Travel from UK, via Amsterdam, to China on an overnight flight.

Arrive Chengdu in the early afternoon. After we clear Chinese Immigration and Customs, collect our baggage and register at our hotel, there should be time for a short orientation walk before supper.

Today is a 'recovery' day after the long flight and we will stay within the city of Chengdu itself. Situated on the fertile Chengdu Plain (often referred to as the Land of Abundance), this large and expansive metropolis is the fifth most populous city in China, with around 6 million people living within the city and its suburbs.

We will visit the famous Chengdu Shu Brocade and Embroidery Museum and marvel at the huge platform looms, first designed in the Qing Dynasty, that produce the most exquisite patterns and pictures. Two people operate the looms, with every design committed to memory. There will be ample opportunity to browse amongst the huge range of products for sale.

We will also visit Chengdu's famous Bamboo Garden, where over one hundred and sixty different species and cultivars flourish from dwarf ground covers to huge canes of 20 metres (65 ft).

The Jinsha culture was established in the Chengdu region around 4000 years ago during the Chinese Bronze Age. In 2001 archaeologists unearthed Jinshacun, a village from that period, and found thousands of pieces of pottery and golden relics. The whole site has been wonderfully preserved, and we will hopefully have the opportunity to visit it today.

In the evening we will pay a visit to Mr Chen Shangrao, a traditional Chinese artist, and view some of his extraordinary work.

Today we travel northwards to the nature reserve at Tangjiahe, where we will stay overnight. Accommodation here is basic but comfortable. It is a long drive, but there is much of interest to see on the way. We will pass through Aba Prefecture, first driving through an area peopled by the Qiang minority. Here the buildings are magnificent stone houses, and most villages have spectacular watchtowers. As we head further north we will see the quite different homes of the Tibetans, often with massive racks nearby for drying crops quickly in the short dry period between harvest and the first snows. We will see our first yaks today.

We will spend all day at Tangjiahe and enjoy seeing a wide range of flora and fauna indigenous to this region. Tangjiahe is a remarkable WWF-funded reserve created in 1978. It is home to over two hundred different species of birds, Asiatic black bears, giant pandas, golden tamarind monkeys, macaques and the strange takin. Bears and pandas are elusive but we should see monkeys and takins, together with a huge variety of plant life.

Today we move on to the National Park of Jiuzhaigou, which was declared a World Heritage Site in 1992. Our road takes us through alpine meadows with rhododendrons and gentians, and there will be plenty of opportunities to stop and take photographs. In the evening we will travel from our hotel to be entertained by Tibetan dancers - you can join in if you wish!

Jiuzhaigou is a protected valley, with outstanding scenery, blue lakes, waterfalls and autumn colour. We will take a bus that will transport us uphill from where we can walk down the path or re-board the buses at will, taking in the most important sites. A Tibetan village on the way down offers great shopping opportunities. You should not expect to pay the full asking price, so this is a good opportunity to practice your negotiating skills! Jiuzhaigou is increasing in popularity as a Chinese tourist destination and, although we will try to miss the busiest periods, large crowds are quite common and few areas are secluded.

Today we will drive over a 4,200-metre mountain pass to our next destination, Huanglong. We will stop at the highest point to take photographs, and you may encounter the effects of altitude for the first time here.

Huanglong, the Yellow Dragon valley, was designated a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1992. The following extract from the Travel China Guide sums it up nicely: "The Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area is located in Songpan County, in the northwest part of Sichuan Province, and encompasses the Huanglong and Muni Valley. Huanglong's major scenery is concentrated in the 3.6-kilometre (2.2 miles) long Huanglong Valley that includes snow-clad peaks and the easternmost glaciers in China. Due to its layered calcium carbonated deposit patterns, the valley resembles a golden dragon winding its way through the virgin forest, stone mountains and glaciers. Along the valley are scattered numerous colourful ponds of different sizes and shapes, which are strewn with gold coloured limestone deposit giving a shimmering golden hue to water, so in sunlight, a golden dragon seems to surge forth from the forest. Thus it was named 'Huanglong Valley' (Yellow Dragon Valley)."

It really is a fascinating place in every respect. You will see rhododendrons flourishing in soil over limestone and, most remarkably, multicoloured calcified pools.

We hope it may be possible to ride uphill in the cable car, thus saving our energy for the walk back down to the exit. Strenuous physical exertion can be difficult at this altitude, but there are stops en route for oxygen. Those who particularly feel the effects of high altitude will be given their own supply.

From Songpan we embark on a long drive southwest to our next accommodation at the Wolong Panda Reserve. En route we will stop at a huge lake created by an earthquake. There is another shopping opportunity here and the chance to have your photo taken mounted on a yak, or camel if you prefer! In the evening we will visit the Wolong museum, with its interesting exhibits on the history of the giant panda as well as information on the current breeding programmes.

After an early start we will drive up the Wolong Valley to visit the superb alpine meadows of Balang Shan at over 4000 metres. Here we will see both familiar and uncommon plants in a spectacular mountain setting.

