8 Days Best Sichuan & Guizhou Tour with Ethnic Villages & Fanjingshan
World Heritage Sites Exploration & Diverse Cultures in Sichuan and Guizhou
World Heritage Sites Exploration & Diverse Cultures in Sichuan and Guizhou
Sichuan Province and Guizhou Province are good neighbors well linked with each other by high speed train. It will be great to take a trip combined all the stunning highlights in abundant Sichuan and unsung Guizhou. This 8-day tour offers the cool chance to explore superlative natural beauty, colorful and diverse culture, profound Buddhism to two World Heritage Sites and of course have a close look at the national treasure - Giant Panda.
In the Land of Abundance Sichuan, you’ll say hello to the lovely giant pandas and extend to see Leshan Giant Buddha - the largest Buddhist sculpture in the world carved out of a hillside in the 8th century and pay a holy visit to Mount Emei which is traditionally regarded as the bodhimanda of the Samantabhadra Bodhisattva. Then, a 5-hour high speed train takes you entering into a beautiful province offering something difficult to find in other parts of China - peculiar Fanjing Mountain shrouded in spiritual heritage, an island of metamorphic rock in a sea of karst, genuinely old villages, a chance to understand a number of China’s recognized minority cultures...All are memorable with amazing experience in every destination.
Day 1 Chengdu Arrival
Pick-up in Chengdu & Hotel Check-in
Welcome to Chengdu, the hometown of the Giant Panda. Your local guide will meet you at the airport/train station and then escort you to your hotel in a private vehicle. The rest of today is yours to relax in the panda city on your own.
Arrival Ideas: Chengdu is only about 2~3 hours flying from the majority of big cities in China, such as Beijing, Xian, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shanghai, etc. You can also get to Chengdu by high speed trains from Xian (4hrs), Chongqing (1hrs), Guilin (6hrs), Kunming (6hrs), etc.
Our tour guide picked up guests at Chengdu East Railway Station
Day 2 Chengdu (B, L)
Chengdu Panda Base - Wenshu Temple - Renmin Park - Jinli Old Street
This morning you will make a memorable visit to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. This facility is not only the most important panda scientific research center in the world, but also the home for more than 100 Giant Pandas. You will walk at leisure through the bamboo-framed paths and closely observe giant pandas of different ages eating bamboos, playing with each other, tumbling, and climbing trees. Be sure to not miss the chance to watch female pandas nursing their cubs in the nursery rooms! There is also a very informative Panda Museum where you can learn more scientific facts about Giant Pandas. Next, you will be taken to a hidden spiritual Buddhist temple in hustling downtown Chengdu, Wenshu Temple, where you will marvel at the exquisite Buddhist architecture, soak in the reverent atmosphere, and wander on the temple’s peaceful paths.
Chengdu is famous throughout China for its relaxing and leisurely pace and lifestyle, which will be demonstrated by a visit to the City’s Renmin Park. Sit down, order a pot of Chinese tea, have a casual chat with your friends and watch locals indulging themselves in different kinds of folk entertainment - napping, playing mahjong, disco dancing, and giving neck massages! Next will be an impressive visit to the famous Jinli Old Street. Time will steal away as you quietly walk on the lively streets full of delicious local snacks, delicate artifacts, interesting folk shows, and other activities.
Recommended Optional Evening Activities: 1) enjoy a delicious dinner of Sichuan cuisine (or hotpot) at a local restaurant; 2) watch a wonderful performance of Sichuan Opera which includes folk opera, face changing, fire spitting, rolling lights, and other delightful entertainment (usually performs during 20:00~21:30).
Day 3 Chengdu - Mount Emei (B, L)
Take eco-bus up to Leidongping, visit Golden Summit
In the morning, you will be picked up at your hotel, then set out for the driving around 2 hours to Mount Emei. As one of the few World Heritage Sites of both cultural and natural heritages, Mount Emei is an enchanted combination of lush forest and cultural relics. It is one of the Four Great Buddhist Mountains in China, also the home to 5000 kinds of plants (more than the total plants of Europe) and over 2300 kinds of wild animals.
You will first take your private car to the tourist center, then shift on to an Eco-Bus which will take you up to the mountain top area in 1.5~2 hours. Once you reaching at Leidongping (2400m), keep on walking about 30mins along stone steps to the cable car station, along which you will have chance to see the wild monkeys. Take a cable car (about 5mins) up to the Golden Summit (3077m) which is the biggest highlight of Mount Emei, featuring a 48 meters high golden Buddha statue, bronze temples and far-reaching views. On some days, you may have luck to enjoy its magnificent wonder of Cloud Sea. Sight see around 1.5 hours on the Golden Summit area, then descend by cable car to Leidoping and take Eco-Bus again back to the tourist center. Stay overnight at the foot of Mount Emei.
