9-Day Hiking Around Chengdu'S Countryside, Sichuan Province,

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. Meals provided: dinner Overnight: a 4-star hotel in Chengdu Hiking distance: no hiking today 

Dujiangyan Irrigation System: 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 2 to 3 hours in total at the irrigation system learning about the history and culture of this ancient project as well as appreciate the beautiful natural view around the mountains. Mount Qingcheng: 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. Jiezi Ancient Town: 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.  Meals provided: breakfast, lunch, dinner Overnight: at a 3-star standard hotel in Jiezi Ancient Town Hiking distance: 10 to 15km, you may decide freely how much to walk today because you could take cable car at certain parts of the attractions

Wugen Mountain: 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.  Anren Ancient Town: In the afternoon we drive about half an hour to Anren Ancient Town, which is famous for its nice and unique traditional houses, courtyards and old streets with various interesting souvenir shops. You will take walk to explore this town after arriving.  Meals provided: breakfast, lunch, dinner Overnight: a 3-star standard boutique hotel at Anren Ancient Town Hiking Distance: 10 to 12km