The beautiful western Sichuan attracts tourists all year around with its picturesque landscape and colorful Tibetan culture. Along the route below, you will be enchanted with the beautiful scenery in Siguniang Mountain, Daocheng Yading, and Hailuogou Glacier.
The Wonderland Siguniang Mountain
The Last Pure Land on the Blue Planet, the Paradise on the Earth, Daocheng Yading
The Amazing Glacier and Forest National Park, Hailuogou
The Authentic Tibetan Culture
| USD2690p/p | base on 2 persons/people |
| USD1280p/p | base on 10 persons/people |
In the morning, you may ride a private car or coach from Chengdu to Siguniangshan Town. Then visit Shuangqiao Valley after lunch.
Siguniang Mountain is located in Xiaojin County, Aba Tibetan and Qiang Ethnic Group Autonomous Prefecture. It is about 200 km(124 miles) to the northwest of Chengdu, taking around four and a half hours from Chengdu by a car. Siguniang Mountain is also known as the Four Maidens Mountain or Four Daughters Mountain. The whole scenic area consists of three valleys, Shuangqiao Valley, Changping Valley and Haizi Valley. Shuangqiao Valley is considered as the most beautiful one among the three valleys. It is just like a painting composed by the nature with its virgin forest, verdant pasture, snow-capped mountains and mirror-like lakes with reflection of sapphire sky and white clouds. Sightseeing shuttle bus operated by the scenic area administration makes your tour much easier.
Siguniangshan Town is situated nearby the scenic area. It is not a big town. There are some four-star hotels in the town, but you may have other choices. Some inns run by locals even much better than the so-called 4-star modern hotels.
You will spend two nights in the same hotel recommende below.
In the morning, you may set off at 8:30 or 9:00. You will take a sightseeing shuttle bus from the visitor service center to Changping Valley, then start you trekking.
Changping Valley is the best place to have a view of the Four Maidens Mountain. It is also a wonderful place for visitors to have a relaxed trek. Walking along the path which leads to the thick forest, you can hear birds singing and streams murmuring, and admire the unique beauty of the mountain. The No.4 Daughter Peak is the second highest in Sichuan Province, 6,250 meters(20,505 feet) above sea level. With her pointed summit, the No.4 Daughter Peak is just like a pretty girl standing gracefully, attracting a large numbers of climbers from all over the world. It is purported that the peak is the greatest challenge for climbers in the whole world, even more dangerous to climb than the Everest due to the shape of its precipice. But your tour in Changping Valley is quite relaxing and easy. It takes maximum 8 hours to get to the end of the path and return to the hotel. If you love both nature and sports, it will be a wonderful day of yours. But there is no restaurant in the valley, so it is highly suggested to prepare some food for your trek in advance.
Leave the hotel for Danba County at 8:30, drive to visit Suopo Defending Towers and Jiaju Tibetan Village after lunch.
Danba County lies in the east of Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. It is 118 kilometers(73 miles) away from Siguniangshan Town, taking around three and a half hours to travel by a car. Danba County is well-known as the Valley of Beauties. It is occupied by Jiarong Tibetans. There is a popular saying about Danba, it goes that Kangba Tibetan is famous for its handsome men, and Jiarong Tibetan inhabiting in Danba County is noted for its pretty women. The main sightseeing spots in Danba include Jiaju Tibetan Village, Suopo Defending Towers, Zhonglu Tibetan Village and some other villages surrounded. Most of the villages are built on mountain slopes, overlooking rivers flowing by. Among those villages, Jiaju Village is the most typical one showing the architectural practice of traditional Tibetan folk house. The defending towers in Suopo Village are amazing architectural works of ancient Tibetans.
In the morning, set of your trip to Yajiang County. Along the road, make stops for photographing at some sightseeing spots, like Huiyuan Monastery, Mylonite Geological Park and Tagong Grass Land.
Yajiang County is situated in Yalong River Gorge, around 200 km away for Danba County. The average altitude in Yajiang is around 2,600 meters above sea level, that is one of the reasons why we choose it for you to spend one night.
Huiyuan Monastery is a lamasery quite famous in China. It was originally built in 1728, the seventh year of Emperor Yongzheng, the Qing Dynasty. During this period, Tibet fell into chaos. In order to allow the seventh generation of Dalai Lama to take refuge, the Qing court built the Lamasery. The Dalai Lama Seventh lived in Huiyuan Monastery for 7 years. It is also the birthplace of the Dalai Lama 11th.
Mylonite Geological Park is located in Bamei, Daofu County. It shows its unique landscape. It is a geological wonder. Chinese people call it as Mylonite Stone Forest. The stone forest was formed by the Quaternary Faults and Neotectonic Movement and the Qinghai-Tibet High Plateau uplift. Under compression and shearing, the rocks in the earth’s crust folded and uplifted. The soil layer which covered the uplifted rocks was moved away by rain. Then such a unique landscape was created.
Tagong Grassland lies on the plateau, covering an area of 712 square kilometers(275 sq.mi). Safeguarded by a golden-roofed white pagoda, the entrance of grassland offers photographers a good angle for the view of Yala Snow Mountain. The summit of Yala Mountain is 5,884 meters(19,304 feet) above sea level. It is one of the top seven holy mountains in Tibetan Area.
