Cycling vacation in Sichuan, China

Planet

We wish to foster a great respect for the natural surroundings in which we travel, especially as we will be visiting a range of stunning natural environments that are home to unique wildlife (in this scenario we may encounter the everything from pandas to the precariously endangered black-necked crane).

To ensure that current and future generations can continue to experience these things we have perfectly utilised sustainable transport options – such as the bicycle – wherever possible in order to reduce our reliance on other modes of transport that continue to pollute. As we will spend large parts of the tour on 2 wheels, this will help us reduce our carbon footprints and ensure that will minimise the impacts unfortunately caused by the growth of tourism in the region.

Conservation:
In order to help preserve what remains of both China’s wonderful cultural and natural heritage (a key example being Wenshu/Manjushri Monastery) we ask that all of our travel participants help protect the environments they visit by being respectfully aware of the unique locations we take them to. Indeed, the importance of sustainable travel, particularly in sensitive natural environments and ecosystems, is something we value highly.

Activity:
We will visit the Chengdu Panda Breeding Centre, Qingshen County, Ya`an by bike in this itinerary which is a best way that we think could lower our carbon footprint. In addition to this, mountain hike----the least carbon intensive way to travel is also included in this tour. And we will have chance to do a series of volunteering tasks in Yaan Panda Base. Activities may include cleaning the enclosure, preparing Panda food, watch films about pandas and attending Panda classes. During this Panda Keeper Program, you could learn more about this endangered species, and administer to these lovely animals in person as volunteers under the guidance of staff.

Water:
We hope to leading a mostly plastic-free life in every groups that we organized. During this cycling and hiking tour in Chengdu, we will supply water for the riders from a support van. And we will highly suggest the riders carry with their own water bottle to refill the boiled water. It is different from other normal tours that buy plastic bottles that add to landfill.

Waster:
For arranging and operating the tours, we try our best to reduce the waste and recycle the resources. All our booking documents, paper accounting documents and paper itineraries are printed on the back of the used paper. And we staple the used paper as notebooks for employees’ daily use. Our tourist bus drivers recycle the mineral water bottles left by tourists on buses. There are plastic bags on tourist buses and with our tour guides to collect the garbage produced by tourists along the trip. We encourage clients to stick to bring all waste to next stop and disposed of appropriately in local garbage collection facilities. These include recycling as appropriate.

Office:
It is advocated to recycle paper and ink cartridges to reduce the waste in landfill sites. We turn off printers, computers, battery chargers and transformers at the end of each day and use energy-efficient bulbs and low-energy appliances.

People

Our itinerary has been designed to fully incorporate the local communities of Sichuan and we are exceptionally sensitive to the needs of indigenous people. We value their unique insights, knowledge, and hospitality, and believe that they too should benefit from tourism too.

We are exceptionally aware of the need to use local ‘green’ tourism services and businesses in Sichuan. This includes the use of locally-sourced produce such as food and crafts, for example. However, perhaps one of the greatest reasons for using locally-owned accommodation is that you will see the ‘real’ China in its various guises. You will sample traditional villages, cultural performances, religious activities, cuisines and ways of life that can be significantly different to anything you may have experienced before. We will also take you to incredible places away from the tourist crowds to ensure that your experiences are genuinely unique. We fully believe that this is a wonderful way to learn about this spectacular country and have no doubt that you will agree!

Accommodations and Meals:
During this tour, we choose economical hotels as opposed to bigger chains boosts the local economy in small village. In order to support smaller businesses and their employees, we prefer to stay small, locally or family-run guesthouses there. Meanwhile, we will have meals in rural villages, away from the standard tourist trail. We believe that we have made valuable economic contributions to local rural businesses, bringing them repeat business, and it is our aim to continue to do so.

A fair wages to local guides and drives:
By using locally-owned services and people is that they will often be highly enthusiastic, generous and proud to welcome you into the places where many have been born and raised – this is undoubtedly the case in a region like Sichuan. We use all local guides and drivers so that we learn about the culture and way of life directly from those who live it and put money into local hands and economies.

Group size:
We take this tour by bike and a support vehicle when necessary, to keep the tour groups small with less damage to the roads and communities that we visit. We will have a low impact on the environments and communities we visit and are able to ensure that we do not disrupt or lead to the displacement of local people.