will take you to Zhengzhou with a private car, keep driving about 1.5hrs to Shaolin Temple, the birthplace of Zen Buddhism and the cradle of Kung Fu. You will visit the grandiose temples and halls, admire stone carving art, learn about Buddhism culture, and observe the daily living and meditation of monks in the temple. Don’t miss the famous Pagoda Forest, the existing largest pagoda forest in China. When an important monk passed away, their cremains or skeleton would be put into the underground palace, and a pagoda will be built on it. The pagoda’s height, size and number of layers will be decided according to the monk’s Buddhism knowledge, reputation and merits and virtues during his lifetime. You will also enjoy a magnificent Kung Fu Show in Shaolin Wushu Hall which is performed by martial monks of Shaolin Temple daily, and usually lasts for about half an hour.

Attractions: Dragon Pavilion, Iron Pagoda
Meal: Not included

Our guide will escort you to Kaifeng after breakfast, and the duration would be 1.5 hours. Upon arrival, we will go to see the Dragon Pavilion (Long Ting), a magnificent palace built on a 13-meter-high (43-foot) brick foundation. Then, the guide will accompany you to the Iron Pagoda. It was actually not built of iron as its name indicates. The soaring tower was constructed of glazed bricks which may look like metal plates from a distance, and hence the name. After lunch, we will take you to the palatial Shanshan’gan Guild Hall to appreciate enchanting engravings on tiles, stones and woods.

We will then transfer you to the airport or the railway station in Zhengzhou and see you off.