Handcrafted itineraries, built around you.
Each journey starts as a blank page. We fill it with the places, people, and moments that matter to you.
Mystery Journey
Can't decide where in China to go? Leave it to us. We'll randomly assign you a fully-planned trip from our existing catalog of journeys — same private-guide standard, same handpicked stays, but the destination stays a surprise until it's confirmed.
- Randomly assigned from our full catalog of handcrafted journeys
- Same private guide, transfers, and accommodation standard as every Silk Star trip
- A fixed price band regardless of which journey you receive
Highlands to Rainforest
From Chongqing's neon mountainsides to Xishuangbanna's tropical rainforest — pandas in Chengdu, a snow-capped old town in Lijiang, and a lake ringed by mountains in Dali, all in one descending arc through China's southwest.
- Chongqing's hillside skyline and Yangtze-side hotpot, best seen after dark
- A private panda encounter and Chengdu's teahouse-and-alleyway pace
- Lijiang's old town and Jade Dragon Snow Mountain at first light
Lanterns and Stone Peaks
Shanghai's skyline gives way to Zhouzhuang's canals, then to the quartz spires of Zhangjiajie and the lantern-lit riverfronts of Furong Town and Fenghuang, before ending in Chongqing's hillside neon — a single route through China's most photographed water towns and stone peaks.
- Shanghai's Bund skyline and a half-day in Zhouzhuang's canal old town
- Zhangjiajie's quartz-sandstone pillars, the landscape said to have inspired Avatar
- Furong Town's waterfall running straight beneath the old riverside houses
Imperial North
Three imperial capitals, one continuous story — from the Forbidden City's ceremonial halls to the buried armies of Xi'an and the merchant courtyards of Pingyao.
- Private early-access to the Forbidden City before public opening
- A city elder's walking tour through Pingyao's ancient banking houses
- Sunrise viewing of the Terracotta Army from a restricted vantage point
Yangtze Odyssey
A slow float through the Three Gorges aboard a boutique river vessel, bookended by Chongqing's mountain energy and Shanghai's glass towers.
- Boutique river cruise through Qutang, Wu, and Xiling Gorges
- A hidden hanging-coffin site accessible only by small boat
- Private car transfer replacing group coach transport at every stop
Modern Jiangnan
The China of glass towers and garden courtyards, side by side — Shanghai's skyline, Hangzhou's West Lake, and Suzhou's classical gardens in one unhurried week.
- A private tea ceremony in a Hangzhou tea master's home
- After-hours access to a Suzhou garden, empty of visitors
- Rooftop dinner overlooking the Bund at blue hour
Silk Road West
The far edge of China, where the Silk Road still smells of cumin and diesel — bazaars, desert oases, and alpine lakes few Western travellers ever reach.
- A dawn visit to the Kashgar Sunday livestock market
- Overnight in a Uyghur family's courtyard home in Turpan
- A guide who has spent a decade earning trust along this route
Li River Dreaming
Karst peaks rising from still water, rice terraces cut into mountainsides, and a pace slow enough to actually notice both.
- A bamboo raft drift past Nine Horse Fresco Hill at first light
- A private cooking class in a Yao village on the Longji terraces
- Bicycle route through the Yangshuo countryside, off the tourist road
Cloud Kingdom
Yunnan's high plateau, from Kunming's eternal spring to Shangri-La's Tibetan monasteries, with Lijiang's old town in between.
- A private audience with a monk at Songzanlin Monastery
- Trek along a quiet section of Tiger Leaping Gorge
- Homestay with a Naxi family in the hills above Lijiang
How we build your journey
Tell us how you like to travel — fast or slow, cultural depth or pure landscape, group or couple — and we listen first.
We draft a day-by-day itinerary with alternatives at each stage. Nothing is locked until you're happy with every line.
Permits, transfers, guides, visas, accommodation. Every detail is coordinated before your first flight lands.
Your guide meets you at arrivals. From there, all you have to do is be present.
Your journey starts with a question.
Tell us where you'd like to go. We'll take it from there.