CONSCIOUS JOURNEYS IN SOUTHWEST CHINA
China’s Southwest harbors some of the most pristine, least discovered and diverse lands you can find in Asia. We have spent many years here encountering vibrant minority communities, eating exotic street food and mapping out unique excursions in wild nature. Together, we’ll look for a genuine connection between you, the locals and the environment, and make sure that all parties maximally benefit.
“Most people are on the world, not in it. ”
OUR SEASONAL EXPEDITIONS
If you really want to go deep and experience the culture and nature of your destination in the most hands-on way, you can consider to join us on one of our seasonal expeditions. These itineraries get the most out of the destination with a more outdoorsy focus or along a certain theme. Feel free to inquire about join-in possibilities, but on request, the expeditions can be organized privately!
Learn more about our seasonal expeditions.
5 September – 21 September 2020
The Tibetan Yoga Adventure
In the summer of 2020, we will ascent the Tibetan plateau to do one of our most exciting trips yet. We will blend our intimate knowledge of the Great Outdoors around the Genie Mountain in Litang with a masterclass in the unique Tibetan yoga exercises known as Lu Jong. This tour will be a traverse from the northwest of Yunnan all the way up to the 4000+ meters plateau deep in the Tibetan parts of Sichuan. Our aim is to get as intimate as we can with the Tibetan ways of life and do that through the careful practice of Lu Jong Yoga and the appreciation of the formidably pristine nature around us.
5 Oct – 27 Oct 2020
The Holy Lake
We have excavated some excellent trails on the old roads from Lijiang to Shangri-La. These routes were by no means the primary roads, but the ones that evaded groups of bandits active on the more well-traveled roads. These lands on the brink of the Tibetan plateau are mostly controlled by the Yi, and we will traverse the Celestial Heaven Mountains with our skilled Yi caravaneers. We have designed the most stunning mule trekking route possible, through the site of one of the most pristine alpine lakes in the province. Tasting the elements, moving along winding mountain paths with a deep history, through high altitude old-growth forests where bandits used to roam, practically getting from one old trading town to the other, we will have the feeling we are truly reliving the times of China’s Wild West.
18 April – 1 May 2021
The Azalea Adventure
The Laojun Massive is hidden away from visibility right in the heart of the province’s northwest. Every spring, we organize a Rhododendron viewing expedition around the mountain in a clockwise fashion, properly honoring the fabulous natural surroundings. Although this hiking expedition is relatively accessible, we will be camping on outstretched Yak fields, alpine lake shores, and deep old growth primary forests. The trekking portion is 6 days and 5 nights, and the rest of the time we will use to explore the amazing cultural heritage of the Dali-Lijiang area, all in the periphery, away from the masses.
OUR PRIVATE TOURS
Our private tours are all conveniently accessible from any other place in China but focus only on interesting off-the-beaten path destinations in the periphery. With our private tour examples, we fully celebrate the diversity and possibilities of this area. They can be privately organized year-round so don’t hesitate to get in touch with us to get your own customized version for anytime you want to visit!
Check out more of our year-round private tours.
Kunming Experience
Hike and cycle in the Stone Forest, discovering tribal villages and Yunnanese cowboy culture. Join us to go deep into Kunming's most fascinating hidden corners and street food scene.
Terrace Builders
First on the program are the historic towns of Jianshui and Shiping. After this we’ll descend into the hot and humid river valley, only to climb up the mountains at the other side and explore …
Ticket to the Tropics
In the extreme south of Yunnan, there is a tiny prefecture called Xishuangbanna, which used to be the center of a small Thai kingdom. Nowadays, there are only 3 counties, and each of them has …
Burma Road
When you start exploring Tengchong, it will slowly dawn on you. This historic corridor is one of the richest places to taste and experience the amazing variety and diversity of Yunnan province. The amazing food, …
Ancient Kingdom
The most important and well-connected old city of Yunnan is not the capital Kunming. It is located right where the lush and fertile banks of the Erhai Lake meet the southernmost outliers of the great …
Snowy Peaks
If you want to really experience Yunnan's diversity, you have to go deep into the northwest, where the mountains are tall and river gorges deep. Several major rivers flow into the Yunnan from Tibet and …
OUR TESTIMONIALS
“I had the great privilege of flying twice into space, once aboard ‘Columbia’ and once aboard ‘Discovery’. My third favorite trip (over these now 75 years) was the touring we did with you through Yunnan.”
Joseph P. Allen, Washington, USA
“We got to SEE, HEAR, SMELL, TASTE and TOUCH nature in its full beauty. We enjoyed every minute and highly recommend traveling with Frank and Yang Xiao – both are smart, easy going and super friendly. Till next time!”
Hava Kelman, New York, USA
“Our guide spoke *our* language and culture, and the language and culture of our hosts. He introduced us to his Chinese world, took us to eat at places we would never have found on our own, caused to happen spontaneous experiences that we would never have stumbled into. And all the while, he translated what we were experiencing into cultural terms we could understand. If you have the opportunity to tour Yunnan with Zouba Tours, take it!”
Robbie Burnstine, Boston, USA
The Burma Road Route in western Yunnan province usually includes a short excursion...
It was a year and a half ago when Bertrand, a good friend from Switzerland who I've...
We are delighted to welcome you here, after days, weeks, months and years of work,...
