Tentative departure: April 11, 2008 (Ask about other dates and specialized itineraries for your private group of family or friends!)
Est. cost: $2955 (includes ALL hotels and land costs, most meals and SIX flights inside China!!-excluding international airfare)

(Cost is based on 11 to 15 participants, double occupancy-for a group of 10 or fewer, the cost may increase. However, SPECIAL GROUP RATES ARE AVAILABLE if you have 5 or more persons for any JENSEN TOURS group!)
(Single supplement: est. $540.)

Tentative departure: May 9 to May 24, 2008* (Ask about other dates and specialized itineraries for your private group of family or friends!)
Est. cost: $2985 (including ALL hotels, guides, most meals and ALL air and land travel costs inside China!! - excluding international airfare)

(Cost is based on 11 to 15 participants, double occupancy-for a group of 10 or fewer, the cost may increase. However, SPECIAL GROUP RATES ARE AVAILABLE if you have 5 or more persons for any JENSEN TOURS group!)
(Single supplement: est. $540)

*(Check with us about other dates for your group. See optional travel extensions at the end of the itinerary.)

(Cost is based on a group of 11 to 15 participants, double occupancy.)
(Single supplement: est. $510.)

Price includes all hotels, land costs, tours, guides, most meals and 5 flights inside China!!

Tentative departures:
      July 29 to August 9, 2006
Est. cost: $4200
(Including 1 opera, 2 concert tickets)

Dear friends,

Many of you are familiar with our fun and educational small-group trips to Europe, and you may be surprised that we are going to China! This is an exotic departure from the European music, art, history, wine and culture we regularly explore together. But I hope I can excite you about the possibilities:

Our China trips will not be big agency-style tours to a few popular locations! We will continue to travel in the small, congenial groups that have been so successful for our European trips. We have sought out fascinating places the big tours miss and have made plans to maximize our contact with Chinese friends, colleagues and students. We don't just want to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with other Western tourists at every stop. Rather, we will see places the Chinese love; we will get better acquainted with these gracious and beautiful people and with their customs and incredibly delicious and varied food!

Our first trip is designed to give you a broad introduction to the delights of this enormous, diverse land. I want to share some of my favorite places with you and introduce you to my Chinese friends. So this trip covers more territory than our typical European adventures. I hope you will discover...as I did...that you must come back!

There are many advantages to coming with us to China now:

• China is a terrific value! The weak US dollar makes Europe very expensive, but China has good accommodations, good transportation and good food...all at a very good price! Our numerous domestic air connections in China are also included in the cost of the trip.
• Chinese food is wonderful! You can always choose from a wide variety of dishes: tasty vegetarian fare, tantalizing seafood of all types, and endless meat and poultry dishes. I have worked with my Chinese friends to ensure that we will have the best food in each region...all of it included in our adventure.
• My closest friend in China will accompany us for the entire trip. Tang Cai is a successful business executive who knows all of these regions well. In China, the language and cultural barriers can be intimidating for Westerners in this vast land, but we will always have my friend to help us out. In addition, we will have English-speaking guides and reserved transportation at each stop on our journey!
• We will arrange the best group price we can find for international airfare. However, if you want to arrive and depart on your own, using frequent-flyer miles, vouchers, etc., you are welcome to do that, as with all our trips. You will have to apply for a Chinese visa, but they are easy to obtain, and we will also help you facilitate that.

To whet your appetite for more, here are some of the regional trips in China we would like to offer you in the near future:

• Sichuan Province: Chengdu's bustling markets and backstreets; pristine alpine regions of lakes, glaciers, and snow-capped peaks; ancient and secluded Buddhist temples and the world's largest Buddha sculpture (nearly 250 feet tall!); some of Chinas most famous cuisine; and pandas!!!
• The minority villages and towns in Yunnan and Guizhou Provinces. Few places in China can match the ethnic, cultural, linguistic and scenic diversity of this region. From staggering mountain waterfalls and glacial streams to steamy jungle-draped rivers where wild elephants roam, from nomadic Tibetan peoples to ancient Naxi, Bai, Miao and Dai villages and towns...this region is home to nearly half of China's ethnic minorities.
• The tropical South in and around Guangxi and Guangdong Provinces. Fantastical karst peaks, lush forests, rice terraces, water buffalo, white-sand beaches, pearl production, and the Portuguese and British colonial heritage around Macau and Hong Kong.
• Tibet! The Rooftop of the World! Let's visit the monasteries, palaces, mountains and gentle people of Tibet and learn about their glorious and tragic history. Here we will experience some of the most evocative landscapes and most fascinating cultural and spiritual traditions in the world.
• Winter wonderland. It may seem counter-intuitive to think of going to the coldest regions of northern China in the winter, but there are wonders to behold! In addition the many cultural and artistic treasures of northern China, which are fascinating at any season, Harbin hosts an amazing snow and ice festival with monumental lighted sculptures and endless delightful winter activities and sports.

Hoping to travel with you soon,

Doryl Jensen