The Bamboo Trail
A signature trip though China using bamboo as a medium to gain insights into China old and new.
Tour Details
- 13 nights accommodation on twin-share basis in comfortable hotels
- Tour leader
- 2 domestic flights
- Private vehicle and driver throughout
- All entrance fees as listed
- Many meals.
Bamboo has a long history and deep symbolism in the Chinese world and our founding signature trail explores the landscapes and lifestyles woven by this
fastgrowing and unbelievably strong grass from its raw beauty at source to its manifold uses at market, and everything in between.
Day 1 – Shanghai
This evening we'll get to one another over dinner and have an introduction to the tour.
Days 2-4 – Tunxi & Huangshan
This morning we'll head inside the bamboo-clad walls of the wonderfully ornate Jade Buddha temple and then dine on a host of bamboo delicacies at the vegetarian temple restaurant. In the afternoon we'll take an overnight train bound for Tunxi. On arrival we'll transfer to Huangshan town, breaking the journey with a picnic amongst the bamboo groves where Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was filmed. The following day we'll rise early to ascend mystical Huangshan, a magical landscape of craggy outcrops topped by lone pines which has inspired artists since time immemorial. We'll spend the night at a lodge on the summit.
Days 5-8 – Xi'an
On the morning of day 5 we'll have the chance to try and view Huangshan's famed sunrise before descending and then continuing back to Tunxi and on to Xi'an. In Xi'an we'll take time to wander the backstreets, including the artists quarter where we'll see paintings gracefully depicting bamboo scenes, as well as visiting the remarkable Terracotta Warriors. We'll also take an overnight excursion to the Qinling Mountains, and will trek through the bamboo-clad valleys in the hope of seeing a panda in the wild. True to their name, pandas ("poonya" or "bamboo eater") eat 12-38kg of bamboo every day!
Days 9-12 Yangshuo
Today we'll fly to Guilin and then drive south to Yangshuo, home of beautiful phoenix-tail bamboo. During our time here we'll have the chance to cook up some bamboo delicacies (under expert guidance), try our hand at calligraphy using bamboo brushes, and ride a bamboo raft along the Li River to an enchanting backdrop of limestone towers. On the evening of day 12 we'll take an overnight train south to Guangzhou.
Days 13-14 – Hong Kong
On arrival in Guangzhou we'll see bamboo sold as a raw material, and a finished product at the bamboo market before taking a boat along the Pearl River to Hong Kong, where it is commonly used as scaffolding. In the evening we'll head out for a final dinner to mark the end of a unique journey through the Middle Kingdom.
The tour ends after breakfast on day 14.
