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We had a wonderful time in Tibet. We have learned a lot about this unique destination because of the wonderful guide Degyi who is so knowledge and always available towards our tours. We stayed at the Shangri-La Hotel Lhasa, and we would never imagine a Tibet travel could be so nice and amazing without the help of Degyi.
Also, thanks a lot to our Tibetan driver Mr.Wongdun for his safe driving and a good sense of service along the way.
We shall return Tibet in the near future!
P.B. and A. A - Europe
Tibet Travel
June 2018 (Private Tibet Journey from Kathmandu)
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 Tour Name: Sichuan - The Untold Story of TeaTour Code: M168D807 Duration: 13 Days & 12 Nights Destination: Chengdu, Yibin, Leshan, Emei Shan, Ya'an, Mount.Mengding, Qionglai, Dayi, Mount.Qingcheng, Dujiangyan, Chengdu Features: The Chinese Province of Sichuan, is a huge, fertile basin surrounded by high mountains which cut it off from the rest of the country. Sichuan is well-known for many things including Giant Pandas and heavily spicy food, but among tea lovers this province in southwest China is most famous for being the birthplace of Chinese Tea. To many, the Tibetan foothills of Western Sichuan remains a secret on popular tea maps. Here at Splendid China Tours, your ultimate Sichuan Tea Expedition begins. Departure Date: From April to October 2019! Tour Price: From $1,750 P.P |
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Itinerary Day By Day:
Day01 Welcome to Chengdu, China
Today you arrive in Chengdu, the capital of China's Sichuan Province and home to many teas. Greeted and received by your Splendid China Tours host who will escort you to your hotel in town. The balance of the day is at your own leisure.
Overnight in Chengdu
Day02 Chengdu (B, L, SD)
Enjoy a savory breakfast at hotel. Followed by a leisure day tour in Chengdu. The first stop is for the Giant Pandas and Red Pandas at Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. Walk through the dense bamboo forest to find out these amazing animals of Sichuan. After a Chinese lunch at at local restaurant, head back the city for a great experience at a local Tea Town, the largest of its kind in Southwest China showcasing all kinds of Chinese teas. Our main focus is on the Sichuan native teas, from Green to Black. Later of the day spend some leisure time at He Ming Cha She (Singing Crane Teahouse), a 90+ year old teahouse with traditional bamboo chairs, tables and clay tea boats in the People's Park of Chengdu. Enjoy the Sichuan style Tea Ceremony. Tonight sample some unique dishes cooked with healthy tea ingredients.
Overnight in Chengdu
Price excluded:
Day03 Chengdu - Yibin (B, L, D)
The major and foremost thing today is Sichuan gongfu Black Tea, or more commonly known as "Chuan Hong" by tea professionals. With Keemun and Yunnan Gold, Sichuan Gongfu is one of the three most famous Gongfu black tea in China. The tea is truly special as it is produced from very fine downy tea buds, a rarity in black teas where usually only the tea leaves are used for the production. Head along the vast Chengdu Plain to the subtropical hilly region in south of Sichuan. The first on-site observation will be at the Tea Plantation in a lush green terroir. Walk through the tea bushes and pick tea leaves and tender tea bulbs. Then proceed to the factory to see how the Sichuan gongfu Black Tea is made in the traditional way. Sample some good black tea and take a smaller session with the factory technician.
Overnight in Yibin
Day04 Yibin - Leshan - Mount. Emei (B, L, D)
Travel along the Minjiang River upstream to Leshan. We are able to see big and small tea plantations of green teas. After a 2 hours drive we arrive in Leshan, home to the mighty Grand Buddha. Towering 71 meters high, Leshan Giant Buddha is the largest Buddha Statue in the world. It is a statue of Maitreya in sitting posture. Facing the Minjiang River, the Buddha has symmetrical posture and looks which have been beautifully captured in its solemn stillness. You will visit Buddhist Linyun Temple which was created in the Chinese Tang Dynasty locates on the hilltop nearby the Giant Buddha Statue. Afterwards we take a boat cruise on the Minjiang River (Minjiang) to observe the Giant Buddha from a floating perspective. Later of the day proceed to Mount.Emei (Emei Shan). Time permitting, explore the big Arhats Hall at the Crouching Tiger Monastery, the only chapel on Mount.Emei for Buddhist nuns.
