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Rhinoceros Lake at Jiuzhaigou in clear winter light, turquoise carbonate water transparent to the submerged tree trunks below, with bare birch branches framing the top and a forested mountainside on the far shore
Journey · 15 days · Private

Alpine LakesAncient Capitals

The western route with a mountain heart. History in Xi'an, pandas in Chengdu, four days among Jiuzhaigou's alpine lakes, and the river-city skyline to finish.

The trip in one paragraph

Fifteen days from the Ming walls of Xi'an to the neon of Chongqing, with four alpine days at Jiuzhaigou in the middle. The valley's lakes sit between 2,000 and 3,100 metres, so we build the route to climb gently and keep the walking downhill. Entries to the valley are capped and timed; we book them ahead, and the days around them stay unhurried.

From · per person
US$6,230

Per person, twin share, your choice of hotels · selected hotels

Indicative · your trip is priced when we design it.

What's included
  • Hotels
  • Guide
  • Domestic flights
Driver & vehicle

Private 5-seater · from US$350/day

Driver and bilingual guide (English & Chinese) included throughout.

Design my trip
  1. 4 nights

    Days 1 to 4: Xi'an

    1. Day 01: Xi'an City Highlights

      The Bell Tower lit at dusk from above, ringed by the roundabout at the centre of Xi'an's old city
      Bell Tower

      1. Explore the Xiaonanmen morning market

      2. Stroll Shuyuanmen, the old calligraphy street

      3. Visit the Bell Tower

      4. See the Drum Tower

      5. Eat your way along the Muslim Quarter

    2. Day 02: Terracotta Warriors and Lintong

      Close-up ranks of terracotta warriors in Pit One
      Terracotta Army

      About an hour east

      1. Meet the Terracotta Army at first entry

      2. Ride the cable car up Mount Li

      3. Look through the Lintong Museum

      4. Stroll Lintong's old streets

      5. Watch The Song of Everlasting Sorrow at Huaqing Palace

    3. Day 03: History and Tang Dynasty Culture

      A gilded silver cup from the Hejia Village hoard at the Shaanxi History Museum
      Shaanxi History Museum

      1. Spend the morning in the Shaanxi History Museum

      2. Walk the Daci'en Temple Ruins Park

      3. Join the lantern-lit crowds at Datang Everbright City

      4. Catch the fountain show at the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda

    4. Day 04: Imperial Heritage and Local Culture

      Danfeng Gate at Daming Palace lit by late afternoon sun, a lotus paving stone in the foreground
      Daming Palace

      1. Walk the Daming Palace grounds

      2. Visit the Xi'an Museum and Small Wild Goose Pagoda

      3. Take dusk drinks at Tianpin West Bank

      4. Say goodbye over Shaanxi snacks at Yongxingfang

  2. High-speed rail from Xi'an, around three and a half hours

    4 nights

    Days 5 to 8: Chengdu

    1. Day 05: Pandas and tea houses

      A giant panda eating bamboo at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding
      Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding

      1. Watch the morning feeding hour at the Panda Base

      2. Settle into a tea house at People's Park

      3. Try a traditional ear-cleaning session at the tables

      4. Wander Jinli's lantern-lit snack lanes

    2. Day 06: The old city and hot pot

      A lantern-lit lane in the Kuanzhai Alleys at twilight
      Kuanzhai Alleys

      1. Visit Wenshu Monastery and its tea garden

      2. Wander the Kuanzhai Alleys

      3. Sit down to a Sichuan hot pot dinner

    3. Day 07: Leshan Giant Buddha

      The Leshan Giant Buddha carved into the red cliff above the meeting of three rivers
      Leshan Giant Buddha

      About two hours south

      1. See the Giant Buddha from the river viewpoint

      2. Walk the clifftop paths and temple grounds

      3. Return to Chengdu with the evening at leisure

    4. Day 08: Sanxingdui and Sichuan opera

      The 2.6-metre bronze standing figure from the Sanxingdui Bronze Age site, arms outstretched holding a ceremonial object
      Sanxingdui Museum

