NEW: from June 23rd, 2025

Early summer tea tour

Xishuangbanna-Nannuo-Menghai-Kunming-Dali-Yiwu area-Pasha-Laobanzhang-Laoman'e-Hekai - Custom option: Sichuan

The tour starts at the beginning of summer, when tea leaves, trees and mountains have all been blessed by the first rain: we will be surrounded by changing skies and saturated hues, intense fragrances, and all the spring leaves on the tea tables.

Our journey begins in Kunming, the capital city of Yunnan Xishuangbanna, where we will attend scholars' workshops on Gongfucha and Yixing; we will journey north to Dali and Shaxi, embraced by stunning landscapes and thousand-year old traces of daily life along the tea horse road.

Along the journey we will live off our passion for tea: in south-west Yunnan, and we explore all the most important mountains and tea-forests of Yunnan. We will brew together the best teas, speak with the producers and assist them in their work as we walk their lands. We will be hosted by skilled pottery masters and professionals, visiting local artists and peaceful corners of our beloved mountains.

The beginning of summer is a delicately lively season: the first rains have just begun, and the land enjoys the freshness of the new lymph at the same time, here and there happens a small production of tea, giving us the range to flavour the fragrances of fresh leaves.
During this period the activities happen at a much slower pace, taking enough time to talk with people, learn and experiment with our own hands.

In this travel, you will find everything that makes up Eastern Leaves: our Yunnan, an in-depth of Chinese culture, and all the people that make our tea-journey meaningful.

June 24th - July 8th, 2025: Early summer in Yunnan

Optional leg, upon request: June 20-24th, Sichuan

Info and reservation

From farmers and tea scholars

In our travels we bring all that we are: our years of technical experience as tea growers and scholars in Yunnan, our long-term relationships with like-minded growers in other Chinese provinces and ceramic artists, and all the our passion.

Attentive organisation

We organize our travels with the same care that we use for our teas and our courses: we consider our activities as a whole, a multidimensional exploration of the leaves we love that needs careful and passionate support to reveal all its beauty.

Independent

We organize our itineraries with our own resources, without relying on any travel agency: we visit the places that shaped our tea journey and that still make us wonder, sitting at the tea table with the tea professionals we esteem the most.

Itinerary

DAY #1 - TASTE OF THE OLD DAI KINGDOM

Xishuangbanna, June 24th

We welcome our guests to our place, in Xishuangbanna valley, for a comfortable rest with tea, seasonal fruit and food to recover from the fatigue of your travel. 

We stay in a villa next to our studio, that will be your base for the whole duration of our trip to the lands we love so much.

Day #2 - Treasures of Bulang mtn.

Nannuo forest, June 25th

Nannuo mountain has a thousand-year history with tea, and due to its wilder history has an incomparable richness of tea forests: our travel into pu’er starts from here, walking to pay homage to the oldest 800-year-old tree, which is considered the king of Nannuo mountain, and whose location and story are so meaningful for our travel into pu’er tea.

After a typical Hani culture lunch in the mountain, with locally grown raw material, herbs, and spices, we have an incense workshop and seminar: we go through 2000 years of fragrant history, actively studying the most important components, benefits, and interaction of different agarwood with different teas.

Gallery: Nannuo

Day #3 - The heart of tea trade and production

Menghai, June 26th

Menghai is the centre of the most renowned - and busiest - area for the production of pu'er tea: it is surrounded by the Bulang area with Laobanzhang and Laoman'e, Pasha, Nannuo, Naka and many others, and brings together all the best professionals and factories. 

We visit a pu'er tea refining workshop and explore the local economy while dedicating our day to sampling the greatest teas.

In the afternoon, on the way to Xishuangbanna, we stop by our Pu'er shupu master for a specialised tasting, to smooth our way into the night.

Gallery: Menghai

Day #4 - Over the clouds, the capital of Yunnan

On the way to Kunming, June 27th

We go to Kunming, the capital of Yunnan, located at 2,100 meters above sea level between the tropical south and the Himalayan north. We go to the freshness of Spring City, the capital of pu'er tea, where twenty-five cultural groups still live and thrive.

We visit the local tea market for professionals, with multiple chances to review and enrich the leaf-based experiences we had during our travel. It is an important place to feel the contemporary tea-scene in Yunnan: here every notable company is represented, with the best of its production.

