All Inclusive Private Day Tour to Shaolin Temple and Longmen Grottoes from Zhengzhou
Description
Embark on a private day tour to Shaolin Temple and Longmen Grottoes from Zhengzhou, a perfect blend of martial arts legacy and ancient Buddhist art. Watch a breathtaking kung fu performance with masterful martial arts moves, and explore the profound history and culture of Shaolin Temple alongside a knowledgeable English-speaking guide—who will deliver in-depth insights and unravel the fascinating stories behind every landmark, including China’s largest pagoda forest. Then visit the spectacular UNESCO World Heritage Site of Longmen Grottoes, where thousands of exquisitely carved Buddhist statues adorn the dramatic limestone cliffs, with your guide’s vivid commentary bringing these ancient artworks to life. This exclusive private tour includes a delicious local lunch, all entrance fees, a professional English-speaking guide and round-trip private transfer.
Tour Options
Itinerary
In the morning, your professional English-speaking guide and private driver will pick you up promptly from your Zhengzhou hotel. Board a private air-conditioned vehicle for an approximately 1.5-hour drive to Shaolin Temple, where your guide will share in-depth background—its over 1,500-year history as the birthplace of Chinese kung fu and cradle of Zen Buddhism.
Upon arrival, your guide will take you to the kung fu performance venue at the optimal time. Witness a breathtaking live show featuring precise fists, agile kicks, and impressive weapon routines—authentic Shaolin martial arts at its finest, showcasing the monks’ years of dedication and the seamless blend of physical strength and Zen philosophy. After the show, your guide will lead you into the ancient temple complex, where you’ll wander halls adorned with vivid traditional murals and sacred artifacts, breathing in the serene atmosphere of this millennia-old spiritual haven.
Next, explore China’s largest pagoda forest behind the temple with your guide. There are more than 240 tomb pagodas of various sizes from the Tang, Song, Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties (618-1911), making it the biggest pagoda forest in China. Wander among over 240 stone pagodas of varying heights and styles—final resting places of eminent Shaolin monks—while your guide shares their stories, explaining how each pagoda’s size and carvings reflect the monk’s status and era, highlighting their unique architectural and cultural value. After exploring Shaolin Temple and the pagoda forest, enjoy a delicious authentic local lunch to refuel for the afternoon’s journey.
In the afternoon, take a 1-hour private drive to Longmen Grottoes, a spectacular UNESCO World Heritage Site with over 1,400 years of history and exquisite ancient Buddhist stone carvings. Along the scenic Yi River path, admire thousands of statues embedded in steep limestone cliffs. Your guide will focus on iconic sites like Fengxian Temple, home to the 17.14-meter-high Vairocana Buddha, sharing its Tang Dynasty construction story, intricate craftsmanship, and religious significance, as well as the evolution of carving styles across dynasties and hidden details of these artistic masterpieces. After your comprehensive exploration of Longmen Grottoes, your guide and driver will safely transfer you back to your Zhengzhou hotel, concluding your unforgettable private day tour.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
We will pick you up from you hotel in Zhengzhou ,please provide hotel information when make booking
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- A current valid passport is required on the day of travel
- The tour is about 8-10 hours, if you want to extend the tour, please pay 30USD to your guide and driver for each extra hour
- Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking
- Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
Reviews(4)
This was a fantastic day, we visited the Shaolin temple in the morning and were delighted with the kung fu performance. Our guide was brilliant. She assisted us with better seating and was happy to go at our pace.. the Longman caves in the afternoon were amazing and even though it was a very long day, everything was thoroughly enjoyable. We would highly recommend her and the tour.
We had this experience during the Qing Ming celebration so we encountered a lot of traffic and the places were overcrowded, but our guide Yuefeng was great! He has been an excellent driver and he knows his way around those places saving us a lot of time and bringing us to the most important places. He also gave us a lot of explanations during the trip. I definitely recommend this trip, would have been extremely complicated doing everything with public transports.
Perfect day trip departing from Zhengzhou. Our driver and guide, mr. Ma, was very polite and attentive during the whole experience. He is very knowledgable about the history and culture of the Shaolin Temple and Longmen Grottoes. Lunch was also very good, with several options to choose from. The car ride is long, but mr. Ma is a very careful driver and we were able to rest and relax going from one place to the other. I recommend this trip to everyone that is interested in visiting both sites at the same day.
The tour was perfectly planned and David(our guide ) and the driver were professional and kind to satisfy our requests.The lunch food was delicious.A great occasion to discovery the ancient treasures of China.
