HOW THIS TRIP FEELS
Freedom · Connection
Feel connected as you harvest leaves beside your host, pan-fry tea by an open fire, and share a fireside dinner under Akha folk singing. Feel free as the road carries you deeper into a rainforest border region most travelers never reach.
Travelers Said
Melissa Werneck (Brasil)
“CGT takes good care of all of us during the trip. I liked everything, and Shanghai was the most impressive. I didn’t know China is like this before I really came!”
James Rosenfield (America)
Our Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative tour was fantastic. The CGT team is highly professional, organized and dedicated. Very knowledgeable and showed great passion, attention to detail, and enthusiasm throughout an intense and enjoyable tour of almost two weeks!
In the misty highlands of southwestern China, tea is not merely a beverage—it is a living heritage, a quiet philosophy, and a way of life that has spanned centuries. Designed for thoughtful global travelers and cultural explorers, our 5-Day Xishuangbanna Tea Tour invites you into a rare, contemplative tea retreat in China.
Day-by-day itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Xishuangbanna | Journey to Mengsong Ancient Tea Mountain
Day 2: Becoming a Tea Maker | Harvest, Workshop & Night Processing
In the morning, head into the rainforest tea gardens with your host, Alan, to harvest tender young leaves beneath the forest canopy, followed by a wild tea-leaf picnic in the mountains. At midday, ride a local motor tricycle back to the workshop with the morning's harvest to begin withering the leaves.
Through the afternoon and evening, take part in the core steps of loose-leaf Puerh production. After a home-cooked dinner, practice late-night pan-frying and rolling beside the open fire with your host family, turning the day's harvest into your own tea.
Day 3: Forest Ecology | Rattan Craftsmanship | Akha Folk Evening
In the morning, learn rattan weaving from a master artisan, creating your own handmade keepsake. This workshop directly supports local disabled craftsmen and helps preserve a heritage craft using nine local rattan species once favored by Dai royalty.
In the afternoon, join our tea master, a former hunter turned conservationist, for an 8 km rainforest trek of about three hours. Learn basic bird-watching techniques, forage for wild dinner ingredients, and hear how the forest's plants and terrain shape daily life here. In the evening, share a fireside dinner accompanied by traditional Akha folk singing performed by Miss Du Nan beneath the mountain sky.
Day 4: Mengsong to Bada Ancient Tea Mountain | Temples & Bulang Heritage
Begin the morning with a tea-tasting session, brewing and sharing the Puerh tea you crafted by hand alongside your host family.
In the afternoon, drive to Bada Ancient Tea Mountain, approximately five hours across 200 km, descending from 1,650 metres to 1,100 metres. Along the way, stop at the historic White Elephant Monastery, ancient sacred banyan groves, and a mountain well that has refreshed travelers along the old Tea Horse Road for centuries.
In the late afternoon, arrive at Wanwa (Manwa) Village and take a quiet walk through the settlement to see the slower pace of life in this Bulang ethnic community.
Day 5: Stream-Wading Canyon Walk | Master Tea Tasting | Return to Jinghong
In the morning, descend into a secluded mountain canyon to wade through a shallow, pebbly stream framed by rainforest and small waterfalls. Footwear that can get wet, such as water sandals, is recommended.
In the afternoon, drive back to Jinghong, approximately four hours across 130 km, descending from 1,100 metres to 550 metres. To close the journey, join a tea tasting in downtown Jinghong hosted by the official inheritor of Puerh Tribute Tea of the Six Great Ancient Mountains, comparing regional terroirs, vintages and craft techniques.
Overnight: Downtown Jinghong or evening departure
What is included
- Transfers: Airport / Train Station pick-up & drop-off in Xishuangbanna + private ground transport for all 5 days.
- Accommodation: 4 nights in comfortable village-run lodges and authentic homestays.
- Meals: All meals included.
- Full-process Puerh tea making (fresh leaf supply, workshop access, expert guidance).
- Rattan weaving workshop with master craftsmen.
- Rainforest ecology walk with a local conservationist.
- Akha folk singing performance.
- River stream-wading canyon walk.
- Master-led Tribute Tea tasting in Jinghong.
- Guiding: Experienced English-speaking tour leader + local ethnic guides and craftsmen.
What is not included
- Flights/Trains: Flights or train tickets.
- Personal Expenses
- Gratuities: Tips for guides and drivers (optional).
- Single Supplement: Extra charge for single room occupancy.
