China - Mountains, Monkeys & Terracotta Warriors

China may be the most populous country on Earth, but there are still corners of this vast and beautiful land where the wildlife reigns supreme. Spectacular national parks and reserves, such as Tangjiahe, Foping and Jiuzhaigou, protect some of the country’s most exciting mammals and birds, as well as some truly awe-inspiring landscapes. They lie in the provinces of Shaanxi and Sichuan, in the mountainous heart of China on the edge of the great Tibetan Plateau. Here, forested hills and high alpine meadows are home to some of Asia’s most sought-after mammals, including the rare Golden Snub-nosed Monkey and Golden Takin, plus many colourful birds such as White-throated Redstart and Blue Eared-pheasant. Indeed, in a few select corners of the most remote and inaccessible reserves, China’s star inhabitant, the Giant Panda, still roams free. These two provinces are also rich in cultural, as well as natural, history and no visit to the region would be complete without time in the company of Xi’an's Terracotta Warriors, one of the world’s great archaeological treasures!

This exciting tour offers an interesting mix of wildlife, history and culture, and begins with a flight to the city of Xi’an, where we will stay for one night to enable us to visit the Terracotta Warriors. One of the most important finds of the 20th century, they were discovered by a group of peasant farmers in 1974 and date back 2,000 years to the reign of China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Hunag. The 6,000 figures and horses, many of which are beautifully preserved, guard the emperor’s tomb and all face east. Moving on, we will spend two nights at Foping National Nature Reserve and enjoy its Golden Snub-nosed Monkeys, one of the most bizarre – but at the same time beautiful – species of primate. This striking mammal, with its strange nose, blue lips and shaggy golden pelt, is endemic to central China and, over most of its range, it is shy and difficult to observe. The troop at Foping, however, is now very tolerant of humans and frequently offers visitors wonderful views and close-up photographic opportunities. The reserve is also home to an interesting variety of birds, amongst them Little Forktail, Plumbeous Redstart, Blue Whistling-thrush and White-throated Laughing-thrush. There is even a chance we might encounter the spectacular Golden Pheasant creeping around in the base of the bamboo!

Next, stopping to view the endangered Crested Ibis on our journey, we will cross into Sichuan. Here we will first spend two nights at Tangjiahe National Nature Reserve where, on a series of day walks and night drives, we will look for such mammals as Golden Takin, Tufted Deer, Hog-nosed Badger and perhaps even Chinese Leopard Cat, plus a wide variety of birds including Temminck’s Tragopan, Tawny Fish Owl, Himalayan Bluetail and Red-billed Leothrix. Wanglang National Nature Reserve, on Sichuan’s northern border, will be our next destination. Wanglang sits within the beautiful Minshan Mountains and was one of the first Giant Panda reserves. Although the pandas inhabit the most inaccessible corners of the reserve and are impossible to find, during our 2-night stay here we can still hope to see an interesting variety of wildlife including Blue Eared-pheasant, Sukatchev’s Laughing-thrush and Sichuan Treecreeper.

Our tour will next take us through some wonderful mountain scenery, past rushing rivers, waterfalls and mist-shrouded forests to Jiuzhaigou National Park. Here we will stay for two nights whilst we admire the breathtaking landscapes of this UNESCO World Heritage Site and look for such birds as Great Parrotbill, Golden Bush-robin and Chinese Wren-babbler. Wolong National Nature Reserve is the largest and best known of China’s Giant Panda reserves. Although, once again, an encounter with the mythical creature is very unlikely during our 3-night stay, we will enjoy a wide variety of other exciting birds and mammals. As well as exploring the forested valleys and slopes, we will ascend Balang Mountain to 4,500 metres. At this lofty height we will be rewarded with the most dramatic of views and look for Tibetan Snowcock, White-browed, Pink-rumped and Red-fronted Rosefinch, White-browed Tit-warbler and the stunning Grandala. Lower down the mountain, within the dense tangle of vegetation, we hope to see a few of the region’s colourful gamebirds such as Chinese Monal, White Eared-pheasant, Blood Pheasant and Koklass Pheasant.

As no tour to this region is complete without time with China’s most iconic creature, we will end our holiday with a night in Dujiangyan and a visit to the Dujiangyan Giant Panda Centre near Chengdu, a facility that specialises in the rehabilitation of captive-born pandas with the goal of introducing them into the wild.