Tiger Tales

Misty Mountain High

Set amid bamboo forests and cloud-shrouded peaks in southern China, Crosswaters Ecolodge is a haven for nature lovers and a leading light of the country’s green tourism plans, says VICTOR PAUL BORG

It takes more than three hours of trudging and puffing and sweating to make it to Heaven Peak. The way up is certainly as tantalising as it is frustrating, as you can’t see the peak before you reach it – which helps explain the name.

Starting at the base of the mountain, the steep path weaves through dull-green tropical forest, with rivulets of water winding through the stony terrain. Then the trees peter out near the summit – the highest in the region at 1,228 metres.

In every direction the mountains tumble away in phantom outlines, shrouded in whorls of mist exhaled by the dense forest that covers the 260 sq km Nankun Nature Reserve.

The reserve, which encompasses a pocket of wilderness in the northwest corner of China’s Guangdong province, about two hours overland from both Shenzhen and Guangzhou, has long been a weekend destination for residents of the two cities.

Now a raft of developments under the new Ecotourism Plan for Nankun Mountain Reserve is giving the destination a wider international appeal. The developments include Shangping Village, which will have three-star accommodations, a visitor centre, a bamboo museum, along with restaurants and shops, including mountain bike rentals. In a separate location, the recently-completed Crosswaters Ecolodge, the flagship project of Nankun’s eco-tourism plan, has been winning plaudits for its green design and concept and influencing the way similar resorts in China operate.

Eventually, more hiking trails will be forged in addition to the two existent ones – the trail to Heaven Peak, which is about 5 minutes by car from Crosswaters – and a separate trail that skirts the river gorge on the outskirts of Xia Ping, the largest village within the reserve. The latter is easily navigable, though the terrain is dramatic: the gorge is full of natural pools where local boys dive from high ledges, as well as waterfalls and the butterflies that Nankun is known for.

Xia Ping is an attraction in itself. Home to a few thousand Hakka people, who are known for their masterful use of forest produce in food and medicine, the village centre is a tapestry of outlandish forest pickings, from forest herbs, twigs, roots and mushrooms to strange berries. There’s also the sliced stems of a climbing plant known as guo shan tan with its sweet, cinnamon-like fragrance.

The bewildering array of ingredients also attests to Nankun’s species richness – more than 1,300 kinds of higher plants, 74 varieties of birds, and an impressive 176 species of butterflies. Yet Nankun is most famous for its moso bamboo, which covers 30 sq km within the reserve.

One of the largest groves of bamboo sprawls along a slope 10 minutes from Xia Ping in a deep valley at the confluence of two rivers where the upscale ecolodge is located.

Designed by a team of eminent architects led by American “eco-architect” Hitesh Mehta, the award-winning resort took seven years to construct, with many of the building materials being recycled and reused, such as boardwalks made of railway ties and roof tiles from demolished buildings in the village.

Each of its 48 rooms was constructed of indigenous bamboo, perfectly in keeping with the surrounding forests, and appointed with organic local textiles.

“This is the largest project in the world with regard to the use of bamboo in a commercial project,” writes the American Society of Landscape Architects in a report. “The spirit of the bamboo is celebrated in the landscape architecture, general architecture, and interior design.”

Bamboo is used in floorboards and furniture, all toiletries, and charming lattices that cover in-room ceilings. More impressive are the outdoor creations: the bridge and walkways with their buttresses of bamboo that seem to belong to a Zhang Yimou film set, and the combined ceiling of the lobby, restaurant and lounge that is elevated with flying buttresses of bamboo, as if ready to take flight.

Another highlight is the restaurant. Making use of organic vegetables grown on site and other ingredients sourced locally, dishes are an innovative reinterpretation of Hakka fare. “We use simple ingredients and then present them professionally,” says Enger Hou, the food manager. “For example, our dessert is made from pumpkin, taro, and sweet potato. These are cut in rectangles, marinated in sugary syrup, steamed, and presented in colourful blocks.” Simple indeed – yet tasty, hearty, and filling.

The accommodations, in detached villas, are evocative of old China with their recycled roof tiles and rammed-earth walls and small walled gardens.

Interiors are cozy and plush, but what are in-room TVs doing in a green holistic resort? The TVs sit incongruously, the one leap the resort didn’t make. Yet there is so much to do for a few days – yoga sessions at a forest pavilion, bamboo-weaving classes (weaving items like baskets and bottle holders), angling at a natural pool where the two rivers meet, and wider explorations – that chances are the TVs don’t get much use in any case.

GREEN RESORTS

When it comes to helping travellers get back to nature, while also promoting sustainable tourism, there are many options across the Tiger Airways network. Here are a select few:

BUKIT MERAH LAKETOWN RESORT

Surrounded by lush greenery on a freshwater lake within driving distance of Kuala Lumpur, the resort is home to a waterpark, the only conservational orangutan island in Peninsular Malaysia and an eco park with educational walk-in enclosures. Accommodations range from campsites to serviced apartments to luxury kampung chalets by the lake. (tel: +60 (0)5 890 8888, www..bukitmerahresort.com.my)

KOH RA ECOLODGE

Located north of Phuket, from which it can be reached by taxi or bus, this secluded resort features 18 bungalow-style rooms along with a dive centre. Explore the pristine jungle, private beach, coral reefs and hidden bays or get involved in environmental and community projects that operate out of the lodge. (tel: +66 (0)8 9867 5288, www.thaiecolodge.com)

TOPAS ECOLODGE

Accessible by train from Hanoi, this popular resort is located in the peaceful and picturesque Sapa Valley. Stay in one of 25 solar-powered lodges placed in a circle amid the hilly landscape, from which there are breathtaking views across the valleys below. Enjoy walking, trekking or mountain biking in nearby Nui Hoang Lien Nature Reserve. (tel: +84 (0)20 872 404, www.topas-eco-lodge.com)