Day 1: Arrive at Chengdu.
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.
Review the itinerary, road safety, and local customs with your guides, and ask any questions about the journey. In the evening, enjoy a welcome dinner featuring Chengdu’s regional cuisine.
Meals provided: Dinner
Overnight: Chengdu Buddha Zen Hotel, 4-star standard. Altitude: 500 meters
Day 2: Chengdu-Panda Valley-Jiezi Ancient Town, hike Fengqi Mountain in the afternoon.
Cycling Distance: 20km
Hiking Distance: 6km
We will start the day by taking a short drive to Dujiangyan Panda Valley and visiting the adorable giant pandas and cubs at this research base dedicated to rehabilitating pandas back into the wild. Panda Valley, although having fewer pandas, is much quieter than the research base in Chengdu city, allowing for a more intimate experience.
From Panda Valley, follow a quiet country road with views toward the mountains of the Tibetan Plateau. Pass the foothills of Qingcheng Mountain and continue to Jiezi Ancient Town, a historic stop on the Tea Horse Road. Explore its lanes and riverside setting before enjoying local dishes.
Hike Fengqi Mountain near Jiezi Ancient Town, following trails through bamboo groves and woodland. Visit a mountain monastery and pass small villages along the way.
Meals provided: Breakfast, lunch, dinner.
Overnight: Huifeng Hotel, 3-star standard, Altitude:620 meters
Day 3: Jiezi-Chongqing Road-Anren Ancient Town
Cycling Distance: 50km
No hiking today, but you may walk around in the town to visit the museums.
Cycle along Chongqing Road through villages and farmland before finishing on the outskirts of Anren. Drive the final 10 kilometers into town and settle in for the night. Anren’s historic streets offer boutiques, museums, and early-20th-century architecture.
Spend the afternoon exploring Anren’s museums. At Jianchuan Museum, learn about the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, the region’s wartime history, and aspects of traditional daily life. At Liu’s Mansion Museum, explore the residence and courtyards of Liu Wencai’s family.
Meals provided: Breakfast, lunch, dinner.
Overnight: Demen Renli Hotel, 3-star standard. Altitude: 540 meters
Day 4: Hike Wugen Mountain around Baita Lake, in the afternoon visit two villages nearby and learn about local people’s life on the fertile Chengdu Plain.
Cycling Distance:11km
Hiking Distance: 12km
Drive about 40 minutes to White Pagoda Monastery, where your 12-kilometer hike begins. Visit the monastery and the library created by Master Guoping, then follow woodland trails through mountain villages. Stop for lunch at a local restaurant in the valley.
Walk up to a mountain ridge, then continue around the lake before stopping at a teahouse. Relax with a cup of tea and enjoy the scenery. Finish the hike at White Pagoda Lake, named for the white pagoda at the Buddhist temple above it.
Ride about 3 kilometers to a village known for bamboo weaving, then continue through Wuxing’s rice fields and countryside guesthouses.
We will drive for about 50 minutes to one hour to arrive at Pingle Ancient Town in the late afternoon.
Meals provided: Breakfast, lunch, dinner.
Overnight: Shunheyuan Inn, 3-star standard. Altitude: 530 meters
Day 5: Cycle Pingle to Shangli, explore Shangli Ancient Town.
Cycling Distance: 45 kilometers
Hiking Distance: no hiking today.
Visit Pingle, a historic town in the Qionglai tea-growing region and a stop on the Tea Horse Road. Explore traditional streets and riverside teahouses. In summer, residents gather beside the shallow river to play mahjong and cool their feet in the water.
Continue cycling from Pingle through farmland and tree plantations. After about 30 kilometers, begin a challenging 7-kilometer climb across tea-covered slopes, reaching an elevation of about 1,200 meters.
The harsh accent rewards you with stunning views over the valley and a 3km descent, winding down the mountain and taking you to White Horse Spring, a temple housing a peculiar spring which has its tidal system. The tides of the spring are not fixed, sometimes happening several times a day and others not for days. However, the water level can dramatically change – it is said that when the water rises, it is accompanied by a sound like the wind blowing and, when it falls, it sounds like horse’s hooves clapping on the ground.
