Sichuan, China
The mountains of North Sichuan are our destination. We travel mainly within Aba Tibetan Qiang Autonomous Prefecture and see some of the most spectacular nature reserves in the northern hemisphere. They are abundant with majestic mountain ranges, harboring a unique wildlife, such as the elusive Giant Panda (will not be seen in the wild), spectacular limestone travertine formations. This region is the home of Tibetan and Qiang ethnic groups with their colorful culture. The highlight of the tour will be the experience of the richest temperate flora in Asia! Southwest China is the global distribution center of several genera of high horticultural significance, like Primula, Rhododendron and Cypripedium. Our tour focuses on the orchids of the region, and we expect to see several splendid species in flower. To best match the flowering time of certain rare species and some special orchid populations at altitudes between 3400-3600 m (approx. 11100-11800 ft.), we travel during the second half of June. On the tour we mostly stay at altitudes between 2000-3200 m (approx. 6500-10500 ft.), the highest altitude is 4000 m (13100 ft.), and we briefly pass it on a bus ride when crossing the pass above Huanglong (Xueshan-liang). Participants often botanize at the top of this pass. Another highlight of this tour is to experience the authentic cuisine of Sichuan. In the mountains we will enjoy the merger of Sichuanese cooking with that of the Tibetan and Qiang people.
Comments from prior tour participants
Our OCA trip to Sichuan was incredible. We encountered so many orchids in the wild and learned a lot from the expert guides. The food and culture were also a fascinating bonus too.
Kevin Stewart, UK
If you wish to see hundreds of Cypripediums in their natural habitat amongst incredible scenery, then this is the trip for you.
D Allen, USA
I really did have a great time. Everything about the tours was fantastic: the group of people involved; the drivers; the places you took us; the scenery; the weather; the orchids and other plants; your patience when we were
straggling or late back to the bus or asking repetitive questions; the meals; the accommodation and the staff at the various accommodations; the way you modified the tour on the fly when the condition of roads or some other issue meant we could not follow the original plan; your looking out for us in the days before and after the tour, and the lovely dinner at your home on my last night…I appreciated it all.
M. Baker, Australia
Dates & Prices
Dates: June 21-July 3, 2025
Deposit Due Date: Feb 1, 2025. Inquire if there is still room after this date.
Final Payments Due: May 1, 2025.
Price: $4800 Per Person Double Occupancy, $5300 Single Occupancy
Price includes: Hotels, meals, transportation (in country), guides, entrance to parks and reserves. Price does NOT include round trip airfare from home country to Chengdu, hotel nights pre and post tour, alcoholic beverages, tips, souvenirs, items of a personal nature.
Group size: The tour will take place when a minimum of 10 persons have registered. The maximum number of participants is limited to 15, not including the tour leaders.
Conservation donation: $1000 pp (estimated). A donation based on the profit (~$1000 per person) is included in the price and is donated to The Orchid Conservation Alliance. The Orchid Conservation Alliance is a 501(c)3 organization, and for USA residents, the donation may be tax deductible. A formal acknowledgement is sent to each participant at year end.
Physical requirements for the trip: Participants should be healthy and able to walk some distance (up to 3 miles) without difficulty. The days in Huanglong, Shenxianci, Kalong and Wanglang involve considerable walking and lots of stairs up and down. If you have concerns or questions, please contact: mary@orchidconservationalliance.org
This trip is not recommended for people with mobility difficulties. Additionally, we will spend multiple nights at fairly high elevations, and in some instances, will be walking or stair climbing at elevations up to, and even over 12,000 ft asl.
Health Precautions: Covid 19 vaccines should be up to date and are mandatory for OCA tours. Participants are suggested to contact their health provider for the most up to date recommendations for travel to China. Travel medical insurance is mandatory for each participant.
Tour Leaders: Wenqing Perner and Mary Gerritsen
International flights: Participants should arrange their own flights to Chengdu, China, planning on arrival on or before June 21, and departing on or after July 3 If needed, additional night(s) hotel accommodation can be arranged through Wenqing.
Other Information: Visa requirements depends on country of passport holder. Most countries require personal attendance or use of an agent at the nearest Chinese consul. All US Passport holders will need a visa. Wenqing will provide formal invitations and details such as hotel addresses for visa applications.
6. 19/20. International flights to China (not included in our price)
6.21. Arrival in Chengdu (capital of Sichuan province), transfer to Hotel with Taxi (approximately $10). Transfer not included in price, and should be arranged by participants on arrival (very easy to do). We will provide hotel information in English and Chinese so you can show the taxi driver
Welcome dinner. Overnight stay at a 5-star hotel.