Photo gallery: Kunming

Day #5 - Tea studies in the heart of Yunnan

Kunming, June 28th

We meet Li Haibo and Li Jiajia, the teacher who teaches gongfucha practice and ceremony: we study technique and movements to brew Chinese teas properly, preparing some leaves from his impressive collections. 

After a lunch with private chef, we will join Master top teacher Li Haibo for an in-depth seminar on Yixing clay: he will prepare several teas using different Yixing pieces from his collection, telling about their history and most important shapes.

Photo gallery: Kunming

Day #6 - Of mountains ridges and kings

Kunming to Dali, June 29th

We arrive in the Dali highland by train: in front of us the Erhai Lake, that for the 40Km of its majestic length is crowned by the Cang Mountain Range, one of the most spectacular in China.

This land flourished since the VIII century with the Nanzhao Kingdom, and all around the shores of the Erhai lake, where multiple preserved remains of many dynasties.

The landscape sweetens our day dedicated to history, culture and tea: we are going to taste pu'er teas that once transited here through the Ancient Tea Horse Road paired with local delicacies, tea leaves, and medicinal herbs, that grow in this incredible biodiversity.

Photo gallery: Dali

Day #7 - Flavors of ancient civilisations

Dali, June 30th

We wake up with sunrise on the crystal clear lake, and we head to the Zhang Family Residence: it is an architectural masterpiece that best represents the Bai architectural art in place in this same location since Tang dynasty.

We continue our day visiting one of the most stunning Chinese landmarks: the Three Pagodas that surround the Chongsheng Temple, a symmetrical complex built in the 9th century and survived intact until nowadays.

We end our days in the hot-springs nourished by the Cang mountains spring water, to restore us and to sweeten the evening chill.

Photo gallery: Dali

Day #8 - The contemporary tea scene

Dali to Kunming, July 1st

In the morning, we leave Dali and travel to Kunming by express train.

As the most valuable hub for the trade of Pu'er tea, Kunming offers us the perfect setting for an in-depth afternoon tasting with aged-tea professionals who contribute to its importance in the contemporary tea scene.

We carefully select prominent experts based on their availability, including tea collectors, dealers, and respected tea publishers with established reputations in the Chinese tea market.

Photo gallery: Kunming

Day #9 - Ancient cultivars

Kunming to Xishuangbanna, July 2nd

In the morning we head south towards the ancient Dai kingdom of Xishuangbanna, where most of the premium pu'er tea is produced and enjoyed.

After checking in, we have a quiet lunch and we dedicate the afternoon to the study of locally grown teas: it is the cradle of pu’er tea, with great and rising aged white teas and continuously evolving Dianhong red teas.

Gallery: Nannuo mountain

Day #10 - Treasures of Bulang mountain

Bulang mtn., July 3rd

In the morning we head to Laoman’e village, the most historical and cultural village in the area, with a lively ancient temple that is the old keeper of the local culture and pu’er tea.

After lunch, we visit the most famous village in the area, a symbol of the skyrocketing prices of pu'er tea: Laobanzhang, with its historic trees, evidence of ancient domestication, and the maximum security village that protects its treasure.

During this day at the origin of tea, we will live and drive through scenic ridges and valleys; and in both villages we visit we will notice the same timeless connection between the Bulang and Hani people and their tea forests, a tradition passed down for over a thousand years.

Gallery: Laobanzhang and Laoman'e

Day #11 - The gentle forest

Nannuo mountain, July 4th

In the morning we plan a walk to explore the height of Nannuo and reach its Bama side, the most prestigious and isolated.
Note: for whoever feels uncomfortable with the hike, most of the walk can be supported by SUV or small bus.

We will explore different tea-gardens and forests, cultivars and species, and we will have a picnic on the mountain. It is a unique chance to be immersed in the tea mountain, participating in its daily life and fragrances, step by step. 

Our day includes a visit to the peaceful and hidden forest in Lunan/Pasha to our ancient trees: it is often immersed in the fog, and gifts us with a magical atmosphere.

Gallery: Nannuo mountain

Day #12 - Flowery fragrance and pu’er tea

Yiwu, July 5th

We head southeast toward the border with Laos, with the Yiwu peaks as our destination. This region is home to a diverse range of flavors, landscapes, and producers; forests of ancient tea trees stretch through the valleys, connected by the same road that hosted tribute tea caravans for centuries.

