Mountain Biking in China: Riding Dali, Lijiang & Shangrila – Yunnan MTB Recce
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Doing a couple of coaching sessions with NZ Mountain Biking has absolutely transformed my riding and has taken me from a scared, reluctant rider trying to keep up with my kids to becoming a confident rider loving Grade 4 trails and starting to think about the next challenge! Jamie's coaching style is unique in that he takes you where you are at and knows exactly what you need to progress and meet your own goals. Most of all he keeps the learning highly personalised and super fun!
Response from the owner 18:57 04 Oct 25
It’s great to see you out there loving being on your bike and riding more trail Toni. Thanks for the feedback. Happy to help you reach your goals 🙌 
Had a private skills lesson with Asher today. He was excellent at explaining a technique and then follow up practice with him giving feedback to me and even videoing. Would highly recommend him to older women who are wanting to improve and enjoy their MTB even more
Response from the owner 18:55 04 Oct 25
Thanks so much for your feedback Susan. Glad that you had such a good time out there with Asher. Thanks for the recommendation. ~ Jamie 
I had an absolutely incredible day riding the world-class trails of the Whakarewarewa forest with New Zealand Mountain Biking. Jamie tailored the ride perfectly to my ability level, sharing great tips on technique while making sure I felt confident and safe. His knowledge of the trails and local insight added so much to the adventure.
The guided shuttle service made everything effortless. It was great to have maximum time on the trails without having to worry about logistics, and our driver Peter had some great stories about the history of the trail network.
I can’t recommend this experience highly enough, and hope I’m able to make another trip here sometime in the future!
The guided shuttle service made everything effortless. It was great to have maximum time on the trails without having to worry about logistics, and our driver Peter had some great stories about the history of the trail network.
I can’t recommend this experience highly enough, and hope I’m able to make another trip here sometime in the future!
Response from the owner 19:01 04 Oct 25
Thanks for the feedback Reid. It was great to ride with you and take you on all the trails that were perfect for your style and ability for an epic day on the bike! 
Best investment ever. Asher was a great instructor. He set my bike up properly and gave me detailed instruction on everything i wanted to learn. He covered the basics and gave me a new found confidence on my bike. Would definitely recommend for everyone. Im now hitting sick drops and jumps with ease!
Response from the owner 19:00 04 Oct 25
Stoked to help you lock in a solid foundation that makes such a big difference to your riding. Sometimes it’s the little things that make the biggest difference 
Private guided shuttles in Whakarewarewa Forest Rotorua was well worth the money. So many fun trails to link up thanks local knowledge.
Response from the owner 19:00 04 Oct 25
So good to show you around the forest and maximise your riding while here in Rotorua. Hope to see you again. 
I can highly recommend having MTB sessions with New Zealand Mountain Biking! The lessons are well structured, everything is explained well and demo rides are done to show you a visual example of the skill being taught. I have had two lessons so far and both Jamie and Asher excellent instructors, you will definitely see me coming back!
Response from the owner 05:18 10 Sep 25
Thanks for the feedback Katie. Look forward to seeing you again to continue the improvements 😁 
Put my son Lachy into the kids Sunday sessions with Jamie and he is absolutely frothing after each session. So much fun and coming away with some learnings. Jamie is great with the kids and seems to get through to them and keeps the sessions super fun! My boy wants to go every weekend.
Response from the owner 20:20 04 Jun 25
Thanks so much, Sarah! It’s been awesome having Lachy in the Sunday sessions — he brings great energy and it’s epic to see him frothing after every ride! We’re all about making the learning fun and giving kids the tools to ride with more confidence and flow, so stoked to hear he’s getting both. Looking forward to more laps with him!— Jamie 
Very rewarding 3 hours with Jamie who is an excellent coach and communicator. I am confident that my riding will now go up a few levels.
Will definitely be returning for another session.
Highly recommended for any MTBiker regardless of skill or experience level.
Will definitely be returning for another session.
Highly recommended for any MTBiker regardless of skill or experience level.
Response from the owner 01:50 16 May 25
Thanks for the awesome review. I’m really glad to hear that you found the session so rewarding and that you’re feeling confident to take your riding to the next level. It was great working with you and I look forward to riding with you again soon. 
I highly recommend a lesson with Jamie at NZ Mountain Biking. I've been at it for about a year, as an adult to a new hobby, and learning the basics around scanning, body position, foot position has already improved my riding and my confidence. Jamie even showed me how to check my bike over for mechanical issues and did a quick re-set of the brakes and gear triggers to better suit my hand position.
