Travel & Photographic Itinerary 2023 - 2024
Due to the Global Pandemic, and China's 'Zero Covid' response, I've been confined to home for most of 2022. I'm hopeful travel will become easier in 2023 !
Obviously, just like everyone else CV-19 has had a massive effect on my travel plans over the past two years and especially in 2022. In my adopted home of China overseas flight prices have rocketed due to the restrictions on overseas travel - with even a single economy ticket to London costing thousands of dollars !
That said being resident in China has some obvious benefits ! Travel to stunning and exotic sites is usually quite easy here, however the current Covid outbreak and the administrations severe response,
means travel during most of 2022 was difficult to impossible.
Whilst there has been a slight easing of restrictions the severe Winter conditions in the regions I've planned to visit means delays to some destinations on my itinerary.
Hopefully the situation resolves itself quickly and although QR health status codes are de rigueur everywhere you go, and of course I have these on my phone, it is not always an easy process as every region has their own regulations, restrictions and requirements - especially so for foreigners !
Hence 2022 was, as for many people, a time of treading water. My plan is still to tick off some new (to me) iconic China locations and revisit much loved provinces and sites. New will include e.g Xinjiang, Gobi or Taklimakan desert, Qinghai, Gansu, Guizhou & the rice terraces of Yunnan whilst I'll renew acquaintance with some old favourites such as Huangshan Mountain (this was completed in February 2022).
In 2023 I'd love to travel more around Asia, especially returning to Japan yet again and trekking the Indonesian Islands, if conditions permit. However with the severe restrictions in place in China we may decide to escape to Europe for a few months and if we do then we'll go camping on the Isle of Skye in Scotland and Snowdonia in North Wales from our base in London, plus trips to Turkey, Greece, Italy, Spain and a 3rd trip to Iceland are all ear-marked. We'll see what transpires.
Although 2024 is still some way off I'm hopeful that travel will have returned to some form of normality by then and if it has then a couple of months in South America, and specifically Peru and a 2 week trek of the Cordillera Huayhuash is pencilled in !
In the meantime, with 2022 a virtual write-off, I'm spending a lot more time in front of the computer processing work from my last major trip to Tibetan Sichuan (November 2021) and from 2020 excursions : Austria : Vienna, Hallstatt, St. Wolfgang, Melk and the stunning Schneider Weiher Lake plus the month I spent camping and hiking in the gorgeous Italian Dolomites in Autumn 2021.
Also some of the thousands of images from around Asia still untouched and ignored on my hard disks !
CHINA
Xinjiang Province
Summer 2023
This huge and amazingly geographically diverse province has massive lakes, numerous deserts, gorgeous mountains, lush green valleys and culturally numerous distinctive minority tribes.
Getting around is not easy due to security controls and vast, unpopulated distances to cover.
But it should be an adventure !
CHINA
Huangshan Mountain
Feb 2022
COMPLETED FEBRUARY 2022
It's been quite awhile since I was there and I couldn't wait to go back !
However it had to be snow covered as that, along with the famous 'Sea of Clouds', is when it looks it's finest. Luckily, for a change, my planning worked out perfectly!
CHINA
The incredible Danxia Rainbow Mountains
September - October 2023
These icons have long been on my China-list so it's about time I ticked them off.
So long as it rains first to bring out the saturated colours!
CHINA
Tibetan Sichuan including : Jiuzhaigou National Park
The first 2 weeks of my 5 week itinerary was COMPLETED in November 2021 as scheduled before a Covid outbreak meant travelling around was virtually impossible. The remaining 3 weeks were rescheduled to April 2022 however with the pandemic lockdown in Shanghai this will have to be postponed to even later, April 2023 looks to be the best date in my calendar.
The utterly spectacular Jiuzhaigou National Park, at an altitude of over 3,000m (10,000 ft) is a famous UNESCO location that rates as one of China's finest destinations, whether you are a foreign tourist, domestic tourist or a dedicated photographer.
This park was the first stop of my 5 week itinerary and I managed to complete my one week there before going on to Huanglong, Songpan, Heishui (inc. the Dagu Glacier) and Maoxian.
The balance of my schedule in the Ngawa & Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefectures in Sichuan includes : Miyaluozhen, Bipenggou, Siguniang Mountain, Danba County, Garzê, Hailuogou Glacier Forest Park, Litang & Daocheng.
Indonesia
Locations to be confirmed
3-4 weeks during 2023
Island Hopping ! Itinerary to be confirmed.
Put back three years from 2020 to 2023
CHINA : TIBET
Tibetan Plateau
EARLY DECEMBER 2022 as long as the border is open,
it's closed to foreigners at the moment
Maybe not many people realise it but the Tibetan Plateau covers a vast area across the North of Tibet and what are the pre-annexation lands of Western China. This vast area consists of lands inhabited mainly by ethnic Tibetan people having lived a traditional Tibetan way of life for decades after fleeing persecution by rich landowners enslaving them in Tibet.
The areas are geographically quite similar, both contain very high mountains, have vast plains and both areas are at cold Northern latitudes.
Tibet and the bordering Chinese provinces of Qinghai to the North and Sichuan and Yunnan (to the West) are all gorgeous !
ITALY
The Dolomites of Northern Italy
Postponed to our next European trip
After the delight of last Autumn's successful Hiking & Wild Camping trip to the Dolomites it's inconceivable not to return on our next trip to Vienna, our home-base in Europe!
Turkey
Instanbul & Cappadocia
Postponed to our next European trip, likely 2023
A long time sitting on my To-Do list. We are unlikely to return to Europe this year but this will definitely be on the itinerary for 2023 !
GREECE
Islands & Meteora
Postponed to 2023 and our next European trip
Not only one of my wife's top destination picks but one of mine. A 2023 return is on the cards !
ICELAND
Unknown
Postponed to Summer 2023 though Autumn 2022 may be possible
A third trip to the magnificent country of Iceland makes my heart beat faster ! Photographically it is surely one of the most spectacular places on earth.
