China - Sichuan
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The price is per person and includes scheduled return flights London/Chengdu, airport taxes, ground transportation as outlined above, accommodation on a full-board basis, admissions, local taxes, incidental tips, and the services of the leaders.
The price excludes holiday insurance, optional tips to the driver and local guide(s), drinks, and other personal expenses. Leaders: Barrie Cooper & local guides |
Join us on a trip which has almost everything - Giant Pandas, good birds, spectacular scenery, a Giant Buddha and great food! |
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Sichuan is one of the most beautiful parts of China. This green and mountainous province is famous for its spicy and tasty food. Sichuan is also one of the best parts of China for wildlife and although we will have missed the main bird activity, we should still some special birds, some of which are restricted to this corner of the world. Sichuan lies at the eastern edge of the Tibetan plateau and holds almost two-thirds of the country's endemic birds. The increased affluence and mobility of the Chinese has resulted in a much improved tourist infrastructure during recent years and we will be staying in some very good hotels with typical western comforts. This tour has been designed to give us a good chance of visiting some spectacular mountain areas, coupled with a small introduction to Chinese and Tibetan culture.
The 2008 earthquake had a devastating effect at the time. However, with typical Chinese efficiency, the roads and other infrastructure in this region have now been repaired and there should be no problems with travel and accommodation. We will arrive in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan. Flight schedules should give us a chance for some afternoon birding after an overnight flight. The following day we shall have a relatively relaxed day familiarising ourselves with a good variety of bird species that will be new for first-time visitors to this region. The following day we will visit the Panda Breeding Centre in Chengdu to take loads of photos of these endearing animals. These shy animals live in the bamboo forests of Sichuan; however there is little chance of seeing one in the wild. We will then drive south to the high mountain of Wawu Shan. The summit of Wawu is at 3,000m so we will explore the summit and lower slopes by using cable car as our transport. Different altitudes have different birds, so we will try to give ourselves a good chance of seeing as many as possible. From there, we will return to Chengdu via the Giant Buddha of Leshan, another heavy day for the cameras! This huge monument has been carved into the cliff face overlooking a river. Then it is back to more magnificent mountain scenery and birds as we explore the area around Balang Shan. Finally, we visit the splendid forests of Mengbi Shan before returning to Chengdu and our flight the following day. Itinerary Day 1 We fly from London to Amsterdam to connect with the overnight flight to Chengdu. Day 2 We should arrive in Chengdu by early afternoon giving us time for some brief birding before dinner. Some of the birds to be found in Chengdu's parks include the near-endemic Vinous-throated Parrotbill, White browed Laughing-thrush, Chinese Bulbul, Chinese Blackbird and Yellow-billed Grosbeak. These should whet the appetite for some of the goodies to come. Overnight Chengdu Day 3 Our day begins with some morning birding around Chengdu followed by a visit to the Panda Breeding Centre which will be a particular highlight. The scientists here have been very successful in rearing Pandas and it is fascinating to witness the care and attention given to these magnificent animals. We will visit the maternity unit in the hope of seeing a newly born Panda in an incubator. Female Pandas often give birth to twins, but they are not the most careful of mothers, so one sibling is looked after in the special care baby unit, while the other is with the mother. We will see the nursery complete with playpen and smile at the one year olds having fun in their play area. Adolescent couples will be developing their relationships as part of the Centre's long-term strategy for a regular supply of Pandas. After we manage to drag ourselves away from the pandas, we drive south to Wawu mountain for some quality birding. Overnight Wawu Days 4 - 5 The table mountain of Wawu Shan is an increasingly popular birding destination because of its rich forests, including the bamboo understorey. We will spend time at different altitudes to increase our chances of seeing a good range of species that should include various warblers, babblers and laughing-thrushes. This mountain is famous for the endemic Sichuan Treecreeper and we will be hoping to get good enough views so that we can separate it from Eurasian Treecreeper. As elsewhere in Sichuan, we will be hoping to find some of the elusive pheasants, including the spectacular Lady Amherst's. Wawu is an excellent place for Parrotbills and we hope to see Great, Three-toed, Brown, Ash-throated, Grey-hooded and the lovely Fulvous. Overnight Wawu Day 6 After some final birding close to the hotel we will visit the spectacular Giant Buddha at Leshan. This incredible sculpture is carved into a cliff face overlooking the confluence of the Dadu and Min rivers. At 71 metres high, it is the largest Buddha in the World - his ears are 7m long! Work began on the Buddha in AD 713 and took over 90 years to complete. There was a hollow in the river below where the Buddha was built and apparently boatmen used to vanish here. The Buddha was carved in the hope that its presence would subdue the swift currents and protect the boatmen. The surplus rocks from the sculpting filled the hollow in the river and actually has done a lot of good. After acting out our roles as ordinary tourists, we will return to Chengdu. Overnight Chengdu Day 7 Today we drive through some beautiful scenery, through Wolong, over the Balang Shan pass and onto our hotel at Rilong. We will be making stops along the way to look for birds in the contrasting habitats we will encounter. We may also see some of the legacy of the 2008 earthquake. Overnight Rilong Days 8 - 9 We make early morning starts to explore the brilliant birdlife of Balang Shan. We hope to visit the high pass which is at 4,500 metres; fortunately the road goes through the pass so our energy can be devoted to looking for birds and acclimatising to the altitude. The mountain scenery will literally be breathtaking - if we can see it! The pass is famous for species such as Lammergeier, Snow Partridge, Tibetan Snowcock, Chinese Monal, Grandala, Snow Pigeon, Red-breasted Rosefinch, Plain and Brandt's Mountain-Finch, Himalayan Rubythroat and White-browed Tit Warbler. We also explore meadows and forest at lower altitude in the hope of finding other stunning birds including Koklass Pheasant. Two nights Rilong Day 10 Today we will drive along the valley for about 60km then head north up to a typical Tibetan area. En route we will pass several beautiful Tibetan villages and the pass named Meng Bi Shan which is 4010m high. We then move down 40km with good forest on each side to get to Maerkhang for our stay overnight at Jiarong International Hotel. We will stop to visit some Tibetan villages and do some birding during the journey. Overnight Maerkhang Days 11 - 12 We will now spend two full days exploring the wonderful forests of Meng Bi Shan. There is a good variety of beautiful pheasants and rosefinches here. Sichuan Jay and Giant Laughingthrush are regular species. On one afternoon we can visit Maerkhang city to admire the Grand Zhuokeji Tibetan Mansion, which is a five floor Tibetan house with a stone fortification built almost one hundred years ago. It is claimed to be an oriental architecture wonder, an example of the traditional Tibetan Official System. Overnight Maerkhang Day 13 Today we will mainly spend the day on driving back to Chengdu via Wenchuan which was the epicentre of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. Overnight Chengdu Day 14 Depending on flight times, the morning will be free to do some final birding close to the hotel or for some last minute shopping. We then make our way to the airport for our flight back to London where we should arrive later that evening. Accommodation and food is good to excellent throughout, with en suite rooms at the hotels. All hotels will be to Western standards. Transport is by mini coach with driver. Walks are not strenuous and proceed at a leisurely pace. Walking at high altitude needs to be undertaken with care. Fortunately most of the walks at high altitude are short. Weather: Sichuan can be hot and humid in June. It can also be wet. As we will be at high altitude on some days, the temperatures are correspondingly cool enough for the need of a fleece. Leaders: Barrie Cooper & local guides Numbers: Max. 12 clients |
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