Last Updated on: 15th November 2024, 10:51 pm
Food? Fun? History? Sights? Yes to all!
Travel to north east China to Heilongjiang province in this 6-day English speaking tour where you’ll experience -30°C temperatures in Harbin, Snow Town, and Mudanjiang, eat Guo Bao Rou, hot roasted sweet potato, sticky rice buns, and drink local beer!
This trip is the perfect combination of food, culture, history, and sight seeing. Book with a friend and save!
North East China is an underrated travel destination, with many unique characteristics not found elsewhere. In China, it is THE destination for winter holidays.
After a year of planning, I am pleased to announce my first ever package tour: 6 days in north east China that includes a stay in Snow Town, a popular tourist destination and well kept secret from foreign visitors. This package is arranged in co-operation with a local Chinese tour agency that specialises in private tours.
Read about Snow Town here or watch the teaser video below!
Tour Overview
Participants meet in Harbin city, which is conveniently serviced by Taiping International Airport and will be picked up by a tour guide. The tour departs from Harbin, visiting Snow Town and Mudanjiang, with tours in each destination, including Harbin city.
Daily breakfast is included, as well as some meals to give you the most convenient experience while giving you the freedom to try other foods for other meals. And if you don’t have sufficient winter gear, an optional guided shopping trip to pick up essentials is included.
Jump to the itinerary here.
Highlights you'll visit:
• See massive snow sculptures
• See life sized buildings and structures built out of ice harvested from the local Song Hua river. If visiting on New Year’s Eve, you can see fireworks!
• Stay in Snow Town, a scenic snow-covered village in a mountain 280km from Harbin city
• Guided tour of the Unit 731 Museum, a museum dedicated to revealing the secret experiments conducted by the Japanese in World War 2
Activities you'll do:
• Ride a horse drawn sleigh
• Get your photo taken by a drone on a frozen lake
• Toss water, see it turn to snow
• Sleep on a Kang bed
• Learn about the history of the Russian construction of the Trans Siberian Railway in north east China
• Eat authentic local food like Guo Bao Rou, roasted sweet potato, and sticky rice buns
• Climb the roof of the Harbin Opera house
People per group:
10-20
Travel dates:
December 26th – December 31 inclusive – This is peak season
January – dates and prices yet to be determined – mid-January is peak season as it is school holidays in China.
Indicative price:
$2,000 AUD per person twin share in peak season, $1,500 AUD in shoulder/low season and does not include flights. Price may increase or decrease based on number of travellers and season and is the Australian dollar equivalent of Chinese Yuan and is subject to fluctuation. Group bookings can enjoy a discount, contact me to enquire!
Destination overview
What is so cool about north east China?
China is a vast country in terms of geography, culture, cuisine, and climate; each distinct region has its own characteristics it is known for. The region of North East China is known for its warm hospitality, down to earth people, hearty food, and very cold winters, where it regularly gets to -30°C (-22°F). Despite the cold, North East China is a well developed area and is THE destination for winter holidays for domestic tourists in China, and caters well to travellers and well prepared for winter, and is the home of the Kang bed – a built-in brick bed topped with blankets with a fire underneath that warms the bedding, heats up the entire house, while also powering the stove, a highly practical and effective heating method in traditonal North East Chinese homes.
About Harbin
About Snow Town
Snow Town is a small mountain village in Heilongjiang, about 280km from Harbin. It is home to a few local residents but became an official national scenic area due to its natural beauty and unique offerings. As evident from the name, Snow Town is covered in deep snow in the winter, which is becoming a more and more rare sight in the cities. Among its many offerings, visitors can enjoy the snow scenery, and participate in a unique activity of “water tossing” where you can make your own instant snow by throwing water, which is possible due to the extreme cold. Its remote location means prices there can be expensive, so to get the best value and ease of getting there, join a tour.
About Mudanjiang
Mudanjiang is another city in Heilongjiang, closer to Snow Town but smaller than Harbin.
“Mu Dan” is Chinese for the peony flower, and “Jiang” means means “river”, so the name Mudanjiang (Mu Dan Jiang) literally means “Peony River” and is aptly named after the river which it sits on the banks of, the Mu Dan River. The peony used to be China’s national flower (the national flower is now the plum blossom), and is still a national symbol and artistic floral motif. In the North East, the peony is used in “North East floral prints”, which is used on wallpaper and textiles to decorate rooms and to make furnishings and clothes.
