11 Days Classic Western Sichuan Tour: Chengdu-Moxi-Xinduqiao-Daocheng-Yading-Jiuzhaigou

Attractions: Hailuogou Glacier Park
Meals: Breakfast
Hotel: hotel in Moxi (1580m)
Drive: 280km, 4.5 hrs

Drive to Moxi / Hailuogou along the Chengdu-Ya'an Highway and through Mt. Erlang tunnel. En route, you can enjoy the scenery along Dadu River. After arriving in Moxi town in the afternoon, you will visit Hailuogou Glacier Park. You can choose to take a walk (2hours) through forest to the view platform, or take a cable car to No.4 Camp to enjoy the splendid sights of glaciers, ice mushrooms, ice pagoda forest, ice waterfalls, ect. In the late afternoon, you can enjoy hot spring.

Attractions: Red Stones Beach, Zheduo Pass, Xinduqiao
Meals: Breakfast
Hotel: hotel in Yajiang (2500m)
Drive: 220km, 5 hrs

Get up early to see the sunrise on Gongga Mountain if the weather is clear. Then drive through Kangding to Xinduqiao which is renowned as the Paradise of Photographers. On the way, wild flowers blooming by the winding river, red stones beach, golden poplar forests showing their elegance on the two sides of the road, Tibetan-styled houses scattered among the farmland, roaming yaks and goats... you’ll immerse into the picturesque landscape along the way. Next, it’s time to pass through Zheduo Mountain at an altitude of 4,298 meters through many bends on the way, and feast your eyes with countless breathtaking snow-capped mountain sceneries. You have the chance to capture the panoramic view of Mount Gongga with many peaks standing in a row above the sea of clouds. Finally drive to Yajiang county for night.

Attractions: Jianziwan & Kazila mountains
Meals: Breakfast
Hotel: in Riwa (2900m)
Drive: 360km, 7 hrs

Drive 280km to Daocheng with a stop at Litang for lunch. On the way, we will enjoy amazing sights of Jianziwan & Kazila mountains. Litang is known as the world’s highest city for its elevation at 4010m and famous for its Horse Racing Festival held in August. After lunch, drive to Daocheng with rich soil and unique Tibetan culture. Continue to drive 80km to Riwa, also known as Shangri-La in Sichuan.

Attractions: Daocheng Yading Nature Reserve
Meals: Breakfast
Hotel: in Riwa

After an early breakfast, start your exploration of Daocheng Yading Nature Reserve, the Last Pure Land on Earth first found by Joseph Rock in 1928 and then be widely treated as the “Soul of Shangri-La” with extremely dreaming wonderland.

Take the sightseeing bus from the tourist center to Zhaguanbeng for about 1-1.5 hours and enjoy the 2-2.5 hours’ hike to Luorong Pasture (4,150m) via Chonggu Monastery (3,900m) (you can also choose to walk 20 minute to Chonggu Monastery and take the 0.5 hour battery car to Luorong Pasture if you want to save energy). Enjoy your relaxing roam at the idyllic pasture with those carefree grazing cattle and goats, layers of multicolored dense alpine forest, clear winding stream, etc. backed by the three holy snow mountains, namely Xiannairi (Mount Chianrezig), Yangmaiyong (Mount Jambeyang) and Xianuoduoji (Mount Chanadorje). You will appreciate the most beautiful appearance of Xianuoduoji snow mountain like a powerful man!

Next, take the challenging 5 km’s hike for 3-3.5 hours up to the fabulous Milk Lake (4,600m) (horse riding is available to Milk Lake and needs extra payment) and marvel at the unbelievable charm of such a holy lake like a precious blue gem that even can move one to drop tears. Continue to walk another 0.5 hour to visit Five Color Lake (4,500m) 0.3 km away to savor the impressive sightseeing with beautiful snow rock mountain in white, grey, silver and chocolate, blue and green water, various alpine plantations, clear sky backdrop, etc. particularly like an world-class oil painting.

After the visiting, walk down and take the car and bus back to the entrance. And our guide and driver will send you back to your hotel at Shangri-La Town. Have a good rest!

Attractions: Daocheng Yading Nature Reserve
Meals: Breakfast
Hotel: in Xinduqiao (3300m)

Today after breakfast, go to Chonggu Monastery as the same way on Day 2 by sightseeing bus and hike. Have a stop at the temple to admire the sacred Gelug Buddhist temple architecture in white, red, yellow and black and learn the interesting story about the temple and Joseph Rock’s stop by. From such unbeatable location, you will easily take the excellent photo of the brilliant temple and the three pure white holy snow mountains. After some short walk, embrace the lovely Chonggu Meadow (4,020m) that can be paralleled with the fairyland on earth. Stroll on the vast grassland like a thick and soft carpet in yellow and green in each season. Play along the particularly appealing transparent chanting river with clearly visible little stones like countless grains of gold sank to the bottom. Do not miss the best angle to admire the Xianuoduoji snow mountain like a powerful man.

Then, continue to hike for 30 minutes to visit Pearl Lake (4,120m) that is super fascinating to admire the picturesque landscape of surrounding snow peaks, green and orange dense forest, iridescent prayer flags, and their dazzling reflection in the shimmering clear lake. Also, it is the best location to admire the holy Xiannairi snow mountain.

