China - Sichuan
Birds, Pandas, Giant Buddha and Total Eclipse!
Sunday 12 - Saturday 25 July 2009 (14 days)
This trip has almost everything - Giant Pandas, good birds, spectacular scenery, a Giant Buddha, great food and a total eclipse of the sun!
© Simon Stirrup/Nature Portfolio
A total solar eclipse
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. This time of year can also be wet, but hopefully this will not dampen our spirits. 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.
We begin at the famous Panda captive breeding centre in Wolong. This is also a very good area for birds and the variety of habitats here and at other places we visit should keep us on our toes. We will then head south to the holy mountain of Emei Shan, a spectacular place with equally spectacular birds. From here, we will also visit the incredible Giant Buddha. This huge monument has been carved into the cliff face overlooking a river. The next destination is Wawu Shan another wonderful mountain with a good range of birds and the place where we will be based in the hope of clear skies to see the total eclipse of the sun. This is a lengthy eclipse - five minutes - so we will keep our fingers crossed that the cloud cover that often shrouds Sichuan at this time of year will clear to enable us to savour this special event in a magical place.
Price: £ 2,995
Single supp.: £ 285
Deposit: £ 400 per person
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.
Principal Leader: Barrie Cooper & local guides
We will arrive in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan. Flight schedules should give us a chance for some afternoon birding after an overnight flight. After a night here, we drive to Wolong which is in the heart of Giant Panda country. These shy animals live in the bamboo forests of Sichuan; however there is little chance of seeing one in the wild. We will have our 'Panda experience' at the famous captive breeding centre. It's a memorable place and a visit to the nursery to look at the newly born pandas is like visiting a special care baby unit in a hospital. This place is guaranteed to bring out the 'aah factor' in us all. But Wolong is also a great location for birds and we will visit the 4,500 metre high Balang Shan pass. If the cloud cover does not shroud the mountain, we should see very special high altitude birds here. From here we have a lengthy drive to Emei Shan where we stay for two nights in a five star hotel that is surrounded by mountainous forest. On our way to Wawu Shan, we will make a detour to visit the Giant Buddha of Leshan - many photographs will be taken here! Wawu is another high mountain and we will explore the summit and lower slopes by means of cable car. Different altitudes have different birds, so we will try to give ourselves a good chance of seeing as many as possible. Wawu has also been chosen as our base for the eclipse. The top of a 3000m mountain will be a wonderful place to see the eclipse, providing the skies are clear.
July is admittedly not the very best time for birding or good weather in Sichuan. However, even we can't change the timing of the eclipse! Nevertheless, there will still be some truly spectacular birds to be seen along with spectacular scenery and, of course, the enigmatic pandas.
Special note: Just as we were finalising arrangements for this tour, the devastating 2008 earthquake struck Sichuan. Our agent's offices remained intact, but they all rushed out to become volunteer rescuers over the following days. At the time of brochure publication, we believe that the tour will be able to run as advertised.
At the time, just sending our thoughts and best wishes seemed to be an inadequate response. We very much hope that by sending a tour group next year, we will be able to offer something more. And in addition, we are pledging that £100 per person booked will be donated to relief projects in the area.
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 Laughingthrush, Chinese Bulbul, Chinese Blackbird and Yellow-billed Grosbeak. These should whet the appetite for some of the goodies to come.
Overnight Chengdu
Day 3
After some optional morning birding, we drive to Wolong. After checking into our hotel, we will look around its grounds and the hillside behind it. Slaty Bunting, Ferruginous Flycatcher, Golden Pheasant, Daurian Redstart and Indian Blue Robin are some of the local birds that we hope to find.
Overnight Wolong
Days 4 - 6
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.
We also explore meadows and forest at lower altitude in the hope of finding other stunning birds including Koklass Pheasant. A visit to the Panda Breeding Centre 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.
Three nights Wolong
Day 7
We now face our longest drive of the tour as we move south to Emei Shan where we will check into a five star hotel set in a magnificent location. This must be one of the most beautiful parts of China and, in many respects, the birds and other wildlife are a bonus when in such a wonderful place. This 3000m mountain is a popular tourist destination, but we hope to avoid the crowds when we explore its slopes searching for spectacular birds including White-bellied Redstart, Emei Liocichla, Chestnut Thrush and Mrs Gould's Sunbird.
