Explore China's Wild West on this 10 day tour through western Sichuan. Start your adventure in Chengdu where you'll depart for the mountains and Tibetan villages of Danba. Proceed to the wide open spaces of the Tagong Grasslands followed by the stunning views in Daocheng. For the remainder of the trip you'll travel to remote towns and villages deep in the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, to marvel at the unique culture and the untouched mountains and lakes of the region.
Day1 Chengdu (includes dinner)
Your guide will meet you at the Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport. Look for him or her holding a Ctrip sign as you come out of your arrival gate and together you will drive to theFurong Leading hotel in Chengdu.
Day2 Chengdu-Danba (includes breakfast, lunch & dinner)
In the morning, after breakfast, you'll be driven from Chengdu to Danba via the Erlang Shantunnel.
The Danba mountains soar up to 3,000 m (9,845 ft) above sea level over pleasant little river valleys with sturdy painted wooden Tibetan homes perched upon the cliffs.
Lunch and dinner will be at a local restaurant and you'll overnight in a Danba Hotel.
Day3 Danba: Jiaju & Suopo Villages (includes breakfast, lunch & dinner)
In the morning, after breakfast, you'll visit the Jiaju Tibetan Village, Zhonglu Village, said to be the “most beautiful ethnic village in China” and Suopo Village, a small mountain community where squat stone buildings and ancient stone watchtowers dot the landscape.
While exploring the fortress-like houses of Jiaju, you'll witness the white turrets topping off the squat, square buildings. You'll also discover the fantastical watchtowers of the Qiang minority in Suopo (or Sopo). The Qiang have lived for centuries in such stockades, the towers by their homesteads originally serving as storage silos and defensive lookouts that helped guard against ill-intentioned outsiders, especially marauding Gyarong Tibetans. Others were designed with different purposes in mind: some stand alone along the hills, placed in areas of strategic importance or on hilltops as fire beacons.
Lunch and dinner will be at a local restaurant. Overnight in Danba.
Day4Danba-Yajiang: Tagong Grasslands (includes breakfast, lunch & dinner)
You will leave Danba in the morning after breakfast and go to Yajiang via Tagong. You'll pass through the vast expanse of the Tagong Grasslands, green meadows surrounded by snow-capped peaks and dotted with Tibetan herdsmen and tents, where the average altitude is 3,500 m (11,482 ft).
Here you will stop and visit a well-known monastery, the Tagong Temple. This temple is one of the most famous in Ganzi, due to the Sakyamuni Buddha figure housed there since the late 7th century. According to legend, the statue was part of the young Tang Princess Wengcheng's dowry but she left the figure after it fell out of her baggage and whispered that it would like to stay in Tagong. Miraculously untouched by the Cultural Revolution, the building is notable for its four towers, painted green, red, yellow and white respectively. The monastery is still very active with festivals during all four seasons and a strong community of monks numbering anywhere from 50 to 200, depending on the circumstances.
Lunch and dinner will be at a local restaurant and you'll overnight in Yajiang Grand Hotel.
(The annual Horse Race Festival is held at the beginning of the 8th lunar month in the Tagong Grassland so keep that in mind when you're planning your trip.)
.jpg)
Day5 Yajiang-Riwa (includes breakfast, lunch & dinner)
In the morning, after breakfast, you'll travel from Yajiang to Riwa (Shangri-La) via Jianziwan Mountain, Kazila Mountain and Haizi Mountain.
Riwa is in Daocheng County and, at just 20 km (12 mi) to the north, is the nearest town to theYading Nature Reserve.
Lunch and dinner will be at a local restaurant and you'll overnight in the Riwa Shengting Yading Hotel.
.jpg)
Day6 Riwa-Yading: Yading Nature Reserve (includes breakfast, lunch & dinner)
In the morning, after breakfast, you will head to the Yading Nature Reserve where you'll spend the whole day exploring its three holy mountains.
The three great peaks that tower over the Yading Nature Reserve are Jambeyang, which stands at 5,958 m (19, 547 ft) tall and represents Majushri, the Bhoddisatva of Wisdom; Chanadorje, which also stands at 5,958 m (19, 547 ft) tall but represents Vajrapani, the Bhoddisatva of Wrath; and Chenrezig, the undisputed local champ that stands at 6,032 m (19,790 ft) and represents Avalokiteshvara, the Bhoddisatva of Compassion and the patron saint of Tibet.
These three snow-capped peaks sit in a triangle formation amongst forested valleys, clear rivers, glacier-fed lakes and abundant wildlife and were designated a nature reserve in the late 1990s.
Lunch and dinner will be at a local restaurant and you'll overnight in the Riwa Shengting Yading Hotel.
Day7 Riwa-Daocheng (includes breakfast, lunch & dinner)
In the morning, after breakfast, you'll go to Daocheng via Echu Mountain and on the way you'll visit the largest monastery in the area, Gongling Temple.
Daocheng is a semi-nomadic town surrounded by temples and monasteries set amidst forests and snowcapped peaks. Several spots around Daocheng enjoy excellent views and there are forests, creeks and small villages in all directions.
Lunch and dinner will be at a local restaurant and you'll overnight in the Riwa Shengting Yading Hotel.
Day8 Daocheng-Yajiang (includes breakfast, lunch & dinner)
In the morning, after breakfast, you'll travel from Daocheng to Yajiang. Enjoying beautiful views of the plateau along the way.
Lunch and dinner will be at a local restaurant and you'll overnight in the Yajiang Grand Hotel.
Day9 Yajiang-Kangding (includes breakfast, lunch & dinner)
In the morning, after breakfast, you will travel from Yajiang via Xinduqiao and Zheduo Mountain to Kangding.
Kangding, or "Dardo" in Tibetan, is a medium sized border town in the Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, approximately 360 km (224 mi) to the west of the provincial capital, Chengdu. The town is seemingly wedged into a narrow valley surrounded by tall mountains and then further cloven in half by the Zheduo River.
Lunch and dinner will be at a local restaurant and you'll overnight in the Yajiang Grand Hotel.
Day10 Kangding-Chengdu: Mugecuo Lake, tour ends (includes breakfast & lunch)
This morning, after breakfast, you'll head back to Chengdu, visiting Mugecuo Lake on the way. Also known as "Wild Man Sea," this is the largest mountain lake in northwestern Sichuan. 2,000 m (6,561 ft) above sea level. 5 km (3 mi) long, 2 km (1 mi) wide, it covers an area of 3 sq km (1 sq mi), and sinks to 70 m (230 ft) at its deepest parts. The surrounding mountains with their thick poplar and redwood forests, playful Tibetan antelopes and wild deer make for a beautiful backdrop.
Lunch will be at a local restaurant.
You'll return to you hotel or be dropped off at Chengdu airport at around 6:00 p.m..
