A-ITINERARY TRIP Yangshuo - NON-BIKING

We fly r/t on Dragonair directly from Hong Kong to Guilin.  Upon arrival we will take a 2-hour bus ride to our overnight destination. For 2-days we will explore the Yangshuo area and also cormorant fishing and the spectacular Liu San Jie show. The Liu San Jie is done on the river and portrays the life of a young lady in a musical form.  On one day we will hike along the river and amongst the Karst formations to Xing Ping.  We will spend our last 2-nights in the Long Sheng minority area.  We will explore the famous Long Ji rice terraces and villages.

Friday We depart on the 18:45 evening Dragonair flight to and then bus to our overnight destination.

Saturday We will hike to the top of Moon Hill.  In the afternoon we will boat down the Li River.  In the evening we will watch the cormorants fishing.

Sunday We will hike amongst the limestone karst formations and visit villages around Xin Ping.   In the evening we will see the Liu San Jie production.

Monday We will visit a factory in Guilin and then ride the bus to the Long Sheng area.  We will stay overnight.

Tuesday We will hike to the famous Long Ji terraced fields.  In the afternoon we will hike and visit villages in another minority areas.  We will overnight.

Wednesday In the morning we will visit more minority areas.  In the late afternoon we will ride the bus to Guilin.  After dinner we will fly on Dragonair to Hong Kong.

C-ITINERARY TRIP The Great Wall -  NON BIKINg

We will fly r/t to Beijing on Dragonair.  We will bus 4-hours to the farmhouse site.  We will hike 20-30 kms along the wilderness Great Wall and stay in 1-night in a renovated traditional farmhouse.  We will camp out 1-night in tents.  William Lindesay, who resides in the area, will teach the students about the Great Wall and the area.  We will have a service day at an orphanage and another day to educationally tour Beijing itself.

In 1987 William Lindesay in 1987 hike the entire length of the Ming Dynasty Great Wall. His book, "Alone on the Great Wall¨ describes his 2,470 kms solo adventure. In 1991 & 1992 Mr. Lindesay retraced the route of the Red Army's Long March and wrote "Marching with Mao: A Biographical Journey."

Mr. Lindesay is currently researching the Beijing region of the Great Wall and writing two books for Oxford University Press, Hong Kong.  He works closely on wall conservation issues with the Chinese authorities. He has worked with the BBC, Discovery Channel, NBC, The Learning Channel and the National Geographic Traveler.

Farmhouse at "Western Fence" Village, Huairou County.

This village comprises 15 buildings and is set amidst thickly wooded hillsides and terraced fields of corn. The Wall is visible and only a 40-minute walk from the farmhouse. The farmhouses contain four clean and simply furnished bedrooms.   There is a kitchen a hot shower and a flush toilet. The beds are provided with freshly laundered bedding.  At times water pressure is low, so be prepared for a "spit bath¨ if necessary.

Friday We depart at 6:30 PM on Dragonair to Beijing. We overnight in the old ¡§Hu Tong¡¨ section of Beijing.

Saturday We attend the Tiananmen Square Flag Raising.  Mr. Lindesay educates the students about a "Mao's" eye view of Beijing from the top of the gate at the front of the Forbidden City (overlooking Tiananmen Square).  The students then tour the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven and shop at the Red Bridge Department Store.  We stay overnight.

Sunday We bus 4-hours to the farmhouse next to the Great Wall. After an introduction to the itinerary, safety, and expectations, the students participate in camp training activities.  There is a barbeque dinner, slide show introduction to Great Wall adventures and then lights out in the two farmhouses

Monday We hike to a Great Wall watchtower to watch the sunrise over the Great Wall.  Following an introduction to farming, students help the farmers to till, sow, harvest, etc.  After lunch, students prepare for the hike to the overnight base camp below the wall. At the camp, students will set up their tents, set out the kitchens, dig latrines and help with the dinner. The students will have quizzes, games, prizes, hot chocolate and campfire before lights out on the ground in their sleeping bags.

Tuesday After breaking camp, students will hike along Wall and back to farmhouse.  The students will wash; work on project sheets on Wall architecture, history, geography and environmental issues.  Overnight in the two farmhouses.