Upon arriving in Yiwu town, we settle into a small hotel with a well-kept garden, a terrace, and multiple tea rooms. We then take a walk through Yiwu’s most historically significant homes and lanes, visiting the square where pu'er tea was loaded and traded for generations, as well as the local museum, located at the first stop of the Ancient Tea Horse Road.

Gallery: Yiwu

DAY #13 - FLOWERY FRAGRANCE AND PU’ER TEA

Yiwu, July 6th

We wake up surrounded by the peaks and scents of Yiwu, and after a proper tea session we head for the inner land of the area, diving in the cultural diversity of te area.

We visit two different tea villages and forests: Luoshuidong, with its remarkable trees, a sanctuary to its king-tree, and the ancient road; we take a long walk through its lanes and its trees, on the same stone-path that men and horses walked since the origin of the trade.

The second village is Mahei, an old Han culture village that determines what Yiwu means and taste. It is inhabited by the first migrants that settled here during the early tributary era,

Gallery: Yiwu

Day #14 - Tea and Dai culture: leaves and pottery

Xishuangbanna, July 7th

In the morning we immerse ourself once more, for our last intense day, in the most important pu'er teas of Yunnan: after many days visiting terroir and farmers, it is time to follow a tasting seminar to review the most important knowledge and create a solid taste-database of the area that welcomed and enchanted us.

In the afternoon we visit a lush tropical garden surrounded by forest, which houses the ceramic workshop of an innovative master we love: Qiu Laoshi and his creations. His work is deeply rooted in his territory: he uses only local sands and plant-based ashes for his glazes, and each of his production-season has a different hue. 

Galleries: Qiu Laoshi

Day #15 - A journey of fragrances

Xishuangbanna, July 8th

It is time to wrap-up all the tastes, teas, people, places and experiences we have encountered through our travel: we meet in the morning in our tea studio to brew together the very best mountains and vintages. 

We prepare some Guanguan tea on the fire to warm up our soul before saying our goodbye.

Our travel is designed by us, and it is independent by any travel agency: we bring you with us on Eastern Leaves routes, guided by a farmer and tea scholar, through places, tastes and people that are most menaningful for us.

From our travelers

I still can't believe I was in all these amazing places

"I am drinking a rock tea from Wuyishan at home, a month after our trip. Brewed in a beautiful Yixing pot that I bought in actual Yixing, and tea from the mountain that I hiked on. I still can't believe I was in all these amazing places... I am reminiscing about this holiday a lot. It was just perfect. People were incredibly nice. We had wonderful encounters with lots of lovely different tea people and the people in our group where the best. Tea people are so nice. We saw incredible things, drank the best teas and had so much fun together. Everything that was abstract for me beforehand, became concrete while traveling. It's hard to capture my feelings in words, but but I am back home for a month now and there was not a single day that I didn't think about the trip. I wasn't homesick while traveling, but I am tripsick now.

And all of this took place under the caring and enthusiastic guidance of Vivian and Lorenzo, truly two of the most kind, warm-hearted and knowledgeable people that I know."

W.E., from The Netherlands

We have become more sensitive and have touched beauty

"I want to consider a different approach. I don't want to make a review of what went well and what didn't go well. I don't want to dwell on individual stages and describe a fantastic world. I reject any image of travel, tea, an extraordinary country and all that. I want to forget any kind of knowledge I have. Tea lovers already know all about these things. I want to tell them that they don't need "yesterday" because it is the necessary condition to savor any moment with its different temperatures, colors and fragrances. Isn't this what happens when you drink forgotten tea? Isn't it like drinking a new tea, after all? When we abandoned the concept of tea bags, what did we do? We entered an ancient forest for the first time. We put our hands in the clay. We tasted food with a sparkling and surprising flavour. We have become more sensitive and have touched beauty. And this is where the world of Eastern Leaves becomes real"

D.N., from Italy

These experiences last only a few weeks, but the memories will stay with me for a lifetime

