A taste of Sichuan, China

Southeast Asia specialist Bamboo Travel has introduced a brand new 11-night trip to China entitled ‘A Taste of Sichuan’. The itinerary really gets under the skin of this charming province, examining its culture, discovering its national parks and monuments and sampling the delicious cuisine.

The holiday commences in the capital of Chengdu, with a visit to the Giant Buddha at Leshan, which was built during the Tang Dynasty (618–907AD). The largest Buddha statue in the world carved out of stone, it lies at the confluence of the Minjiang, Dadu and Qingyi rivers, facing Mount Emei, with the rivers flowing below his feet.

Following the visit, there will be a chance to try the street food during a tour of the backstreets of Chengdu, and maybe joining in a tai chi session with the locals before enjoying a cookery class in a local restaurant.

The Sichuan province is synonymous with the conservation efforts being made to save the Giant Panda, and the itinerary includes spending a day helping out as a volunteer in the Giant Panda Base at Bifengxia.

The final part of the holiday is spent in the north of Sichuan to explore the Jiuzhaigou National Park (Nine Village Valley), famous for its scenery of ice blue lakes and pine forests, cast in the shadow of the imposing, snow-capped, Himalayan peaks. Also included in this unspoilt part of China is a one night stay in the historic town of Songpan to explore the Mouni Valley and surrounding Tibetan villages either on foot or horseback.

The holiday, which can commence any day of the week, costs from £2,895 pp (two sharing) which includes international flights, 11 nights' B&B in hotels (plus 6 lunches), all transportation, private tours and an English-speaking guide.

The tour can also be combined with a visit to Lhasa and the Tibetan Plateau.

For further information or to make a booking, visit bambootravel.co.uk.