China is the largest country wholly within Asia. It is astonishing to think that China’s westernmost point is closer to Europe than it is to Shanghai, and that its north-south span is roughly the same distance as from Newfoundland to the Virgin Islands.
Within this enormous expanse can be found parched deserts, soaring peaks, vast forests, and some of the world’s greatest rivers and cities. As an empire that stretches back to the earliest dynasties of the third millennium BC, and which generated the silk and tea trading routes of fable, China has always been a hub of human endeavour. Many see, in its rise over the last few decades, strong parallels with the past.
"Our network of hosts, guides and experts in China allows you to explore the country in profound ways whatever your interest."
As a visitor, you simply cannot hope to ‘do’ China. Better, we think, to pick a couple of areas (or interests) and explore these fully. Of course there are the ‘must-dos’. But at Explorations, we try to approach these from new angles. Follow the Great Wall on a Harley-Davidson. Track golden snub-nosed monkeys with a top conservationist in the forests of Chengdu. Explore with an expert archaeologist the ancient western Silk Road cities that generated the wealth on which Xian was built. Trace the history of Chinese porcelain and tea, then trek to Shangri-La to sip a heavenly cup of tea drawn with Himalayan spring water and furnished by materials provided by the master ceramicists and tea growers you have met along the way.
Our network of hosts, guides and experts in China allows you to explore the country in profound ways whatever your interest. If you’re a foodie, you can learn how to prepare all kinds of regional delicacies from the fluffiest Cantonese dumplings to Three Pearls Soup, with a top chef on hand to show you the ropes. You can meet Shaolin monks in Henan, minority tribal leaders in Yunnan, business tycoons in Hong Kong, and a whole host of historians, scientists, artists, photographers, musicians and craftspeople who will deepen your understanding of China, ancient and/or modern. We could continue. The point is that, whatever aspects of China intrigue you, we’ll craft your journey accordingly–and, once you’re there, ensure that everything unfolds exactly as it should.
For adventure-seekers, the possibilities are endless from hiking, cycling, rafting and horseback rides to camping with nomadic tribes on the Qinghai Plateau. Keen landscape photographers will want to explore the mist-wreathed Huangshan Mountains, the desert landscapes of Xinjiang, the Longsheng rice terraces and a thousand other natural wonders. China’s recent explosion of wealth has produced an infrastructure that allows you to travel seamlessly between places by everything from plane to high-speed train, or you can follow the old ways and travel by buffalo cart or slow junk. And when you’ve finished your explorations each day, return to some of the most opulent and atmospheric hotels in Asia. Without doubt, there has never been a better time to visit China.
