11 Days Sichuan to Yunnan Tour

Welcome to Chengdu, a well-known city in Sichuan Province. Upon your arrival, our tour guide and driver will meet you at the exit of the airport and escort you to your hotel. After lunch, visit the People's Park, which is the perfect way to observe the locals playing cards and ear-cleaning service. The Tea-house with endless refills. You are walking around Kuanzhai Alley, which is a back alley adjacent to the broad (Kuan) and narrow (Zhai) lanes. It offers a variety of Sichuan foods, stage shows, and souvenirs. Chengdu is famous for its street food culture and this will be a good place to give it a try.

Morning get up early to drive to Dujiangyan (40 minutes). Get into the Dujiangyan Irrigation System, walk across a bridge, and climb up the hill to see Taoist temples on the mountain. Then, continue to explore Erwang Temple(Two Kings Temple) which was built to honor the irrigation system’s designers. Afterwards, you can climb up to Yvlei Tower. The tower offers an excellent view of the entire area of Dujiangyan. Then continue driving to Wolong Giant Panda Natural Reserve, situated in Weichuan County, Aba Tibet, and Qiang autonomous prefecture. It is 134km away from Chengdu and the neighboring city of Dujiangyan. Afterward, end today's tour to Siguniang Mountain, which is the high peak of the Qionglai Mount Range and one of the highest peaks on the east part of Qinghai - Tibet Plateau. The sunset of the mountain varies by thousands of kinds.

After breakfast, we’re going to enjoy the beautiful scenery of Siguniang Mountain and visit the Shuangqiao. After visiting, visit Jiaju Tibetan Residences. More than one hundred buildings keep the same architectural style with a complete and unique character of Gyarong (Jiarong) Tibetan residences. Under the blue sky, Tibetan residences decorated in red, white, and black are strewed at random but also in order from the bottom to the middle slope of the valley. Then walking and visiting the Tibetan village Zhonglu. In autumn, Zhonglu is even more beautiful, and the trees are full of heavy pomegranates, pears, apples, etc. At sunset, the whole village is shrouded in the afterglow of the setting sun.

After having a delighted breakfast,today we will drive to Tagong, visit of Lhagang Monastery (Tagong Si) of Sayaka Sect, which is surrounded by three hills symbolizing three Bodhisattvas. After the visiting, we will transfer to the city of yajiang for an overnight stay. 

After breakfast, we will begin the tour at Yajiang county which was once one of the important crossings of the Yalong River Ravine, and keep driving to the “world highland city" Litang (4014 m), which is the homeland of the 7th Dalai Lama. Upon arrival, we visited Changqingchunke'er Monastery (also known as Litang Monastery), developed by the 3. Dalai Lama in the year 1580, has become the largest monastery of the Gelukpa Sect in south Kham. Litang is the homeland of the 7th Dalai Lama, and some other living Buddhas were also born in Litang. You will visit the Renkang Old House - the residence of the 7th Dalai Lama in the Letong Old Town. Drive over Mt. Haizi Shan to Zhongde Town, Qingde Village, Xiangcheng County, and stroll through the Tibetan countryside. The chic traditional white houses are built along the river and mountains, and they are scattered and integrated into the poetic countryside. On the way visit the Sangpi Ling Monastery of the Gelug School. Known as "the first palace of Kham", it is a great art museum: architectural art (the building of Sangpi Monastery has no construction drawing, it was built using traditional Tibetan construction techniques), painting art (Buddham art - mural and thangka paintings and decorative painting) and sculpture (bronze sculpture, clay sculpture, wood carving). 

In the morning stroll in the beautiful Tibetan rural landscape, photographing the traditional white houses. Then drive to Buji Village to visit the centuries-old Zangna Museum, it is an ancient castle with a history of more than 300 years. In the afternoon drive along the beautiful S216 road to Shangri-La Town, where the highlight of this journey is - Yading nature reserve, home of three sacred Tibetan mountains - Chenresig (Xiannairi, Avalokitesvara, 6032m), Jambeyang (Yangmaiyong, Manjusri, 5958m), and Chanadorje (Xialuoduoji, Vajrapani, 5958m). The scenery here easily rivals that of national parks of the west such as Yellowstone and Yosemite in terms of spectacular, pristine mountain scenery. 

After having a delightful breakfast, today you will take a walk and enjoy the incredible scenery of Yading, which was first discovered by Joseph Rock, an American missionary. In 1996, the small city in the southwest of Sichuan became a holy land for domestic and foreign backpackers and was regarded as "the last Shangri-la."After visiting, drive back to Town for an overnight stay.

After having breakfast, drive along the Jinsha River and visit the first bay of the Jinsha River in Benzilan. After visiting, drive to Shangri-La and visit the largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Yunnan --- Songzanlin Tibetan Monastery, also known as Guihua Monastery, which is located near Shangri-La town. The monastery seems like a group of ancient castles.

The morning after the delightful buffet, we will transfer to one of the most spectacular sites of Yunnan province, the mighty Tiger Leaping Gorge, known to be one of the deepest canyons of the world, with a depth of approximately 3800mt, the gorge is located 60km north of Lijiang. In the late afternoon, drive approximately 3.5 hours to Lijiang and transfer to the hotel for check-in. The rest of the day is free for your acclimatization.

Today take you to visit the Lijiang Old Town, a graphic description of the town's location on a piece of fertile flatland fed by a river and surrounded by green mountains. The Old Town is full of cobbled streets, crisscrossing canals, swaying willow trees, and gaily-hued blossoms. Every so often, a bridge stone, wooden, flat, arched, roofed-pops up and along it trundles local folk in traditional dress. Thereafter we will head to the Black Dragon Pool Park, Somewhat idiosyncratically known as Black Dragon Pool, the Jade Spring Park to the north of Lijiang derives its name from the waters which sparkle like jade and are as clear as spring water. The entire park is green with grass and shaded by swaying willow trees. Under the Shuocui Bridge, a waterfall creates a constant roar as it cascades downstream. Touring to Dongba Museum is Sort of like an active museum in the Yushui Village Scenic Area with people who are transmitting the Dongba culture and hieroglyphic writing system to students and visitors.

Breakfast, transfer to the airport to catch your flight back to your sweet home.