The Most Beautiful Sichuan Plateau Tours

Itinerary 1: 8 Days Amazing Jiuzhaigou to Ruoergai Tour

D1 Chengdu – Maoxian - Songpan ( 330 Km，Driving about 6 Hrs)
Transfer from Chengdu to Songpan County. Enjoy the scenery of local Tibetan villages and the huge mountains en route. In the late afternoon, arrive at Songpan. If time permitted, you could have a visit of Songzhou Ancient City.
D2 Songpan-Huanglong Scenic Spot-Jiuzhaigou (150 km, Driving about 3 Hrs)
After breakfast, transfer you to Huanglong Scenic Spot. You will take the up cable car to the summit of Huanglong Scenic Spot, Wucaichi.and walk down by yourselves. In the late afternoon, drive to Jiuzhaigou.

• Huanglong Scenic Spot:

Yellow Dragon Scenic and Historic Interest Area is located at the south section of Mt Minshan range, Songpan County，Aba Tibetan and Qiang Peoples Autonomous Prefecture, northern Sichuan Province, which is a geological transition from the eastern edge of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau towards Sichuan Basin. The area has well preserved tectonic zones, glacial remains, and river source topography. It is well known for the“ four wonders” of colorful ponds，snow mountains，alpine gorges, and forests. The huge travertine formation is like a golden dragon winding among the virgin forests, cliffs, and icy peaks, constituting the amazing, precipitous, majestic, and wild environmental features of Yellow Dragon scenic area.
D3 Jiuzhaigou Valley Day tour
Get up in the early morning today, and then go to the gate of Jiuzhaigou National Park with your guide. There you will board local environment protecting bus to visit the long valleys.

• Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic Spot:

The Y-shaped Jiuzhaigou valley actually are consisted of 3 long valleys: Shuzheng valley, Rize valley and Zezha valley. In each of the valley, many beautiful lakes, waterfalls, rivers and virgin forest are scattered. Local Tibetan granted each of them romantic names, such as Panda Sea, Pearl Sea, Long Sea, etc, and these lakes shining like jade, pearl in the mountain and forest. Jiuzhaigou valley could be the best gift from our nature, and it deserves the fame of Fairy Land on the earth!


D4 Jiuzhaigou-Ruoergai (200 Km, Driving about 4 Hrs)
Transfer from Jiuzhaigou to Ruoergai after breakfast. Have visit of Ruoergai Grassland and Flower Lake during the day, and come back to Ruoergai County in the late afternoon.

D5 Ruoergai – Hongyuan - Barkam (320Km, Driving about 5 Hrs)
After breakfast, transfer you to Barkam by way of Tangke Yellow River First Beach and Hongyuan Grassland. Arrive in Barkam in the late afternoon.
D6 Barkam – Danba (184Km， Driving about 4 hours)
After breakfast, visit Zhuo Ke Ji Tusi Official Manor, then go to Danba by the way of Jinchuan County. You will visit the scenery of Dadu River and Jiajv Tibetan Village.
D7 Danba – Tagong – Xinduqiao – Kangding (224Km, Driving about 5 Hrs)
After breakfast, go to visit Huiyuan Temple in Baimei County, Moshi Park, and Tagong Grassland. Arrive in Kangding city in the late afternoon.

D8 Kangding – Luding – Chengdu (280Km, Driving about 3.5 Hrs)
After breakfast, go back to Chengdu by the way of Daduhe Bridge. Finish this sweet tour.

Itinerary 2: 8 Days Classic Kham and Amdo Tour

• Wuming Buddhist Academy

It is one of the biggest Buddhist academy in the world, located in the 18 miles of southeast side of Seda County, Garz Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, with an altitude around 3700 meters. Wuming Buddhist Academy belongs to Nyingma, established by Khenpo Jigme Phuntso in 1980. It grows up rapidly in several decades, and becomes the biggest Vajrauana Buddhist academy. In this spiritual practice valley, there are ten thousands of monks and jo-mos, 20 thousands of whom are permanents.


