Ningxia: Wine and Dine in the Desert Ride

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• Day 1: Arrive in Yinchuan. Visit Yuanshi Winery

  Dinner

  Welcome to Ningxia!
  On arrival at Yinchuan Airport (INC) we’ll have a transfer ready to take you to our downtown Yinchuan hotel (35mins). You’ll meet your guide who will help you check in, answer any questions you may have and set a time to meet for our afternoon winery visit. After freshening up, we’ll make our way over to Yuanshi to explore the winery, sample some wines and touring inside the winery. After the tour we'll head back downtonw for a dinner of local specialities and some locally produced wine, of course! After dinner you may wish to visit the nearby Huaiyuan Night Markets,which make a great stroll among the colourful staffs selling local favourite snakes and produce.

  Yuanshi Winery is Ningxia's largest producer and is famed for having been visited by Xi Jingping, it's organic fertilisers and growing techniques, as well as numerous international awards

   

• Day 2: Cycle to Helan Shan Mountains - Winery visits - 60km

  Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner 62 km

  We’ll spend some time setting up our bikes and meeting our cycling guides and drivers before heading off for the hills! The Helan Shan Mountains can be seen from the city and we’ll be making our way on a leafy cycling path that will take us up on a gentle incline to the base of the mountains. From the top, you’ll see views of the mountains, ancient temples and pagodas, and views below to vineyards and the city beyond. We’ll break out the coffee and a picnic lunch at Baisikou Pagodas to sit back and take it all in. Continuing along the mountains on undulating country roads, the views of the mountains expand before we turn downwards and make our way speedily to our first winery visit at the boutique Silver Heights Winery. A favourite among our customers, Silver Heights has a great selection of wines, which we sample from their outdoor tasting deck overlooking the vineyards, before heading off for a tour of the cellars and bottling facilities. After exploring the winery, we head for a short ride to Yinong winery for the evening. Yinong winery is located on the eastern foothills of the Helan Mountains, offers private house cuisine, sunset viewing over the Helan Mountains from the terrace, and stargazing bonfire activities. 

  Silver Heights is a family business whose story began on a hunch by Gao Lin, who planted French sourced vines in the 1990’s and sent his daughter Gao Yuan (Emma) off to France to study Oenology. She eventually returned, after receiving her Masters, with a French winemaking husband in tow, to establish Silver Heights and quickly became the poster child Ningxia wines with her successful early vintages that gained recognition abroad. If we’re lucky, we may have the opportunity to meet Emma to continue the story of Silver Heights and its wine in person

• Day 3: Cycle to Minning - Xi Xia Mausoleums - Winery Visits - 52KM

  Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner 70 km

  An action packed day awaits as we continue through Ningxia’s wine region on tree-lined and flat cycle paths that take us past yet more wineries and agricultural lands that have been reclaimed from the dry rock-strewn plain. Our first destination is the UESCO listed Xi Xia Mausoleums, where we’ll check out the extensive museum and take in the views of these ancient tombs against the back drop of the Helan Shan. After lunch in the Mausoleums,  to continue cycling through villages, farming land and more vinegards, will bring us to Xi Xia Wang Winery, where we will be glamping for the evening in outdoor tents on the winery grounds. Dinner will be the evenings activity and we’ll feature a few local wines to sample from wineries we won't visit on the tour.

• Day 4: Cycle to Xige Winery - 45KM

  Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner 45 km

  After breakfast, we’ll cycle out through the winery and make our way along quiet backroads, farmland and small villages. We’ll turn into forest and ride up a gentle climb until we reach our final winery and accomodation for the night: Xige Estate. Designed by an Australian architectural firm, Xige Estate is one of the most modern and ambitious wineries in Ningxia. It’s buildings blend into the surrounding arid landscape beautifully, with natural materials throughout the complex and stunningly designed spaces, making this a stand out winery anywhere in the world. There’ll be time to explore the winery grounds before we take a winery tour and a wine tasting in sumptuous surrounds. Dinner will be in the winery and we stay in comfortable rooms with views overlooking the surrounding estate.

• Day 5: Transfer to Yanchi - Cycle the ancient Great Wall 48KM

  Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner 48 km

  We start out today with a two hour drive toward Yanche, stopping for a local lunch near our Great Wall ride start point. We turn onto mostly dirt tracks and wind along and around the Great Wall as it, and the ancient towns along it, crumble back into the earth. The prominent wall that can be seen is from the Qing dynasty but you’ll also be able to spot sections of more eroded wall dating back to the Sui dynasty. Our ride brings us into Yanchi town for the evening. Yanche retains its (renovated) old city walls, city gates and drum tower, which make for abrilliantly lit evening stroll or an equally recommended morning walk. We’ll eat a local feast tonight in the centre of the old town.

• Day 6: Cycle to Haba Lake - 38KM

  Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner 38 km

  After a leisurely mornings breakfast, we begin our back road ride to Haba Lake Nature Reserve. The first section has us cycling through the relatively recently developed agricultural areas. Huge government spending has gone into these poorest of Ningxia’s communities; irrigation, water conservation and green energy projects designed to re-green and revitalise the arid landscape to become productive growing land are evident. Dozens of re-located Hui communities make up the majority of these farming communities.

  Our last section takes us through scrub-covered sand dunes, wetlands and groves of trees: an oasis of relatively more fertile land. Our destination is nearby the lake where we stay in quant detached rooms with picture windows to take in the surrounds and the incredible night skies. There’s a great off road loop that takes in some desert scenery, old crumbling forts and natural foliage that is a recommended afternoon activity. With little ambient light and the clear desert air, the stars unfold dramatically after sunset and we’ll take advantage with an outdoor barbecue of local roasted lamb and, perhaps, a glass of wine or two, to celebrate our last evening together!

• Day 7: Transfer to Yinchuan Airport - Departure

  Breakfast

  Zai Jian! Today is departure day and we will arrange a transfer to Yinchuan airport. Arrival and departure flights will be advised closer to the tour date so you can book appropriate flights to match the transfer times.

• 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.