We then travel back downhill and visit the world-famous Wolong Panda Reserve, another UNESCO-designated site. The reserve covers some 200,000 hectares, but our destination is the breeding centre. Pandas galore here!

We travel back to our next hotel in Dujiangyan, arriving in time for supper.

In the morning we will visit Mount Qingcheng. After a short boat ride, we take a spectacular ride uphill in the chair lift. Once we reach the top we start our descent through fantastic evergreen canopy, similar to the laurel forests of Madeira. There are hundreds of steps down, with some extremely steep sections.

At lunchtime we arrive at a Taoist Temple where we will be served a traditional lunch of gingko chicken. We will also be able to taste the wonderful green kiwi fruit liqueur, another local speciality.

After lunch we will be invited to take tea, and be guided through the important business of drinking it correctly!

In the afternoon we will visit the huge Dujiangyan Irrigation System, where the Minjiang River (a tributary of the Yangtze) was tamed over 2,200 years ago. Using just bamboo, stone gabions and manpower, a system was created to modify the flow of the river, which prevented flooding and provided irrigation for the plains below. This remarkable project owed much to the far-reaching vision of the governor of the Shu prefecture, Li Bing, and he is still revered today in this area. Dujiangyan was an outstanding achievement and its construction has been described as on a par with the great pyramids of Egypt. Today the bamboo and stone have been replaced with modern materials, but the irrigation system remains very effective and is vital for the continued agricultural prosperity of the region.

As we leave the irrigation system we will pass through the amazing Bonsai Garden, famous for a Maidenhair Tree, Ginkgo biloba, that is several hundred years old.

This morning we will drive back to Chengdu for some last minute shopping before our departure for the UK in the early afternoon.

A: Yes. Visas can be applied for 3 months in advance of travel. We are happy to arrange this on your behalf, and further details will be sent out to you in the summer. You will need to complete an application form and return that to us with the necessary fees, your passport and a passport-sized photograph. For those who live in England, Chinese visas are also available from Manchester if this is more convenient. For those who live in Northern Ireland, your application will need to come to Edinburgh. We regret that we are unable to arrange visas for non-UK residents, as these need to be obtained from your country of residence.

A: The currency is the Chinese RMB, the Yuan. £250 spending money will be more than enough. If you intend to change money in China, the banks will only accept clean (no marks or damaged) and preferably new English notes. Scottish notes are not accepted. Credit cards are virtually useless and it is usually simply not possible to withdraw cash from an ATM.

A: We can expect warm weather in Chengdu, where it is often well over 20°C. It can be distinctly chilly at night in the north at high altitude, so it is advisable to bring layers of clothing with you.

A: Heavy walking boots are unnecessary. Lightweight walking shoes should be adequate. Good well-cushioned trainers would suffice unless you need ankle support. Most of the walking will be on reasonable hard surfaces

A: Effects vary from person to person. You will certainly feel out of breath, but you may feel nauseous or you may get headaches. Your GP may recommend a medicine called Diamox, which is helpful at high altitudes, but be aware that it is a diuretic! We will carry personal oxygen cylinders on the bus.

A: A good level of fitness (i.e. regular brisk walking) is essential. The altitude may exclude those with existing breathing problems, and the sheer number of steps at some locations would certainly be problematic for those with hip, knee or other joint problems. We strongly advise anyone joining this holiday to get the 'all clear' from their GPs before travel.

A: Most Chinese food is wonderful and absolutely nothing like that experienced from your local takeaway. We will select meals avoiding the more bizarre items, but be prepared for spicy hot - this is Sichuan! Breakfast in China is often a disappointment for westerners and may consist of rice soup, boiled eggs and steamed bread. Special dietary requirements are almost impossible to satisfy, especially in the more remote areas, and we therefore cannot offer this service. Chinese cooks tend to use MSG (monosodium glutamate), so it is imperative that we know if anyone has experienced an allergic reaction to this in the past. In most places we will be served only green tea. If you like coffee, remember to pack a small jar of 'instant', as usually the only alternative is sachets of ready mixed coffee with whitener and sugar. Beer will be freely available. Wine and spirits are not, so you may wish to take advantage of your duty-free allowance on the way out. Chinese white wine is usually not a wine at all, but a wickedly strong spirit (at least 50% ABV) made from sorghum or, in the north, a variety of dwarf wheat.

A: . In Chengdu tap water is safe to drink, but in all other areas you will be supplied with bottled water. Remember to clean teeth with bottled or boiled water (there's usually a kettle or thermos flask in every hotel room), and avoid salads and other cold foods.

A: It is possible to buy a SIM card on arrival (China Mobile), which can be used in an unlocked mobile. An International Phone Card will also allow you to phone home from some street phones - these are often located in shops, and we will help you to find these should the necessity arise. In our experience, it is simply not possible to use IP cards in most hotels. For emergency contact with home, we will have a mobile phone that can be used for sending and receiving calls and texts. Some of our hotels will have a business centre, which provide faxing and Internet facilities.

A: It is always advisable to take two photocopies of both your passport and visa. Bring one and leave one at home. Losing your passport will be expensive, but a copy will speed up the process of replacement.