Overnight at Mount.Emei
Day05 Mount. Emei (B, L, D)
Xue Ya Tea, or Snow Bud Tea, is made of the newly grown sprouts, the most tender part of the tea bush. The Bud is picked in early Spring in the foggy mountains and due to its complexity in picking process, very limited quantity can be attained for the Snow Bud Tea production each year. Emei Snow Bud Green Tea is top ranking among all the Xueya Teas in China. This morning we hike up to the organic Xue Ya Tea Plantation in the mountainous area of Emei Shan with an altitude from 800m - 1,500m. Walk through the fields, and have a hands-on picking experience with the local tea farmers. After that we will travel to the Xue Ya Eco Tea Garden to witness how the Organic Xue Ya Tea is process and made. We will drink some of the Xue Ya Teas. In the afternoon proceed to the Long Life Monastery area to sample some more Green Teas in the Buddhist temple complex. Descending the mountain and get back our hotel for a nice dinner of Sichuan cuisine.
Overnight at Mount.Emei
Day06 Mount. Emei - Ya'an (B, L, D)
Deep in the mountains of Southwestern China's Sichuan and Yunnan Province, The legendary "Tea and Horse Road" was once the trail Chinese tea and Tibetan horses were long traded. It begins from Sichuan and Yunnan, runs along the eastern foothills of the Hengduan Mountains, a center of tea production in China, then crosses the Hengduan mountains and deep canyons of several major rivers, the Yarlong, the Golden Sand (upper Yangtze), the Mekong, and the Salween, before finally reaching the Himalayas. Ya'an in Western Sichuan is long acclaimed as the major Pressed Tea Brick (belongs to aged Dark Tea) production base for the Tibetans on the Tea and Horse Road since centuries ago. This morning we will learn another famous Green Tea of Emei Shan, Zhu Ye Qing Cha (Bamboo Leaf Green Tea). The tea gardens of Zhu Ye Qing are scattering around the Emei Mountain. We shall learn a bit more on subjects of Chinese Tea History, Sichuan Tea Culture and enjoy a Sichuan Tea Ceremony in one of the Zhu Ye Qing Tea Gardens. Drink some Zhu Ye Qing Tea. Then proceed to Liujiang Ancient Town by a gentle flowing river in the backdrop of misty hills. This afternoon travel to Ya'an for a trip to local Museum with a lot of exhibits on the ancient Tea and Horse Caravan Route.
Overnight in Ya'an
Day07 Ya'an (B, L, D)
Today is all about the teas in around Ya'an area. When thinking of Dark Tea, most people think Pu'er, but a visit to Ya'an is surely a big surprise. Pu'er is actually a small sub-division of China's Dark Tea, a category that requires a secondary fermentation, also called a post-production process. Dark Tea is commonly known to have the function of aiding digestion and revitalizing energy, and it has been a daily drink of the Tibetans for over a thousand years. In comparison with Pu'er, Tibetan Dark Tea here in Ya'an is much less known to the outside world. This morning we shall unveil the mystery and introduce Sichuan's Tibetan Dark Tea at the 470-year-old Ya'an Tea Factory. Walk in with factory staff to learn how the Dark Tea is processed and made. Sample the Tibetan Dark Tea that tastes good and has a lot of health benefits. Then we depart for a Black Clay Pottery Workshop in a Ya'an Suburb. Prevailed from late Ming Era, Yixing Teapots or Zhi Sha Hu (Purple Sand Tea pots) in Eastern China's Jiangsu Province, are considered by many as the ideal tool to brew teas. While here in Sichuan, the Black Clay Pottery is actually has much longer history than the Yixing Teapots and serve equally good for teas. The Black Clay Tea pots are of simplicity charm. The artists shall show us how to make a pot and how to use the teapot brewing different types of teas. In the afternoon we spend some good time at the campus of Sichuan Agricultural University, a premier academic organization for tea studies. Meet with one of their professor who shall give us lecture on Chinese Tea Culture and the tea cultivation in ancient and modern China.
Overnight in Ya'an
Day08 Mengding Mountain (B, L, D)
Our major activity for today is Mengding Mountain. According to the bible of tea, the book "The Classic of Tea" by Lu Yu, a Chinese Tang Dynasty writer, and many other historical materials, Mengding Mountain in Ya'an is the original place of cultivated teas with a history of more than two thousand years in tea planting, tea making and tea sipping art. Mengding teas are famous for its Tribute Teas called Mengding Yellow Buds Tea (Yellow Tea) and Mengding Ganlu (Green Tea). We shall trek around the greenery of tea plantation and picking the delicate leaves from the bushes and get back to the home of a small-size producer who shall demonstrate the traditional crafting techniques in processing the newly picked tea leaves (real artisanal tea). Sample some Mengding artisanal Yellow and Green Teas at the tea producer's home and enjoy a Chinese lunch on the mountain. In the afternoon we take some walking to explore some more tea gardens including the Emperor's Tribute Tea Garden and age-old building complex of Buddhist temples. Later of the day we travel to Qionglai (whose old name is Lin Qiong), one of Sichuan's historical town.