Wednesday We bus 4-hours to an orphanage in Beijing.  We will serve where needed and participate in games with the children.  We then fly back to Hong Kong.

D- ITINERARY TRIP Zhaoqing to Zhaoqing - BIKING

We start and end this trip with a bus directly from the school to Zhaoqing.  Cycling from Zhaoqing through rural China we will head west through Guangdong Province entering Guangxi Province and enjoying some forested areas to the Yan Yan crags region as well as schools and factories enroute.  Cave exploring, night markets and great road riding will be the highlights. 

Saturday We will depart from the school at 7:00 AM and travel 5-hours by bus to Zhaoqing. We will do a perimeter bike ride of Seven Stars Crag Park in the afternoon.  We will visit the night market in the evening.

Sunday For the first 60 kms, we will ride the bus.  We will ride our bikes for 45 kms of the next 80-90 kms.  The route passes a variety of interesting villages and cottage industries.  We will have some travel on dirt roads and three climbs along the way to our overnight destination amongst the Yan Yan Crags.  This is an incredibly beautiful ride in forests and along rivers.

Monday After visiting Double Dragon Caves this morning, we will ride toward Wuzhou City, Guangxi Province.  In route we pass the ¡§largest stone in the world¡¨.  The rock is impressive, but no Ayer¡¦s Rock.  We will ride bikes for 40 km and the bus for about 2-hours to Wuzhou.

Tuesday We will complete our travel loop by biking 60 kms back on the other side of the river towards Zhaoqing.  We will ride until we have a good view of Gold Fire Mountain. Then we will ride the bus back to Zhaoqing.  We will stay overnight.

Wednesday We will visit a temple in the Mt. Ding Hu Nature Reserve and then travel to Zhaoqing to catch ferry back to Hong Kong.

E-ITINERARY TRIP Yangshan - BIKING

We travel directly from the School to Yangshan.  We will visit a local school, teach English and play basketball.  We will fit our bikes and have a warm-up ride. We will cycle into and through the Yao Minority areas of North Guangdong.  We will stop in a reconstructed ¡§10,000 year old¡¨ tourist village of the Yao minority. We will have opportunities to bring useful items to local schools.  We will travel south by bike and coach all the way back to Zhaoqing.  In Zhaoqing we will visit the Seven Star Crags Park and then catch a ferry back to Hong Kong.

Saturday Depart the school at 6:30 AM for the 6 ½ hour bus ride to Yangshan.  We will fit out the bikes and ride to Nan Yang High school for an exchange with the students.  We will overnight.

Sunday We will ride for 28 kms to the toll gate.  We will then ride the bus up to the Liannan old road junction and ride from mile marker 21 (neat the gas station on old road S261) to mile marker 16.  We will visit a school in route and drop school supplies we purchased in Yangshan. Then we will take the Nan Gang Junction and ride to the Nan Gan Picnic area for lunch.  After lunch we travel by bus up the mountain to the Ten Thousand Year Old village and the Ten Thousand Mountains Yao Village.   After a dance show, we will ride our bikes into Liannan.  We overnight.  In the evening we will visit another Yao dance show.

Monday We will visit the village and a school at You Ling.  On the old road to Yangshan, we will ride the bus to the top of the hill on the old road. We will ride bikes down the hill on the old road back to the Yangshan Toll booth.  We will eat lunch in Yangshan.  After lunch we will ride the bus for 20 km and then bike to Jiu Long and the water cave.  We will overnight.

Tuesday We will ride bikes for 60 km and then board the bus to ride into Zhaoqing.  We will overnight.

Wednesday We will walk and climb the pagoda in the Star Lake Park.  We will take the afternoon ferry back to Hong Kong.

F-ITINERARY TRIP Yunnan - BIKING

We fly Dragonair to Kunming and connect on an Air China flight to Lijiang.  We return trip on an overnight train from Dali to Kunming and a Dragonair flight to Hong Kong. We will bike to Bai minority villages and Er Hai Lake in Dali. Lijiang is a World Heritage Site. Naxi, Tibetan and Yi minorities live in the area.  We will bike to villages in area surrounding Lijiang. We will go to Shi Gu ¡V the first bend of the Yangtze and where Mao¡¦s Long March crossed the Yangtze.  The power of the Yangtze River at 6,000 foot altitude narrowly squeezes between 18,000 foot peaks into the Tiger Leaping Gorge.

