D1

Flight: Europe - Chengdu

D2

Chengdu Airport → Leshan Grand Buddha → Mt Emei

D3

Mt Emei → Ya’an

D4

Ya’an → Hailuogou → Moxi

D5

Moxi → Kangding → Xinduqiao

D6

Xinduqiao → Tagong Monastery → Danba

D7

Danba → Jinchuan → Maerkang

D8

Maerkang → Hongyuan

D9

Hongyuan → Waqie Tallinn → Langmusi

D10

Langmusi → Songpan

D11

Songpan → Huanglong National Park → Maoxian

D12

Maoxian → Dujiangyan Irrigation System → Chengdu

D13

Chengdu City

D14

Flight: Chengdu - Europe

    D1

Flight: Europe - Chengdu

- / - / D

Highlights: ✔Your journey starts today

DIST. - / -

Your journey starts today by you taking the international flight from Europe to Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province of China, famed for being the home of cute giant pandas. Located in the west of Sichuan Basin and in the center of Chengdu Plain, the city covers a total area of 12.3 thousand square kilometers with a population of over 11 million.

    D2

Chengdu Airport → Leshan Grand Buddha → Mt Emei

B / L / D

Highlights: ✔Leshan Grand Buddha

DIST. 200km/3hrs

Welcome to Chengdu! Your friendly local guide and driver will greet you at the flight exit in Chengdu Airport. A speed and pleasant 2-hour drive will take you to Leshan Grand Buddha, with a history of 1200 years, carved from a cliff face overlooking the confluence of three busy rivers: Dadu River, Min River and Qingyi River. At a height of 71m, the Buddha took 90 years to complete. Afterwards, transfer to Mt Emei for the night.

    D3

Mt Emei → Ya’an

B / L / D

Highlights: ✔Mt Emei with Golden Summit, incl. Shuttle and round-way cable

DIST. 125km/1.5hrs

Full day sightseeing of Mt Emei (3099m), one of the four sacred Buddhist Mountains in China. Together with Leshan, Mt Emei is a Unesco Heritage site. Early morning, take eco-friendly shuttle bus to Leidongping, then take cable car up to Golden Summit (3077m). At the front of Golden Summit Temple, there prominent 48m-tall golden statute of multidimensional Samantabhadra honours the mountain protector. Afterwards, take the cable down to Leidongping, then decent the mountain by foot and shuttle, visiting the sights along the way, such as, Wannian Temple, Qingyin Pavilion, Monkey Zone… Afterwards, transfer to Ya’an for the night.

    D4

Ya’an → Hailuogou → Moxi

B / L / D

Highlights: ✔Hailuogou Glacier Forest Park ✔Moxi Old Town

DIST. 180km/6hrs

Depart from Ya’an in early morning to Hailuogou Glacier Forest Park, a glacier national park located southeast of Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan Province. It is by the east face of Mt Gongga (7556m) at the east boundary of Eastern Tibetan Plateau. Inside this park, there are hanging glaciers, hundreds of ice caves, giant icefalls and quiet forest. Afterwards, drive to Moxi Old Town in Luding County for the night. Moxi Old Town is a settlement of Han, Yi, and Tibetan people, and the town itself dates back to before the Qing Dynasty. The name, Moxi, literally means “A Promising Land” in the ancient Qiang language. Moxi Town was an important town along the ancient Tea and Horse Road for supplies and rest. And among all its old buildings from Ming and Qing Dynasty, there is also an old gothic Catholic church, built by French missionaries in 1918.

    D5

Moxi → Kangding → Xinduqiao

B / L / D

Highlights: ✔Mugecuo Scenic Area

DIST. 212km/5hrs

Depart from Moxi in early morning towards Kangding (2616m), the capital of the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, setting in a steep river valley at the confluence of the raging Zheduo River & Yala River, with snow-capped Mt Gongga (7556m) to the south. Visit Mugecuo Scenic Area, also called the Kangding Love Song Resort. Take the site shuttle to visit Mugecuo Lake, Azalea Gorge, Fancao Prairie, Seven-Color Lake, Yaochi Hot Spring, Honghai Lake Prairie, etc. It is a gallery of primitive forest, alpine lakes, hot springs, prairies and snow-capped mountains.

Afterwards, head to Xinduqiao for the night.

    D6

Xinduqiao → Tagong Monastery → Danba

B / L / D

Highlights: ✔Take photos of Xinduqiao at sunrise ✔Tagong Monastery

DIST. 150km/3hrs

Get up early to take photos of Xinduqiao at sunrise. Xinduqiao is a picturesque small Tibetan town and famous for its plateau pasture scenery, with vivid green grassland, streams, mountains, and Tibetan houses surrounding it. It is famed as the ‘paradise of photographers’, due to the wonderful natural lights and stunning landscape here.