The distance between Yajiang County and Shangri-La Town is about 354 km(220 miles). It takes around 7 hours to travel by a car. The landscape along the way to Shangri-La Town of Sichuan is picturesque. You will pass by several beautiful sightseeing spots, like the Eighteen Curves of the Road Leading to Sky, Kazila Mountain Pass, Litang Grassland, Rabbit Mountain Pass, Haizi Mountain, and Daocheng Zunsheng White Pagodas. The road you will travel along is called National No.318 Road. It is considered as the most beautiful road in the world.
You will spend two nights in the same hotel.
In the morning, you may set off for your tour in Yading National Park at 8:00A.M.. Yading Scenic Area consists of three holy mountains, three beautiful lakes, pastures and a lamasery. The three holy mountains are Chenrezig Mountain, Jampayang Mountain and Chenadorje Mountain. The three mountains are considered as the incarnations of the top three Bodhisattvas, Manjusri, Avalokitesvara and Vajrapani. The three lakes include the Pearl Lake, the Multicolored Lake and the Milk Lake. The lamasery is Chonggu Monastery. The pastures are called Chonggu and Luorong by locals. Visitors usually spend two days to visit all of the above sightseeing spots. The lamasery is served as the hub of the two routes. The tour to the Pearl Lake is called the short route, and the tour to Luorong Pasture, the Milk Lake and the Multicolored Lake is called the long route. Due to the timing available, you may try the long route on the sixth day.
The Pearl Lake lies at the foot of Chenrezig Mountain. It is one of the most beautiful lakes in Yading National Park. Compared with the long route, the hiking to the Pearl Lake is relatively easy. It takes around 5 hours to finish the tour. Then, you may ride your private car or coach to Daocheng County, taking about one and a half hours.
Kangding is the capital city of Garze Tibetan Prefecture. It is around 420 km(261 miles) away from the county seat of Daocheng, taking about 9 hours by a car. It is a hard job for your driver. On the way to Kangding, you may pass by the Paradise of Photographers, Xinduqiao Town. It is quite beautiful in the fall. Altitude in Xinduqiao is about 3,300 meters(11,482 feet) above sea level. Kangding is a beautiful city, particularly in terms of its night view. After dinner, you can wander around the streets nearby your hotel, and enjoy the beautiful night view of the city.
In the morning, drive to visit Mugecuo Lake Scenic Area. It is about 26 km(16 miles) away from the city proper of Kangding. It takes three and a half hours to finish the tour in Mugecuo. Then you may have lunch in Kangding City. After lunch, drive around one and a half hours to visit Luding Bridge. Afterwards, transfer to your hotel in Moxi Town. It takes about one and a half hours to get to Moxi Town from the bridge.
Mugecuo Lake is the No.1 tourist attraction of Kangding. It is the largest alpine lake in western Sichuan. When it is sunny and windless, the lakes are considered as the wonderful place for photographers to get amazing shots of reflection. Read more about Mugecuo Lake.
Luding Bridge lies in the county seat of Luding, straddling Dadu River. As one of the top five old bridges in China, it was built in 1705. The bridge was added to the list of National Key Cultural Relic Conservation Sites. Click here to read more.
You will spend two nights in the same hotel suggested below.
Hailuogou Glacier is located in Luding County, Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. It is a unique modern glacier, which is rarely found in the world due to its relatively low latitude and altitude. Its lowest point is only 2,850 meters(9,350 feet) above sea level. Its wonders include the grand glacier cascade, virgin forest, wild animals, hot spring, Tibetan and Yi Minorities’ folk custom. Read more about Hailuogou Glacier.
It is about 290 km away from Moxi Town to Chengdu, taking around four and a half hours by a car. Jinli Old Street is topped as one of the must-go places in Chengdu. It showcases the memory of old Sichuan. The street could be traced back to 1,800 years ago in the Three Kingdoms Period. It shows the local traditional architecture in western Sichuan.
Chengdu Panda Base is short for Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding and Research Center. It is one of the top three tourist attractions in China. Before leaving Chengdu for the next destination, you may spend half a day to see the world popular lovely creature. If you plan to take a flight in the evening, you can spend more time for a city tour in Chengdu. You may go to visit the Wide and Narrow Alleys, People’s Park and the Global Center.
√ On-line professional consultancy
√ Hotel accommodation with breakfast
√ Sightseeing shuttle bus in Jiuzhaigou
√ Helpful local guide
√ Well-trained professional driver and comfortable vehicle with ample space
√ Mineral water(one bottle of mineral water per person per day)
√ Entry to all attractions listed on your itinerary
√ 24-hours helpline covering the whole of your tour
Cable car in Huanglong and sightseeing mini-bus in Dujiangyan Panda Base
Meals not mentioned in the itinerary
Personal expenses
1. The altitude in Daocheng Yading is quite high, ranging from 3,000 meter(9843 feet) to 4,700 meters(15,420 feet) above sea level. Sometimes, people may suffer from Altitude Sickness, when they travel on a high plateau. Click here to learn more about the Altitude Sickness.
2. The average temperature in Western Sichuan is much lower than that in Chengdu. Even you make your tour in summer, you still need to pack some thin down jackets for your tour.
Author: Tina Luo
Update:
