China Adventures, Guide Stories 3

Sichuan, China- The Golden Kingdom

By · On October 27, 2019


I just finished guiding a fantastic expedition in Sichuan, China for Natural Habitat Adventures. Our season now takes place in Mid October to mid-November. This allows us to observe this stunning landscape in brilliant, golden, fall colors. Leaves are not the only golden things we saw, however. Africa has a big five- see what I call China’s golden 3.

Golden snub-nosed monkeys-

We traveled to a remote, unknown nature reserve high in the Minshan range and spent an afternoon with golden snub-nosed monkeys! My favorite primate on earth.

Can imagine the thrill of seeing such rare and beautiful primates in the wild?

Female golden monkey

6-month-old baby.

Golden Takin- One nature reserve we visit is the border of the range of two subspecies of Takin- the Golden and Sichuan, so we see a mixture of both. Takin are awesome animals and we had dozens of incredible sightings.

We encountered two monster bulls while hiking up a small dirt road in the morning.

Legendary biologist George Schaller likened these animals to a “bee-stung moose.” I think the huge nose helps to warm the air before entering the bodies core, as is the case with polar bears.

The takin in the reserve have lost their fear of people because the reserve staff has done such a great job setting rules and limits on how humans behave. We had some fantastic sightings on foot. Shot with 400 mm lens

Golden Pheasants– One of the most beautiful birds I have ever seen in my life. To spot these in the wild is a magnificent achievement. We have never run a tour without at least one great sighting.

The autumn colors in October and November are a sight to behold. The two best trees are ginkgos and larches (tamarack).

Gingko trees are regarded as sacred in China and symbolize longevity. This Gingko is estimated to be 1-2000 years old.

Larches, or tamaracks, are deciduous conifers, meaning they bear cones like a pine, but their needles turn yellow and fall off in the fall. They are stunningly beautiful.

At 12,500 feet we witnessed larches standing boldly colored against spruces, with a fresh dusting of snow.

Travelers Timothy and Lynne Mero behind a golden gingko at Wolong Panda Base.

Bob and Kathy England in a peaceful and serene nature reserve.

Warren Josephson and Jill Brenner at Wolong in the Qionglai Mountains 4 hours west of Chengdu.

Barry Lutz and Susanna Maxwell. This couple came with me to China in the spring in 2015 and returned to see our new itinerary and the fall colors.

What is missing in this post? Pandas! Stay tuned for pandas, terracotta warriors and more! Sichuan is a spectacular place. I fall more in love with this region every time I visit.

Keep Exploring, and please leave comments or questions below!

Brad


Brad has been a Natural Habitat Expedition Leader since 2005, guiding Alaska grizzly bear tours, Churchill polar bear tours, northern lights expeditions and China panda tours. His specialty is bear biology and ecology of the north country.

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3 Comments

  • Claude says: October 27, 2019 at 11:26 pm

    It looks so wonderful. This is the true side of wild China.

    Reply
  • Martha L. Bonner says: October 28, 2019 at 6:44 am

    I had no idea that China has such unbelievably gorgeous scenery as well as the absolutely exquisite animals!!! Thank you for exposing me to the wild side of China!!!

    Reply
  • Brenna B says: November 3, 2019 at 10:54 am

    I was a part of the trip right before this with John leading us. It. Was. Incredible.
    The views and the colors of fall and the animals, especially the pandas. Wow, it was all breathtaking. You guys do an AMAZING job with these trips. I had no idea I’d fall so in love with China.

    Reply

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