China

We created our first biking and walking trip in China just as it was opening up. Since then we’ve crafted some of our most rewarding travel experiences here, prompting some clients to return again and again as they discover new corners of an astonishingly diverse country. Now is definitely the time to go, as you can only grasp what is happening in China, and its impact on the rest of the globe, by seeing it for yourself.

As always, Brown + Hudson approaches the givens from new angles. Follow the route of the Great Wall on Harley-Davidsons, supported by a mobile tented camp. Explore Beijing and its Forbidden City with a renowned Chinese historian. Get a bird’s-eye view of Shanghai’s skyscrapers by helicopter. Enjoy an evening with an owner of the Happy Valley racecourse in Hong Kong.

Pedal alongside the tranquil Li River, among towering karst formations shrouded in mist, stopping to watch a cormorant fisherman catch his dinner. Or stay at a luxury hideaway outside the UNESCO site of Lijiang, then hike up to meet the Naxi, an ancient people who developed their own writing, religion and music beneath the snowcapped Jade Dragon Mountain in the Himalayas. Or discover the dynasty that created terracotta warriors at Xi An with an expert on the subject, then wander far to the west to cities such as Urumqui, Turpan or Kashgar – the start of the historic Silk Route.

Stroll from a Chengdu teahouse to visit the panda research station. Walk the picturesque Leaping Tiger Gorge. Cruise waterways among the magical Guilin Hills in a luxurious private junk. Join Buddhist pilgrims hiking up sacred Emei Shan. Trek through Sichuan, staying in remote monasteries and learning to cook regional dishes. Meet Shaolin monks studying martial arts at Wudang Shan. Walk from Xishuangbanna into rural Yunnan, where the Hani, Akha and Bulang people still farm as they have for centuries. Or come in winter and we’ll take you to the Ice Festival in Harbin.

We could go on. But the point is that whichever China or Chinas intrigue you, we’ll craft your journey accordingly – and once you’re there, we’ll make sure everything unfolds as it should.