Classic Discovery of China’s Top Scenic Loop
The Western Sichuan Small Loop covering the national top beautiful natural sceneries is widely popular as the top favored sightseeing way. This 1,800 km long golden tourist loop links amazing Mount Siguniang, Danba, Tagong, Xinduqiao, Hailuogou, and more sightseeing and cultural destinations for a memorable trip. And this 7 Days Western Sichuan Small Loop Tour is best to show you all the must-sees along this golden loop to the most and let you discover the top destinations in the most classic pace!
You will have a personal close look at Mount Siguniang reputed as the Queen of Mountains in Sichuan with memorable hiking in its major verdant valleys, with discovery of the world rare oceanic glacier on very ancient primitive forest with thousands of wide plant species. Also, you will enjoy walking hours in the National No.1 beautiful village at Jiaju with fancy ethnic Tibetan houses dotted in colorful alpine forest. Moreover, you will have the unbeatable chance to travel along the well-known road with marvelous countryside view to Xinduqiao praised as the “Photographer’s Paradise” for an ultimate visual surprise! This 7 day trip is not to be missed if you want a scenic and cultural vacation of a week! Join us to start!
On this day, your driver and guide will pick you up at your hotel in Chengdu downtown. The following journey will be a scenic driving from Chengdu to Mount Siguniang, about 205 kilometers away. To enrich your experience on the way, you’ll pay a visit to Dujiangyan Irrigation System, a 2000 year-old living world heritage and ecological engineering feat. The system is still working to irrigate Chengdu Plain and it’s the real reason why Chengdu is called “the Land of Abundance”. Visit the three main parts of Dujiangyan Irrigation System including Yuzui Bypass Dike, Feishayan Floodgate, Baopingkou Diversion Passage, and be amazed by the wisdom of ancient Chinese.
After the visiting, continue your driving to leave the flat Chengdu Plain and travel onwards and upwards through the sea of clouds of Balang Mountain (altitude: 4,532 meters). Then, stop at Maobiliang Ridge (Bridge of Cat’ Nose) which is the top best location to enjoy the panorama of Mount Siguniang. After that, you’ll arrive in Siguniangshan Town (altitude: 3,200 meters). Have a good rest and stay overnight in this town.
Baopingkou, the 20-meter-wide channel on the left, is said to cost 8 years to finish
Balang Mountain Sea of Clouds
Mount Siguniang Appearance from Maobiliang
After breakfast, you’ll begin your hiking journey in either Changping Valley or Haizi Valley. Changping Valley is a mature valley designed with sightseeing bus, plank road, hiking trail and horse riding and it is also the nearest valley to catch the beauty of Mount Siguniang. While Haizi Valley is wilder and more primitive than Changping Valley, offering best location to shoot Mount Siguniang. (Note: Each valley takes about one full day which means you can only choose one to do on this day, and you’d better tell your likes to us beforehand.)
Hiking experience in Changping Valley: first take a sightseeing bus to Lama Temple (5 km) which is the starting point of your hiking. The following hiking is composed of two parts - hiking on the plank road and hiking from the ending of the plank road to Muluozi. In the first part, you will see solemn monastery, waterfalls, deep valleys, ancient withered trees standing in lakes; and in the second part, you’ll walk through wild forests, follow the walking trails along the clear streams to chase some landscape you have never seen - sea buckthorn forest, red stones arrayed by nature, peaks like camel, mushrooms, pure plateau lakes reflecting the giant peaks, flocks and herds leisurely wandering, snow-capped Four Girls Mountains, magnificent glacier…you will return back to Lama Temple after reaching Muluozi. The whole hiking needs about 8 hours. Last, take a sightseeing bus to go out.
Hiking experience in Haizi Valley: Your hiking is composed of two sections. The first half of Haizi Valley hiking features in walking on plateau meadows and having the most magnificent views of Mount Siguniang - dominating snow peaks under clear blue sky, cloud sea, flag clouds... Stop for a while at Chaoshanping which is the best location to photograph Mount Siguniang. The second half of Haizi Valley hiking lets you revel in the best photographic works shot by best photographers in the world - lakes which mostly are wide and large, and surrounded by high mountains with diverse sceneries of different colors. The pure water reflects all the scenery clearly in the lake like mirrors... You will stop at Dahaizi Lake and return back to Siguniangshan Town. The whole hiking today takes about 8-9 hours.
