Description
Last Updated on: 15th November 2024, 10:45 pm
Travel to north east China in Heilongjiang province in this 6-day English speaking tour where you’ll visit the city of Harbin, Snow Town, and Mudanjiang, eat Guo Bao Rou, roasted sweet potato, sticky rice buns and drink local beer!
This trip is the perfect combination of food, culture, history, and sight seeing. $300 AUD deposit and 100% refund if cancelled within 7 days of tour starting.
Highlights you’ll visit:
• The snow sculptures on Sun Island in Harbin
• The annual ice sculptures, life sized structures and sculptures built out of ice harvested from the local Song Hua river in Harbin, if visiting on New Year’s Eve, you can even see fireworks!
• Snow Town, a scenic snow-covered village in a mountain 280km from Harbin city + other scenic spots
• Guided tour of the Unit 731 Museum, an educational museum dedicated to revealing the secret experiments conducted by the Japanese in World War 2
Activities you’ll do:
• Climb the roof of the Harbin Opera house
• Get your photo taken by a drone on a frozen lake
• Toss water, see it turn to snow, and get your photo taken
• Sleep on a Kang bed
• Learn about the history of Russian construction of the Trans Siberian Railway in north east China
• Eat authentic local food and street snacks like Guo Bao Rou, roasted sweet potato, sticky rice buns
• Ride a horse drawn sleigh
Check out all the details about this tour here!
About Harbin
Harbin is the capital city of Heilongjiang Province in China, and is located in the north east of China close to the Russian-Chinese border. As a result, there are Russian influences which can be seen in its architecture, town planning, and food. The Russians built the local railway which became a part of the Trans Siberian Railway, which you will learn about on this tour. Heilongjiang is also China’s major food producer, so the local cuisine is known for their generous serves, hearty farmer food and warm hospitality. Winters experience very cold weather regularly, -30°C is the typical temperature, so traditionally, food was stored and preserved outside. The cold temperature also means the giant ice and snow sculptures can stay frozen.
About Snow Town
Snow Town is a village in a mountain some 280km from Harbin city. It is a highly popular winter holiday destination in China among domestic Chinese residents. In winter, the village is covered in snow, and offers beautiful scenery in and around the area. It is a very seasonal destination, and visitors who wish to go there join a tour group for logistical reasons. It’s remote location and difficulty of reaching it means stays there are expensive, especially in peak season, which is end of the year and Chinese New Year.
About Mudanjiang
Mudanjiang is another city in Heilongjiang, closer to Snow Town but smaller than Harbin. There, 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 this tour?
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. Participants meet in Harbin city, which is conveniently serviced by Taiping International Airport and will be picked up by a tour guide. 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.
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 get your personal photo taken on a frozen lake by a drone and the digital files to take home with you!
People per group:
10-20. Please note: Prices may increase for less people and decrease for more. You will be notified when payment is required.
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.
Indicative price
$2,000 AUD per person twin share, not including flights.
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, this trip to a local outdoors clothing and gear shop is provided for your convenience. It is entirely optional and 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 dinners (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)
• Spending money, winter gear purchase money, souvenirs
• Any meals not included
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!
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