Sichuan Road Trip: Discover Nature & Wildlife of China with a 10-Day Itinerary

travel

Dec 25

Written By Frank

in april, evelyne and i set out on a journey to explore sichuan. it’s the heart of china that is famous for its stunning landscapes, incredible biodiversity - home to a whooping 40% of china’s mammal species, and it’s vibrant culture and spicy food. this blog you can read all about our 10-day road trip through Sichuan, things we did, places we visited and things we loved.

the perfect itinerary

we created our itinerary to experience as much nature and wildlife as possible over these 10 days - without missing out on the most beautiful cultural highlights. the result? an epic, vibrant journey packed with unforgettable moments from watching the sun rise on sacred mount emei to tasting hand pulled noodles in a tibetan town songpan. but if we were to do it again, this is how we would plan it now:

2 days chengdu 成都
2 days mt. emei 峨眉山
1 1/2 days tang jia he nature reserve 唐家河 and qing xi 清溪 town
1 day jia wu chi 甲勿池 scenic spot
1 to 2 days jiu zhai gou national park 九寨沟
1 day huang long national park 黄龙
1 day song pan 松潘

places we visited

chengdu

*a giant panda doing what it loves most*

*finally found someone that matches our energy*

our driver picked us up at chengdu airport, and we got transferred into the most unique hotel ever: it’s all aesthetic panda-themed. a short walk through the old town into a serene tea garden, time slowed. it was a peaceful, unspoken intuition where locals meet and take time for aromatic green tea.

♥ Favorite Location: Tea Garden in Chengdu

Coordinates: (30°40'36.3"N, 104°4'15.2" E)

the most poetic place in chengdu undoubtedly is jinli pedestrian street with lined with quaint little shops and charming lanterns that shimmer in the morning light and sparkle in the night.

chengdu is synonymous with giant pandas, and visiting the panda research base is a good way to have a 100% chance of seeing pandas. arrive early to beat the crowds and enjoy some more peaceful panda moments.

♥ Favorite Location: 
Panda Themed Hotel Xishu Garden Inn 熙蜀酒店

Coordinates: (30°40'30.7"N, 104°4'20.1"E)

*our hotel in the heart of chengdu was a real gem*

*pa-pa-gan season! evelyne trying these juicy mandarin oranges*

*a must try: a vegan buffet in chengdu for 5$ per person in a restaurant called 万物美*

♥ Favorite Location: vegan buffet restaurant 万物美

Coordinates: (30°38'52.3"N, 104°00'04.8"E)

a golden sunrise mission on mount emei

one of the truly spectacular and memorable moments of our trip was catching the sunrise above the clouds on mount emei, one of china’s four sacred buddhist mountains soaring 3000 meters into the sky. just an hour away from chengdu by high speed rail, it’s a magical place for nature people and spiritual seekers.

peaking through

a golden sunrise

above the clouds

mt. emei golden summit

while we took the shuttle up to the mid-point lei dong ping (雷洞坪) at sunset, we hiked down the whole day afterwards into the clouds and all the way to mt. emei station. on our way down, we came across a handful of monks making the pilgrimage, pausing to pray with each step.

*you can taste vegan food in some temples along the hike down*

*in other temples, you can stay overnight and take a rest for 10$*

*blooming flowers in april on emeishan - mount emei*

fair warning: this hike is quite a workout! if you’re not up for a full day of trekking, break it into smaller sections, stay overnight in one of the temples and soak in the magic at your own pace.

*lively in the grey when you listen closely*

finding a place where wild pandas live

a four-hour drive from chengdu past qingxi, a small tibetan town, took us deep into sichuan’s countryside to tangjiahe nature reserve where endangered wildlife thrives. while the fluffy wild pandas live in remove mountain areas high up in the mountains inaccessible to visitors, we had the luck to observe peaceful takins crossing the stream, wild boars, muntjac deers and playful macaques.

*what wild animal could evelyne be looking at?*

driving through the reserve unfortunately felt like a stripped-down version of an african safari as the safari shuttle is poorly organized. while wild pandas are nearly impossible to spot, the chinese redbud flowers blooming along the valley still made the journey worthwhile. pro tip: one day here is enough unless you’re a hardcore wildlife enthusiast.

a secret tibetan escape

on the road to iconic jiu zhai gou, we made an off-the-itinerary stop at a little-known tibetan town called Ba xi jia (扒昔加) and a nature park called jia wu chi (甲勿池).

*the food at the restaurant in baxijia was exceptional!*

*this tibetan town is so little-known that it doesn’t appear on most maps! it has one restaurant and a small shop*

*did you know that pandas live between a height of 5000 and 1000 ft? this place in jiawuchi resembles much more of a panda’s natural habitat*

♥ Favorite Location: Little known tibetan town Ba xi jia 扒昔加

Coordinates: (32°49'17.3"N, 104°12'12.2"E)

it’s home to five pandas and a tranquil lake nestled at the end of the scenic hike. this fairly unknown spot was a peaceful prelude to what came next: the dreamlike landscapes of jiuzhaigou.

jiuzhaigou is like stepping into a postcard. think turquoise alpine lakes, towering snow-capped peaks with traditional tibetan villages. while swimming and hiking off-path aren’t allowed, the park’s well-maintained trails make it easy to explore this natural wonder while accommodating a whooping number of 17000 visitors with an incredible organization of shuttle-busses.

cascading natural pools of huanglong

*the road trip from jiuzhaigou to huanglong*

*at 3500 meters above sea level, the ponds were still snow-capped in april*

*however, the hiking trails were perfectly snow-free and accessible*

our final day trip was hiking the stunning huanglong national park, renowned for its terraced calcite pools that shimmer in shades of turquoise and gold. the drive there alone was worth the trip - winding roads offered jaw-dropping views of snow-capped peaks that felt like something out of a pacific northwest dream.

♥ Favorite Location: Lan Zhou Hand Pulled Noodles

Coordinates: (32°38'41.74"N, 103°35'48.71"E)

when we arrived, we discovered that the pools were mostly dry. but even with less water than the end of a rain season, their beauty was captivating.

we ended the day in songpan 松潘, a historic town where our tour guide helped us to find the perfect comfort dinner to wind down: lanzhou hand-pulled noodles with a muslim influence.

how we traveled

we were a group of six - frank has arranged a tour through sunrisechina expeditions, so we were accompanied by an enthusiastic and knowledgeable guide who made the experience truly special and easy.

we had a private bus and driver, and all national park entrance tickets were taken care of in advance. our hotels were custom tailored to our preferences, so we really didn’t have to worry about a thing.

our trip connected the avatar mountains in zhangjiajie with jiuzhaigou. we flew from the small airport in zhangjiajie to chengdu. on the way back, we took the brand-new high-speed train – back then, it only went as far as zhenjiangguan. today, the line goes further, all the way to songpan and even directly to jiuzhaigou. from chengdu, we took a flight to beijing.

with 🐝 by frank.

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