I've done two tours with Eastern Leaves; both tours blew my mind. I never liked the idea of group tours, but travelling with like minded tea enthusiasts? Sign me up every time!
The Eastern Leaves team distinguish themselves through thoughtfulness, patience, sincerity and a drive to share knowledge and insights. Before the trip they were available for questions and suggestions (within reason of course). During the trip they ensured we had comfortable hotels and carefully selected local food. Their attention to quality is further exemplified by their continuous request for feedback to improve. Truly commendable!
These tours have a perfect blend of visiting tea-related places and meeting people (within the group and locals) while also learning about associating culture and gaining new knowledge. The itinerary is balanced between busier days visiting the tea areas and some rest days with things like tastings and workshops. Apart from that it is adaptable, so they can cater to unforeseen circumstances (e.g. weather or availability of local teapeople).
During these tours I got to visit some of the amazing places I've read and learned about and even some places that were new for me. Wuyishan, Yixing, a jasmine tea factory in Fujian, wild tealands in Yunnan and beautiful Dali. During the second tour, I revisited some areas such as Nannou, Laobanzhang and Menghai. Even though it was the same place, and sometimes the same people, this second visit offered me new insights and slight differences.
These experiences last only a few weeks, but the memories will stay with me for a lifetime.

E.T., from The Netherlands

None of what I have experienced, would have been accessible and possible as independent traveller

Thank you so much for such two unforgettable weeks around Yunnan. As an event organizer I don’t trust other people easily, but your tour was seamless and you gave us so much more than you promised. You’re both very alert to the necessities of the group, flexible and caring that you made us feel special from day one. You also have a keen eye for detail, which always makes a big difference. Every day we could discover a new shade of the fascinating tea world of Yunnan and it really was a deep dive into the subject at 360 degrees. Most of all, 98% of what we experienced, tasted, brewed, learnt and enjoyed wouldn’t have been accessible and possible as independent traveller. You really are a passport for the world of Chinese tea and I can’t wait to discover another tea area of your country with you.

L.A., from Venice

Our travel package includes accommodation in selected, cosy hotels, all the internal transportation, and meals. It doesn't include the flight from/to your country of origin, visas (but we support your application), and insurance.

Once you decide to travel with us, we assist you in everything we can, following our experience with travellers from all over the world.

We apply special rates for our Eastern Academy alumni: contact us to choose a date and customise together your travel at the origin of tea!

Food: Learn through tasting

Along with tea and culture, we place a high value on food: we select the most interesting meals and, above all, to immerse you in our reality of people and places. Whenever possible, we cook in our studio to chill between excursions and to sample foods discovered along the way.
Vegetarian options are plentiful, including numerous variations on tofu, beans, and cooking techniques that are part of the Chinese tradition.

Accommodation

We spend the majority of our nights in a small private villa adjacent to our studio, making it easy to begin each day with tastings and studying.
In every other city, we stay in trusted hotels on which we have come to rely over the years, and in some cases, they have become second homes to us due to their excellent service and tea with a view.

Transportation

We travel through the East Coast cities by rapid train (and yes, tea on the train is a must-have feature in our tours!) and then by private car to each destination; we fly to Yunnan and then drive our own private SUV to ensure the highest level of safety, comfort, and flexibility.

Contact us

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Further travel options

China Tea Tour - May

May 1st - May 20th, 2025

This tour crosses the historical tea line of the east coast, before immersing in our Yunnan: it starts from Yixing, before proceeding to Huangshan and Qimen valley, where we visit extensively the most important production areas.

From there we travel to the Wuyishan valley, where we visit extensively the most important production areas, and from where we start to Tongmuguan, the birth-place of red tea, and Jianyang, the ancient site of production for the Jianzhang teaware, Tenmoku in Japanese.

For the second part of the tour we fly to our Yunnan, where we'll immerse in pu'er lands of Xishuangbanna, following the traces of pu'er tea from the ancient days until the contemporaneity.

Itinerary and booking

Future dates

Summer, Autumn, and Winter 2025/2026

Our Summer Tour in August, covering Sichuan and Yunnan, is currently fully booked. However, you can still join our waiting list.

This Autumn, we are planning an East Coast China Tour between October and November. Subscriptions are open, and we are currently refining the itinerary—stay tuned for the final version, which will be published soon!

As always, our winter tour will take place between December and January during the Winter Holidays.

Feel free to reach out for more details—we’d love to hear from you!

Pre-booking and suggestions

Find us

Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, China

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