Others

1. Entrance tickets of the tourist attractions mentioned in the itinerary. 2. Bottled water.

Transport

Private car (minivan or bus, depends on the group size) and driver’s service for the 7-day trip.

Insurance

Our tour programs include China Life Tourist Accidental/Casualty Insurance up to $30,000 provided free of charge as part of the tour package. However, we still strongly suggest that you buy full coverage travel insurance from your home country before the tour starts.

Accommodation

Accommodation of 7 nights is included, includng 5 nights in 4-star standard hotels and 2 nights in 3-star standard hotels.

Meals

Meals as listed in the itinerary are included.

Guide

English-speaking tour guide service is included.

Not included:

Flights

Flights are not included.

Others

1. Boat ticket (RMB 70 per person, which is equal to about USD 10 per person) of Leshan Giant Buddha if you also would like to see the big statue by boat after the walking tour. 2. Your visa fee, if there is any. 3. Activities not mentioned in the itinerary.

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Day 1 Day 1: Chengdu-Zigong
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 1: Chengdu-Zigong

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
Day 2 Day 2: Zigong-Luzhou
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 2: Zigong-Luzhou

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
Day 3 Day 3: Luzhou-Bamboo Forest
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 3: Luzhou-Bamboo Forest

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
Day 4 Day 4: Whole Day Exploration Of The Bamboo Forest
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 4: Whole Day Exploration Of The Bamboo Forest

We will spend another day to explore the Bamboo Forest. There are not only numerous bamboos here, but also lakes, winding paths, streams and waterfalls. The Bamboo Forest is also the place where scenes of the famous movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon were shot.

We will walk around to explore all the beautiful attractions here, and we will also try some delicious dishes related to bamboos, such as bamboo shoots, bamboo mushrooms, bamboo rice, bamboo tofu pudding, etc.

Meals provided: breakfast, lunch, dinner

Overnight: a 3-star standard hotel at the Bamboo Forest
Day 5 Day 5: Bamboo Forest-Hanging Coffins-Yibin
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 5: Bamboo Forest-Hanging Coffins-Yibin

After breakfast we will head for Luobiao Town of Gongxian County to take a look at the mysterious hanging coffins. It takes around 2.5 hours to drive there, and after arriving, we will walk around in the village to see the hanging coffins. The Bo people were an ethnic minority along the borders of today’s Sichuan and Yunnan provinces who created a brilliant culture in this area as early as 3,000 years ago. However, their civilization ended with the mysterious disappearance of the Bo people who left the hanging coffins on the cliffs that remind people they used to exist.

We will drive to Yibin when finishing the exploration of the hanging coffin area. Yibin is a beautiful city situated at the confluence of two rivers: the Yangtze River and Minjiang River. Just like Luzhou, this city is also famous for its high-quality liquor. Wuliangye produced here is one of the best and most famous liquor brands in China.

Meals provided: breakfast, lunch, dinner

Overnight: Yibin Artists Hotel, 4-star standard
Day 6 Day 6: Yibin-Luocheng Ancient Town-Steam Train-Leshan
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 6: Yibin-Luocheng Ancient Town-Steam Train-Leshan

In the morning we will first take a visit of the factory area of Wuliangye and learn about the Chinese liquor culture. We will visit the liquor museum in the factory, and if you like, you can also taste some. Wuliangye company contribute about half of the GDP for Yibin, and the name Wuliangye is not only a symbol of Yibin city itself, but also a symbol of Sichuan.

We will drive to Luocheng Ancient Town in Qianwei after the visit of Wuliangye factory.

Luocheng Ancient Town is famous for its ship-shaped old street, where visitors can explore the local lifestyle. This town has not been commercialized, and you will see the old houses and street where the local people have their shops, teahouses and restaurants.

In the afternoon we will drive to Jiayang Steam Train area and take the steam train for a 40-minute journey. The steam train is still used by the locals when they want to go to other villages. There used to be coal mines in this area and steam trains were used to transport coals. We will walk around to explore the old style houses, including English-style houses built in 1930s and Soviet style houses built in 1950s.

In the late afternoon we will drive to Leshan and stay overnight there.

Meals provided: breakfast, lunch, dinner

Overnight: Leshan Mixun Hotel, 4-star standard
Day 7 Day 7: Leshan-Huanglongxi Ancient Town-Chengdu
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 7: Leshan-Huanglongxi Ancient Town-Chengdu

Today we will visit Leshan Giant Buddha, the world’s largest Buddha statue. Leshan Giant Buddha was carved from the cliff at the confluence of three rivers. By standing closer to the big statue, you could feel the grandeur of this 71-meter-high statue. From the year AD713 to 803, the ancient Chinese spent 90 years building this huge project hoping that it would protect them from the floods in summer.

We will walk around the big statue and then walk from its head to its big feet to take a close look at it. After that, we will continue to explore the other parts of the mountain and visit the less-explored beautiful gardens and temples.

We will drive abut 1 hour and 45 minutes to Huanglongxi Ancient Town after the visit of Leshan Giant Buddha. With a history of more than 1,700 years, Huanglongxi Ancient Town is a good place to learn about the local people’s life on Chengdu Plain in the past, when the town was very prosperous along the ancient South China Silk Road, through which the silk and tea products from Chengdu Plain were transported to Myanmar, India, and Tibet.

There are still about 76 old houses in the town that were built in Ming (AD1368-1644) and Qing (AD-1644-1911) Dynasties. The town itself has some authentic-looking architecture, you can take a walk on the old streets to see the old houses, interesting souvenir shops, and some small temples. You may also wander along the river to enjoy the beautiful scenery.

In the late afternoon we’ll drive back to Chengdu. After some time to refresh we will hold a farewell dinner to reminisce on our journey and have a final feast on the delights of Sichuan food.

Meals provided: breakfast, lunch, dinner

Overnight: Buddha Zen Hotel, a 4-star standard traditional Chinese style boutique hotel

7 days tour

7 Day Less Travelled South Sichuan Exploration(Dinosaurs, Ba

This tour includes:

Not included:

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Itinerary of your trip 7 Day Less Travelled South Sichuan Exploration(Dinosaurs, Ba

Day 1: Chengdu-Zigong

Day 2: Zigong-Luzhou

Day 3: Luzhou-Bamboo Forest

Day 4: Whole Day Exploration Of The Bamboo Forest

Day 5: Bamboo Forest-Hanging Coffins-Yibin

Day 6: Yibin-Luocheng Ancient Town-Steam Train-Leshan

Day 7: Leshan-Huanglongxi Ancient Town-Chengdu

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