"A connoisseur's weekender exploring Fujian's extraordinary tea and tulou culture at a leisurely pace on two wheels. Stay in UNESCO world heritage tulou roundhouses and explore the local life of the Hakka people and the surrounding countryside that produces tea that is famed throughout China."
Click image to start slideshow
-
Day 1: Friday - Arrival in Xiamen and Tulou Stay
Meet at Xiamen Airport at 7.30 pm and transfer 3 hours to our guesthouse in the Tulou.
-
Day 2: Saturday - Cycling and Tea Culture
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner 40 kmFull day cycle from the Yongding Tulou to our Tulou homestay in the Nanjing tea fields.
-
Day 3: Sunday - Cycling and Departure
Breakfast & Lunch 35 kmThree quarter day cycle (till 3.30pm), tea culture activities – mostly drinking it with friendly locals but also exploring random home tea factories before transferring to Xiamen Airport for 6 pm airport check in’s.
Mistaken in 1980’s satellite photos for missile silos, Fujian’s Tulou Roudhouses turned out to be far more interesting: multi-storied, fengshui-alligned, rammed earth fortresses built from the 13th Century onward to protect the “newly” arrived Hakka Clan’s and their rich culture. 46 Tulou scattered across Southern Fujian are now UNESCO listed World Cultural Heritage gems, best appreciated on a bike, with plenty of tea.
There are hills, hedged with seasonal crops, most famously Fujian's Iron Goddess tea bushes, that provide us our happy excuse to stop and taste both the landscape and Tulou-hospitality, in a teacup! Brewed with ceremony (kung-fu styled), Oolong teas are the Red Bull of this eco-ride – served up with Fujian folklore, tea-processing know-how and the basics of tea-palate education. You will support heritage conservation by staying in two lesser known Tulou. Tea lovers and non-hardcore cyclists are encouraged to join. There are some challenging hills but the cycling is not rushed. In total you will cycle approximately 75 km kilometers of both beautifully paved country back roads, and tiny village pathways (some less than beautifully paved, but providing intimate access to the tulou villages and fields). Don't miss this chance to see one of China's rarely visited hidden gems.
Getting There & Away
From Hong Kong: Flights are roughly 1 hour from Hong Kong to Xiamen. Flight KA 604 departing at 5.45 pm is perfect for those joining from Hong Kong on Friday afternoon. For the eco-minded with a little more time, the bullet train takes just 3.5 hours from Shenzhen North Station.
From Shanghai: The new bullet speed D-Trains take about 8 hours from Shanghai to Xiamen. There are seven direct flights on a Friday – China Eastern MU 5563 the most convenient for the 7.30 pm meet up.
From Beijing: There are more than 17 flights a day. The 24 hour train ride is truly for afficiandos.
Other: Xiamen is serviced by an international airport, Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport (XMN), and has several international flights arriving daily from destinations across Asia and beyond. To check flight details, time and cost we can recommend the following website: Ctrip - http://english.ctrip.com/. It is in English, reliable, and you can pay for these flights by credit card. If more convenient you can also book domestic China flights through us at competitive rates (a small service charge applies per ticket). Just let us know when you book.
Return options: The Tea and Tulou trip finishes at Xiamen Airport at 6pm Sunday night to connect with flights back to all major cities (Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai) and beyond. Please check ticket availability for your return before you book. Drop offs for the the bullet train back to Shenzhen can be made at at 5.15 pm.
Transfers
Airport/ train station pick ups and drop offs are included in the tour price. Please make sure you give us details of your arrival and departure, including flight details, date and time, so we can arrange your transfers.
Tour Info Pack
Once we have recieved your booking and deposit we'll send you a Tour INFO PACK that will include tour notes, training tips, preparation info and joining point instructions. If you have any questions about the tour at all please don't hesitate to contact us
-
How difficult is the tour?
Not difficult at all! There are a few hills to negotiate but we take our time and use the bikes as our way to leisurley explore the region. This is not a tour for hard-core cyclists as the emphasis is on experiencing local landscapes and local life at a gentle pace with plenty of spontaneous stops along the way to visit homes, tea plantations and, of course, the Tulou.
-
Can we change the itinerary or customise the tour?
Not for publicly listed dates, but if you have your own group or date in mind, Yes. If you want to make a private booking we can help design a tour that suits you. You may have ideas based on any of our tours or something in mind that you can't find on our website. Just get in contact with us and let us know what you have in mind and we'll try our best to make it happen!
-
Do you cater for vegetarians?
Yes we do! If you have any dietery requirements just let us know when you book in the space provided (Additional Requests). For any severe alergies or other conditions it is best that you let us know in advance so that we can prepare and/ or advise you on what we can provide or what you might need to bring so that are well catered for.
-
What about Covid 19?
Covid restrictions have passed for most countries and it is now possible to obtain tourist visas for China. For China you may need to provide a personal Covid test within taken 24 hours before your departure, these are only checked randomly, and can also be taken on arrival.
During all our tours we take care to avoid any transferring of any viruses, such as Covid, through providing hand sanitisers and minimising exposure. As with any illness, all care will be made for the participants well being during the tour and we will help with any arrangements that need to be made if the participant needs to leave the tour (this will be at the cost of the participant). Costs for unused segments of tours cannot be refunded, for any reason, as all tour costs are paid in advance.
-
How to I make a booking and payment?
Simply go to the "Dates" section of the tour page and click on the "book now" button, or click on "book" on the website header and select your preferred tour and departure date. If you are booking onto an on demand tour and have your own dates in mind there will be an facility for you book here too.
Before you book, we recommend that you read through the tour details and our booking terms and conditions. You can contact us about the trip if you have any questions at info@bikeasia.com or set up a time to chat about the tour.
Upon completion of your booking form we’ll send you an acknowledgement email and invoice for a deposit. All long trips (7 days or more) require a deposit of 300USD to guarantee your place. Trips departing within 60 days at booking will require full payment. Once your deposit is received, we’ll also send you a pre-trip information pack that will give you added information about the tour, the region you’ll be travelling through, a checklist of things to prepare, suggestions for packing, training tips and more. For shorter trips and day tours we require full payment 30 days prior to the commencement of the tour or as soon as convenient if booking within 30 days of departure.
Payments can be made on credit card via Paypal or through a direct bank transfer in most currencies. Information on payments will be present on your initial deposit invoice. Paypal payments will incur a 4% fee.
Start Date | End Date | ||
---|---|---|---|
Choose your own date | Book Now |
Contact us for customised or private tours.
Tour Stats
- China
- 3 days
- Cycling Tour
- 2
- 75 km
- 6 - 16 People
- 520 USD
- 60 USD (single supplement)