Read this if you are a hiking lover:
Above itinerary is classic visit route which is suitable for different ages of tourists. If you want more hiking experience during your trip, please contact your travel consultant to tailor-make the hiking routes according to your time and physical condition. There are routes of 2 hours (Qingyin Pavilion to Wannian Temple), 4 hours (Qingyin Pavilion to Wannian Temple + Leidongping to Golden Summit), one day (Wannian Temple to Leidongping) and 2 days (Qingyin Pavilion to Golden Summit).
Day 4 Mount Emei - Leshan (B, L)
Baoguo Temple - Leshan Giant Buddha
In this morning after breakfast, cherish the peaceful moments to enjoy the fresh air. You’ll visit Baoguo Temple, the biggest temple of Mount Emei at the mountain foot. It has several serene gardens with rare plants, a library of sutras and a huge porcelain Buddha. Another famous historical relic in the temple is the 25-ton bronze Bell, reputedly as the second largest bell in China. While traveling deeper into the temple, you will enjoy different views of Mount Emei.
Later, drive about 40 minutes to visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site - Leshan Giant Buddha which is the largest and tallest stone-carved statue of Buddha in the world. It was carved during AD713~803 on a mountain rock cliff by the river, with its head reaching to the mountain top and its feet standing next to the river. The total height is 71m; while the head is 14.7m high and 10m wide, ear is 7meters high, 28 meters between knees and insteps. Its insteps can hold over a hundred people. You may be wondering why such a giant Buddha was built? It is said to have been built to calm the turbulent waters that plagued passing boats and killed many people each year in ancient time. On the right cliff of the Giant Buddha, there is a plank road built along with the Giant Buddha. From the top to foot, the plank road has nine turns, thus it’s called Nine Bends Plank Road. The widest part of the road is 1.45m and the narrowest part is only 0.6m, and there are 217 stone steps in total. You will walk down to the feet of the Giant Buddha for a closer view. Please note you may have to queue up to enter the stone stairway if you visit the Giant Buddha during the busy hours. After the tour, stay overnight in Leshan City.
Recommended Optional Activities: 1) take a 30 minutes’ sightseeing boat to enjoy a wonderful panoramic view of the Giant Buddha on the river.
Day 5 High Speed Train to Kaili from Leshan - Kaili (B, L)
Xijiang Miao Village
In this morning, be escorted to Leshan Railway Station for a high speed train to Kaili (about 3.5 hours’ train riding). Upon arrival at Kaili South Railway Station, the local guide and driver will meet you at the arrival hall.
The rest time for today is for you to explore Xijiang Miao Village, the largest Miao village in China and even in the world. Xijiang is composed of 10 villages, spreading over 50 square kilometers, with about 1,000 families and 6,000 people living here. The village is called a “living museum”, presenting you Miao ethnic culture vividly. There are lots of streets and alleys winding around the village, and quiet clear rivers and Wind and Rain Bridges to cross over. You can try the local Guizhou snacks, browse the many shops or just enjoy a leisurely roam in the village and surrounding scenic areas and learn more about local Miao culture. When night falls, take a sightseeing bus to the viewing platform to catch a panoramic night view of the beautiful Xijiang. The lights of different houses twinkling in the dark make the night bewitching.
After visiting, drive to your hotel. Enjoy a good sleep!
Day 6 Kaili - Fanjingshan (B, L)
Langde Upper Miao Village - Matang Gejia Village
After breakfast, your guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel. Today, you’ll be transferred about 28 km for a visit to Langde Upper Miao Village which is reputed as “the Hometown of Chinese Folk Song and Dance Art”. It is with less crowds, peaceful natural atmosphere, friendly villagers and rich cultural heritage. Upon arrival at the village, you will be warmly treated with a traditional welcome ceremony by the beautiful ladies and girls dressed in traditional Miao costumes (long skirt). They will set twelve tables with “block-the-way” wine and you can taste the wine to feel their hospitality. Once the toasts are completed, you will continue to experience the singing and dancing performance at the Lusheng Ground. The men will play Lusheng and the ladies will dance. If you like, you can participate in the dance to enjoy more fun.
