Sichuan - Ganzi

Chengdu - Danba - Jiaju - Dangling - Tiantang Valley - Hulu Hai - Dangling - Suopo-Danba - Chengdu

 
Danba lies along the eastern border of Ganzi Tibet Autonomous Region, which lies in western Sichuan. Danba's landscape is vertically changing, from the high-altitude snow-capped mountains, glaciers to the low altitude grasslands and valleys. The local Tibetan people's life and buildings are breathtaking. Such abundant tourist spots make Danba the best place for hiking and traveling. 
 
From Chengdu to Danba may take 9 hours by bus. You can find buses to Danba in Chengdu Chadianzi and West Gate bus stations. They all set out in early morning. The ticket is CNY71.00 net per person. Upon your arrival, stay at the Danba International Youth Hostel, which is highly recommended by hiking travelers. If you are alone, you may find a companion there. 
 
In the second day, visit Jiaju Village, the most beautiful village in China Groups of castles and towers are scattered around strategic positions in the villages. They were built hundreds of years ago, for defensive purposes and passing messages between different villages. The entrance fee of Jiaju is CNY30.00 net per person. For the transportation, the most convenient way is chartering a car. Many cars are available in Danba town. You can easily find one. The transfer fee is around CNY20.00 net. In Jiaju, you can also ride a horse between the small villages. If your time permits, you can also visit the Dajin River Valley to experience the boat made from buff leather. Continuing driving to Dangling.
 
Dangling is highly recommended to travel on October and November, as the whole tourist area will be covered by colorful forest at that time. Such charming autumn scenery makes Dangling like a paradise. Most travelers like stay at the local Tibetan family in Dangling, which is much convenient and economical. Meals can also be booked in the Tibetan family. You are suggested to rent a horse when hiking in Dangling. The horse renting is generally ran by the leader of the village. The best choice for you is to visit the Hot spring in the first day, which is 4 kilometers south to Dangling village. It will be great to soak in the hot spring after long time hiking.
 
Ride a horse to Tiantang Valley. It has about 10 kilometers mountain road. Tiantang means paradise. As its name indicates, fiery-red maple leaves, green pine tree and golden birch consists it like a paradise. It is worth a visit. 
 
The next stop is Hulu Hai. You'd better ride a horse to Feijiping and Xiaocaoping in order to save strengthen to hike to Huluhai. En route, there are many meadows with lots of cattle and horses eating leisurely on them and you will marvel at the wild monkeys jumping in front of you. The scenery around the Hulu Hai is fantastic. The unique scenery of extinct volcano crater and a variety kind of ancient life-form fossil make you back to the Cretaceous period. After visiting, you may stay overnight at the camp.
 
In the morning, you can enjoy the scenery of mountain shining under the sunshine, if lucky. Hike down hill back to Dangling. You'd better book a car in advance in order to get back to Danba smoothly the next day. 
 
Drive back to Danba. En route, visit Suopo. Cross the bridge, and walk about 20 minutes to visit the ancient blockhouses. Suopo has as many as 84 blockhouses with different styles. The entrance fee is CNY15.00 net per person. After visiting, continuing back to Danba.
 
The ethical hiking in Danba area end today. Get up earlier to catch the bus back to Chengdu. There will be three buses from 60:30 to 7:20 every morning. The ticket is CNY71.00 net per person. The journey time is around 11 hours.