A handpicked selection of experiences endorsed by our experts. If you can’t see what you’re looking for, let us know, as our extensive network of local contacts can open many doors.
Visit the Naxi Concert Hall for a truly rare experience: listen to long-lost, ancient music dating back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Run by Xuan Ke, a knowledgeable, well-read scholar of Chinese music traditions, the Naxi Orchestra consists primarily of 70-90 year old gentlemen – some of whom play instruments long forgotten in other parts of China. Many of these haunting, lilting melodies would have graced the courtrooms, pleasure chambers, and teahouses of dynasties past.
Drive or bicycle to nearby Baisha village, where you can take a cable car up to the snow covered peaks of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Range. Before leaving, see Impression Lijiang, a cultural show demonstrating the traditions and lifestyles of the Naxi, Yi and Bai regional minorities, directed by famous Chinese director Zhang Yimou.
Stop at Black Dragon Pool Park, where the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Range rises majestically in the distance above a tranquil lake and pagoda.
Explore Lijiang’s charming Old Town, a world of narrow cobblestone streets bordering canals lined with weeping willows. Browse among the many shops for local art, crafts, and tribal clothing.
Take a drive through Lisu County, then the land of the Yi people, where horses roam freely and wildflowers line the roadside.
Stop for a visit and a simple lunch in Longtan Naxi village. The Naxi are descendants of Tibetan nomadic tribes and have a matriarchal society dominated by women where marriage is not widely practiced. Their language, style of dress and cuisine are distinct from both the Tibetans and the Han Chinese.
Dine in a traditional courtyard restaurant serving Yunnanese cuisine, which is marked by its light, fresh, and spicy flavors, and liberal use of herbs, mushrooms and flowers as food. You will be joined by an expert in the Dongba religion, who is himself a shaman, and a master painter and calligrapher, one of only a handful of people who can still write the traditional Naxi script.
Drive to Xuehua, a delightful village of about 30 families of the Yi people. You will be greeted by a shaman of the Dongba, an ancient animist religion that predates Buddhism in China. You’ll also be introduced to his wife, the household chef, who will treat you an informal cooking demonstration and a delicious lunch of “Yi french fries” (pan-fried sliced potatoes) and other local specialties.
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With Remote Lands you'll travel with people who have made Asia the solitary focus of their own lifelong adventure. As our guest, you'll discover Asia on a journey that is completely, authentically your own, adapted from our own remarkable experiences and adventures over the years.
With Remote Lands you'll travel with people who have made Asia the solitary focus of their own lifelong adventure. As our guest, in the continent that our north American founders Catherine and Jay have adored and explored for decades, you'll discover Asia on a journey that is completely, authentically your own, adapted from our own remarkable experiences and adventures over the years.
Multi-Country Specialists
Remote Lands
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An Asia-focused magazine brought to you by Remote Lands – a platform for adventure, luxury, and authenticity from experts and explorers around the continent.
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Here is a small selection of the kind words our guests have said about us, as well as features by journalists and travel writers.
From the moment I happened upon the REMOTE LANDS website over a year ago, browsed the options, I knew that this would be well worth it. The entire staff is nothing less than professional with service that made us feel like royals.
This was truly the trip of a lifetime. Magical destinations, the most luxurious hotels in the world, and the most wonderful travel companions we could’ve wished for. We were treated like family everywhere we went and we have 14 new best friends.
We have used some of the top rated travel specialists all over the world and, without question, Catherine Heald and Remote Lands are at the very top of the list!