Saturday We depart Hong Kong at 12:15 PM on Dragonair to Kunming and connect on Air China to Lijiang. We will attend a concert of the Naxi Orchestra in the evening.  We stay overnight.

Sunday We bus to Shi Gu. We bike 30 kms toward Qiao Tou.  We hike 8 km (r/t) in the Tiger Leaping Gorge to the Yangtze¡¦s narrowest point. We bus back to Lijiang and overnight.

Monday We bus 1½-hours toward Dali. We ride bikes for 30-40 kms toward Dali.  We are overnight.

Tuesday We ride bikes around Er Hai Lake. We ride bikes around Er Hai Lake and then have time to explore this ancient city, the cultural street and three pagodas temple. We have sleeping berths on the overnight train to Kunming.

Wednesday We bus to Kunming's Western Hills.  After lunch we depart on Dragonair for Hong Kong.  We arrive in Hong Kong at 5:45PM.

G-ITINERARY TRIP Sabah - BIKING

We will fly r/t on Dragonair from Hong Kong to Kota Kinabalu. On this tour we will hike and bike the rainforests and rivers of north Borneo. We will sight tropical wildlife, overnight at a Rungus Long House, enjoy a mud bath, raft a river and bike.

Sunday We depart Hong Kong on Dragonair at 8:05 AM.  We will visit the Monsopiad Cultural Village - founded in memory of the great Kadazan Warrior and headhunter Monsopiad. The traditional village is a historical site, and the only cultural village in Sabah. It was built on the very land where Monsopiad lived and roamed some three centuries ago. The village is run by the direct descendants of Monsopiad.  When they tell their vivid stories, you can feel the presence of the long gone warrior. You will visit the house containing Monsopiad¡¦s Headhunting Trophies. Monsopiad Cultural Village documents and keeps alive the culture and traditions of the Kadazan people. This afternoon we will tour Kota Kinabalu and have a visit to the State Mosque. We stay overnight at the Promenade Hotel.

Monday We go to Kiulu Village to white water raft. During the trip you will pass traditional villages and luscious green rice fields. On a clear day, we can get a distant view Mt. Kinabalu, the highest mountain in southeast Asia. At the starting point there is a challenging suspension bridge to cross. Before rafting you will have a comprehensive safety briefing. You can try body rafting, take a swim on the clear river and participate in paddling. The 1 ½ hour raft trip has a 1-11 rating. After rafting, we enjoy a delicious riverside BBQ lunch.  

      After lunch we bus 3-hours to Kudat situated in the Northeastern corner of Sabah.  43 kms from Kudat town we         will stop at the Honey Bee farm in Kg. Gombizau, We will learn how they gather and process honey.  We can see    how the bees are smoked out of their hives to collect the honey. before their honey is collected. About 1 km from        the bees is the famous gong-making village of Kg. Sumangkap. We will visit the workshop and watch artisans            producing musical gongs. We will eat dinner and stay overnight.

Tuesday After a 30-minute bus trip, we will begin through villages, coconut plantations and along a white sandy beach.  At the beach we can enjoy some swimming.  We will then bike for about 30 kms towards Tanjung Simpang Mengayau or The Tip of Borneo. ¡V the meeting point of the Sulu and South China Seas. According to Rungus folklore, this was the site of a fierce battle fought by Rungus their territory against invaders. History also claims that the fleet of Ferdinand Magellan, on the first circumnavigation of the earth, stopped here for 42-days to repair their ships. After lunch we will bus back to Kota Kinabalu. We will stay overnight.

Wednesday We travel 2-hours to Kuala Penyu. After checking in to Tempurung Lodge, we will bike 36 kms to Kilas River on dirt road (28km) and sealed road (18km). At Kilas River we will travel 1½ hours on the river to view proboscis monkeys feeding up in the trees.  You can also spot macaque monkeys, the rare silver languor, water buffalo, monitor lizards and a variety of birds. Upon return, dinner is a traditional Malay dinner. After dinner, we will walk to the swamp to observe the fireflies on the mangrove trees. We will stay overnight at Tempurung Lodge.

