Explore Chengdu & Western Sichuan

Welcome to choose the 6 days Sichuan tour of Chengdu! Upon arrival, your guide and the driver will meet you at the airport or railway station, and escort you to check in at the hotel downtown. 

After a short break at the hotel, in the afternoon, your guide will accompany you to dive deep into a local community to experience the authentic local tea house culture passed down for generations, and old-style neighborhood life. Follow the guide to enter a Sichuan-style courtyard rebuilt using the century-old wooden components, with black-tile roofs, white walls, and sixteen thick wooden pillars supporting the front hall, while a patio with lush plants offers a serene botanical retreat. Bamboo chairs and wooden tables are well arranged around the patio, where sunlight streams in, and water drips from the eaves, cooling the space. Here, just enjoy a cup of old-style lidded-bowl tea, with the clinking of tea ware and locals’ gossip in Sichuan dialect, which offers you a much fuller sense of Chengdu slow life. Sometimes, you might have a chance to watch free performances like the Peking Opera, creating more interesting travel magic.  

As the teahouse is surrounded by old streets and alleys lined with local food stalls and even a night market, it is free for you to have dinner on your own, and your guide would like to offer some recommendations according to your tastes.

★  Special Treat: Watch Brilliant Sichuan Opera Performances!

After dinner, your guide will escort you to enjoy stunning local shows you cannot experience elsewhere. The show includes more than an opera, but also impressive acrobatics, hand shadow, the 300-year-old face-changing art and fire-breathing, accompanied by Chinese traditional musical instruments. The actors in gorgeous costumes will also walk around freely and engage in interesting interactions with audiences.  

After that, your driver will escort you back to your hotel.

Accommodation: Holiday Inn Chengdu Oriental Plaza (4 stars)

After breakfast, your guide and the driver will wait for you at your hotel lobby. Today, we’ll depart for Mt. Siguniang, about a 5-hour drive away. After around 2 hours, stop by the Wolong Panda Reserve, one of the earliest and largest panda reserves around the globe, home to more than 70 cute giant pandas. Compared to the panda base in the city area, it is covered by virgin forests at an altitude of 1,700 meters (5,577 ft.), and offers a wider and more primitive ecological environment, and that’s why many pandas are receiving wild training here to better return to nature. Follow your guide to enter the serene reserve, and you don’t have to jostle each other in crazy crowds. Enjoy a super close contact with these creatures in the real panda habitat: observe them climbing trees, sleeping in branches, and patrolling territory, and see cubs fight and nurse. You may also encounter the famous giant panda star “Fu Bao”, the first South Korea-born giant panda. 

► Warm Tip: 
Due to the wild environment, there is no proper restaurant for foreign visitors near the reserve. It is highly suggested that you have a hearty breakfast or prepare some snacks or fast food before departure. If needed, your guide can also assist you in buying some at your own expense on the way.

Finish the panda tour, and we’ll continue the drive to Mt. Siguniang, known as the Queen of the Sichuan mountains. Its name, Siguniang, translates to four girls, representing the four beautiful snow peaks with altitudes of 5,025 meters (16,486 ft.), 5,276 meters (17,310 ft.), 5,355 meters (17,569 ft.) and 6,250 meters (20,505 ft.) respectively. Along the way, the lush green canyon and streams gradually transform into Nordic-style forests after crossing gentle slopes; further on, the dark green fir forests give way to alpine meadows and white snowcapped peaks, as the altitude rises. The highest point is the scenic Balang Mountain Pass at 4,523 meters (14,839 ft) high, where you’ll experience the wonder of "driving in the clouds." Standing at the viewing platform shrouded in mist, you can overlook the road below, which looks like a silver ribbon wrapped around the mountainside. As the altitude decreases with the drive, we’ll soon reach the foot of Mt. Siguniang, at the altitude of 3,200 meters (10,499 ft.). Your guide will help you with the hotel check-in and wish you a good night.  

► Please Note: 
1. As the altitude fluctuates a lot on the way, be ready for the high-altitude mountain sickness. You can prepare bottles of oxygen, drink enough water and Coke, and take medicines as directed by your doctor if needed.
2. Please avoid taking a shower or washing your hair tonight in case of catching a cold, which may result in or worsen the mountain sickness. Do prepare some windproof and warm clothes for the changeable weather in the mountain area. 
3. Though our hand-picked hotel is 4 stars, due to the poor environment, its breakfast and facilities may not be as good as those of hotels in the city. However, the hotel offers oxygen-enriched rooms, which can largely alleviate the discomfort caused by altitude sickness.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast
Accommodation: New Four Girls' Villa, Siguniangshan Town (4 stars)

After breakfast, your guide will accompany you to devote the whole morning to the Shuangqiao Valley (Double Bridge Valley), the most beautiful core scenic area in Mt. Siguniang. A sightseeing bus will transfer you directly to a string of beautiful attractions. The most popular way is to first reach the final stop and then travel back the way, allowing you to enjoy snow-capped mountains, forests, lakes, and meadows without too much hiking. 