I'll be back in a few months' time when these skills have sunk in, for another lesson.
I'll be back in a few months' time when these skills have sunk in, for another lesson.
Response from the owner 03:46 01 May 25
Great to hear the confidence has improved. I look forward to checking in and adding to the tool kit in a couple of months time. 
Our trip was flawless from start to finish. Great organization by Jamie. The lodging,food,bikes and all the extras that make a trip so special have obviously been well thought out and planned. Jamie was a great guide keeping our group on trails that pushed us just enough to have great fun.The biking was absolutely phenomenal and as we head back to Florida we will be longing for the trails of rotarua for a long time.
Response from the owner 01:59 21 Apr 25
Thanks Bruce. It was great to host you all. It was great to find you the perfect trails for your abilities and the conditions. Until next time! Cheers 
Well worth doing. I had a great 1:1 lesson with Asher. He worked quickly through basics and then into some tips and tricks on specific areas to help improve speed and flow through trails. I immediately saw the positive impact from the new skills and have a much better understanding of what to focus on and think about on a ride. Thank you Asher. I’ll be back again.
Response from the owner 19:50 12 Apr 25
That’s great to hear Rebecca. Thank you for the feedback and great to hear you have some great take aways. Look forward to catching up with you next time. 
My 3-hour lesson with Jamie set me up with essential, introductory skills including optimum riding positions, trail awareness, braking insights and how to negotiate terrain changes and drops - as a result a massive improvement in confidence, speed and flow especially on downhill tracks. Extremely worthwhile!
Response from the owner 18:56 01 Apr 25
Thanks Phil - It was great to give you a good solid platform to progress from! I look forward to catching up with you at some point down the track. 
5 stars all day. Jamie helped us piece together our riding puzzle, turning advanced tracks from a bit of hoping for the best into a smooth, controlled and confident ride, almost overnight. Such a simple approach but so effective.
Response from the owner 06:11 03 Mar 25
Stoked to help you both unlock some new features and lines. Looking forward to checking in with you in a few months time 
If I could give 6 out of 5 stars I would! Jaime w/New Zealand Mountain Biking was an amazing guide full of an in depth knowledge of all the trails we rode! My wife and I could have simply tried our best to navigate the trails in Rotorua but with Jaime’s help we were able to have a stress free epic adventure navigating a wide variety of trails plus as a bonus, he put up with my endless questions about the area. If you looking for a guide, stop looking and hire Jaime!
Response from the owner 05:47 26 Feb 25
Thanks for the feedback Andy! That is what having a local on call is all about - I hope I was able to give you enough info about the area to satisfy the hunger! 
We booked 4 days of private guided tours with Jamie and it was incredible. We rode Whakarewarewa Forest, Maunga Kākaramea and did a heli shuttle ride around the Kaimanawa Range. All four days were amazing, packed with some of the best riding this area has to offer. Jamie works with you to tailor the trip according to your riding skills and goes above and beyond to make sure you’re having heaps of fun. I would definitely recommend him and his company!
Response from the owner 02:49 24 Feb 25
Thanks Fer, it was great to kick start your NZ trip with a solid few days of getting in some great riding. All the best with the rest of your trip! 
100000% worth the investment in a lesson; just one session with Jamie has literally changed my riding and my confidence! Cannot recommend enough! And a really lovely guy too! Thanks Jamie!
Response from the owner 07:01 16 Feb 25
Thanks for the feedback Emma. Stoked that you are feeling so good on your bike now! 
Absolutely worth the money for lessons! I think I progressed more in a day and a half with Jamie than I have the last 7 months of living and riding in Rotorua. We had a really nice time working on technique and building skills, but I didn’t realize just how much it helped until we went out for our next ride and suddenly “scary” features felt easy and in control.
Response from the owner 06:52 24 Dec 24
Great to hear that you are stoked on the progress made on the Level Up course. I am looking forward to following up in the new year and taking what we worked on even further! Thanks, Jamie 
We booked via Jamie and he arranged a ride training session with Asher for my 12 year old son Kobe. It was a great session at Redwoods. Anyone who has been here would understand that it has trails all over the place. The session was for the team to provide coaching but also to assist in showing the best trails for Kobes ability. It was a great experience for Kobe and we will be back for another session in the future. Highly recommend if you visit rotarua and you don't know the hill that well book in a session as it will be well worth it.
Response from the owner 04:49 21 Dec 24
Great to hear that Kobe had such a good time out there with Asher. Kobe is such a talented rider. It is awesome to have the flexibility to show him exaclty what he needed to see. 
