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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, three alpine days at Huanglong and Jiuzhaigou, pandas and slow tea houses in Chengdu, 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 three alpine days at Huanglong and Jiuzhaigou in the middle. The lakes sit between 2,000 and 3,100 metres, so the route rides the rail line up, keeps the walking downhill, and rests in Chengdu on either side of the mountains. Entries to the valley are capped and timed; we book them ahead, and the days around them stay unhurried.

15 days
Per person from
US$7,950

Per person, on 4- and 5-star hotels of your choosing

Indicative · your trip is priced when we design it.

What's included
  • Hotels
  • Breakfast
  • Private driver-guide
  • Executive private vehicle
  • Transport between destinations
  • Activities and excursions
  • Travel insurance
  • 24-hour support while you travel
Design my trip
  1. 4 nights

    Days 1 to 4: Xi'an

    1. Day 01: Terracotta Warriors and Lintong

      Ranks of terracotta warriors standing in Pit One at Emperor Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum outside Xi'an
      Terracotta Warriors and Lintong

      About 1 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

    2. Day 02: History and Tang Dynasty Culture

      A Buddha statue and reflecting pool in Daci'en Temple Ruins Park, the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda rising behind
      Wild Goose Pagoda North Square

      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

    3. Day 03: Qinling

      A ridge pavilion above the Qinling range, cloud drifting below the peaks
      Qinling

      South into the Qinling foothills

      1. Take fireside tea at a foothill farm-stay

      2. Cross the Qinling watershed pass

      3. Meet the pandas at the Four Treasures Science Park

      4. Finish with dinner and shopping at Xi'an MixC

    4. Day 04: Local Markets and Yuanjia Village

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

      Northwest into the Guanzhong countryside

      1. Visit the Bell Tower

      2. See the Drum Tower

      3. Eat your way along the Muslim Quarter

      4. Graze the snack lanes of Yuanjia Village

      5. Stay for the village's lantern-lit evening

    Xi'an’s famous dishes

    • Xi'an lamb skewers grilling over charcoal, with raw lamb pieces ready at the back and cumin and chilli powder scattered along the rail

      Xi'an BBQ Skewers

      (Cumin, Chilli, Charcoal)

    • A Xi'an rou jia mo, shredded meat tucked into a wheat bun and served one-handed

      Rou jia mo

      (Xi'an's pulled-pork flatbread)

    • A bowl of Xi'an yangrou paomo in blue-and-white porcelain: lamb broth ladled over hand-torn flatbread cubes and glass noodles, with chilli paste and pickled garlic on the side

      Yangrou paomo

      (mutton soup with hand-torn bread)

  2. High-speed rail from Xi'an, around 3.8 hours

    1 night

    Day 5: Chengdu

    1. Day 05: Daci Temple and Taikoo Li

      A monk in orange robes on the steps of Daci Temple, tiled rooflines folding around the courtyard
      Daci Temple

      1. Visit the courtyards of Daci Temple

      2. Graze the riverside kitchens of Wangping Street

      3. Walk Chunxi Road under the neon

      4. Finish among the lanes of Taikoo Li

    Chengdu’s famous dishes

    • A Chengdu hot pot table, split broth bubbling at the centre surrounded by plates of thin-sliced beef, skewers and fresh greens

      Chengdu hot pot

    • A wide bowl of milky-white pig trotter soup with white kidney beans, beside a small dish of chilli-and-Sichuan-pepper dip on a Chengdu late-night table

      Pig trotter soup

      (Ti Hua)

    • A small plate of plump pork wontons glossed in red chilli-oil sauce with garlic and scallion, the signature Chengdu lunchtime snack

      Red oil wontons

      (Hongyou Chaoshou)

  3. Early high-speed rail from Chengdu, around 2 hours

    2 nights

    Days 6 to 8: Jiuzhaigou

    1. Day 06: Huanglong on the way in

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

      High-speed rail north from Chengdu, around 2 hours

      1. Take the early high-speed rail north from Chengdu

      2. Ride the cable car toward the upper terraces

      3. Walk the boardwalk down through the terraced pools

      4. Drive on to the village quarter at Zhangzha for the night

    2. Day 07: Shuzheng lakes and the Rize branch

      The curved timber canopy of the Jiuzhaigou park gate, latticed beams sweeping above the ticket hall with forested cliffs rising behind
      Jiuzhaigou park gate

      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 08: Long Lake, Five Colour Pond, and the ride down

      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. Ride the evening rail back down to Chengdu