Later, you’ll be transferred to Matang Gejia Village, a primitive Miao village with over 400 Gejia people who are called the 57th ethnic group in China unofficially. According to the legend, Gejia people are the direct descendants of Hou Yi, a legendary hero who was said to shoot the nine scorching suns in order to save his people. Matang Village is famous for exotic attires, colorful festivals and countryside feelings. The women and girls here are specialized in batik that you can fully appreciate the uniqueness of the Gejia batik patterns and embroidery as well as the excellent craftsmanship of the villagers. If you are interested, you can learn how to make batik with wax from a local master and create your own batik work (optional experience with extra payment).
After the visiting, you’ll be transferred to Fanjingshan in Tongren City (about 230 kilometers for 3 hours’ driving). Have a good rest tonight.
Fanjingshan National Nature Preserve was listed as the UNESCO World Natural Heritage in 2018 with the peculiar conspicuous mountains formation in sea of karst retained from the remote era 65-2 million years ago and praised as the No.5 Buddhist Mountain in China for being the place of enlightenment of Buddha Maitreya.
Day 7 Fanjingshan - Tongren (B)
Fanjingshan Sightseeing Bus - Cable Car - Mushroom Stone - Old Golden Summit - Red Clouds Golden Summit - Chengen Temple - Transfer back to Tongren
Good morning! After breakfast, your guide and driver will meet you at your hotel. Then, you will be driven not far to the entrance of Fanjingshan to discover this world well-known fantastic holy mountain along the popular south route for about 6 hours.
Fanjingshan National Nature Preserve was listed as the UNESCO World Natural Heritage in 2018 with the peculiar conspicuous mountains formation in sea of karst retained from the remote era 65-2 million years ago and praised as the No.5 Buddhist Mountain in China for being the place of enlightenment of Buddha Maitreya.
Enter the mountain and take a sightseeing bus for about 20 minutes to Yu’ao Station and continue to take the cable car there to catch a bird’s eye view of the dense emerald forest of Mount Fanjing during another 20 minutes in the air. Now, start your hiking from the Forest Hiking Road with 45 minutes up to witness the famous Mushroom Stone. It is the landmark of Fanjingshan and draws people’s follow by its unbelievable image of the bigger top quadrate putting off center on the smaller quadrate bottom, which forms like a mushroom vividly and seems easy to fall. However, for one million years, it just stands so still there after centuries of rain, snow, wind and sunburn. Remember to take a standard photo of tourists with it!
Then, continue to hike for about 30 minutes to the Old Golden Summit and walk up to its peak. With an elevation of 2,494 meters, it is the best observation deck to appreciate the panorama of Fanjingshan with layers of forest of strange shaped stones, rolling verdant mountain range, and vegetation forest in light and dark green. Also, from the summit, you will see the iconic Red Clouds Golden Summit clearly from a distance.
Then, walk down gradually to admire the natural scenery along the way to visit the sacred Buddhist attractions including Wanming Cave, Buddha Worshipping Stage, Monk Pagoda, Pudu Square, etc. You will not miss the Cheng En Temple that was built first from the Ming Dynasty and one of the four royal temples at Fanjingshan. Walk in the major temple with solemn scarlet walls and dark tiles, worship among the about 10 halls, and imagine the rising and falling and recovery of Fanjingshan’s Buddhist status in the past hundreds of years.
Here, take your challenge to hike along the narrow, steep and rough steps with iron chain up to Red Clouds Golden Summit that shows particularly often on Fanjingshan photographs. This thumb-like peak is a world rare miracle erecting about 100 meters high from the flatter mountain bed millions of years ago and is separated with two peaks and a gorge by natural wearing and with a bridge linked between. After reaching the top, visit the appealing Temple of Buddha, the bridge and Maitreya Temple in sequence to feel walking from present to the future in Buddhist belief. While witnessing the hard-to-believe difficulty of building houses on such a steep crest, stand on the peak to command the panoramic view of Fanjingshan and enjoy the feeling of being in the “space in the sky”. (Note: You can choose to go up or not considering your physical condition at that time. Just tell your needs to the guide.)
After the physical consuming hiking, walk by Jingxin Pool and go to see Wanbao Rock. You will truly believe Fanjingshan was in fact a part of ocean in the remote 1.4 million years ago by the strong proof of the cobbles, shells, paleontological fossils, and so on left within the shale rock there.
After the amazing sightseeing hiking exploration, take the cable car and sightseeing bus down to exit Fanjingshan Scenic Area. You will be driven to Jiangkou County for accommodation. Have a good sleep!
Day 8 Tongren Departure (B)
Flight / Train off Tongren
Today, after breakfast, our local guide and driver will meet you at your hotel and then escort you to the airport / train station for your flight / train for your next destination or home! Service Ends!