Thursday We will ride boat 30-minutes to Pulau Tiga.  This was the location for filming the survivor show in Sabah.  We will get a mud bath in the mud volcano.  The ¡§volcano¡¨ spews mineral-rich mud.  We will stay overnight.

Friday: We will travel by boat and bus back to Kota Kinabalu to fly on Dragonair back to Hong Kong.  We arrive in Hong Kong at 2:55PM.

H-ITINERARY TRIP Sabah NON-BIKING

We will fly r/t on Dragonair from Hong Kong to Kota Kinabalu. On this tour we will hike and bike the rainforests and rivers of north Borneo. We will sight tropical wildlife, the Rafflesia, take a rainforest canopy walk, visit the Orangutan rehabilitation centre and Turtle Island on the Eastern Coast.  We take an additional short flight on Malaysian Airlines from Sandakan back to Kota Kinabalu to connect with the return flight to Hong Kong.

Sunday We depart Hong Kong on Dragonair at 8:05 AM. We will tour Kota Kinabalu and have a visit to the State Mosque. In the afternoon we will to on offshore island for a bit of snorkeling and fun in the water. We will have an evening cultural show and stay overnight.

Monday We leave early for a 1½-hour bus trip to Beaufort town for a 1hr 30mins drive. We will ride ¡§The Last Train of Borneo¡¨ along the Padas gorge to Panggi.  The Padas River gushes through the spectacular Padas gorge.  We will shoot the rapids.  After lunch we will ride the train to Tenom and visit the Tenom Agricultural Centre. You will observe an incredible diversity of native and introduced species. We will stay overnight.

Tuesday We will bus through hilly terrain with mountain views, paddy fields and villages along the way to Tambunan The Kadazandusun people reside in this area.  As we hike 20-minutes to Mahua Waterfall, we probably will see the Rafflesia, the largest flower in the world. At the falls we can swim at the cool crystal clear water or hike on single trek to explore deeper into the jungle and look for tropical birds. Next we will go to Poring Hot Springs, which contains open-air bathtubs fed by a sulphurous spring.  We will go on a canopy walkway through the lowland rain forest.  There is also a trail to the bat caves and Langanan waterfall. We will stay overnight.

Wednesday We will bus 4-hours to Sandakan and then ride a boat for 1¼-hours to Selingan Island. The journey to the island takes approximately 1hr 15mins. After lunch you can swim and snorkel. After dinner we will rest until the rangers wake us to go our and see the turtles laying eggs.  They transfer the eggs to a hatchery for incubation and protection.   If there are any young turtle hatchlings, you will see the rangers release them back into the ocean.

Thursday Before breakfast we will boat back to Sandakan.  After breakfast we will bus about 30-minutes to the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre. At the 10:00 AM feeding the young orangutans come down out of the tropical lowland dipterocarp forest to feed.  From Sepilok we go to Sandakan for a 1-hour boat trip up the lower Kinabatangan River Sanctuary through the mangrove forest.   After lunch, we boat farther up river to Sukau Village in search of proboscis monkeys, birds, monitor lizards and other wildlife. In the late afternoon, you may take another boat trip to Menanggol River to look for more animals and birds. We will stay overnight.

Friday We bus back through uprooted rainforest and oil palm plantations to Sandakan Airport to fly on Malaysian Airlines to Kota Kinabalu and catch our Dragonair flight to Hong Kong.

I-ITINERARY TRIP Yunnan NON-BIKING

We fly r/t on Dragonair from Hong Kong to Kunming. From Kunming we travel by overnight train to Dali and return from Lijiang to Kunming on a connecting flight on China Eastern Airlines.  In Dali we will visit the Bai minority area and Er Hai Lake. We then bus to Lijiang, a World Heritage Site.  Naxi, Tibetan and Yi minorities reside in the area. We will explore surrounding villages.  We will go to Shi Gu ¡V the first bend of the Yangtze and where Mao's Long March crossed the Yangtze.  The power of the Yangtze River at 6,000 foot altitude narrowly squeezes between 18,000 foot peaks into the Tiger Leaping Gorge.

Sunday We depart on Dragonair at 12:15 PM.  We will visit Kunming's Western Hills.  After dinner, we travel in sleeping berths on the overnight train to Dali.

