9-day Walk & Hike Tour Around Chengdu(pandas, Ancient Towns, Museums, Cuisine)

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive at Chengdu

Stop At: Chengdu, Chengdu, Sichuan
We will welcome you at the airport and take you to your hotel. You are free to refresh and relax before we hold a briefing about the trip, later in the afternoon.
With your guides, you will go through the itinerary and learn about local road safety and cultural considerations, as well having the opportunity to ask us any questions you may have. After being fully briefed, in the evening, we will hold a welcome dinner to celebrate the beginning of your journey. We will feast on some of the best food Chengdu has to offer and eagerly anticipate the coming journey that lies ahead.
Duration: 1 hour

Meals included:
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight at a 4-star standard hotel

Day 2: Hike Dujiangyan Irrigation System and Mount Qingcheng (rear part)

Stop At: Dujiangyan Irrigation System, On the Minjiang River at the west of Dujiangyan, Dujiangyan 611830 China
At 08:00am our guide and driver will pick you up from your hotel in Chengdu. Then you will head for the northwestern part of Chengdu Plain to visit Dujiangyan Irrigation System, which is a UNESCO world cultural heritage site. It takes about 1 hour and 40 minutes to drive there.

Dujiangyan Irrigation System was built by the ancient Chinese over 2,250 years ago. In order to control floods and in the meanwhile irrigate the farmland across Chengdu plain, the ancient Chinese constructed this huge project, which has made Chengdu one of the richest regions of China during the past 2,000 years. The construction of this project is an ancient technological wonder of the country.

We will explore this big water project by walking, and our guide will also take you to explore the temples and ancient trade trails in the mountains at the other side of the river, where many other tour groups do not go because of not willing to walk too much. You will spend about 2 hours in total at the irrigation system learning about the history and culture of this ancient project.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Back Peak of Qingcheng Mountain, Qingchengshan Town, Dujiangyan 611844 China
We will have lunch at a local restaurant before heading for the rear part of Mount Qingcheng, which has two separate areas open to tourists. The front part of the mountain is where most other tourist groups go, and we will go to the rear part, which is more tranquil and suitable for hiking. We will spend around 4 hours exploring the mountain by hiking.
Duration: 4 hours

Stop At: Jiezi Ancient Town, Jiezi Town, Chongzhou 611242 China
In the late afternoon we will drive about 40 minutes to the beautiful ancient town of Jiezi, where we will stay overnight. You will spend some time exploring the alleyways and learning about the history of this important riverside town, historically one of the last towns before the Tibetan Plateau on the Ancient Tea Horse Road.
Duration: 1 hour

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight at a 3-star standard hotel in Jiezi Ancient Town

Day 3: Hike Wugen Mountain, visit Bamboo Weaving Village and Anren Ancient Town

Stop At: Daomingzhen, Chongzhou, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
After breakfast we will first drive about one hour to Wugen Mountain, where we will do our 12km hiking. After arriving, we will begin by taking a short visit to White Pagoda Monastery and the unique library inside, created by Master Guoping. Then you will start hiking the trails and exploring the hidden villages scattered around the woods and mountains. The trails naturally bring you to a valley, where you can enjoy an authentic lunch from a local restaurant.

In the afternoon, you will walk up to the ridge of a small mountain and continue making your way around the lake before going down to a teahouse where you have the opportunity to relax and enjoy a cup of tea. Today’s hiking ends when you arrive at the beautiful White Pagoda Lake, situated below a Buddhist temple that has a white pagoda emerging from the mountain top, providing the lake with its name.

After the hiking, we will visit a bamboo-weaving village at the foot of the mountain. We will also have lunch in the village, and try some tea and local dishes.
Duration: 5 hours

Stop At: Anren Ancient Town, Anren Town, Dayi County 610000 China
In the afternoon we drive about half an hour to Anren Ancient Town, which is famous for its nice and unique museums and courtyards. At Anren Ancient Town you will take a visit of Jianchuan Museum and Liu’s Mansion Museum. At the first museum you will not only learn about the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake and Sichuan people’s contributions to the anti-Japanese war in 1930s and 1940s, but also the traditional lifestyle of the Chinese, such as traditional Chinese furnitures, medicine, and articles of daily use. While at the second museum you will see the traditional house and courtyard of Liu Wencai’s family. Liu was the richest man in Sichuan province in 1930s and 1940s.
Duration: 3 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight at a 3-star standard boutique hotel in Anren Ancient Town

Day 4: Visit Shangli Ancient Town, hike Bifengxia Valley Forest Park

Stop At: Shangli Ancient Town, Shangli Town, Yucheng District, Ya'an 625007 China
Shangli is another market town on the Old Tea Horse Road, and it is one of the first towns Tibetan traders would encounter on their journeys. It is peculiar for its beautiful stone bridges and for being one of the main places where tea was fermented and pressed into bricks, to be made suitable for the long and arduous journey to Tibet. Set amongst forested hills, with traditional wooden buildings and a river cutting through the town, it is extremely picturesque.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Bifengxia Panda Reserve, Bifeng Gorges Scenic Resort, Yucheng District, Ya'an 625000 China
We will have lunch at a popular restaurant in the town before heading for Bifengxia Valley Forest Park located about 16 kilometers away. After arriving, we will first visit the panda base in the park and learn more details about the adorable giant pandas. The mountains around the park are also habitats of the wild pandas. Then we will hike the two beautiful valleys inside the park. With lush forests and many big and small waterfalls, it feels really nice hiking in the valleys of the park and enjoying the fresh and humid air. The total hiking distance in the two valleys is about 13 kilometers.