    Jiuzhaigou’s famous dishes

    • A clear-broth yak hot pot at a Tibetan family kitchen near Jiuzhaigou, with shoulder cuts and highland-barley flatbread alongside

      Yak hot pot

      (the Amdo Tibetan high-protein staple)

    • Charcoal-grilled lamb ribs on the rack at a Tibetan family kitchen near Jiuzhaigou, the fat crisp at the edges and a basket of highland-barley flatbread alongside

      Charcoal-grilled lamb ribs

      (kao yangpai, the Amdo Tibetan grill at the edge of the village)

    • A bowl of wide rice noodles in clear yak-bone broth at a Tibetan village breakfast counter near Jiuzhaigou, with slow-cooked yak shoulder and pickled greens

      Yak meat rice noodles

      (maoniu rou fen, the village breakfast bowl)

  4. High-speed rail from Jiuzhaigou, arriving the evening before

    5 nights

    Days 9 to 12: Chengdu

    1. Day 09: Pandas and Dujiangyan

      A giant panda eating bamboo among the trees at Dujiangyan's Panda Valley
      Dujiangyan Panda Valley

      About 1.5 hours northwest

      1. Watch feeding hour at Panda Valley

      2. Walk the Dujiangyan Irrigation System

      3. Wander Guanxian Ancient City

      4. Watch the Nanqiao Bridge light up over the river

    2. Day 10: Bronzes and the Three Kingdoms

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

      About 1.5 hours north to Guanghan

      1. Meet the bronze masks at the Sanxingdui Museum

      2. Visit Wuhou Shrine

      3. Stroll Jinli Ancient Street next door

      4. Wander the Kuanzhai Alleys after dark

    3. Day 11: Mount Emei

      The golden summit of Mount Emei above a sea of cloud, snow peaks on the horizon
      Mount Emei

      About 2 hours southwest

      1. Ride the cable car up Mount Emei

      2. Walk between the temples and viewpoints

      3. Return to Chengdu for the river lights at Dongmen Wharf

    4. Day 12: Modern Chengdu

      The Tower of Vitality's lit water columns pouring at night above Chengdu SKP
      Tower of Vitality

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

      2. Browse the factory halls of Eastern Suburb Memory

      3. Watch the water columns light up at the Tower of Vitality

    Chengdu’s famous dishes

    • A Chengdu hot pot table, split broth bubbling at the centre surrounded by plates of thin-sliced beef, skewers and fresh greens

      Chengdu hot pot

    • A wide bowl of milky-white pig trotter soup with white kidney beans, beside a small dish of chilli-and-Sichuan-pepper dip on a Chengdu late-night table

      Pig trotter soup

      (Ti Hua)

    • A small plate of plump pork wontons glossed in red chilli-oil sauce with garlic and scallion, the signature Chengdu lunchtime snack

      Red oil wontons

      (Hongyou Chaoshou)

  5. High-speed rail from Chengdu, around 1.5 hours

    3 nights

    Days 13 to 15: Chongqing

    1. Day 13: Jiefangbei 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. Walk out across the Qiansimen Bridge

      3. See the stacked storeys of Hongya Cave

      4. Watch Hongya Cave light up from the Jialing waterfront

    2. Day 14: Wulong Karst

      The Three Natural Bridges of Wulong Karst, a vast limestone arch above a green valley
      Wulong Karst Three Natural Bridges

      About 2.5 hours southeast, each way

      1. Walk the valley floor beneath the Three Natural Bridges

      2. Take lunch above the gorge before the drive back

      3. Return to Chongqing and rest

    3. Day 15: The mountain city on foot

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

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

      2. Explore the stone lanes of Ciqikou Ancient Town

      3. Climb Shancheng Alley as the lanterns come on

    Chongqing’s famous dishes

    • A bubbling Chongqing málà hot pot at a back-street house, broth red with chillies and Sichuan peppercorn

      Chongqing hot pot

      (the bencheng version, beef-tallow broth)

    • A bowl of Chongqing xiaomian, wheat noodles in chilli oil with peanuts, scallion and Sichuan peppercorn

      Chongqing xiaomian

      (the city's morning noodle)

    • A Chongqing mao xue wang, duck blood and beef offal in a chilli-bean broth, served at a jianghu-cai house

      Jianghu cai

      (the rivers-and-lakes school)

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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Alpine Lakes & Ancient Capitals travel guide

Before you enquire

Questions worth
answering early.

  • By high-speed rail from Chengdu to the Huanglong-Jiuzhaigou station, around 2 hours, with the Huanglong terraces on the way in. A driver meets every train, and the same line brings you back down to Chengdu.

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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