Here, visitors can try the local flatbread, and go on an informative tour of the Russian town and learn about the local part of the Trans Siberian Railway.
What is special about my tour?
Experience -30°C temperatures when you visit Snow Town, where it’s so cold, you can make your own instant snow by tossing water, and you have to eat your ice cream while it’s still “hot”! Confused?
In Harbin, there is a popular local ice cream brand that is particularly special when enjoyed in winter: since the ambient temperature is so cold, the ice cream is technically even warmer than the air around it, so the inside joke is you have to eat the ice cream while it’s still warm!
You’ll also have the opportunity to eat hot street food such as hot roasted sweet potatoes and steamed buns in the snow. North east China is also known for its generous servings of hearty and non-pretentious food and warm hospitality, well built warm interiors, and Kang beds. On this tour, you will get an opportunity to sleep on a Kang bed, subject to availability.
Logistically, visitors to Snow Town have to join a tour group to go there. As there is yet to be a direct way for foreigners to arrange a trip to Snow Town, I have taken the hard work out of arranging such a trip by working with a local tour agency in China to provide this English-speaking tour that covers not only Snow Town, but also Harbin and Mudanjiang, in 6 days. With the introduction of the new 15-day visa-free entry for holders of passports from certain eligible countries, this is the perfect short holiday that is packed with sight seeing activities, history, and culture, and still include free time.
Instead of a cookie cutter tour, each group will experience a customised, private and personalised service. For example, instead of dining in a food hall with a pre-determined menu catered for large quantity of tourists, each group will experience a unique dining experience: the guide will make a recommendation of local dishes based on the number of diners in each group and give the best cost to benefit ratio, making sure that everyone’s tastes are catered for while being able to try out a larger variety of dishes.
You’ll also avoid tourist gimmicks: Traditionally, horses are used for transportation in north east China because cattle is precious and used on the farm to plough fields. Ordinarily, dog drawn sleds require many dogs to pull one person and a sled. For about ￥100, you can ride a sled “pulled” by a single dog in Snow Town along the main street helped along by a human guide… or you can join the tour and go on an actual horse drawn sleigh.
You’ll also get your personal photo taken on a frozen lake by a drone and the digital files to take home with you to print as you please!
Inclusions:
• Airport pick up
• 6 nights accommodation in 4-star hotels (Holiday Inn or similar in the city, equivalent local hotels in Snow Town)
• Daily breakfast, two lunches, two dinners
• Heated minibus or coach transport
• English speaking guide
• All applicable entry fees
• Drone photos
• Water tossing photos
• All activity fees
• Optional winter gear stock-up shopping trip – if you are from a warmer climate and do not have sufficient winter gear suited to the local environment which typically is around -30°C, this trip to a local outdoors clothing and gear shop is provided for your convenience. This is entirely optional and provided for your benefit, not I nor the tour guide or tour agency earns a profit from it, but it is *highly recommended* that you go if you don’t have winter clothing suited to snow, ice and -30°C environments.
Not included:
• International flights
• Self-paid communal meals (the guide will recommend a local restaurant for the group and each participant can order their own dish or contribute to a group fund for a communal dinner – Chinese dishes are made to be shared. This saves everyone time and decision making process in unfamiliar environments and allows you to try the recommended dishes)
• Spending money, winter gear purchase money, souvenirs
• Any meals not included
Save on visa fees!
For a limited time, if you have a passport from one of these 9 countries, you can enter China without a visa for up to 15 days for tourism purposes, saving you the cost of of a visa, which is perfect for this short tour.
Bookings, Deposit, and Refunds:
Bookings, Deposit, and Refunds:
A deposit of $300 AUD is required. You may pay the remainder in cash on arrival or no later than 14 days before tour departure by bank deposit, or credit card (fees apply).
You receive a full refund if you cancel within a generous 7 days, or a 50% refund within 5 days of the tour starting. You won’t find such flexible terms elsewhere!
Spots are limited per group and accommodation sells out quickly, bookings are accepted until spots fill out. Book now!
Itinerary
Day 1 – Included Meals: none | Accommodation: Holiday Inn or similar
• Arrive in Harbin. Airport pickup according to flight arrival.
