Tea tours and forest visits
At the origin of tea
A FOREST HAS NO DOORS
We welcome you among our tea trees all-year long, to savour all aspects of the terroir with your own senses. Each visit is a full immersion in the Yunnanese terroir, in full respect of its land, people, and culture.
We offer different kind of group trips to visit some of the most important tea places of China.
Each tour has a different theme, following nature, seasonality, and simply our heart.
Explore this page for the latest schedule, and contact us to book a talk and find the solution that better suits your needs.
Summer Tea Study Tour
August 9th - August 22nd, 2026
Itinerary and booking
China White Tea Tour
October 19th – November 3rd, 2026
Itinerary and booking
Winter Tea Tour
December 23rd, 2026 – January 5th, 2027
Itinerary and booking
Customised visits:
Bookings are open all year long
Immerse in the Tea World
During the journey we move between different forms of study.
Each setting reveals different aspects of the same leaf.
At the tea table
Our tasting studio functions as a library of taste. Over the years we have gathered a wide range of teas, vessels, and reference materials that allow systematic tasting and comparison.
Here, the art of tea and incense converge, thousands years of tea culture unfold gradually on this small table.
Forests and mountains
The mountains around Xishuangbanna offer a rich diversity of tea environments — ancient forests, cultivated gardens, village groves, and factory sites.
Moving through them, you will see how soil, altitude, climate, and cultivation shape the leaves long before they reach the tea table.
Craft and Culture
Teaware bridges the gap between humanity and nature.
From Yixing purple clay to Dai pottery, you’ll witness the unique passion that generations of artisans have poured into these humble vessels, discover how different shapes and clays bring out ever-changing flavors in the tea.
August 9TH - 22nd, 2026
Summer tea study tour
Optional: Xiaoye course August 6th-9th
This study journey explores tea at its origin, combining field visits, tastings, and technical study in the mountains of Xishuangbanna.
Travelling through the tea landscapes of southern Yunnan, we walk the forests of Nannuo and Bulang, observe ancient tea trees and local cultivation practices, and taste pu’er teas close to their source. Alongside mountain visits, the programme includes Gongfucha practice, comparative tastings, and sessions dedicated to factory production, shou pu’er fermentation, and the evolving pu’er market.
The journey concludes in Kunming, where producers, collectors, and companies meet in one of China’s most important tea trading centres.
This study tour reflects the spirit of Eastern Leaves: learning through landscapes, craft traditions, and direct encounters with tea and the people who shape it.
October 19th - November 3rd, 2026
White Tea Tour, China
We curated a journey through the landscapes, crafts, and teas that best express our passion for white tea.
Starting in Fujian, we explore the historical heartland of white tea, visiting the production centres of Fuding and Zhenghe where harvests are divided with remarkable precision by season, day, and even hour. Along the way, we discover the great porcelain traditions of Dehua and Jingdezhen, where kaolin-rich clays are shaped and fired into the luminous ceramics long associated with the tea table. Our base in Quanzhou, a historic maritime crossroads, offers a glimpse into the cultural exchanges that shaped this region.
The second half of the journey brings us west to Yunnan, at the botanical origin of the tea plant. In the forests of Xishuangbanna and on Nannuo Mountain, we taste local cultivars and produce our own autumn white tea, later evaluating it through comparative tastings.
This journey reflects the spirit of Eastern Leaves—tea, craft, landscapes, and the people who bring them to life.
Dec 23rd, 2026 - January 5th, 2027
Winter Tea tour
This new itinerary explores the diversity of our beloved Yunnan in tea, geography, and culture: we cross its high-mountain geography from north to south, through its two most important kingdoms of Nanzhao (Tang dynasty, 618-907) and Dai (Song dynasty, 960-1279), indulging in the best leaves that the locals who inhabited these lands refined over centuries.
It is a tour of study, with the workshop we prepare for you on brewing, ancient incense, and Tang dynasty cakes; of exploration, with mountains, forests and new encounters; of awe, thanks to the breathtaking landscapes of Yunnan; of people, we will brew together with the producers their best teas, and we will be hosted by pottery masters and tea professionals, freely interacting with their humanity and work.
This journey will take you through everything that makes Eastern Leaves: our Yunnan, a deeper understanding of Chinese culture, and all of the people that make our tea journey meaningful.
Custom Tea Journeys
Tailored to your preferences and passions. From wilder explorations to focused courses and masterclasses, each tour is designed with the same depth and immersion in our tea world.
Seasons
Xishuangbanna is enjoyable all year-long, with a very mild sub-tropical climate that express itself in a moltitude of colors.
October - January
The rain in October starts to diminish until a dry January; the temperature are mild, with fresh nights (13-18°C) and warm days (19-25 °C).
Ideal for any kind of visit, at all altitude.
February - April
February and March are the dryest months, and between mid-March and mid-April the tea season is at its peak: expect hotter days (max 30-33°C in Jinghong, 28°C in the mountain) and a dry weather, until the first rains arrives between late March and April.
May - September
The rainy season with its ever-changing skies, hues, and fragrances.
The new tea has been pressed and it is ready to be tasted and purchased.
Choose it if you like to feel the tropical fragrance on banana leaves, and you are ready to relax listening to the sound of the rain.
Plan your travel
About Eastern Leaves
Forest Keepers
守林人
We live and work in Yunnan, in the valleys and mountains where tea grows close to its botanical origin.
Our land is both home and classroom: forests, gardens, and villages are open to exploration, observation, and shared discovery.
Tea Scholars
茶学者
Our teaching reflects years of study, practice, and hands-on immersion. From Gongfucha to tea processing, tasting methodologies and sensory refinement, our courses give participants a structured, in-depth framework to explore tea with all senses and the mind.
Cultural Guides
引路人
Each journey we design is an extension of our living environment. Small groups move with us through forests, villages, and workshops, observing and participating in daily life with local producers, artisans, and collectors. The tours are immersive experiences where tea, craft, and culture converge.
