Sichuan, meaning “four rivers”, is one of China’s largest and most populous provinces. It has an expansive fertile basin enriched by the waters of four main tributaries of the mighty Yangtze River: the Minjiang, Dadu, Wujiang and Jialing. This basin is surrounded on all sides by majestic mountains and magnificent landscapes of extreme natural beauty. In ancient times, the road to Sichuan, the “Shu Dao”, was so difficult to navigate that it was said to be more difficult than the “road to Heaven”. Today, Shu Dao is used as a common idiom meaning extreme difficulty.

Sichuan is known the world over for its very spicy and delicious cuisine. It is also well-known for its production of beautiful textiles. Chengdu, the provincial capital, was nicknamed the “Brocade City” because it was the center of Sichuan’s cottage industries of silk and satin products, and hand weavings of cloth, brocade and embroidery.

On this tour we will hike the riverside cliffs at Leshan to view the giant Buddha statue carved within. We will see the massive river diversion project at Dujiangyan which was begun in the 3rd Century to control the Minjiang and irrigate the Chengdu Plain.

Above all its incredible natural beauty, the real pride of Sichuan is that it is the home of the giant panda. We will visit the famous Wolong Nature Reserve and get an up-close experience with one of the earth’s most beloved yet most endangered creatures. You will be accompanied on your trip by an animal keeper from a well known zoo who will share personal stories and interesting information about pandas and other wildlife that you may encounter on your trip.

The name Yunnan means “south of the clouds” due to its overall mild weather year round. Even its capital city of Kunming is nicknamed the “Spring City”. However, the Province of Yunnan may have the highest diversity geographically and ethnically of all of China’s 28 provinces. In Yunnan’s northwest, towering ice mountains adjoin Tibet and Myanmar, and steamy, lush jungles of Laos and Vietnam lie to the south. Some of Asia’s greatest rivers such as the Yangtze, Salween and Mekong race through Yunnan’s immensely deep canyons. The variety of landscapes and richly mixed ecology provide much visual stimulation. Over 50% of all plant and animal species of China can be found somewhere in Yunnan. Its fertile red soil produces abundant rice year-round, huge vegetable crops, and some of the best teas in China. Many valuable herb staples used in Chinese medicine originate in Yunnan’s mountains, and the ancestry of all species of camellias and rhododendrons can be traced back to Yunnan.

China claims 56 ethnic groups living within its borders. Yunnan alone boasts 25, most of which are solely found in this province. Yunnan was largely inaccessible to much of the outside world well into the 1900’s, despite the fact that it historically had a major role in the southwest silk route. Because of this, many ethnic groups still maintain their own aboriginal religions and customs. However, the majority of the people follow the common religion of Buddhism, and all schools of Buddhism (Tibetan, Hinayana and Mahayana) can be found in Yunnan.

On this tour we will be visiting many minority villages, get to know the people, their lifestyles and cultures and no doubt be amazed at the differences that we will see. We will have the opportunity to observe the daily life in a Yi people’s village, and spend an evening dancing and singing with the Mosuo people at a traditional bonfire welcome party. We will visit the Bai people as they craft their beautiful tie-dye batik as well as observe the Sani people, whose peculiar customs and habits mesmerize visitors, creating their well-known embroidery work. We will visit Buddhist and Taoist temples such as the Jade Peak Temple on Jade Dragon Mountain, see the 139 statues of the Shibao Mountain Grottoes, and take a walk into the Stone Forest, a bizarre, natural spectacle of over 100 groups of monoliths in shapes ranging from overhanging cliffs to grotesque boulders.