Private itineraries for any group size, any schedule, any budget. Planned by our US-based team and executed in China by certified local partners and licensed bilingual guides.
Big booking platforms sell seats on someone else's schedule. A custom trip is built differently, and for a journey as significant as China, the difference is everything.
You choose when to go, how long to stay, and how fast to move. No waiting for the next departure window. No rushing through a city because the bus leaves in 20 minutes.
Big platforms: fixed departure dates
Custom: depart any day, move at your pace
We plan your trip here and coordinate directly with our certified Chinese travel agency partners and licensed bilingual guides, specialists who know every route, every season, and the details that make the real difference.
Big platforms: automated booking engine
Custom: real expertise, both sides of the Pacific
Group tours in China often include mandatory shopping stops and padded itineraries that serve the commission structure, not the traveler. Every day on your custom trip is there because you chose it.
Group tours: mandatory shopping stops
Custom: every day belongs to you
From your first conversation to the day you board your return flight, here is what to expect.
Share your dates, group size, interests, and rough budget. A 30-minute call or meeting is all we need to understand what you want to do.
A trip planning deposit reserves your consultation and kicks off the research and itinerary-building process.
Credited toward your tripWe build your day-by-day itinerary with routes, hotels, experiences, and all-in pricing. We revise until it is exactly right.
We confirm with our China partners. You receive a full pre-trip briefing with your daily plan, local contacts, and everything you need to arrive confident.
Custom trip planning takes real time and real expertise. Before a single hotel is booked, we research your route in depth, coordinate with our certified Chinese travel agency partners, and build a day-by-day plan tailored to your group, your pace, and your budget. A trip planning deposit starts this process and reserves dedicated attention for your trip, not a generic template.
Your deposit is credited in full toward your trip when you book. It is not a fee for talking to us. It is your reservation for the kind of thoughtful, personalized planning that automated platforms simply do not offer.
30 minutes with your dedicated travel designer, in person at our office, by phone, or video call
We dig into your specific dates, destinations, and interests, coordinated with our certified China partners
A complete day-by-day itinerary with hotel options, experiences, and all-in pricing
Adjust destinations, pacing, hotel category, or anything else until the plan fits your group perfectly
The full planning deposit is credited toward your package price when you book. Payment schedules and cancellation terms are provided with each proposal and reflect the policies of our confirmed suppliers.
Every trip is quoted to your exact group, dates, and selections. Here is what a typical custom package covers.
Certified local guide in each city. Fluent English, deep cultural knowledge, and an understanding of the history behind what you are seeing.
Private transfers and daily touring throughout. No shared vans, no strangers, no waiting for someone else's schedule.
Intercity travel as outlined in your proposal. China's high-speed rail network is extraordinary and we use it well.
International brands or quality boutique properties, matched to your group and budget. Room types confirmed in advance, accessibility needs accommodated.
Admission for every scheduled attraction in your itinerary. No surprise fees at the gate, no queuing for tickets on the day.
Full pre-departure packet with your daily plan, local contacts, and emergency numbers. Support available throughout your trip.
These are the kinds of trips we build for our travelers. Yours will be different. That is the whole point.
The iconic sites, done properly. Four nights in Beijing to walk the Wall at Mutianyu before the crowds arrive, two days in Xi'an to stand in the Terracotta Army pit and actually understand what you are looking at, and Shanghai last so you leave wanting to come back. Most travelers ask about the return trip before they have even unpacked.
13 daysFor travelers who plan their meals before they plan their transportation. Suzhou's classical gardens at dawn before the gates open, a slow night boat through Wuzhen with paper lanterns on the water, a proper tea ceremony in the hills above Hangzhou's West Lake, and a cooking class in Shanghai before the flight home. Every traveler we have sent here has stayed longer than planned.
12 to 15 daysFor the traveler with a camera and a list. The sandstone pillars of Zhangjiajie at first light, the Li River bends outside Guilin from a local fishing boat, the sea of clouds over Huangshan before sunrise, and the turquoise lakes of Jiuzhaigou before any tour bus arrives. We build these trips across three or four regions and plan every morning around the light. Three weeks goes quickly out here.
18 to 22 daysA panda sanctuary where you get close enough to understand why people fly halfway around the world for it, Leshan's 230-foot cliff-face Buddha, a slow evening on the Yangtze River, and the stacked hillside neighborhoods of Chongqing lit up after dark. The hotpot dinner at the end tends to become the meal that every other meal gets compared to. Twelve days, minimum.
11 to 14 daysThe Fujian Tulou are the most underrated structures in China. Circular, six-story earthen fortresses built by a single clan, some housing hundreds of people for centuries, still standing in mountain valleys that most visitors never reach. Add Xiamen's Portuguese colonial waterfront, a tea ceremony in the red-cliffed mountains of Wuyishan, and the ancient Silk Road port of Quanzhou, and you have nearly two weeks in a China that almost nobody has been to. Those tend to be the trips people remember longest.
12 to 14 daysSome travelers want to understand China, not just visit it. The grand tour moves through four or five regions at a pace that lets things sink in properly. Northern China for history, Jiangnan for elegance and water and tea, the southwest for landscapes that do not look entirely real, and the coast for the modern city energy that surprises nearly everyone. We have built these for families, for couples marking something significant, and for solo travelers who come home knowing they have actually been somewhere. No two grand tours are ever the same.
22 to 28 daysAll reviews from Google. Nothing edited, nothing invented.
"Used Loong Explorer for trip planning on a 14-day China itinerary covering Shanghai, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and Beijing. Chou was responsive, organized, and clearly knows the region. The plan he put together was well-paced and hit exactly what I was looking for. Good experience start to finish."
"Solo backpacker here. Needed help sorting out hotels and transfers for 14 days across Shanghai, Chengdu, Zhangjiajie, and Beijing, didn't want to wing it completely. Chou handled all of it, everything lined up perfectly. No stress, no scrambling. Exactly what I needed."
"We had such a great time on our Sichuan and Chongqing trip. Honestly, it exceeded our expectations. Seeing the pandas up close was a highlight, and Chongqing at night was incredible. And yes, the hotpot was next level. Chou at Loong Explorer handled everything and made planning feel easy. No stress, no confusion, just clear communication and solid organization the whole way through. We're already thinking about where to go next in China and will definitely be booking with Chou again."
"This was our first time ever going to China, and we honestly didn't know what to expect. Chou made everything simple. We booked the all-inclusive Shanghai and Zhejiang tour, and he helped with every step, from visas to daily planning. Shanghai was incredible, and Wuzhen felt like something out of a movie. Everything was smooth, organized, and stress-free. We just got back and are already thinking about our next trip. Highly recommend."
The earlier you start, the more options we can build into your proposal.
Your passport must be valid at least six months beyond your return date. Most U.S. travelers need a China visa. We can prepare and file your application and submit passports to the Chinese Consulate in New York through our certified agency partner.
See our Visa Assistance service Tell us your dates, your group, and what you are excited about.
We will build something worth traveling across the world for.
Questions first? Call (717) 229-6790 · Tue to Sat, 9 AM to 5 PM · info@loongexplorer.com