6.22 Bus tour from Chengdu to Huanglong with botanizing stops on the way. We will
drive through the Min river valley, home of Lilium regale (endemic to the valley and in
flower in late June). We stay overnight at the 5-star Seercuo Int. Hotel in Huanglong.
6. 23. Botanical excursion to the Danyun gorge of Huanglong National Park. The 18 km
long gorge, with a 700 m (2,300 ft.) altitude drop, has a very rich temperate to
warm-temperate flora, including trees, shrubs and herbs. 11 Cypripedium species
are at home here. Overnight at the Seercuo Int. Hotel in Huanglong.
6. 24. Excursion to the Huanglong valley, which is covered in about 3400 travertine pools
and harbors 32 orchid species. Some, like Cypripedium flavum, C. tibeticum, form large
colonies of thousands of plants. Overnight stay at the Seercuo Int. Hotel in Huanglong. Note, there is a gondola here that can take participants to the top of the valley (and then walk down).
6. 25. Bus tour from Huanglong to Shenxianci. Alpine meadows along the road
above Shenxianci are rich in a flora that differs from that above Huanglong. At
Shenxianci (’Goddess Bathing Pool’), a travertine formation surrounded by mountain forest and
rich in orchids, we will botanize. Overnight stay at a 4-star hotel in Jiuzhaigou.
6. 26. Bus tour from Jiuzhaigou to Wanglang with botanizing stops. Overnight stay at local
Baima Tibetan hotel in Wanglang National Panda reserve.
6. 27. Excursion in Wanglang , particularly in the Baisha valley with its rich orchid populations.
The scenery of the Baisha valley is amazing and the scrub-clad valley floor, covered in limestone pebbles washed down from thesnow-covered peaks, is rich in large orchid populations. Overnight stay at the Baima Tibetan hotel in Wanglang National Panda
6. 28. Bus tour from Wanglang to Hongyuan via Tibetan grassland with botanizing on
the way. We will spend the night at a 4-star hotel in Hongyuan County.
6.29. Bus tour from Hongyuan to Kalong valley with several botanizing stops on road.
Stay with local Tibetan family guest house right outside the valley.
6.30. Botanizing in the Kalong valley. This is a travertine valley the size of Huanglong
valley, but with fewer ponds and and very little tourism. The orchid flora is different and less abundant than in Huanglong, but with someinteresting particularities. A large colony of Cypripedium guttatum under tall conifers at an altitude of 3,480 m (11,155 ft.) is quite remarkable. Rarely visited by foreign tourists, the site is also rich in a variety of attractive alpine flowers, like a pure scarlet form of Caltha palustris var. barthei . Overnight stay at
the same Tibetan family guest house
7.01. Bus tour back to Chengdu with botanizing stops on the way. Overnight stay at a 5-star
hotel in Chengdu.
07.02. We will a lotus field in the morning and an old town in the center of Chengdu with a
center mostly unaltered since the Qing Dynasty. Alternatively tour participants are
free to take a day off and explore Chengdu (or visit the Panda research center), a capital and important city founded in 311 BC under the name still in use (Chengdu means ‘becoming capital’), which is unique for China, where localities often change names. Today it is one of
the fastest growing cities in China, with 7 million inhabitants in the 9 municipality
districts and a total of 21 million citizens in the overall metropolitan area. Overnight
stay at the same 5-star hotel. Note, if going independently to tour Chengdu, costs of taxi/transport and entry to the Panda reserve, museums etc. are not included in the tour price.
07.03 Departures.
Wenqing Perner
Wenqing Perner
Wenqing is not only a superb tour organizer and orchid expert, she is also fluent in Mandarin, Japanese, English and German! Wenqing lives in Chengdu. She originally trained as a linguist, and lived in Japan for many years. Wenqing and her late husband, Dr. Holger Perner, a German ecologist, worked for the administration of Huanglong National Park in Sichuan and operated their own company, Hengduan Mountains Biotechnology, Ltd., with a lab and nurseries specializing in Chinese orchids. Since 1999,they have regularly organized and conducted 2 to 3 botanical study tours in China annually, covering temperate mountain regions of Southwest China and the subtropical to tropical mountains of South China. Guests on the tours come from all over the world, with many participating in 2 or 3 tours, and some in 5 or more. After her husband’s passing, Wenqing continues to run the business, lead tours, and give talks worldwide.
Mary Gerritsen, Ph.D.
Mary Gerritsen, Ph.D.
Mary is the president of the Orchid Conservation Alliance. This will be her tenth botanic tour to China, and her fifth tour to Sichuan. Mary lives in San Mateo, CA.