Ride about 5 kilometers to Shangli, a historic Tea Horse Road town with stone bridges and wooden riverside buildings. Learn how tea was fermented and pressed into bricks for transport to Tibet. Spend the afternoon exploring the town and surrounding woodland.
Meals provided: Breakfast, lunch, dinner.
Overnight: Impression Shangli Holiday Hotel, 3-star standard.Altitude: 930 meters
Day 6: Hike Bifengxia Valley in the morning, drive to Kangding in the afternoon.
Cycling Distance: 14km
Hiking Distance: 13km
After breakfast, ride about 14 kilometers to Bifengxia Forest Park. Hike through its two wooded valleys, passing waterfalls of varying sizes. In the afternoon, continue toward the Tibetan Plateau.
After lunch, drive about 160 kilometers west to Kangding. Historically an important trading town, Kangding connects Sichuan with Tibetan regions to the west. Take a gentle walk through town and allow time to adjust to the altitude.
Meals provided: Breakfast, lunch, dinner.
Overnight: Khamba Hotel, 4-star standard. Altitude: 2560 meters
Day 7: Kangding-Xinduqiao, adapt to the altitude and cycle a little bit around Xinduqiao in the afternoon.
Cycling Distance: 5 to 10km
Hiking Distance: no hiking today.
Continue west to Xinduqiao, stopping at Zheduo Mountain Pass for views and photographs. The pass stands at about 4,298 meters above sea level, near the high-altitude Kangding Airport.
It takes about 2 hours to drive from Kangding to Xinduqiao, and in the afternoon, you may first take a rest. Then depends on how well you adapt to the high altitude, you may ride for a few kilometers to enjoy the natural scenery along the road. Known as ‘photographer’s paradise,’ the landscape and lighting here are fantastic. Firmly upon the ‘roof of the world,’ you can expect beautiful rolling hills, mountains, streams, pastures, and Tibetan architecture.
Meals provided: Breakfast, lunch, dinner.
Overnight: Minshan Xingzhe Muxin Hotel, 4-star standard. Altitude: 3460 meters
Day 8: Cycle Xinduqiao-Tagong-Bamei
Cycling Distance: 72km
Hiking Distance: no hiking today.
Cycle through the countryside around Xinduqiao, passing traditional Tibetan homes and mountain scenery. After about 35 kilometers, reach Songlinkou, where painted mantras, Buddhist murals, and a prayer-flag-covered bridge mark a religious site. Continue to Tagong and stop for lunch near its monastery, where local pilgrims walk their prayer circuits.
Continue through the Tagong Grasslands, passing monasteries and rolling hills. On clear days, look for the snow-covered summit of Ya’la Mountain, which rises to 5,884 meters. Visit Ani Gompa, a Buddhist nunnery, and observe pilgrims walking around the large collection of mani stones inscribed with prayers.
Leaving the Tagong Grasslands behind us, we have an incline before a generous descent taking you past Bamei Stone Forest – an impressive geological wonder with sharp rocks raising like spears from the mountainside. A few kilometers later take you to gorgeous Bamei, where today’s journey ends.
Meals provided: Breakfast, lunch, dinner.
Overnight:Art Holiday hotel, 4-star standard. Altitude: 3,500 meters
Day 9: Cycle Bamei-Huiyuan Monastery, drive to Danba, visit Danba Jiaju Tibetan Village in the afternoon.
Cycling Distance: 11km
Hiking Distance: no hiking today, but you will walk in Jiaju Tibetan Village to explore it.
We will begin the day by cycling 11km to Huiyuan Temple, a stunning Buddhist complex with a history reaching back to the Qing Dynasty. Founded in 1729, to bolster relations between Tibetans and mainland China after an invasion from Mongolian tribes, it once housed the 7th Dalai Lama, and the 11th Dalai Lama was born nearby.
Drive about two hours to Danba and visit Jiaju Tibetan Village. Meet a local Gyalrong Tibetan family to learn about village life and farming, including crops such as highland barley, corn, apples, and pears. Spend time exploring the village on foot.
Meals provided: Breakfast, lunch, dinner.
Overnight: Zang Xiang Ge Hotel, 4-star standard. Altitude: 1860 meters
Day 10: Danba-Ya’an, in the afternoon cycle or hike the greenway winding in the tea plantations of Ya’an.
