- your specialist travel company
Shepherd Planet - the travel team who can help you to jump out of the tourist crowds and off the beaten track. We lead you to see the real China that is still untouched by tourism.
If you are a traveller, who doesn't want to get stuck in the crowds at the tourist spots and in the commercial shops... If you are someone, who doesn't like boring tourist food, sterile hotels, and so-called "official" scenic spots... Then, we are exactly in the same boat!! Shepherd Planet can offer you what you want -- Experience the indigenous minority tribes in undiscovered places, explore the wild mountains, and witness China's southwest in depth.
My name is Aku, guide and co-founder of Shepherd Planet. Growing up as a member of the Black Yi minority, I worked as a shepherd in Yunnan's mountainous areas. Day after day, I explored undiscovered worlds and dreamed of a future where I could lead others into these wild and untamed realms.
Yi woman (photo by Thomas Koller)
Visit our updated: Photo Gallery
Since the founding of Shepherd Planet in 2004, we've taken people from various countries, such as Canada, USA, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany and Australia to some of the most exotic and remote areas in the SW provinces of Yunnan, Sichuan, Guangxi (Guilin), Guizhou, and Tibet. And many of our clients have returned to these areas for a second trek or tour with Shepherd Planet, and we have even welcomed some back for a third and fourth time.
If you are looking for an "industrialized" China travel experience, where you usually travel in a big group to "noisy and crowded tour spots," with a guide running in front with a flag (we call them "FLAG GROUPS"). Then, you should look for another travel company. But if you are looking to travel among the Ethnic Minority people in China's remotest areas of Yunnan, Sichuan, Guangxi (Guilin), Guizhou &Tibet, then, you have found your right travel company.
We are in constant dialogue with many interesting people from various ethnic groups and we are almost always in the process of developing new treks, tours and hikes in various parts of the southern Himalayan mountain range and among the Ethnic Minority people of China.
Our website now contains even more choices of genuine Shepherd Treks and Tours to previous unvisited villages and mountain slopes and we have an updated photo gallery and a video gallery too.
Try one of our short treks on which we will visit the Lisu minority and stay overnight in our custom built Shepherd sheds and in a Lisu family's home. The Lisu Trek.
Remember that we are also offering Treks and Tours to: Guanxi Zhuang Autonomous region (Guilin and beyond) and Guizhou province. Both regions are extremely beautiful and full of interesting landscapes and exotic people.
Our company was established out of love for the ethnic peoples and nature of Yunnan, Sichuan and Tibet.
We look forward to showing you around in this other world of China.
Andy & Aku
You can read more about us here and our Vision & Policy here.