Departure Ideas: For your convenient leaving from Tongren, you can take a flight to Beijing, Shanghai, Xian, Guilin, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chongqing, Kunming, Xiamen, etc. or take a bullet train to Zhangjiajie (5hrs), Changsha (2hrs), Guiyang (1-1.5hrs), Shanghai (8hrs), Beijing (9.5hrs), Chongqing (3.5hrs), Guangzhou (5hrs), Wuhan (4hrs), Kunming (4hrs), Zhengzhou (6hrs), Xiamen (9-9.5hrs), Fuzhou (7-7.5hrs), etc. to enjoy more highlights in China or catch your international flight to other country or your home.
1. This price is for one person, based on a group of 2 adults sharing one standard double-bed room in 4-star hotel and traveling with our private tour in low seasons.
2. This price is subject to change according your traveling season, group size, hotel class, change of activities in your itinerary and possible fluctuation of currency exchange rate. If you want a lower price, you can get more people to join you, or use economy class hotels.
3. This price is only valid to March 31, 2025.
4. Reference exchange rate of USD 1=RMB 7.00. The final quote is based on current exchange rate. It may change according to the currency fluctuation, while the RMB quotation will be remained the same.
Hi Rita,
The best experience ever!!!! I fell in love.
I received your lovely card and cute gifts, thank you so much.
Done it! As always it’s my pleasure to hire your company services, see you in the next adventure.
Emmy
Hi Rita,
Please kindly see the feedback below.
We are a family of 7. This private tour package definitely met our expectations! Both tour guides (Chengdu- MAY & Chongqing-DAVID) provided us a very good service, both friendly and very flexible despite the change in our tour schedules. They were also very responsible and ensured our safety, meals and transports were well taken care of, especially since we have elderly and kids in our group. Both tour guides are very fluent in English too so it is very convenient for some of the non-chinese speakers in our group.
We will look for the same tour agent again in our next trip to China!
Best Regards,
Victoria
Hi Shirley,
Thanks for the tour, and the itinerary that you planned for us was very comprehensive and detailed. We enjoyed it very much. The tour guide was also very friendly and experienced. He followed your itinerary closely and brought us to all the sites and explained in detail. He also recommended and brought us to enjoy some of the local cuisines during lunch.
Overall, we are impressed by the excellent service, reliability and quality that yourself, the tour guide and the driver has provided us. We would like to visit China again and we will not hesitate to engage your services again. Thank you!
Regards
Chun How
Hi Shirley,
I'm writing to provide some feedback on our recent Xian and Beijing trip that you put together for us.
We travel a lot, in the past year to Japan, New Zealand, China, Turkey, Africa, China, and finally this Xian/Beijing trip. I bring this up to highlight that we deal with a lot of travel professionals. You are easily the best travel professional we have dealt with through all of those trips. My wife, who happens to be Chinese asked me to make sure to keep your contact information for future China trips, with the intention of replacing the China based agent her brother usually uses for our trips.
Please let your manager know that we would probably not have used your company if not for you. Bamboo Travel is new to us and in a foreign country, so we had doubts as to what to expect. Your service was excellent from start to finish which really gave us confidence in your company. We had a little bit of an unusual itinerary and some constraints related to our other China travel prior to this tour. You were able to work through all of our issues with fast responses to our questions.
You also went what I would say was above and beyond expectations. The final example of that is a friend in the US was shipping some things to our hotel in Beijing for me to bring home to her. I contacted you to confirm the hotel name before they shipped the items, expecting I would then have to figure out the shipping details. Your reply not only confirmed the hotel, but you provided the shipping info in both English and Chinese, which saved me the hassle of trying to figure which address to use. Not a huge thing, but it's those small things that add up to a big difference in customer experience.
Thanks again for everything!
Xian:
Our guide was Waldner and we liked him from the start. We were just coming off another tour with another company which had maybe the best tour leader we've ever had. Even though we were always comparing Waldner measured up well. He was great at explaining the history of places we visited as well as answering our cultural questions. The restaurants/food were very good. He and the driver also modified the itinerary somewhat to optimize the driving based on our arrival and departure times and locations. We liked the hotel in Xian. The car (van) was very comfortable. Waldner also helped arrange tickets for a night show for us.