D4 Seda – Garze (150Km， driving about 2 Hrs)  
Drive to Ganzi in the morning. Ganzi is a beautiful city sitting in a basin surrounded by beautiful snow mountains. The snow peaks are Gods protecting this sacred land. It is also a transportation hub of north Kham area, and there are quite a few monasterys around it. You could visit Garze Temple and have a walk in Ganzi County.
D5 Garze – Dege – Baiyu (281Km, driving about 5.5hrs) 
After breakfast, visit Baili Temple, and then drive to Dege, the most important Buddhism culture base of Tibetan Lamaism. Many of Buddhism Sections founded their refuge in Dege when Lang-Dar-Ma cruely killed Buddhist in Tibet in mid century, a lot of monasterys were well reserved here, such as Dzogchen Monastery, Palpung monastery, Gartok Monastery, etc. Today’s overland tour is a bit hard due to the big challenge of Mt. Bird Mountain, also called Mt. Quershan, the mountain pass is 5050ms, but you will drive through the Tunnel. The adventure is also deserved, you will enjoy the beautiful snow mountain as well as beauitful Yilhun Lhatso lake. Arrive in Baiyu in the late afternoon. It is a small town located in the deep valley, it is more reserved Tibetan town, horse, yaks, herdsman, and monks all freely walk on the street. After dinner, you can free to walk.
D6 Baiyu – Xinlong (325Km, driving about 6.5Hrs)   
This morning, you will visit The Palyul Kloster Monastery which is the most beautiful, the whole monastery built up the mountain, golden palaces shining under the Sun. Guide will take you up the monastery and have a bird’s eye view of the whole city. And then drive to Xinlong city via Ganzi from Ganbai road, which is a bad road of 233 kms, but tour is still deserved today, it is sparse mountain and grassland en route, but provide you good chance of encountering with wildlifes as well as beautiful nature. And you can drop a tour in Yachen Monastery, which is newly built in 1980, but developed very fast, almost a city now, more than 10,000 monks stayed there now! Arrive in Xinlong city along the Yalong River in the late afternoon.

D7 Xinlong - Litang – Yajiang – Xinduqiao (322Km, driving about 6 hrs)  
In the morning drive to beautiful Toka Lake and monastery located in the mid mountain on the way to Xinduqiao in the morning. And in the afternoon pass by the High Town of 4200 meters in sea level and arrive in Xinduqiao. Enjoy the wide mountain and grassland en route.
D8 Xinduqiao – Kangding – Luding – Chengdu (382Km, driving about 6 Hrs)  
In the morning drive to Chengdu, and enjoy the beautiful village of Xinduqiao and Kangding en route, also drop a visit to Luding Bridge. In the afternoon drive back to Chengdu. End of the tour

Itinerary 3：12-day In-depth Western Sichuan Tour

D1 Chengdu – Maoxian – Songpan (330Km, driving about 6 hrs)  
In the morning, transfer you to Songpan all the day. It is a long overland tour today, but travel will not be boring for you with Tibetan villages and the huge mountains. And a short time’s tour in Songpan Old Town is necessary in the road. Songpan used to be the important station for the trade of horse and tea exchange in the ancient time, also the important gate for Sichuan. Overnight in Songpan.
D2 Songpan – Chuanzhusi – Ruoergai (20km, driving about 3 hrs)
Transfer from Songpan to Ruoergai after breakfast. Have visit of Ruoergai Grassland and Flower Lake during the day, and arrive at Ruoergai County in the late afternoon.

D3 Ruoergai – Tangke – Aba (202km, driving about 3 hrs)
Transfer from Ruoergai to Aba. This morning you will stop at Tangke village. Tangke village is just located at the beautiful bend of Yellow River, and won itselt the fame of the First Bend of Yellow River. The water of Yellow River is very clean here, and the river is mirror like flat and slow. It bent gently here like moon, and the shining of sun light like stars in galaxy. Tibetan herdsman riding horses trekked along the river. In the afternoon arrive in Aba county. And you can visit famous Kirti monastery, which was built in 1412 by disciple of Tsongkhapa. And free to walk around in the Tibetan city of Aba.
D4 Lianbaoyeze Day Tour
This moring, driver to Lianbaoyeze, a Chinese transliteration of Tibetan, which means the noble peak of jade. The mountains here are covered with snow and ice all the year round, which looks like a large piece of jade. The local people call it a stone castle, a magnificent world of holy peaks and a palace of art. Furthermore, wherever you go in Lianbaoyeze, you will hear such a legend: this area was King Gesar s battlefield, which brings a kind of solemn and stirring beauty to us. Afternoon, visit local temples.
  