Upon entering, your guide will accompany you to hop on the bus and choose right-front seats for more scenery. After about 40 minutes, stop at the terminal station, the Redwood Forest at an altitude of 3,840 meters (12,598 ft.), and you’ll be amazed at the towering redwoods with the snow-capped mountains as a backdrop. Walk along the wooden boardwalk through the forests; if you're lucky, you might even spot a squirrel. Then move on to Potala Peak, a premier spot that offers the best 360° panoramic view of the snow-capped mountains, which shares a name with the well-known Potala Palace in Tibet. The highway winds its way forward, with a white stupa and prayer flags standing along the roadside, which nails its romantic spirit amidst the sacred snow-capped peaks. You can also choose to walk about 1 km to capture the iconic reflection on the lake, with the snow-capped mountains against a cloudless blue sky. At other stops, take in the picturesque lakes’ views with dead branches submerged, and see yaks grazing on the meadows along the clear streams. 

After lunch, starting from the majestic Mt. Siguniang, our journey heads east through canyons and villages, eventually reaching Danba County, the "Kingdom of a Thousand Watchtowers." Along the 110-km-long (68-mi) journey, enjoy snow-capped mountains, canyons, Tibetan villages, and watchtowers. It takes 3-4 hours by car, offering opportunities for in-depth experiences of Tibetan and Qiang ethnic culture. En route, stop anywhere by the roadside as you wish and capture the idyllic scene of Tibetan-style stone buildings and barley fields. In the evening, check into the local Tibetan-style homestay. Though not a star hotel, it’s full of local ethnic charm and surrounded by beautiful scenery. 

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Danba Zhonglu Tibetan Village Homestay Inn

Today, get up early and follow the guide to enjoy a sweeping view of the Zhonglu Tibetan Village, dubbed one of the most beautiful villages in China. From the viewing platform, overlook the serene village nestled at the foot of the sacred, 5,000-meter (16,404-foot) Mo'erduo Mountain, where a group of ancient watchtowers and pearl-white Tibetan houses are scattered. Under the morning sunlight, the distant snow-capped mountains shimmer; the smoke from the Tibetan houses' chimneys mixes with the thin mist and drifts through the forest. In autumn, you can catch the golden poplar leaves, fiery red pear leaves, and deep green pines, cascading down the hillside and into the valley. 

Later, we’ll visit the nearby Suopo Tibetan Village and explore the ancient stone watch towers up close. Suopo Village boasts the densest ancient watch towers in Danba, about 84. Local Jiarong Tibetans built these watch towers from a thousand years ago to centuries ago to defend against enemies and showcase the tribes’ power. Having experienced wars, erosion from wind and rain, and earthquakes, most of them still stand permanently in the valley. You’ll be amazed at their stunning heights, with each averaging over 20 meters (66 ft.) tall, and the highest one reaches 50 meters (164 ft.), equivalent to a 15-story modern building. We’ll stop by the viewpoint opposite the Suopo Village for a panoramic view of the majestic watch towers against the blue sky, and then walk into the village to touch the old stone structure. 

★ Special Treat: 

A local Tibetan family visit is especially included for you! Step into a traditional white house with red and black-tiled roofs, and you’ll be treated to a cup of butter tea and enjoy a home-cooked lunch. The enthusiastic host will also share the story of the Jiarong Tibetans’ origin and interesting stories about those ancient watch towers.  

In the afternoon, embark on the 3-hour private drive to Xinduqiang Town. The scenery along the way will grab you immediately, with alpine valleys, streams, stacked Mani stones for praying, and snow-crowned peaks. En route, we’ll stop by Huiyuan Temple, a yellow-walled Tibetan monastery granted by Qing Dynasty emperors as a royal temple, and it was built to protect the 7th Dalai Lama from turmoil. The 11th Dalai Lama was also born in a nearby village. Then, continue the drive to Moshi Park, aka Bamei Stone Forest, where you’ll marvel at a mylonite geological wonder at an altitude of 3,500 meters (11,483 ft.), formed over millions of years. On sunny days, the stone peaks showcase a stark leaden gray, while on cloudy days, you’ll see deep, inky black rocks layered upon each other on an alien planet. 