Early arrivals can go on an optional winter gear shopping trip*
Day 2 – Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner | Accommodation: Holiday Inn or similar
• Optional winter gear shopping trip*
• Visit the St Sophia Cathedral, modeled on the Saint Basil cathedral in Moscow, Russia
• Stroll along Central Street
• Visit Sun Island to see the snow sculptures
• Welcome group dinner
Day 3 – Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner | Accommodation: Local hotel
• Depart early to go to Snow Town by bus
• Activities and sights of the day include Ice and Snow Avenue (a scenic boardwalk among trees and winter landscape)
• Ride a horse drawn sleigh
• Visit Meng Huan Jia Yuan (a scenic cluster of houses in a separate village within Snow Town)
• Group dinner
Day 4 – Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch | Accommodation: Holiday Inn or similar
• Enjoy the sights of Snow Town in the morning
• Visit Mirror Lake (Jing Po Lake) where you will have a local lunch
• Get your photo taken on a frozen lake by a drone
• Depart Snow Town and travel by bus to the city of Mudanjiang
• Optional communal dinner^
Day 5 – Included Meals: Breakfast | Accommodation: Holiday Inn or similar
• See Siberian tigers in a safe caged vehicle and enjoy the sights
• Arrive in Mudanjiang around lunch time, visit the Russian village, try the local flatbread, optional communal lunch
• Return to Harbin in the evening
Day 6 – Included Meals: Breakfast | Accommodation: Holiday Inn or similar
• Visit the Unit 731 museum – a history museum explaining the secret experiments run by the Japanese in World War 2
• Visit Laodaowai, an area of town where local Chinese people lived while Russians built the Harbin portion of the Trans Siberian Railway
• Visit the Harbin Opera House and climb the roof
• Visit the International Ice Sculptures Festival
• Return to accommodation for the night, check out next morning.
Tip!
The ideal time for the best experience is from December 26th to December 31st inclusive, as there are New Years Fireworks at midnight of January 1st which can be seen in Sun Island at the Ice Scultures. This is also the middle of the season and when activities are well underway.
Important Notes:
1. The exact order and availability of activities may change depending on many factors such as, but not limited to, weather and availability/venue operating times.
2. *The winter gear shopping trip is not compulsory, it is entirely optional and provided only for your benefit, no profit is made from this. Please note that temperatures in winter in North East China is easily around -26°C to -30°C and if you are not used to such low temperatures, or your home country climate means appropriate clothes and gear is not available, it is **HIGHLY** recommended that you buy some local clothing and gear upon arrival that is made specifically to suit the local climate. Very cold winters are a fact of life and a normal phenomenon in North East China and the local clothing and gear there are everyday items that are both effective and affordable.
3. ^A communal dinner is a dinner at a local restaurant of the group’s choosing or guide’s recommendation with the entire tour group where everyone orders from a menu or has a say in the dishes to order and pays for themselves or splits the total bill, rather than a cookie cutter dinner made for tour groups. This allows everyone to buy and try more dishes when pooling dining funds and purchasing together and the ability to try authentic local cuisine, as opposed to mass produced simple food made only to feed hoards of tourists in a hall, which is typical in many tours.
4. Fitness level: Low, occassionally moderate. There is walking required but the participant can decide how long or far to walk, sometimes up to 700m at a time but at a leisurely pace eg strolling. Distance between metro station to Unit 731 Museum is around 550m if transport will be by metro. Walking will be on paved and flat, outdoor sealed surfaces (eg streets and sightseeing in Harbin and Mudanjiang city), indoors (eg museum), as well as snow surfaces outside (eg at the ice and snow sculptures venue, in Snow Town, nearby scenic areas, frozen lake, footpaths and walking tracks, wooden boardwalks) which may include some uneven surfaces.The climb at the Harbin Opera House is simply a ramp that goes over the roof from ground level and may include some steps, this activity is optional. Please note, it can be windy at the top of the Opera House.
5. There is no minimum age, but for your own convenience, be aware of the fitness requirements, tour itinerary, and weather situations that might make it challenging to travel with very young children. or the elderly/participants with mobility problems.
6. Bring minimum luggage: there is no vehicle access inside the village. Participants will be required to walk to and from their hotel upon arrival, and it can be difficult to move heavy/large suitcases on the snow covered ground (see pictures for an idea). Alternatively, ou can store your luggage at the hotel in Harbin before departure to Snow Town if you have excessive luggage.
7. Accommodation: Participants will be allocated into twin or more shares per room of the same gender eg all females a room and all males a room. Typically, a Kang bed can sleep around 2-4 people depending on the room style. If you are travelling as a family or a group and want a room for all members of your party, please advise. A single supplement might be payable if a single room is required or no roommate is available, you will be advised of this.
