Martin Whitehead sent these photographs from his, "very enjoyable and memorable Explore! Mountains and Mekong journey".

Mountains and Mekong Tour.

A rewarding journey of extremes, we travel the length of China's Yunnan province, discovering its rich scenic and ethnic diversity.

Making use of Indochina's finest natural highway, the Mekong, we link these wonders with the delights of little-known Laos

Tibetan Plateau & the Tiger Leaping Gorge

High on a plateau near the frontier with Tibet, the town of Zhongdian (3200m) with its rambling lamasery, myriad fluttering prayer flags and nearby scattered villages, provides a striking starting point to this unique adventure.

The road south winds its way through a landscape of towering mountains and steep-terraced valleys.

We see the entrance to the Tiger Leaping Gorge where the Yangtse surges into a granite canyon, nearly 400m deep.

Yunnan's Minorities

Dominated by the towering Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (5500m) Lijiang is capital to the Naxi tribe and has a fascinating old quarter.

We wander amongst the Bai people at Dali; an ancient trading centre on the old caravan route to Burma and India, nestling by the shores of Lake Erhai.

Approaching the Laos border, the climate becomes tropical and the locals choose to live in comfortable stilt homes of bamboo, clustered together in villages surrounded by emerald paddies.

Along the Mekong

Our adventures afloat Indochina's great artery, the Mekong, begin with a thrilling speedboat ride downstream from China to Northern Thailand.

We then glide by ferryboat across the border into Laos where we take to our slow boat, relaxing as we follow the river's winding course downstream, meandering through remote villages and a wilderness of rugged beauty.

Disembarking in the picturesque highland town of Luang Prabang we explore the beautiful architecture of its many Wats.

Finally our odyssey ends in the laid-back capital of Vientiane.