D5 Aba – Rangtang – Seda (330Km, driving about 6hrs)
Drive to Seda by the way of Rangtang. Enjoy the scenery of mountains, Tibetan villages and temples en route. Arrive at Seda in the late afternoon.
Seda is situated in the plateau area of northwest in Sichuan province, the northeast of Garz Tibetan autonomous prefecture. It is a county based on grassland farming. The landform of Seda is quite complicated, and the altitude of Seda is over 4000 meters high. Therefore the climate of Seda is always winter. There are prairie, lake, river and colorful Tibetan flavor. Seda means golden fascine dam in Tibet.
D6 Seda – Ganzi (150Km, driving about 2Hrs)  
Drive to Ganzi in the morning. Ganzi is a beautiful city sitting in a basin surrounded by beautiful snow mountains. The snow peaks are Gods protecting this sacred land. It is also a transportation hub of north Kham area, and there are quite a few monasterys around it. You could visit Garze Temple and have a walk in Ganzi County.
D7 Garze – Dege – Baiyu (281Km, driving about 5.5hrs)
After breakfast, visit Baili Temple, and then drive to Dege, the most important Buddhism culture base of Tibetan Lamaism. Many of Buddhism Sections founded their refuge in Dege when Lang-Dar-Ma cruely killed Buddhist in Tibet in mid century, a lot of monasterys were well reserved here, such as Dzogchen Monastery, Palpung monastery, Gartok Monastery, etc. Today’s overland tour is a bit hard due to the big challenge of Mt. Bird Mountain, also called Mt. Quershan, the mountain pass is 5050ms, but you will drive through the Tunnel. The adventure is also deserved, you will enjoy the beautiful snow mountain as well as beauitful Yilhun Lhatso lake. Arrive in Dege in the late afternoon. It is a small town located in the deep valley, it is more reserved Tibetan town, horse, yaks, herdsman, and monks all freely walk on the street. After dinner, you can free to walk.
D8 Baiyu – Xinlong (325Km, driving about 6.5Hrs)   
This morning, you will visit The Palyul Kloster Monastery which is the most beautiful, the whole monastery built up the mountain, golden palaces shining under the Sun. Guide will take you up the monastery and have a bird’s eye view of the whole city. And then drive to Xinlong city via Ganzi from Ganbai road, which is a bad road of 233 kms, but tour is still deserved today, it is sparse mountain and grassland en route, but provide you good chance of encountering with wildlifes as well as beautiful nature. And you can drop a tour in Yachen Monastery, which is newly built in 1980, but developed very fast, almost a city now, more than 10,000 monks stayed there now! Arrive in Xinlong city along the Yalong River in the late afternoon.

D9 Xinlong – Shangri-La Town  (375km, driving about 6hrs)   
In the morning drive to beautiful Toka Lake on the way to Litang in the morning. In the afternoon, drive to Litang county of 4200 meters in sea level, where is the hometown of Tenzin, a social media star. After visiting Litang Temple (also named Choekhorling Monastery), continue to drive to Daocheng by the way of Haizishan Mountain. Arrive at Shangri-La Town in the late afternoon.
D9 Shangri-La Town –Yading Scenery Spot - Daocheng (110km, driving about 2.5hrs)   
After 30 kms mountain road up the mountain, you will arrive in Yading National Park. Just before your arrival in Yading village, the 3 peaks of Yading already rose from the green forest and thrusted into the blue sky like three Gods sitting in the sky, just Kneel down!
With the help of sightseeing car, tour in Yading is much easier now, just 30 minutes, you can reach Lorong Yak Farm, where you can closely admire the peak of Yambeyong. And if your physicial considtion support, you can hav start a hiking tour to the two beautiful lakes, Milk Lake and Pearl Lake. They are two small lakes lying at the foot of snow peak, and they are sait to be tears of God.
Descend the mountain in the afternoon and return Daocheng city, the beautiful Tibetan villages and houses will company you in this 3 hours’ driving tour. en route. Arrive in Daocheng in the late afternoon, and then you can have a free walk in this quiet town.

D11 Daocheng - Litang - Yajiang – Xinduqiao (342km, driving about 6hrs)
It is a long tour overland today, but the beautiful landscape of Tibet remains endless charm to tourist. In the late afternoon arrive in Xinduqiao. Free to walk around Xinduqiao in the late afternoon.
D12 Xinduqiao - Kangding - Luding – Chengdu (382Km, driving about 6hrs)
Get up early to enjoy the scenery of Xinduqiao which has a reputation as the paradise of photography. Then drive to Chengdu by the way of Kangding and Luding. The landscape will change from mountain area to wide plain gradually. In the route you will travel through Mt Erlangshan, which used to be the First dangerous gate to Tibet, but now tunnel makes trip much easier, just a few minutes you will cross the mountain.
You will also drop a tour in Luding Bridge, which has played key role in the early history of Chinese communist party. If they were stopped by the bridge, so they would facing the danger of perished by Chiang Kai-shek army, but God helped them, and the brave heroes crossed the bridge naked with only chains after fierce battle !
In the late afternoon you will arrive in Chengdu, and then your guide will send you to hotel, and your tour of Chengdu finished today with sweet memory.