The Essence of China vacation

While travelling in China we encourage all our travellers to learn of and show respect for cultural differences. Our small groups and using a variety of local transport enables travellers to experience cultures at first hand, offering greater opportunity for cross-cultural understanding.

There are a number of basic ways in which we try to minimise our impact such as implementing waste reduction practices. Reusing plastic bags, water bottles and using our own set of chopsticks (instead of disposable ones). We stay in monasteries at Emeishan and a smaller locally owned guesthouse in Yangshou. In most places we use guides from the local areas we visit. In Yangshou many of our guides are from farming families in the surrounding areas and our business creates many benefits for people of the area.

Since 1999 we have been supporting a local charity in the Yangshou area called Project Hope. Money raised through passenger donations has been used to assist over 30 local children from poor families to continue their schooling through to completion. Without this type of assistance these children would have to drop out of school, severely limiting their future opportunities. Some money raised has also been used to provide teaching and sporting equipment for some of the most disadvantaged schools in the area. At the end of this trip, in Hong Kong or Beijing, we are happy to collect unwanted clothing to distribute through local charities.