Cycling or Hiking Distance: 20 to 40km (you may explore the beautiful tea plantations either by cycling or walking, and you could decide by yourselves how many kilometers you guys would like to ride after arriving there)
Hiking Distance: You may decide upon arrival.
Transfer to Ya’an, a drive of about four hours, and visit the tea plantations of Mengding Mountain. A greenway connecting five towns offers opportunities to walk or cycle through the countryside.
Meals provided: Breakfast, lunch, dinner.
Overnight: Washe Hotel, 3-star standard. Altitude: 600 meters
Day 11: Cycle Ya’an-Liujiang, overnight at middle part of Mount Emei
Cycling Distance: 41km
Hiking Distance: No hiking today
Drive about 30 minutes from the hotel to Caoba Town to begin cycling. Follow the Qingyi River toward Leshan, the following day’s destination. The first 5 kilometers pass terraced tea plantations before a 5-kilometer climb up the mountainside. Enjoy broad views at the top, then descend about 5 kilometers to the reservoir on the other side.
The descent is thrilling and ends by taking you alongside the reservoir on your right with an imposing red rock cliff, full of prehistoric vegetation, on your left, bringing you to the ferocious rapids pouring out of Caoyutan Dam. Passing over the dam, we continue to follow Qingyi river, and with trees overhanging the road for much of the way, it makes for an enjoyable ride.
Have lunch near Liujiang Ancient Town, then explore its riverside streets. Continue to Mount Emei and stay overnight at a hot spring hotel, where you can relax in the evening.
Meals provided: Breakfast, lunch, dinner.
Overnight: Huasheng Hot Spring Hotel, 5-star standard. Altitude: 1300 meters
Day 12: Visit Mount Emei in the morning, cycle to Leshan in the afternoon.
Cycling Distance: 32km
Hiking Distance: 9km
Take the sightseeing bus to Leidongping, then hike approximately 7.5 kilometers to the Golden Summit, gaining elevation from about 2,200 to 3,000 meters. Mount Emei is one of China’s four sacred Buddhist mountains. At the summit, explore the 48-meter Buddha statue and look for a sea of clouds. Clear weather may reveal distant Mount Gongga, Sichuan’s highest peak at 7,556 meters.
After your visit, descend by cable car and walk about 1.5 kilometers to Leidongping bus station. Take the approximately two-hour bus ride down the mountain, watching the vegetation change as you reach lower elevations.
At the foot of the mountain, cycle toward the outskirts of Leshan. Depending on your arrival time, take a boat trip to the Leshan Giant Buddha today or the following day. From the river, appreciate the scale of the 71-meter figure, carved more than 1,200 years ago above the rushing water.
Leshan is also known for its regional cuisine. Before settling in for the evening, sample local specialties such as sweet-skin roast duck and bobo chicken.
Meals provided: Breakfast, lunch, dinner.
Overnight: Mixun Hotel, 4-star standard. Altitude: 450 meters
Day 13: Cycle Leshan-Meishan, visit Huanglongxi Ancient Town.
Cycling Distance: 42km
Hiking Distance: 5 kilometers
The day begins with a 30-minute drive taking us to Guanmiao Town, and the biking starts on a single lane road that quickly begins to guide you through farmlands, with mountains on your left. After a few kilometers, the Minjiang River appears, which flows from the day’s destination, Huanglongxi Ancient Town.
Follow a valley route with gentle climbs, then descend about 9 kilometers through rice fields to Zhongyan Temple. Explore the temple grounds and inscriptions that reflect its long history.
Take a short walk through the gardens to a natural spring, then continue cycling along a bamboo-lined road beside the river. Finish the ride at Baijiachi Village and drive about an hour to Huanglongxi for the night.
Explore Huanglongxi, a riverside town with a history of about 1,700 years. Its temples, winding lanes, and traditional buildings have made it a popular filming location. Relax in a riverside teahouse after your ride, then browse shops and food stalls. Look for the local specialty made from a single long noodle, often prepared with an elaborate display of noodle pulling.
Meals provided: Breakfast, lunch, dinner.
Overnight: Caston Huanglong Hotel, 4-star standard. Altitude: 500 meters
Day 14: Transfer to Chengdu airport, tour ends.
Your guide and driver will transfer you from Huanglongxi Ancient Town to Chengdu Airport, a journey of about one hour, for your departure flight.