After that, go back and be transferred to Bang River to appreciate the ten thousand acre of poplar forest (3,740m) from the best location. The wide spread of poplar trees are so charming in pure green in spring and summer and orange and golden in autumn under the frequent azure sky in Daocheng.

After the visiting, our guide and driver will send you to your hotel in Xining and help you check in. Have a good rest!

Attractions: Tagong Monastery, Moshi Park
Meals: Breakfast
Hotel: in Maerkang (2600m)
Drive: 330km, 8 hrs

Today firstly drive from Xinduqiao to Tagong. Upon arrival, you’ll first pay a visit to Tagong Monastery. Tagong means “A Land Favored by Bodhisattva” in Tibetan language and a legend goes that Princess Wencheng on the way to Lhasa for her wedding to the Tibetan King, she was attracted by the breathtaking scenery of Tagong and left the life-sized statue of the Shakyamuni at the age of 12 here. Reputed as “Little Jokhang Temple”, this golden-peak Monastery surrounded by white pagodas belongs to Sakya Sect, with a history over 1000 years. You can go inside the the monastery and see the pilgrims worshiping. Later, enjoy some peaceful with a leisure walk on the green Tagong Grassland and overlook the snow-capped magnificent Yala Mountain (altitude: 5884 meters) in a distance. Enjoy the harmonious scene with numerous yaks and sheep grazing on the fertile grassland under the blue sky; and if you are interested, you can rent a horse to explore happily with a visit to herder’s home (pay the expense on your own).

Then transfer to Moshi Park Scenic Area, one of the Geological Wonders of the world.Featuring its unique geographical landform, it makes you feel like in the alien planet. The astonishing stone forest landscape was formed after thousands years of geographic movements and weathering.Now it is a popular photo-shooting destination.Tourists like taking funny pictures or videos here.

In the afternoon, transfer through Danba county and Xiaojin county to Maerkang for overnight. If time permit, you will visit Jiajv Tibetan Village and Suopo Watchtower.

Attractions: Yueliangwan (Moon Bay), the First Bend of Yellow River, Ruoergai Grassland
Meals: Breakfast
Hotel: in Chuanzhusi (2980m)
Drive: 380km, 7 hrs

After breakfast in hotel, you will start your Today itinerary. First stop at Yueliangwan, located in Honghe County, Aba Prefecture, only about three kilometers away from the county. Here, the grass is flourishing and the grassland is wide. It is extremely rare in northwestern Sichuan and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Summer Moon Bay Prairie presents a thriving atmosphere, with blue skies, green grasslands, verdant mountains and majestic clouds forming an atmosphere, fresh and beautiful picture. Because of the high altitude, it feels that the distance between the person and the sky is very close, and the cloud seems to be within reach.

In the afternoon, you will continue to visit the First Bend of Yellow River on Ruoergai Grassland (Zoige Grassland). The water of Yellow River is very clean here, and the river is mirror like flat and slow. It bent gently here like moon, and the shining of sun light like stars in galaxy. Tibetan herdsman riding horses trekked along the river.

Attractions: Jiuzhaigou National Park
Meals: Breakfast
Hotel: in Jiuzhaigou (2000m)
Drive: 90km, 2hrs

Get up in the early morning today, and then go with your guide to the gate of Jiuzhaigou National park. And there you will exchange local environment protection bus to visit the long valleys.

The Y-shaped Jiuzhaigou valley actually are consisted of 3 long valleys: Shuzheng valley, Rize valley and Zezha valley. In each of the valley, many beautiful lakes, waterfalls, rivers and virgin forest are scattered. Local Tibetan granted each of them romantic names, such as Panda Sea, Pearl Sea, Long Sea, etc, and these lakes shining like jade, pearl in the mountain and forest. Jiuzhaigou valley could be the best gift from our nature, and it deserves the fame of Fairy Land on the earth!

There are also nine Tibet villages, which Jiuzhaigou got its name from it, your guide will give you a lecture of Tibetan culture too when visit these villages. Just follow your guide to visit the 3 valleys one by one, enjoying the interesting tales about the villages and lakes. And a simple buffet lunch will be arranged in Lorilang restaurant. In the late afternoon you will exit the valleys and return hotel for dinner.

Attractions: Huanglong National Park
Meals: Breakfast
Hotel: in Chengdu
Drive: 470km, 9hrs

After breakfast in hotel, you will drive back to Chengdu from Jiuzhaigou. On the way, your tour guide will take you to Huanglong Nation Park, which is about 2 hrs driving in mountain road from Jiuzhaigou to Huanglong. You will hike from the 3070 meter of gate to 3558 meters of Huanglong temple in 2 hours. Just enjoy the alphine mountain forest and collorful calcified lakes en route. And eventually we will arrive at the Wucaichi Lake. And then you will descend the mountain in the late afternoon for about 1 hour’s hiking, and then exit from the park to take car back to Chengdu.

Attractions: No
Meals: Breakfast
Hotel: No

Today, we will see you off in the airport or train station and wish you happy safe journey back home. Welcome to travel with us again for your next adventure.