11 Days West Sichuan Trekking Tour

Chengdu carries thousands of years of history and has been awarded the title of “Gastronomic Capital” by the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. Your tour begins with a pick-up from the airport and be transferred to a historic Manchurian site comprising lanes of traditional houses. You’ll get a sense of the palpable culture right off the bat! The most relaxing place is Chengdu People’s Park, where you’ll witness the constant local activity, most commonly seniors partaking in dancing and singing classes, drinking tea, and playing Mahjong. Head to the hotel in the city to recover from your arrival journey.

Meal: No

Altitude: 54m

Traffic: Car

Hotel: In Beijing

After having breakfast, head to visit the famous historical site – Luding Bridge on the Dadu River, which was built during the Qing Dynasty to connect Tibetan and Chinese cultures. A controversial battle happened on this bridge in May 1935, making this bridge a monument to the Communist Party of China. If you want to know more about the history of this monumental bridge, you can ask your local guide. Afterwards, continue driving along the hilarious mountain roads until reach the Kangding, which is an amazing town built within an huge valley regarded as the gateway to the Tibetan Plateau. 

Meal: B

Altitude: 54m

Traffic: Car

Hotel: In Beijing

After having breakfast, drive to visit the Lhagang Monastery. Drive along the Sichuan–Tibet Highway, the car takes you through several mountains, and you’ll stop at Xingduqiao on the way, an excellent location high in the mountains to snap a few photos. With any luck, you’ll have clear skies and be able to see some surrounding peaks like Gongga Mountain at 7556 meters height. Next stop will be at the spiritual Lhagang Monastery and Gyergo Nunnery, from where you’ll be awarded panoramic views of Yala Mountain in the distance, your trekking destination over the next days. Continue to Zhonggu Village to enjoy a relaxing bath in the natural hot springs before settling into the guesthouse to sleep.

Meal: B

Altitude: 466m

Traffic: Car, High Speed Train

Hotel: In Xi’an

Finally, it’s time for trekking! After having breakfast, start hiking through the Yala Valley. The whole journey will take about 6 hours with a slow increase in altitude, but take your time if you start to feel lightheaded. The scenery will surprise you with open meadows, pockets of green forests, and the majestic views of snow-capped peaks around you. You’ll arrive at camp in the afternoon and spend the evening reveling in the tranquility you earned by hiking there.

Meal: B

Altitude: 466m

Traffic: Car

Hotel: In Xi’an

In the early morning, pack up camp to prepare for a long day of trekking. First of all, you’ll climb over Yala Pass, with its 4200 height altitude, it will take your breath away. The path continues past Sister Lake, where you’ll see gorgeous reflections of the abundant peaks within its water. In the afternoon, trek towards your camp at the base of Yala Mountain. You’ll be camping next to another lake, which enhances the already beautiful landscape with its vivid blue water in front of the giant, snowy peaks. Rest up in this pristine camp spot under a brilliant starry sky.

Meal: B

Altitude: 1183m

Traffic: Car, Plane

Hotel: In Dunhuang

Wake up to a glorious sunrise next to Yala Youcou Lake. After having breakfast, pack up to trek towards civilization. Start by descending through the Ganlongke Valley made up of lush, fragrant forests, until reaching Zhongbanchang for a final view of the Yala Valley and sacred Yala Mountain behind you. We’ll take the local people’s car or motorbike through the Tibetan Plateau to Danba Zhonglu Tibetan Village for the night. There are ornate temples and ancient architectures, if you want you can stroll around the mystical streets before settling into the hostel for the night.

Meal: B

Altitude: 36m

Traffic: Car, High Speed Train

Hotel: In Turpan

After having your breakfast, we’ll go for a short jaunt around Zhonglu Village, which is a peaceful and relaxing place for nature lovers. Zhonglu Village is known as a paradise on the heaven, everywhere you can enjoy the picturesque scenery as well as feel the ethnic minorities atmosphere. In the afternoon, we’ll take the local transportation to visit the Dangling Village. It is a fabulous mountain town surrounded by idyllic scenery of lakes, lush forests, snowy peaks, streams, and hot springs, etc. Enjoy a relaxing evening in this natural mountain escape as much as possible.

Meal: B

Altitude: 36m

Traffic: Car

Hotel: In Urumqi

After breakfast, leave straight from the hostel in Dangling Village to explore the idyllic scenery around. Hike through old-growth forests that open to astonishing scenery, including a panoramic look at Hulu Lake. Viewpoints on today’s route look towards incredible glaciers, lakes, peaks, and forests. Set up camp near Hulu Lake after exploring the area.

Located 5 kilometers upstream of the Coruco River in Dangling Scenic spot, Hulu Lake is the most accessible and most valuable lake in Dangling Scenic spot, 60 kilometers away from Danba County. The lake is clear to the bottom, scaleless fish swim in the lake, swertia, argali, twisting horn antelope and other rare animals often to the lake to drink water, and various wild ornamental plants compete around the lake. At the same time, Hulu Lake is a rare sea in the plateau, with dense vegetation and high altitude. Surrounded by snow mountains, the lake is crystal clear, the mist rises in the morning, and the snow mountains, which is like a dream fairy mirror.

Meal: B

Altitude: 836m

Traffic: Car

Hotel: In Urumqi

Rise with the sun and open your tent to look out at the glassy Hulu Lake in the morning. Take a leisurely stroll around the lake, then pack up and descend to a relaxing break at Dangling Hot Springs. After this natural spa treatment, continue hiking to Dangling Village and meet your driver to reach Siguniangshan Town to spend the night. You can take a walk around the 5000 meters high peaks to admire the nature’s masterpiece. Legend has it that these four mountains represent four sisters. Ask your guide about the local legend of the sisters if you want to know more about the legendary stories about Siguniangshan. 

Meal: B

Altitude: 1298m

Traffic: Car, Plane

Hotel: In Kashgar

If you can get up early, you’ll enjoy the admiring sunrise over the town, and also can watch it illuminate the surrounding peaks in beautiful pink and orange shades. After having breakfast, we’ll drive back to Chengdu. There are several stops such as the Wolong Nature Reserve, which is a UNESCO site and one of China’s oldest reserves. You can find several species of flora and fauna, including about 50 pandas. After visiting this wonderful nature reserve, we’ll visit an ancient irrigation system, which was built in 250 BCE. This irrigation system still functions today using a very simple but efficient technique that you’ll learn about here. Continue to drive back to Chengdu to enjoy the last amazing evening.

Meal: B

Altitude: 1298m

Traffic: Car, Plane

Hotel: No

After enjoying breakfast, your local tour guide and driver will escort you to the airport in time for the scheduled flight to your next destination. Tour ends.

Meal: B

Altitude: 1298m

Traffic: Car, Plane

Hotel: No