China Tours
China - Yunnan Expedition

 

 

China - Yunnan Expedition

Next Departure ... To Be Advised

A Tibetan Lamasery , historic temples, arched stone bridges, The Stone Forest, village markets, and craft shops will all be included in this journey through Kunming, Lijiang and Zhongdian .

Experience the charm of China`s Yi, Naxi, and Tibetan cultural minorities through their food, costumes ,architecture and crafts.

In Search of the China Rose

Yunnan is the home of Rose gigantea, the wild tea-scented China rose. The route that we take will cover locations visited by Martin Rix and Roger Phillips in their television series Quest for the China Rose. In 1924, plant hunter George Forrest and anthropologist Joseph Rock discovered Camellia reticulata, wild tree peonies and the Banksian rose in Yunnan province.

 

Exclusive Programme

This journey is designed for people who have a keen interest in discovering new destinations. Ten years ago Yunnan was rarely visited by tourists. Now we are having to take our guests further towards the villages near the border of Tibet , further away from Kunming and Dali which are no longer off the beaten track.

Not only does this tour give you an opportunity to visit natural environment areas that are not included on any other tour but also you will be able to explore villages of minority people and narrow lanes that lead through picturesque and exotic scenes that are truly medieval.

Members who do not wish to participate in all or any of the walks are welcome to pursue personal interests or enjoy less strenuous walks of a shorter distance.

 

Abundant Native Vegetation

This unique journey will take you into some of the pristine forests and natural vegetation of southwest China. Here, nine million hectares of forest are home to some 240 species of fragrant plants.

About 250 of the world's 600 species of edible fungus live in the complex ecology and varied climate of Yunnan.

Many of these plants can be found in the native forests and shrublands in which you will be walking during your journey. A wide variety of rhododendrons should be in full bloom during our visit creating a spectacular and colourful scene.

Here in the wild forests and alpine meadows of Yunnan province no less than 170 native species of azalea and rhododendron are found, and in late May to early June we should see some excellent blooms towards the border of Tibet.

Camellia, iris, wisteria, fritalaria and slipper orchids have been photographed in bloom on our previous expeditions.

Specialist Escort

Guan Kaiyun, director of the Kunming Institute of Botany will personally lead you into areas of Yunnan province where only a handful of western travellers have been before.

Guan has an encyclopedic knowledge of the endemic plants of Yunnan and was a key figure in the success of our previous Yunnan expeditions. Many locations you will visit were discovered during Guan's research expeditions into the interior for the China Academy of Sciences.

 

For detailed itinerary and brochure CLICK HERE or send us an email - travel@toursgallery.com