Duration: 4 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight at a 3-star standard boutique hotel at the foot of Mount Mengding

Day 5: Ya’an to Leshan, hike tea plantations and visit Leshan Giant Buddha

Stop At: Zhongfengxiang, Mingshan District, Ya'an, Ya'an, Sichuan, China
In the morning we will visit one of China’s largest tea plantation areas around Mount Mengding, which is the first place in Chinese history where people began to cultivate tea trees. The green tea from this area is considered as the one of the best in China. Most of the local villagers grow tea, and the government has invested a lot of money to build the greenways connecting tea plantations across 5 different towns. This area is like a beautiful park, and we will spend about 2 hours walking around to explore.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Leshan Giant Buddha (Da Fo), No.2435 Lingyun Street, Shizhong District, Leshan 614000 China
After the visit of the tea plantations, we will drive about 1 hour and 45 minutes to Leshan and visit Leshan Giant Buddha. It’s a 71-meter-high big statue built about 1,200 years ago. We will walk up the mountain and then walk down to its big feet to take a close look at the giant Buddha. Then we will continue to explore the temples and gardens scattered in the mountains by walking.

Drive about 45 minutes to the foot of Mount Emei in the later afternoon.
Duration: 2 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight at a four star standard hotel

Day 6: Hike 14km from the foot to the middle part of Mount Emei

Stop At: Emeishan Museum, Baoguo Temple Scenic Area, Emeishan 614200 China
Today we will first take a visit Emeishan Museum as well as the two Buddhism monasteries at the foot of the mountain. At the museum you will learn a lot of details about the geography as well as flora and fauna of Mount Emei. Then we will visit Baoguo Monastery and Fuhu Monastery before starting our hiking up the mountain.
Duration: 3 hours

Stop At: Wannian Temple, Under the Shizi Peak, Emeishan 614200 China
Today’s hiking is about 14 kilometers in total and our destination is Wannian Temple. At the lower areas of the mountain you will see more vegetations. There are steps along the way, and the elevation will rise from 700 meters to about 1,020 meters above sea level.

Wannian Temple is the oldest and largest temple at Mount Emei, and there is a 400-year-old brick building inside, which is quite worth your visit. After arriving at Wannian Temple and exploring it, check in at the hotel nearby and then relax in the afternoon.

If you like, you may also walk about 2.5km in the late afternoon to explore Emeishan Botanic Garden nearby, after chekcing in at the hotel.
Duration: 2 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight a 3-star standard guesthouse near Wannian Temple

Day 7: Hike 22km to Leidongping

Stop At: Mount Emei (Emeishan), Emeishan 614201 China
Today’s hiking is more difficult than that of yesterday, not only because of the higher altitudes, but also the trials are steeper. However, the natural scenery is much more spectacular, and you will see the changes of vegetations as you gradually walk up. It is also more tranquil today, because there are much less tourists at the higher parts of the mountain.

After arriving at Leidongping in the afternoon, check in at the hotel and relax. If you like, you may also walk around to explore the nearby area.

Leidongping is about 2,300 meters above sea level and we will stay overnight at a hotel here.

Duration: 5 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight at a 3-star standard small hotel at Leidongping.


Day 8: Hike 7.5km to the top of Mount Emei, visit Huanglongxi Ancient Town

Stop At: E'meishan Jinding Scenic Resort, Within E'mei Mountain, Emeishan 614200 China
After breakfast we will start hiking up to Golden Summit, which is the top of the mountain. The hiking distance going up is about 7.5km, and the altitudes are between 2,200 to 3,000 meters above sea level. Mount Emei is one of the four most famous and sacred Buddhism mountains in China.

After reaching Golden Summit, walk around, and if the sky is clear, you might be able to see the sea of clouds and the snow-capped Mount Gongga (about 150km away), the peak of which is the highest point of Sichuan province, with an altitude of 7,556 meters above sea level. There is also a magnificent 48-meter-high Buddha statue near near Golden Summit.

After the visit, take the cable car down and then walk about 1.5km to Leidongping bus station where you will take a bus to go down the mountain. The bus journey takes around 2 hours, and along the way you will see the changes of vegetation when gradually arriving at the lower areas.
Duration: 6 hours

Stop At: Huanglongxi Ancient Town, Huanglongxi Town , Shuangliu District, Shuangliu County 610200 China
When getting down to the foot of the mountain, meet the driver and then drive about 2 hours to Huanglongxi Ancient Town. Then walk about one hour to explore the ancient town.

Huanglongxi is another famous ancient town with history reaching back 1,700 years. Set beside the river, with three temples and winding alleyways it provides a particularly quintessential example of an old town and, as such, is often chosen by producers as a film location. Whilst a little more touristy than other ancient towns we visit on this trip, it is beautiful and the riverside teahouses are perfect for winding down after today’s hiking. The streets are lined with shops and local snacks, including the famous ‘one noodle noodles’; a bowl of noodles which contain a single long thick noodle pulled by vendors who put on elaborate dances, and shows, to entice customers to their restaurants.
Duration: 2 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight at Caston Huanglong Hotel, 4-star standard

Day 9: Transfer to Chengdu airport, tour ends.

Pass By: Chengdu, Chengdu, Sichuan
The guide and the driver will send you guys to Chengdu airport, and it takes about one hour to get to the airport from Huanglongxi Ancient Town. Then you will fly back home with beautiful memories of this unique trip.

No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.