Important Travel Tips: 1) The scenic area also provides horse for transferring luggage and riding in case you get tired of walking; 2) You can decide how long you want to hike based on your physical condition at that time; 3) Altitude changing: the altitudes range from 3,200 meters to 3,670/3,800 meters along the way. Try to avoid strenuous activity to prevent from possible high altitude sickness. 4) You’d better bring sun cream, sun glasses to protect yourself from strong sunlight; 5) There is no any restaurant in the valley, so you have to bring some food and drinks with you.
Lama Monastery at Changping Valley
Changping Valley Muluozi in Autumn
Dahaizi Lake at Haizi Valley
Mount Siguniang View from Haizi Valley
After breakfast, you’ll be transferred to visit Shuangqiao Valley, the left one of the three valleys about 7 kilometers from Siguniangshan Town. With a full length of 34.8 kilometers, Shuangqiao Valley is regarded as the most beautiful valley in Mount Siguniang National Park. Take the sightseeing bus directly up to the end of the valley and visit Larch Forest (altitude: 3,850 meters) surrounded by snow-capped peaks in three sides. Then, take sightseeing bus down the valley passing vast grassland, white pagoda, prayer flags, lush meadow with flowers, and make stops to hike and explore along the way. Have some leisure time at Fishing Bay, Bonsai Beach, Ten-mile Polar Trees...In this valley, you’ll travel through the varying alpine scenery belt with breathtaking landscape.
After the tour, you’ll be taken to Danba County (altitude: 1,893 meters) with 2.5 hours’ drive. Danba is renowned as “A Place with Hundreds of Ancient Watchtowers” with over 2,000 years’ history. In this afternoon, you’ll have the chance to see many towers in Suopo Village, the most concentrated Tibetan village with 172 Danba towers in the world. The original building of the towers were used to suppress demons, later they became fortresses to protect families from aggressive enemies. Stand at Suopo platform to appreciate the whole village rising from Dadu River Valley to the peak, dotted with numerous Tibetan-styled houses in red, white and black, and ancient towers erecting among the green lush trees. Different shapes of the towers can be seen here - in quadrilateral, pentagonal, and hexagonal. After the visiting, reach Danba County and stay overnight there.
Shuangqiao Valley Autumn Sightseeing
Emerald Fish Beach at Shuangqiao Valley
Suopo Village
In this morning after breakfast, you’ll first visit Jiaju Tibetan Village, honored as the most beautiful village in China by Chinese National Geographic. In Danba County, there are over 180 Tibetan villages, while Jiaju is the best example to well preserved Jiarong Tibetan culture. Standing at the observation decks and capture panoramic scene with numerous Tibetan stone houses stretching from Dajin River valley and settled level by level to the foot of Kapama Mountain. Hike down from the observation deck to have a look at the featured Tibetan houses among the farmlands and trees and you can see many locals dressed in traditional Jiarong Tibetan costumes - most of them are smiling to you with friendliness. If you like, you can pay a visit to one of the Tibetans’ home to have deep understanding about their house construction, decoration, real life and other Jiarong customs.
Later, it’s time to leave this idyllic place and move to Moshi Park Scenic Area (altitude: 3,500 meters) in Bamei County. Reputed as “China’s Eighth Most Beautiful Boulevard”, Moshi Park features in unique geographical landform due to thousands of years’ geographic movement and weathering. It is the only stone forest on plateau in China and its spectacle can be compared with South China Karst. Take the sightseeing bus to view the stone forest erecting magnificently on the green land surrounded by mountains. You can shoot many amazing pictures in this park.
After the visiting, drive to Tagong for accommodation. Have a good rest.
