Award-winning luxury travel company WildChina has launched new small group set departure journeys for first-time visitors to China. Especially designed for North American travelers, the Classic China Series features three inclusion-rich itineraries that give an insider’s perspective of China's must-see attractions with default access to expert-led tours at key sites, and local-life immersion activities such as street food tours.

The three itineraries are themed to cater to different interests, but all cover the top must-see China sites for North American travelers – the Great Wall, Terracotta Warriors, and Shanghai Bund skyline. “Palaces and Pandas” adds on a Sichuan excursion for animal enthusiasts to meet and feed pandas. “Monuments and Mountains” ventures to the scenic karst hills of Guilin to satisfy outdoor and adventure seekers. “Family Fun” features special activities designed for kids including a treasure hunt in the Forbidden City.

A multiple winner of Travel & Leisure and National Geographic Traveler awards for Tibet, Silk Road and Shangri-La journeys, WildChina has harnessed its 14 years of experience in authentic luxury China travel to create its new Classic China Series. Founder Mei Zhang sees WildChina as being uniquely positioned for raising the bar on China luxury group travel.

“I started WildChina to bring China’s remote and inaccessible gems to visitors so they can experience the real China outside of the tired tour bus routes. Recently there has been an increasing demand from the market for our style of authentic travel experiences within the big cities too and we are well poised to service this,” said Zhang.

“We also throw in an all-inclusive program of optional activities in each city, ranging from tai-chi workshops to cooking classes, so that travelers can follow their hearts on the road without needing to open their wallets. We've been tailoring private FIT trips for a long time, and we're delighted now to be able to bring that element of bespoke travel to our small-group offering as well.”

Trips depart on a seasonal schedule starting September 2014 with guaranteed bi-weekly departures through Spring, Summer and Fall for “Palaces and Pandas” and “Monuments and Mountains,” and through Summer for “Family Fun.”  Itineraries guarantee no commissioned shopping and dining, and accommodation in international standard five-star hotels such as the Peninsula, Shangri-La and Ritz Carlton. Classic China itineraries are also available for FIT and private groups.

SOURCE: WildChina press release