Overnight in Qionglai
Day09 Qionglai - Dayi (B, L, D)
Qionglai is nowadays noted for its high quality production of Jasmine Tea/Flower Tea and Green Tea. We head to the tea plantation of a local tea producer, walk through the fields and survey the terroir and the micro-climate it adheres. Getting back the factory, we will find out how this popular flower tea is made both by the traditional and modern technology. The factory tea technician shall share with us how to distinguish the tea quality and grades. After that we depart for Dayi, one of the origin place of China's indigenous Taoism. Travel to the Singing Crane Mountain area to find out some tea gardens where the native people have been making "Taoist Temple Tea" (green tea) connected with Taoist health-maintain thoughts for over a millennium. Proceed to our hotel at An Ren Ancient Town.
Overnight at Dayi An Ren
Day10 Dayi - Mount.Qingcheng (B, L, D)
Travel in the Qionglai Mountain Range, one of the major natural habitat for the Giant Pandas. We trek up into a forest to see the old wild tea plant of Pipa Cha, which is a type of Green Tea. We walk through the cultivated tea bushes and have Pipa Cha with the local tea growers. Then we proceed through Jie Zi Ancient Town to the verdant Qingcheng Shan (Mount.Qingcheng), a UNESCO World Heritage site noted for its splendid Taoist culture and astonishing natural scenery.
Overnight at Mount.Qingcheng
Day11 Mount.Qingcheng (B, L, D)
In the morning we walk up the Qingcheng Mountain and visit Taoist Temples such as Tianshi Cave and Shangqing Palace. Learn the Taoist philosophy in particular the methods to maintain health. For sure we will drink "Taoist Temple Tea" and enjoy a Taoist vegetarian lunch on the mountain. In the afternoon we drive to the Taoist Temple Tea Garden to learn more of this unique tea and its culture. Sample some more "Taoist Temple Tea" at the tea garden. Transfer to our hotel in Dujiangyan City.
Overnight in Dujiangyan
Day12 Dujiangyan - Chengdu (B, L, SD)
Take a trip to the same named Dujiangyan Irrigation System, the world's first man-made water conservation project that is still working today. The whole project consists of three parts, namely, the Fish-Mouth Dam, the Flying Sand Spillway and the Bottle-Necked Water Inlet. The three parts are working together as one. Thanks to Dujiangyan, as Sichuan had got the name "Land of Milk and Honey" since the operation of the system. Travel back Chengdu and enjoy ourselves at a Buddhist Teahouse in downtown Chengdu. Enjoy a savory Sichuan Hotpot Dinner. Followed by a Splendid Sichuan Opera Show with programs of Face-Changing and Spitting Fires etc. staged in a tea-house theater.
Overnight in Chengdu
Day13 Departure for home (B)
Free in the morning till check out at noon and transferred to airport for your departure flight home. End of the amazing Sichuan Tea Expedition! Please note, you may opt to schedule a post-tour extension to the Yangtze Three Gorges, Yunnan, Fujian, Tibet, the Silk Road, Hong Kong, Beijing and Xi'an etc. from Chengdu with Splendid China Tours. Just let us know!
Tour costing starts from USD1,750 NET p/p. for a group of 10 persons traveling together and stay at 3-star hotels B.B. basis. Travel costing varies upon group size, travel season and hotel accommodation levels etc. For price details please email us at info@splendidchinatours.com.
Price inclusions:
01). All accommodations based on two persons sharing one room (single occupancy is subject to supplement);
02). China internal flights with airport tax as stated in the program;
03). Round-trip transfers between airports, hotels, and scenic spots in each city by private air-conditioned vehicles with experienced licensed drivers;
04). All admission fees and activity expenses including tea experiences as listed in the itinerary;
05). Daily meals as specified in the itinerary: B denotes breakfast, L denotes lunch, and D denotes dinner (SD signifies special dinner);
06). Services of a local English speaking guide in each city (other languages can be arranged upon request, supplement may apply);
07). Travel Agency Liability Insurance during the tour;
08). Governmental taxes and fees.
01). International airfare to/from China;
02). Chinese Visa fees;
03). Expenses of personal natural such as laundry, telephone, drinks, mini bar etc;
04). Personal shopping, optional activities and excess baggage charges;
05). Gratuities for local tour guides, drivers and hotel bellboy etc;
06). International travel insurance;
07). Services and activities that are not mentioned in the itinerary.
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