6 Day Winter Tour of North East China

In this tour, you'll visit:

• the province of Heilongjiang

• its capital city, Harbin,

• the city of Mudanjiang, a city named after China's previous national flower the peony and a well recognised floral motif,

• and Snow Town, a mountain village and well kept domestic secret that can only be reached by road.

Tour highlights:

• Experience the -30°C winters

• Sightseeing: See giant and life sized sculptures at the annual international ice and snow scupltures in Harbin

• Learn history: Visit the Unit 731 history museum

• See natural landscape: Stay in Snow Town and see the natural winter scenery

• Activities: Toss water to make snow

• Activities: Get your photo taken by a drone on a frozen lake

• Activities: Ride a horse drawn sled

• Eat local authenic cuisine like Guo Bao Rou, steamed stuffed buns, hot roasted sweet potatoes

• Architectural highlights: Visit the St Sophia cathefral and the Harbin Opera House

plus more!

Why you should book this tour:

North East China is an underrated and under explored destination. In particular, Snow Town is a somewhat difficult-to-access yet highly popular and well known holiday destination domestically in China, but is slowly becoming more known outside of China. This is the first tour of its kind to offer guided tours to Snow Town with an English speaking guide and includes all the highlights of North East China in a 6 day .

Logistics for foreigners to get there is quite difficult, and additionally, due to its location, there is no railway, so it can only be reached by road. Therefore the easiest way to get there is to join a tour. Snow Town is extremely popular in China and books out regularly, with prices increasing dramatically during peak seasons such as Christmas, New Year, and Chinese New Year. Snow Town is a highly seasonal destination due to the fact that as a scenic area, it only opens when it starts snowing and closes when weather conditions change, so the exact opening and closing date and opening duration varies by season. There is only one season per year of around two short months (December to January or early February), so book now to avoid missing out! 

People per group:

Minimum of 12 people, maximum 20.

Dates:

December to January. Tours can depart any day but subject to minimum participant numbers.

Price:

Low season $1500 per person, peak season $2000. Prices are Australian Dollar equivalent of Chinese Yuan and subject to fluctuation. Surcharges charged by Rezdy and payment gateways not included.

Booking as a group eg schools or workplace? Send an inquiry for a group discount!

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

Not included:

• International flights

• Self-paid communal meals

• Spending money, winter gear purchase money, souvenirs

• Any meals and snacks not included

Brief introduction of the area:

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, hearty food, very cold winters, where it regularly gets to -30°C (-22°F). Despite the cold, North East China is a well developed area 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.

Harbin:

Heilongjiang is one of the North East provinces and is located on the border of China and Russia, so has significant Russian influence. Its capital city, Harbin is the home of the famous annual international ice and snow sculptures that attracts visitors from all around the world who brave the sub-zero temperatures to see the impressive works. Harbin is serviced by an international airport, making it easy to get to.

Mudanjiang:

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 ("jiang" meaning "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.

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. 

Check out the destination promo video, an information video coming soon~

Itinerary:

Day 1 – Included Meals: none | Accommodation: Holiday Inn or similar

• Arrive in Harbin. Airport pickup according to flight arrival.

If you arrive early, you 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, a fun pedestrian street in central Harbin lined with shops, including the Modern Hotel which produces its namesake famous ice cream, a must try in winter!

• 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 private minibus. Trip will take about 7-10 hours depending on road conditions with multiple rest stops 

• 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 consisting of local produce and fish

• 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 town center 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 or maximum 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 by same gender eg all females a room and all males a room. 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.

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