Field notes from Southwest China

We're partnering with Little Chinese Everywhere on curated Yunnan small-group tours. Two journeys, groups of up to 12, first departure 10 September.

Two European guests, five green-season days across Nannuo and Jingmai — the monsoon that couldn't stop the tea, a cake pressed by hand, and a fire-pit evening inside the UNESCO landscape. A guest story.

Where Pu'er tea actually comes from — Menghai, Yiwu, UNESCO-listed Jingmai and Lincang — the five villages collectors chase, and how to taste them properly.

A Meili Snow Mountain travel guide built from a recent client trip — sunrise on Kawagarbo, the Yunnan North circuit, and why we booked Poodom over Songtsam.

A case study in private Yunnan travel — Xin and Lorraine's April 2026 trip, day by day. Dali courtyards, Shaxi market mornings, the Tiger Leaping Gorge upper trail, Songzanlin, and three days at the foot of Meili Snow Mountain. What ran, what we changed mid-trip, and the calls they never saw.

China's 30-day visa-free policy for Australian passports is now approaching two years old. Here's what it means, what to ignore, and what the border actually feels like.

A private guide in Yunnan and Sichuan solves permits, altitude, weather, and access group tours can't reach. Here's what they do — and why it pays back.

Tiger Leaping Gorge is only the start. Nine alpine routes across Shangri-La's high country, from day hikes to multi-day treks.

Everything you need to know about visiting Jiuzhaigou in 2026 — daily quotas, booking windows, and the lesser-known parks most travellers miss.

A grounded introduction to the Bai, Naxi, Dai, Yi, Tibetan, Hani and Lahu people you'll meet on our Yunnan tours.

The real West Sichuan is the sky road west of the park: Tibetan monasteries, alpine lakes, and villages where tourism barely touches the edges.

Our favourite boutique stays in Dali for 2026 — from lakeside courtyards on Erhai to restored Bai mansions in the old town.

The 2026 China app kit — payments, maps, translation, what replaced Uber, and the tricks to make it all work on a foreign phone.

A complete orientation to Yunnan for first-time travellers — what each region is famous for, how long to spend, and when to go.