Overnight Emei
Day 8
A full day exploring this holy mountain which is dotted with monasteries and temples. A rare phenomenon known as Buddha's Aureole is sometimes seen at the summit. This happens when rainbow rings produced by refraction of water particles, attach themselves to a person's shadow in a cloudbank below the summit. Devout Buddhists, thinking this was a call from Heaven, used to jump off the Cliff of Self-Sacrifice in ecstasy. We will try to be more restrained if we see beautiful birds such as Golden Bush Robin, Vinaceous Rosefinch, Elliot's Laughingthrush or Rufous-breasted Accentor.
Overnight Emei
Day 9
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 move onto Wawu to be in place for the eclipse.
Overnight Wawu
Days 10 - 12
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 laughingthrushes. 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.
The main objective on Day 11 will be to see the eclipse of the sun. Totality lasts for five minutes, making this one of the lengthiest solar eclipses that is possible. The darkness will give us the chance to notice the impact on the surrounding birdlife and the subsequent reaction to 'another dawn'.
Three nights Wawu
Day 13
After some final birding around Wawu we make our way back to Chengdu.
Overnight Chengdu
Day 14
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 July. 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.
Numbers: Max. 12 clients
July is admittedly not the very best time for birding or good weather in Sichuan. However, even we can't change the timing of the eclipse! Nevertheless, there will still be some truly spectacular birds to be seen along with spectacular scenery and, of course, the enigmatic pandas.
Special note: Just as we were finalising arrangements for this tour, the devastating 2008 earthquake struck Sichuan. Our agent's offices remained intact, but they all rushed out to become volunteer rescuers over the following days. At the time of brochure publication, we believe that the tour will be able to run as advertised.
At the time, just sending our thoughts and best wishes seemed to be an inadequate response. We very much hope that by sending a tour group next year, we will be able to offer something more. And in addition, we are pledging that £100 per person booked will be donated to relief projects in the area.
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 Laughingthrush, Chinese Bulbul, Chinese Blackbird and Yellow-billed Grosbeak. These should whet the appetite for some of the goodies to come.
Overnight Chengdu
Day 3
After some optional morning birding, we drive to Wolong. After checking into our hotel, we will look around its grounds and the hillside behind it. Slaty Bunting, Ferruginous Flycatcher, Golden Pheasant, Daurian Redstart and Indian Blue Robin are some of the local birds that we hope to find.
Overnight Wolong
Days 4 - 6
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.
We also explore meadows and forest at lower altitude in the hope of finding other stunning birds including Koklass Pheasant. A visit to the Panda Breeding Centre 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.
Three nights Wolong
Day 7
We now face our longest drive of the tour as we move south to Emei Shan where we will check into a five star hotel set in a magnificent location. This must be one of the most beautiful parts of China and, in many respects, the birds and other wildlife are a bonus when in such a wonderful place. This 3000m mountain is a popular tourist destination, but we hope to avoid the crowds when we explore its slopes searching for spectacular birds including White-bellied Redstart, Emei Liocichla, Chestnut Thrush and Mrs Gould's Sunbird.
Overnight Emei
Day 8
A full day exploring this holy mountain which is dotted with monasteries and temples. A rare phenomenon known as Buddha's Aureole is sometimes seen at the summit. This happens when rainbow rings produced by refraction of water particles, attach themselves to a person's shadow in a cloudbank below the summit. Devout Buddhists, thinking this was a call from Heaven, used to jump off the Cliff of Self-Sacrifice in ecstasy. We will try to be more restrained if we see beautiful birds such as Golden Bush Robin, Vinaceous Rosefinch, Elliot's Laughingthrush or Rufous-breasted Accentor.
Overnight Emei
Day 9
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 move onto Wawu to be in place for the eclipse.
Overnight Wawu
Days 10 - 12
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 laughingthrushes. 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.
The main objective on Day 11 will be to see the eclipse of the sun. Totality lasts for five minutes, making this one of the lengthiest solar eclipses that is possible. The darkness will give us the chance to notice the impact on the surrounding birdlife and the subsequent reaction to 'another dawn'.
Three nights Wawu
Day 13
After some final birding around Wawu we make our way back to Chengdu.
Overnight Chengdu
Day 14
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 July. 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.
Numbers: Max. 12 clients