South West China Holidays

The provinces of Yunnan and Sichuan have strong identities and distinctive regional cultures. In part this is due to location, protected to the west by mountain ranges and influenced by new ideas from Central Asia and Tibet, Burma and South East Asia. Laid-back Kunming is the gateway to Yunnan and, from here, visit Dali and the Three Pagodas – the oldest structures in south west China – and beautiful Lijiang with its old cobbled alleyways, traditional Chinese architecture and unique Naxi culture. For Tibetan culture, stay in Shangri-La and explore the remote neighbouring villages and monasteries or for rare plant-life tropical Xishuangbanna. In Sichuan, head to Chengdu to visit the world famous Giant Panda Breeding Research Centre or travel north from the city to pristine Juizhaigou National Park. Pettitts specialises in providing quality, tailor-made holidays and tours to south west China.