Monday We will explore the Dali Ancient city and cultural street as well as the three pagodas temple. In the afternoon we travel by boat on Er Hai Lake. We overnight.

Tuesday We will bus 3-hours to Lijiang.  We will visit the Dragon Pool Park and Wan Gu Tower. In the evening we will attend a concert of the Naxi Orchestra. We will stay overnight.

Wednesday We will bus to Shi Gu and then hike 8 kms (r/t) in the Tiger Leaping Gorge to the Yangtze's narrowest point. We will bus to Bai Shan village.  We will stay overnight.

Thursday We will visit a Middle School or an orphanage. After lunch we fly on China Eastern Airlines to Kunming to connect to our Dragonair flight to Hong Kong.

J-ITINERARY TRIP Yangshuo ¡V BIKING

We fly r/t on Dragonair directly from Hong Kong to Guilin.  Upon arrival we will take a 2-hour bus ride to Yangshuo. We will bike for 2-days exploring the Yangshuo area.  We will see cormorant fishing and the Liu San Jie show staged outside along the river. We will then spend 2-nights in the Long Sheng minority area.  We will bike to villages and the famous Long Ji rice terraces.

Sunday Depart Hong Kong at 18:45 on Dragonair. Bus to Yangshuo.

Monday We bike 26 kms to Moon Hill and back to Yangshuo.  In the afternoon we travel on a boat down the Li River.  In the evening we ride a boat to watch the cormorants fishing.

Tuesday We bike 50 kms to Yu Long River, Jin Bao and out to Baisha. In the evening we see the Liu San Jie show.

Wednesday We bus to Guilin's outskirts and then bike 60 kms to Long Sheng.  We stay overnight.

Thursday We hike to the Long Ji terraced fields. In the afternoon we bike 40 kms to San Jiang.

Friday We bike to the minority area.  In the afternoon we bus to the Guilin airport.

K-ITINERARY TRIP Hainan Island - BIKING

We will fly on Dragonair to Haikou and return from Sanya back to Hong Kong. Hainan Island faces Vietnam across the South China Sea.  The climate is tropical and has great beaches. Two major minority groups, the Li and Miao reside on Hainan Island.  After arriving in Haikou, we will ride bus 2-hours to Wanning/Bai O, the starting point for biking. We will visit a fruit farm and do bamboo rafting. The Qing Hai water preserve offers a very unique ecology where salt and freshwater mix.  We will bike down the eastern coast, see the Dongjia boat people settlements and then turn inland to Bao Ting - a Li minority area. We might stay in a simple village (no hot water). On our way to Sanya we will stop at the Bing Lan minority village.  Our last night is at the Holiday Inn at Sanya Bay.

Monday We depart to Haikou at 08:15 on Dragonair. We bus to Bao O, visit the water preserve and go bamboo rafting.  We will bike to coconut and fruit farms and on to the Xin Long Overseas Chinese farms.

Tuesday We will bike to Lingshui with a side trip to see the DongJia boat people on the coast.

Wednesday We will bike to Bao Ting. Along the route are many opportunities to visit the Li Minority villages and contrast their culture with the neighboring Chinese villages.

Thursday We will ride the bus to visit the Bing Lan village.  We will then ride down the steep hill and bike the last 30 kms to Sanya.

Friday We have a morning Dragonair flight to Hong Kong

L-ITINERARY TRIP Zhaoqing to Enping -  BIKING

We travel directly from the School to Zhaoqing. We ride south through Guangdong Province visiting schools, factories and hot springs. We end our trip in an area famous for their historic castle houses. We return to Hong Kong by ferry from Kaiping.

Monday Depart the school at 7:00 AM.  After a 5-hour bus trip we arrive in Zhaoqing.  We do a perimeter ride around the Seven Star Crags Park.  We will visit the night market.

Tuesday  We will cycle 45 km to He Shui. 45Km. We will overnight.

Wednesday  We will cycle 45 km from He Shui to Long Shan Hot Springs.

Thursday  We will cycle 45 km from Long Shan to Di Dou Hot Springs and overnight.

Friday Morning visit by coach to Jin Gui village and a walk around the castle houses.  Continue on to Kaiping for a lunch and boat trip back to Hong Kong.