Chengdu Taocheng Yading Tour

Upon arrival at the airport/railway station, you will find your guide/driver holding your name sign at the exit. Then they will transfer you to your hotel in downtown Chengdu. The rest of the day is your free time.

Stay overnight in Chengdu

Early morning, we will pick you up at your hotel in Chengdu city. Here it goes the very beginning of your Sichuan-Tibet Highway tour. Hooray~~ Today’s journey will pass by Ya’an and Luding, to finally arrive in Kangding. Ensconced in a steep river valley at the confluence of the swift Zheduo and Yala Rivers and towered over by mighty Gongga Shan(7556m), Kangding(pop 82,000; elev 2616m) is famous throughout China for a popular love song that the town’s surrounding scenery inspired. The town has long been a trade centre between Han & Tibetan cultures, with the exchange of wool, herbs and bricks of tea from Ya’an wrapped in yak hide. It also served as an important staging post on the road to Lhasa, as indeed it does today.

Stay overnight in Kangding

After breakfast, we'll head to Mugecuo, one of the larger alpine lakes in Northwest Sichuan. Surrounded by mountains and forests, it is also embraced by dozens of small lakes, so it's also known as small Jiuzhaigou.

Xindu Bridge is a highlight on the Sichuan-Tibet highway. It's also called photographers' paradise, as well as the world of light and shadow. The beautiful natural scenery, trees, grass plants, dotted Tibetan-style dwellings, cattle, and sheep attract tourists to come here to take pictures of splendid moments.

Stay overnight in Xindu Bridge

Depart from Xindu Bridge in the morning, you will feel the strong Tibetan exotic along the way. Crossing the Gaoersi Mountain and pass through Yajiang, along the winding mountain, you will appreciate the unique scenery - the 18 bends of the sky road.

In the afternoon, you will reach Litang, which is famed as the birthplace of the 7th and 10th Dalai Lamas. Litang lies at an altitude of 4014m, so it's called the world's high city. Litang is more like a hidden paradise, where you can feel the magnificent grassland and worship Tibetan Buddhism.

Later you will arrive at Daocheng County, where there are large areas of poplar trees, charming scenery of the red soil valley, and unique Tibetan villages.

Stay overnight at Shangri-La Town

In the morning, we will pick you up from your hotel and take you to the tourist center(about 4 kilometers). Then we will take a sightseeing bus to Zhaguanbeng, which is about 1.5 hours (30km). From here, we will walk into the core scenic area of Yading.

Soon you will see Chonggu Temple. Chonggu Temple belongs to the Gelug Temple (Yellow Sect) of Tibetan Buddhism. Legend goes like this, it was built by the Fifth Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso, who sent a Buddhism Master to build it on Mount Chenrezig(6032m). "Chenrezig" is the northern peak of the three sacred mountains. It means "Bodhisattva" in Tibetan, which represents "compassion".

From Chonggu Temple, hike for 1 hour, you will see the alpine Lake - Pearl Sea(4080m) at the foot of the sacred mountain. Here is also the best place to view Mount Chenrezig. Continue to walk forward and you will enjoy the natural Chonggu lawn composed of grasslands, forests, streams and Mani piles. Finally, we returned to Yading Village along the original route.

Stay overnight at Yading Village

After breakfast, proceed from Yading Village to Chonggu Temple, and then take a sightseeing bus to Luorong Ranch, which takes about 0.5 hours. This place is a wide pasture and the center to worship three holy mountains at the same time - Chenrezig, Jambeyang and Chanadorje(locals call Gongga Risong Gongbu together). Strolling through the pastures, you will encounter grazing cattle and sheep, and admire the vibrant alpine forests and crystal-clear meandering streams.

Next, embark on a challenging 5km hike that takes approximately 3-3.5 hours to reach the stunning Milk Lake(4,600m). Milk Sea is translated as "Erongcuo" in Tibetan and covers an area of about 5,000 square meters. A milky white water ring appears at the edge of the blue lake, and beyond are green alpine meadows, sharp-edged limestone mountains and snow-capped mountains that reach into the sky. The Milk Sea is like a bright blue gem, more like the heavenly eye of Gongga Risong Gongbu, pure, deep and breathtaking. Continue walking for 0.5 hours to visit the Colorful Lake(4,500m). The ice valley stretches down to the lakeside, and the snow-capped mountains reflect on the lake surface, showing fantastic colors. The lake covers an area of about 5,800 square meters. It is as famous as Yamdrok Yongcuo. It is said that it can "replay history and predict the future".

After visiting Yading Nature Reserve, take a sightseeing bus to leave the scenic area. Head to Daocheng County.

Stay Overnight at Daocheng

Your tour ends today. Your driver will pick you up from the hotel and send you to the airport to take a flight to your next destination.