I can't say enough about riding with Jamie and New Zealand MTB for a few days this November. Progression leaps and bounds, world class trail systems, Jamie's ability to sort out the best trails for us on the fly, and last but not least his low key sense of hospitality felt just like riding and hanging with friends at home. Already planning our return next year 🙂
Jamie with New Zealand Mountain Biking was an amazing guide and it was an outstanding experience. My wife and I did the Hero Dirt Mountain Bike Tour late Oct 2024 and it was an excellent mix of riding in different regions with different scenes. Jamie was very receptive to what we enjoyed, and he tailored the trails to our riding style and skill level. The food and accommodations were great, and we felt very well taken care of. The Hero Dirt tour was the perfect way of introducing us to the mountain biking in the region/New Zealand (my wife and I are both from Canada and we primarily ride enduro in BC and AB). It was a great mix of shuttling and pedalling days, and the heli-bike-trip at the end was amazing. After the Hero Dirt Mountain Bike Tour, my wife and I continued to mountain bike multiple regions in the North and South Island, and I would have to say that the mountain biking we did with Jamie in Rotorua was definitely the best.
Jamie seemed to know all the trails like the back of his hand – he was able to give us a run- down of all the upcoming trails, a heads up on all the terrain features, and was able to adapt trails as we went. He also gave us both riding and travel recommendations for the rest of our NZ trip. Sure, you could have had a “similar” experience guiding yourself with Trail Forks, but the comfort of having a very experienced guide in an unfamiliar area allowed us to get a ton of extremely fun riding in without much brain power. Having Jamie as a guide was absolutely invaluable, and I would highly recommend booking with New Zealand Mountain Biking if you want to get the ultimate NZ mountain biking experience.
Jamie seemed to know all the trails like the back of his hand – he was able to give us a run- down of all the upcoming trails, a heads up on all the terrain features, and was able to adapt trails as we went. He also gave us both riding and travel recommendations for the rest of our NZ trip. Sure, you could have had a “similar” experience guiding yourself with Trail Forks, but the comfort of having a very experienced guide in an unfamiliar area allowed us to get a ton of extremely fun riding in without much brain power. Having Jamie as a guide was absolutely invaluable, and I would highly recommend booking with New Zealand Mountain Biking if you want to get the ultimate NZ mountain biking experience.
Jamie from New Zealand Mountain Bike was amazing! We couldn't have asked for a better guide who took us to amazing trails that suited our riding style. Everyone felt so comfortable with Jamie and he gave some great pointers too. We had a group with all different riding styles and he made sure everyone had the best experience. He also made sure we didn't go hungry. If you want to see the best of Rotoruas Redwoods, book in with these guys!
This September, I packed my bike and headed north into Yunnan Province, China, to see whether it could be the setting for a future New Zealand Mountain Biking trip. The idea was simple: explore the trails, check the logistics, and find out if it would be the kind of adventure worth bringing riders along for.
Over 10 days, we explored three very different riding zones:
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Dali – Lakeside singletrack, cobbled old-town charm, and rolling climbs that open into endless descents.
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Lijiang – Riding in the shadow of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, with trails that mix history, flow, and loose alpine rock gardens.
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Shangrila – High-altitude passes, yak pastures, and epic descents into traditional Tibetan villages.
Each location offered something unique – not just in terrain, but in culture and the riding experience. It wasn’t just about the trails, but the food, people, and moments between the rides that made the recce so special.
Already, I’ve got two riders lined up keen to be part of this journey if we make it happen. The plan would be a 10-day guided MTB adventure, fully supported, linking together the best trails, food, and cultural stops across the region.
If that sounds like your kind of trip, let me know – and watch this space for updates as the idea takes shape.
In the meantime, back here in Rotorua, summer is heating up. Coaching sessions are filling quickly – especially for those holding NZMTB vouchers. If you want to dial in your skills before the holiday season, now’s the time to book so you don’t miss out.
📅 Check out available sessions and book here: https://newzealandmountainbiking.com/tour/mtn-biking-skills-clinics/
At New Zealand Mountain Biking, we run epic mountain biking tours across the scenic North Island, New Zealand. We also help riders build confidence and skills in our MTB and eMTB private lessons on the legendary Rotorua trails. If you race or you want to get into some racing and you want to improve those skills, get in touch for some lessons!
You can learn more about our trips here to book your ride today!
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Check out our YouTube channel to see us ride as I chase people down all of the trails in Rotorua and NZ!
