Saturday May 10
7:30pm

Tonight on THE GREAT OUTDOORS, Andrew Daddo shows us some of the hidden gems of China.

Dali is an ancient town set at the foot of the spectacular Cangshan mountain range. Andrew takes a chairlift to get a bird’s eye view over the old town and nearby Erhai Lake. He experiences local hospitality in the colourful local villages and gets a glimpse into traditional Chinese life. And with its flowing canals, ancient stone bridges and relaxed café culture, you can see why Lijiang is often described as Venice of the East. Andrew explores the charming cobblestone streets and sees the market squares come alive with Naxi entertainment.

Ernie Dingo meanwhile, is riding among castle and manor ruins, along mountain paths and along the endless beaches of the Atlantic coast, discovering Ireland by horseback. At night, he retires into luxurious hotels and guesthouses scattered amongst the Connemara’s mountains, coastline and quaint villages. Luggage is brought by car from accommodation to accommodation, while the catering problems are taken care of by the Connemara Trail team.

Tom Williams is a lot closer to home, driving down the NSW South Coast. He starts in Wollongong, stopping at the coastal towns of Shellharbour and Kiama, before heading in to the lush hinterland and the Minnamurra Rainforest. Tom then drives up to the new Illawarra Fly, the only treetop walk of its kind in NSW, with two Cantilevered arms taking visitors to the edge.

And Jennifer Hawkins is in New Zealand, checking out a luxury hotel with a view to die for – overlooking the Shotover river in stunning Queenstown. The hotel has an extensive wine list and lives up to the luxury tag offering its guests transfers in either a Bentley limousine, Porsche convertible or helicopter. The hotel has its own helipad and Jen takes an exciting sightseeing tour around the area before really amping up the adrenalin by checking out the Fly By Wire, a personal aircraft experience.

We also check out Darjeeling in India, where steep mountain ridges and tea plantations are backed by a magnificent Himalayan panorama, in a city culturally diverse and the gateway to the best hiking in the world.

THE GREAT OUTDOORS is presented by ERNIE DINGO, TOM WILLIAMS, ANDREW DADDO and JENNIFER HAWKINS.