If you have traveled to China before, you must come again because this time we are going deeper than ever into China's mysterious hinterland. It is simply not possible to get any further away from home than Qinghai China!

Yes, we will also visit Shanghai and Beijing (allowing for pre and post nights for those travelers who are visiting China for first time) but it is more important than ever to get off the path in the world's most populous country.

China’s economy is the talk of the world – but few people understand that China’s new-found power depends on its ability to achieve provincial parity at home. China's rise will only be sustainable if Beijing can welcome its most distant provinces into the fold. In many respects, this trip into China's most remote hinterlands is the most important journey we have ever offered.

Our Expedition...

Starting in Shanghai, the engine of modern China, you will walk along the city's ever-changing waterfront, meet a few of the personalities who are reshaping modern China and learn why "what happens in Shanghai today will happen in the rest of China tomorrow."

Next, you will fly to the lesser known province of Qinghai where you will explore the vast Yushu Bartang Grasslands, remote Buddhist temples and learn about the traditions of the nomadic tribes who still populate this distant land.

In Xining and Yushu we will investigate whether or not the Chinese Economic Miracle is actually trickling down to China's largest minority groups including Chinese Muslims and Tibetan Buddhists.

From Qinghai you will fly to the quixotic Yunnan Province where you will learn the fundamentals of green tea in Kunming and explore Buddhism at the mystical Songzanglin Temple in Shangri La. Located deep in the Tibetan Plateau, Shangri La will surely be a highlight of your trip. Here you will join 54 orphans for an M&G hosted dinner and sit down for prayer with a senior Buddhist monk.

Service option: if you want to help the poorest children in the world's highest mountain town you can spend the next five days taking part in a more strenuous but tax-free service trip -- just email us for more info).

For those who either do not want to take part in a rural service program or would prefer to stay on a slightly more beaten path, an exciting drive awaits you from Shangri-la to Lijiang (an ancient Ming village that is a Unesco World Heritage site today) by way of the impressive deep mountain chasm, Tiger Leaping Gorge.

After a full day of rest and relaxation in a lavish resort just north of Lijiang, you will fly to Guilin, the birthplace of Chinese landscape painting. Just south of Guilin in the rivertown of Yangshu you will enjoy a private sampan ride down a tributary of the Li River and visit a rural village where you will dine with the locals in their homes.

A final flight takes you to Beijing, a city that is stuck somewhere between China's tumultuous past and its bright future. For first timers we recommend a few extra nights in Beijing so that you can take in Tian'anmen Square, the Forbidden City and the Great Wall.

About your guide

This is not the first time Rick has gotten off the path in the Middle Kingdom. In 1992 he led the first ever American tour from Vietnam by foot over the heavily fortified Vietnamese/Chinese border at Lao Cai. Rick became the first American allowed to lead tours in China without a Beijing observer in the mid-1990's and today he works with local guides and drivers who are his longtime friends, not just his employees. Last year, Rick was selected by Geographic Expeditions to lead the first-ever tour group to a remote Miao hilltribe village in Guizhou.

Journey Details:

* Departure date from the USA: September 29, 2009

(we recommend to pre-night in Shanghai and post-night in Beijing if you have not visited these vibrant and important cities before)

Trip begins in Shanghai on September 30.

Itinerary at a glance (please contact us for a more detailed version)

September 29 Fly to Shanghai (depart on the 28th for pre-night option)

September 30 Arrive Shanghai

October 1 Fly from Shanghai to Xining Qinghai Province 

October 2 Fly from Xining to Yushu, the Bartang Grasslands

October 3 Sat Bartang Grasslands

October 4 Bartang Grasslands

October 5 Fly to Kunming

October 6 Fly Kunming to Shangri La

October 7 Shangri La

October 8 Ljiang by way of Tiger Leaping Gorge (**or start service trip)

October 9 Lijiang

October 10 Sat Fly from Lijiang to Guili and transfer to Yangshuo

October 11 Yangshuo (a Li River town)

October 12 Yangshuo

October 13 Fly to Beijing

October 14 Fly to the USA (or spend a few days in Beijing)

* Length: 15 days, 14 nights

**please contact us for more info about the five-day service trip that can be built into this itinerary. You can write off $1,000 of your trip's overall expenses by taking part in the service element of this trip.

* Price: USD $4,950 per person in double room.

Price includes ALL MEALS, all accommodation, all transportation (including 5 domestic flights), all sightseeing as per itinerary, the services of skilled program managers and a basic travel insurance package.

Please Contact Us for more information and a detailed day by day itinerary.