Private Day Tour: Go on a Temple Pilgrimage including Vegetarian Lunch and Afternoon Tea

Approximately at 8:30am, depart from your hotel in a comfortable, air-conditioned vehicle and enjoy the scenic surroundings on your way to the west part of Beijing. Set in forested mountains to the west of Beijing, Tanzhe Temple and Ordination Terrace Temple (Jietai Temple) are tranquil retreats in fresh mountain air, scented with burning incence. These 2 temples are charming and hardly changed for centuries, and you will find that they are very popular by local pilgrims.

Your first stop is the Temple of the Ordination, which sits on a hillside and looks more like a fortress than a temple. It is surrounded by forbiddingly tall red walls. On a clear day, this temple offers an unhindered view of Beijing. The temple takes its name from its famous Ming marble ordination altar, built some 1,300 years ago. This altar is nearly 5 meters high and is decorated with exquisite carvings.The enormous white marble ordination platform is China's largest and intricately carved with figures - monks, monsters (beaked and winged) and saints. Dating from the Liao Dynasty, it is a three-tiered structure with 113 statues of the God of Ordination placed in niches around the base. The temple also famous for its ancient twisted pine and cypress trees in the courtyards.

After your morning tour, you will enjoy a vegetarian lunch inside the temple, and this is a very unique dining Around 11:30am or 12:30pm depending on your time. You will stop at the vegetarian restaurant inside the temple to experience an unique dinning experience.

In the afternoon, you will head to the Tanzhe Temple, the largest and oldest one in the area (41,600square meters). Most of the buildings here are in typical Ming and Qing style architecture. The greenery of the surroundings is spectacular, especially in the spring when the fruit trees are in blossom. There are also lush bamboo gardens. The complex is extensive, and it is said to have provided a model for the layout of the Forbidden City. 

Your temple tour followed by a great tea break. Chinese Tea is remarkable and known around the world for its flavor and various types. Enjoy a cup of tea (black, green,or flower tea) with snacks at the second floor of the Temple where you can overlook the scenery, the temple and see how locals come and pray.

After your tour is finished, you will be transferred back to your centrally located hotel in Beijing.