7-Day Less-Travelled South Sichuan Exploration(Dinosaurs, Ba

In the morning our guide and driver will pick you up from your hotel in Chengdu. Then we will drive south to Zigong. The journey takes 2.5 to 3 hours, and on the way you will see the beautiful countryside south of Chengdu.  After arriving at Zigong we will visit the Dinosaur Museum first. The museum sits on top of a large concentration of a diverse dinosaur assemblage. It claims the largest number of dinosaur fossils in the world. The museum exhibits fossils of dinosaurs that have been excavated here. This is China’s first museum located at the actual burial site of dinosaurs. You will absolutely learn a lot about the dinosaurs at this great museum. We will have lunch and try some local dishes when finishing the visit of the dinosaur museum. In the afternoon we will first visit Shenhai Well and learn about the process of producing salt. The well was drilled in 1835 to a depth of 1,000 meters, producing a daily output of 13 cubic meters of brine and 8,500 cubic meters of natural gas.  Then we will head for the Salt Industry History Museum for a visit. You will learn a lot about the history of salt production in China as well as the beautiful traditional Chinese architecture.  After the salt museum, we will walk to Wangye Temple Teahouse located nearby. The teahouse was once named as Sichuan’s No.1 Teahouse by BBC. You may sit down and try a cup of tea here, just do as the locals do.  Meals provided: lunch, dinner Overnight: Zigong Huidong Hotel, 4-star stansard

Today’s schedule begins with a visit of Xianshi Ancient Town located in the suburb of Zigong. Nothing is ever too far away from Zigong’s history of salt production and this ancient town was established 1400 years ago as a river port. It is extremely quiet and picturesque riverside old town with a series of alleyways permeating through traditional buildings, the odd Buddhist Shrine, or temple, and the locals who live there going about their daily life. One of its peculiarities is its modern relationship with baijiu, China’s national drink – the town has one distillery, complete with traditional fermentation pits and many of the shops around sell small white balls of yeast, useful for brewing sticky rice wine and something that is difficult to find elsewhere. This will be our first encounter on this trip with the fiery drink and it provides a more ‘local’ example of how it is made. After exploring the ancient town we will continue to drive to Luzhou, which is the first important city of the liquor belt we will arrive at during this trip. Luzhou is home to Luzhou Laojiao, one of China’s most famous baijiu brands and owner of the oldest fermentation pits in the country, if not the world. The pits have around 500 years of history and are still in use today, contributing to the fragrant flavor of the brand. We will visit the Luzhou Laojiao Museum which houses the pits and have an opportunity for tasting. Meals provided: breakfast, lunch, dinner Overnight: a local 4-star standard hotel in Luzhou’s city area

In the morning we will drive to Yibin’s Bamboo Forest, which is the largest bamboo forest in China, covering an area of 120 square kilometers. It takes about 1 hour and 45 minutes to get there. In the afternoon, we will start our exploration of the bamboo forest by first taking a cable car to appreciate its beauty. Characterized by the bamboo scenery, it is literally a world of different types of bamboo trees that combines beautiful landscapes with Chinese cultural heritage. It is a good place to enjoy some fresh air and relax.  Meals provided: breakfast, lunch, dinner Overnight: a 3-star standard hotel at the Bamboo Forest