      About an hour and a half north

      1. Meet the bronze masks at the Sanxingdui Museum

      2. Return to Chengdu with time to rest

      3. Watch a Sichuan opera face-changing performance over gaiwan tea

  3. A short flight north from Chengdu to the mountain airport

    4 nights

    Days 9 to 12: Jiuzhaigou

    1. Day 09: Arrival and the village quarter

      1. Fly or take the rail line up from Chengdu

      2. Settle into the village quarter at Zhangzha

      3. Walk the lower river past the village prayer wheels

      4. Sit down to dinner at a Tibetan and Qiang family kitchen

    2. Day 10: Shuzheng lakes and the Rize branch

      The Shuzheng Lakes at Jiuzhaigou, small jade and turquoise pools stepping down past travertine dams with a Tibetan village on the slope above
      Shuzheng Lakes

      1. Enter the valley as the gate opens

      2. Walk the boardwalks of the Shuzheng lakes

      3. See Nuorilang Falls from the viewing shelf

      4. Pause at Five Flower Lake

      5. Follow the boardwalk past Panda Lake

      6. Finish the branch at Arrow Bamboo Lake

      7. Return to the village for dinner

    3. Day 11: Long Lake and Five Colour Pond

      Long Lake at Jiuzhaigou, a long band of jade water between fir-covered ridges at the head of the Zechawa branch
      Long Lake

      1. Start at Long Lake, the largest in the park

      2. Walk down to Five Colour Pond

      3. Take the quieter boardwalks at your own pace

      4. Keep the evening free in the village

    4. Day 12: The Huanglong terraces

      Calcified terraced pools at Huanglong stepping down a forested ridge in jade, gold and turquoise
      Huanglong

      About two and a half to three hours south, each way

      1. Drive south over the passes to Huanglong

      2. Ride the cable car toward the upper terraces

      3. Walk the boardwalk down through the pools

      4. Return to the village for a quiet dinner

  4. By air from the mountains, with a connection where the timetable needs one

    3 nights

    Days 13 to 15: Chongqing

    1. Day 13: The two rivers and Hongya Cave

      Hongya Cave's stacked stilt houses glowing at dusk above the Jialing River
      Hongya Cave

      1. Walk Jiefangbei from the Liberation Monument

      2. See the two rivers meet at the Chaotianmen docks

      3. Ride the Yangtze River cableway across the water

      4. Watch Hongya Cave light up over the Jialing

    2. Day 14: Old Chongqing

      A Chongqing Line 2 monorail train passing through the middle floors of the Liziba residential block
      Liziba station

      1. Explore the stone lanes of Ciqikou Ancient Town

      2. Walk Eling Park above the wartime city

      3. Watch the light rail pass through the building at Liziba

      4. Sit down to a Chongqing hot pot dinner

    3. Day 15: Art streets and the Nanshan view

      1. See the street murals of Huangjueping

      2. Browse the studios of the Testbed 2 creative park

      3. Follow a favourite corner of the city at your own pace

      4. Watch the skyline light up from the One Tree viewpoint on Nanshan

When to go

When to visit,
and how it feels.

March

Xi'an
Daily max (°F): 60° · Mild
Rainfall (mm): 28 mm · Dry
Crowds: Quiet

Early spring and still quiet. City-wall cycling weather begins.

Chengdu
Daily max (°F): 64° · Mild
Rainfall (mm): 24 mm · Dry
Crowds: Quiet

Early spring and still quiet. Comfortable walking weather returns.

Jiuzhaigou
Daily max (°F): 50° · Cool
Rainfall (mm): 15 mm · Dry
Crowds: Quiet

Late winter into thaw. Clear light, low water and very few visitors.

Chongqing
Daily max (°F): 65° · Mild
Rainfall (mm): 56 mm · Showery
Crowds: Quiet

Early spring, mild and still quiet. Comfortable weather returns for the stair streets.

Temperature and rainfall are China Meteorological Administration climate normals, 1991 to 2020. Crowd levels follow the Chinese public-holiday calendar and daily booking caps at the major sites.

Rhinoceros Lake at Jiuzhaigou in clear winter light, turquoise carbonate water transparent to the submerged tree trunks below, with bare birch branches framing the top and a forested mountainside on the far shore
Everonia
15 daysAlpine Lakes & Ancient Capitals

The 15-day route, day by day, with the months that suit it

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Before you enquire

Questions worth
answering early.

  • For most travellers, no. The valley sits between 2,000 and 3,100 metres and Huanglong's top boardwalk reaches about 3,500. We pace the first day gently, and anyone with a heart or lung condition should ask their doctor first.

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Portrait of Jack Guo

Jack Guo

Your travel specialist

Jack has spent ten years working with the guides, drivers and hoteliers across China. He'll be your contact from first enquiry to final airport pickup.

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