Tour through the world’s first gardens in Yunnan
A tour through northwest Yunnan is an adventure trail through China’s richest and most biodiverse area. This is the original location of the world's gardens. Visit in spring or summer and the surrounding hills will be blanketed with rhododendrons, camellias and irises. Come with us into the temperate forests to stroll amid more than 3,000 species of orchids and more than half of the world's 400 species of rhododendron.
The heady scents of the hillsides can be enjoyed on a Yunnan walking tour, stopping regularly to capture the colourful scenes on camera. Our bird-watching adventure in Yunnan will bring a wide range of migratory birds into your viewfinder too, including the Black Neck Crane that is holy to the Tibetans. And, if you trek deeper into the forests our specialist guides can take you to all the best spots to sight the Yunnan Golden Monkey, one of the world’s most endangered primates.
We can tailor your holiday to suit your interests, but for many clients the allure of heading off to search for Shangri-La is understandably strong. This sacred region is located between three rivers. It sits in a wide valley, surrounded by soaring snow-capped peaks, primeval forests and pristine lakes. Here traditional villages, with white walled and richly decorated buildings, once provided an important staging stop for trading caravans, and still retain the rich cultural heritage of the local Tibetan people.
In Tibetan Shangri-La means a place of good fortune. It is a description you could also apply to Yunnan itself.