We’ll also drop by the Tagong Grassland, and worship at the namesake, Tagong Temple (Lhagang Monastery). Lhagang means the favorite place of Bodhisattva, and no wonder it is so called, when you gaze upon the magnificent Yala Snow Mountain and look down the vast grasslands, with vibrant-colored prayer flags fluttering in the wind. When approaching the Xinduqiao Town, the famous ‘photographer’s paradise’, you’ll be spellbound by the miles-long postcard-like stretching blending Tibetan-style dwellings, alpine meadows, and the interplay of light and shadow on snow-capped mountains, including the "King of Sichuan Mountains," the 7,556-meter-high (24,790-foot) Mt Gongga. After arrival, your guide will help you to check in at a comfortable oxygen-enriched hotel. 

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Zanbo Hotel, Xinduqiao Town (4 stars)

This morning, wave goodbye to the tranquil, pastoral landscapes in Xinduqiao, and we’ll drive uphill through the Zheduo Mountain Pass at an elevation of 4,298 meters (14,101 ft.), one of the most iconic stopovers along the way. The mountain pass is covered in snow all year round. On clear days, you can see the Gongga Mountain in the distance. If you depart early, there is a high probability of seeing a sea of clouds between 7 and 9 am, when the snow mountains bathed in the golden sunlight are breathtaking. The pass is also dotted with colorful prayer flags and white stupas, and you can experience the traditional Tibetan custom of scattering rice paper for blessings. ‘Zheduo’ literally means many folds and turns, so be ready for the zigzag road, and the thrilling experience at every turn. 

After crossing the pass, we’ll drive downhill, and the elevation decreases. Passing through Kangding City, we’ll get to Luding County and view the 300-year-old Luding Bridge. This is the largest chain-suspension bridge crossing the Dadu River. The impressive bridge is about 104 meters long, 3 meters wide, and there are a total of 13 iron chains, of which 9 are at the bottom, and 4 are handrails. Today, wooden planks are set on the chains, and you can step on them to experience swaying precariously on the bridge above the roaring river. The bridge is also a historical landmark, famous for a battle during the Long March, when the Red Army’s soldiers could only crawl across bare iron chains while withstanding the enemy's intense fire, as the enemy had removed the wooden planks. 

Afterward, continue the tour to the Ya’an Tibetan tea factory, where the air is filled with the rich aroma of aged tea. A museum inside offers a glimpse of the Tibetan tea culture and the history of the Ancient Tea and Horse Road, a 4,000-km-long (2,485-mi) trade route started from the 6th-century Tang Dynasty, connecting Ya’an, through Kangding and Changdu, to Lhasa, and southern Asia. The terrain along the way is treacherous, and historically, goods such as tea were mainly transported by hardworking porters from Ya'an to Tibet. Your guide will accompany you to learn about how green tea leaves are made into dark tea bricks, and enjoy a cup of authentic Tibetan tea. You’ll be amazed at tens of thousands of tea bricks from different years neatly stacked in a huge tea warehouse, reaching all the way to the ceiling. Finish the visit, and we’ll continue to drive to Chengdu for hotel check-in. 

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Holiday Inn Chengdu Oriental Plaza (4 stars)

Today, your 6-day Chengdu to western Sichuan tour itinerary is essentially over. Your guide and the driver will wait for you at the hotel lobby and escort you to the airport or railway station according to your schedule. If needed, they’ll also help you with luggage, find the right check-in desk at the airport, and wish you a happy journey! If you have any idea to go sightseeing in Chengdu city area, or extend to other destinations like the neighboring Chongqing and Xi’an, feel free to contact your travel consultant!

Meals: Breakfast

► Activity Recommended: (at your own expense)
If time permits, consider hanging out at the Wide and Narrow Alleys, composed of three narrow cobblestone lanes, which blend the old traditional buildings, customs, and creative arts, snacks, and souvenirs, quite suitable for soaking up the local atmosphere. The early morning is best to visit as fewer people crowd in, and it feels like you’re stepping into a bygone era. Catch a glimpse of the elders sitting in bamboo chairs in the tea house, basking in the sun, fanning themselves with a palm-leaf fan. Many handmade workshops and cafes, adorned with red lanterns and greenery, are perfect to stop for a cup of tea and watch people.