Then head the road again for Tagong Monastery at Tagong Town, through the vast Tagong Grasslands. Afterwards, drive to Danba for the night.

    D7

Danba → Jinchuan → Maerkang

B / L / D

Highlights: ✔Jiaju Tibetan Village

DIST. 190km/4hrs

Danba is famous for its gorgeous watchtowers and traditional Tibetan fortress-like houses, which constitute a remarkable scenery with the natural surroundings. There are 562 ancient rock watchtowers in Danba, which were built hundreds of years ago for defensive purposes. Visit Jiaju Tibetan Village in Danba, the most popular among travellers, and was proclaimed ‘the most beautiful ethnic town in China’ by the Chinese National Geographic in 2005. Afterwards, head for Maerkang for the night.

    D8

Maerkang → Hongyuan

B / L / D

Highlights: ✔Check out Maerkang ✔A leisure day of light driving

DIST. 190km/3hrs

A leisure day to get up late or check out Maerkang, the prefecture capital of Aba Tibetan & Qiang Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan Province, by yourself in the morning. After lunch, head towards Hongyuan.

    D9

Hongyuan → Waqie Tallinn → Langmusi

B / L / D

Highlights: ✔Waqie Tallinn ✔Langmusi Monastery

DIST. 220km/3.5hrs

About 40km from Hongyuan, stopover to check out Waqie Tallinn (3554m), the Tibetan word for big tent, surrounded by spectacular series of Tibetan chortens and prayer flags. Afterwards head for Langmusi for the night, which is not only the name of a monastery, but also the name of a town. Langmusi is located at the juncture of Gansu, Qinghai and Sichuan provinces, where there are charming natural scenery and unique ethnic customs which attract many monks and pilgrims come here for religious practice. Visit Langmusi Monastery.

   D10

Langmusi → Songpan

B / L / D

Highlights: ✔Songpan Ancient Town

DIST. 340km/5.5hrs

Depart from Langmusi to Songpan, with an area of 8,486 square kilometers and a population of approximately 68,000, composed of Tibetan, Qiang, Han and Hui populations. Have a lovely scroll in Songpan Ancient Town, dating back to Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

   D11

Songpan → Huanglong National Park → Maoxian

B / L / D

Highlights: ✔Huanglong National Park

DIST. 220km/4hrs

Depart Songpan early for the stunning Huanglong National Park, with exquisite terraces of coloured limestone ponds in blue, green, orange, yellow and white. Afterwards, head for Maoxian for the night.

   D12

Maoxian → Dujiangyan Irrigation System → Chengdu

B / L / D

Highlights: ✔Dujiangyan Irrigation System

DIST. 195km/3.3hrs

Depart Maoxian for Chengdu today. En route, visit Dujiangyan Irrigation System. The Qin dynasty waterworks project (completed in 256 BC) is the oldest and only surviving non-dam irrigation system in the world. Still used to control water levels of the Min River, this scenic area is studded with historic temples, forested hills, hilltop pagodas as well as coursing waters.

   D13

Chengdu City

B / L / D

Highlights: ✔Chengdu Panda Base ✔Jinli Ancient Street ✔Jinsha Site Museum ✔Sichuan Opera Show at Shufeng Yayun Teahouse

DIST. 65km/1.5hrs

Early morning visit Chengdu Panda Base, short for Giant Panda Breeding Research Base. Its enclosures are large and well maintained, home to nearly 120 giant and 76 red pandas.

Visit & have lunch at Jinli Ancient Street, which was recorded as early as the Qin Dynasty. Try out local snakes for lunch and have your coffee or tea here.

Drive about 30mins to Jinsha Site Museum. In 2001, archaeologists made a historic discovery in Chengdu’s western suburbs: they unearthed a major site containing ruins of the 3000-year-old Shu kingdom. This excellent, expansive museum includes the excavation site and beautiful displays of many of the uncovered objects, which were created between 1200 and 600 BC.

Afterwards, drive back to hotel for you to fresh up and have dinner.

Around 18:30, pick up from hotel to watch Sichuan Opera Show at Shufeng Yayun Teahouse inside Culture Park. This famous century-old theatre and teahouse puts on excellent 80mins shows (20:00-21:20) than include music, puppetry and Sichuan opera’s famed fire-breathing and face-off. After the show, you will be delivered directly to Chengdu Airport for your night flight.

   D14

Flight: Chengdu - Europe

B / - / -

✔Homeward Bound

DIST. 20km/50mins

Your journey ends today. Guide and driver will deliver you safely to Chengdu Airport. Hope you have a nice sleep in the plane and a safe journey back home with the best memory of Sichuan.