Jiaju Tibetan Village
Bamei Moshi Park Stone Forest
After breakfast, you’ll first pay a visit to Tagong Monastery. Tagong means “A Land Favored by Bodhisattva” in Tibetan language and a legend goes that Princess Wencheng on the way to Lhasa for her wedding to Tibetan King, she was attracted by the breathtaking scenery of Tagong and left the life-sized statue of the Shakyamuni at the age of 12 here. Reputed as “Little Jokhang Temple”, Tagong Monastery belongs to Sakya Sect with a history over 1,000 years. You can go inside and see the pilgrims worshiping. Later, enjoy some peaceful time to take a walk on the green Tagong Grassland and overlook the snow-capped magnificent Yala Mountain (5,884 meters) in a distance. Enjoy the harmonious scene with numerous yaks and sheep grazing on the fertile grassland under the blue sky; and if you are interested, you can rent a horse to explore happily with a visit to herder’s home (pay the expense on your own).
Later, say goodbye to this beautiful grassland with a scenic driving to Xinduqiao which is called “A Paradise for Photographers”. On the way, wild flowers blooming by the winding river, golden poplar forests showing their elegance on the two sides of the road, Tibetan-styled houses scattered among the farmland, roaming yaks and goats...you’ll immerse into the picturesque landscape along the way. Next, it’s time to pass through Zheduo Mountain at an altitude of 4,298 meters through many bends on the way, and feast your eyes with countless breathtaking snow-capped mountain sceneries. You have the chance to capture the panoramic view of Mount Gongga with many peaks standing in a row above the sea of clouds. Then, you’ll be driven directly to Moxi Town for accommodation (about 3.5 hours’ driving).
Tagong Monastery in Autumn
Moxi Old Town
Xinduqiao Town Countryside Scenery in Autumn
After breakfast, you will be escorted to Hailuogou Glacier Park to have a classic exploration of this national only one glacier forest park, plus the largest scaled and most beautiful among those at the same latitude.
Take the sightseeing bus from the tourist center to No.3 Camp. During your riding passing No.1 Camp (1,940m) and No.2 Camp (2,580m), you will encounter the enchanting primitive forest at alpine gorge area with over 2,500 kinds of wide plants from subtropical to frigid zone, which is a riot of colors from the lower valley to the more than 3,000 meters high level. Ice glacier begins to show at No.3 Camp (2,940m) for your exciting appreciation, where is the best place to see the “Goldenn Snow Mountain” in the early morning.
Then, take the cableway from Ganheba to No.4 Camp (3,600m) to admire the must-see awesome Large Icefall with a height difference of 1,100 meters, like abundant liquid silver pouring from the sky or a dazzling white silk scarf hanging on the forest peak. You will not miss the oceanic glacier of various shapes, like lake, tower, bridge, cave, crack, palace, etc. at No.1 Glacier, No.2 Glacier and No.3 Glacier in transparent light green and mysterious grey. You can admire the main peak of Mount Gongga in clear days. Also, you can choose to hike from Ganheba for about 40 minutes to No.1 Glacier viewing deck to enjoy standing on the glacier after a trekking in the lush alpine forest.
After the visiting, take the sightseeing bus back to the entrance. Stay overnight in Moxi Town. Have a good rest!
Wearing Tips: Temperature in Hailuogou is usually lower and changes frequently. In spring, autumn and winter, wear thick sweaters, thick coats, waterproof clothes, scarves, gloves and antiskid hiking shoes. In summer, Long-sleeves coats are suggested for the cold night. Sun block, sunglasses, hat and lip balm are recommended around the year. Rain gear is suggested for there are sometimes rains.
Hailuogou Glacier Forest Park
Hailuogou Glacier Park Large Icefall
Mount Gongga Landscape from Hailuogou Glacier Park
After breakfast, your guide and drive will drive you for about 4.5 hours back to your hotel in Chengdu or the airport/train station for your flights/train home or to the next destination! Tour ends!
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Chengdu / Mount Siguniang / Danba / Tagong / Xinduqiao / Leshan / Emei / Chengdu
Chengdu / Wolong / Mount Siguniang / Danba / Tagong / Xinduqiao / Kangding / Chengdu
Chengdu / Siguniangshan / Jinchuan / Danba / Tagong / Xinduqiao / Leshan / Chengdu
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“WONDERFUL 25 DAYS IN CHINA - PRIVATE TOUR”
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