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Yunnan, China’s most bird-diverse province, sits at the junction of three globally recognized biodiversity hotspots: Himalaya, Indo-Burma, and the Mountains of Southwest China. The country's southwestern-most province, Yunnan, was long neglected as a destination by traveling birders--for the excellent reason that you couldn't get there! Restrictions on access have been relaxed for more than a decade now, so that some of the least-disturbed areas near the Myanmar (formerly Burma) border can be visited. The avian delights of winter in Yunnan in many ways surpass those of the more obvious spring months of March/April, with a host of wintering birds augmenting the mostly sedentary resident breeders. Beautiful scenery and surprisingly good accommodations and infrastructure add to the enjoyment of this region where the Himalayan and Southeast Asian avifaunas converge.
Anyone susceptible to the allure of Thailand and the eastern Himalayas will look wistfully at the birding map of the region and wonder about the large blur linking them: at 394,000 square kms/152,000 square miles, Yunnan, China's eighth largest province, is nearly the size of huge California. However, west of the mighty Salween River, steadily improving infrastructure has made accessible a variety of habitats, from forests between 1,000-8,000 feet (300-2,400m) above sea level to paddies and scrub hosting winter visitors and migrants still on passage. This tour will follow an itinerary that has been planned to balance seeing a good variety of the province's ecozones and avian wonders, along with field time in some of the richest areas: the impressive Gaoligong Mountains, in history-burdened Tengchong, and in the border regions with Myanmar. After flying into Kunming, we will visit picturesque Lijiang, a World Heritage Site that is also home to the endemic Biet's Laughingthrush and the near-endemic Yunnan Nuthatch. We will then cover several locations on the way west, towards the rich border region, and will conclude our tour with a search for the specialties of mysterious border forests.
Part of the charm of this scenically arresting, tucked-away, and culturally still authentic corner of the world is that it has only recently been discovered by western tourism, indeed with most tourists there still being birders and bird photographers. Nonetheless, roads are far better than one might suppose, and our accommodations will be basic-but-comfortable to excellent throughout.
The wide elevation range we'll cover means that this tour offers a phenomenal mix of habitats and field experiences over the two-plus weeks we'll be in country. Add to that some authentic Yunnan cuisine, and this is sure to be a fantastic tour!
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