Beijing:
Pickup was great; even though we got in late the guide that picked us up was there and actually met us at the track. Cindy was our guide and we really liked her also. She is very knowledgeable and willing to answer (a lot of) questions. This was my 3rd time in Beijing and it was amazing what a difference having a good guide made. Cindy and the driver also modified the itinerary to optimize the driving. She also helped us book tickets to two shows, one of which was not on your list of optional items (Lao She tea house). Cindy was concerned about us ordering a cab so she stayed at the show to make sure we got back to our hotel ok. The restaurants/food were very good. The hotel was good but not great; for example we had hot water issues every day, and when I went to pick up a package that was shipped to me they just left me to dig through a pretty large pile of packages all addressed in Chinese.
To wrap up, I would rate the overall experience of looking for a trip, picking a company, and traveling 9.5 out of 10. Shirley, your service was 10 out of 10.
See you next trip!
Terry
Dear Rita,
Feedback.
The trip organised by Rita Jiang to Beijing and Xian was very well planned and enjoyable, showing the best of Chinese history, culture, heritage, and enormous progress.Your 2 guides, Linda Chua and Beryl are very good. Linda went out of her way to take us to Peking Opera at night. The kids were tired, so we did not go to Summer palace and Heavenly temple, and did not go to Xian Pagoda. It was our choice, so its ok. (I have been to all)
The 2 bus drivers were excellent, very careful, disciplined and good temperament and helpful. I could not give a tip to Beryl at Xian station, as I had to rush into toilet inside, and did not know she could not enter the train Station.
The pace was good, but the last day of train from Xian, to hotel (plus late dinner scrabbling in Beijing), then early next morning to airport was too Hectic. However, it was because we had to return on 8.12.24. we wish we could stay longer in Xian, and elsewhere. We could probably have gone to Xian by train, then fly back to Beijing by plane, but one way tickets could cost much more.
Anyway, thank you very much for all your fine arrangements. We all enjoyed the short trip.
For the kids, the major highlights were the Great Wall, Terracotta warriors, Acrobatic show. They will treasure. I will plan more trips for them to China.
Best wishes and warm regards,
Richard
excellent assistance, helpfulness and courtesy. My contact 'was Shirley, prepared friendly and punctual. Highly recommended...
"Highest Standards of Quality and Honesty" is the core value of each specialized team at China Discovery.
Eveyone in our company is working hard for only one goal, which is to ensure the highest level of service, luxury, and attention to detail from the minute you begin planning your trip, to the day you return home.
Our travel consultants are professional, experienced and responsible, helping you from the very beginning to the end of your China trip!
After sending us an inquiry, one of our travel consultants will get back to you within 0.5~23.5 hrs. In the next few days, he/she will be working closely with you to formulate a customized tour plan, as well as providing professional suggestions based on your travel interests, time, and budget.
Beside, he/she will keep in contact with you during your entire tour in China, continually checking if everything is going well as planned.
We're working at Chengdu Bamboo International Tours, local based in Chengdu.
Our local guide in every destination is not only very friendly, enthusiastic but also very informative and knowledgeable.
Once you arrive in the destination, the patient and punctual guides will pick you up and take you to get under skin of the city at your own pace. By in-depth discovery and explanation, they’ll show you more about the history, culture, customs and authentic local life. Throughout the journey, they're not only expert guides who take care of all the details but also fellow travelers who are dedicated to help you explore in comfort and style.
Our guides are passionate about what they do, and it shows all the way!
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Our private service includes licensed drivers with many years’ driving experience and air-conditioned, non-smoking, clean and well-maintained cars/vans. Drivers are local, polite, friendly and helpful, taking you to your tourist sites, hotels, airport/train stations in safety. All kinds of vehicle are offered, and yours depends on the size of your group. Usually, we offer sedan cars, SUVs, business vans (MPV) and different types of buses, all with extra space for your luggage.
Our private transfer service guarantees you the highest comfort!
In each destination, you’ll enjoy a comfortable stay in a great location!
The hotels we choose are based on star rating, great locations, well-equipped facilities, cozy bed, high quality service and guests’ feedbacks. Choices are a lot ranging from luxury 5 star, comfortable 4 star to budget 3 star. You could decide where to stay to best suit for your budget and likes. Generally, the hotels have both Western and Chinese breakfast with a wide choices.
If you have already got an ideal hotel, please feel free to tell our travel consultants and they'll book the hotel for you.
Have good sleep in our well-selected hotels in all the destinations of China.
We can satisfy all the dietary requirements no matter you want Chinese local food, western food, vegetarian food or muslin food.
The restaurants we will take you for lunch or dinner are all designated tourist restaurants approved by local tourist administration bureau. They have very good sanitary conditions and the food is prepared fresh and clean.
There will be some meals excluded in your itinerary as you like, and your private guide will be delighted to give you some suggestions and take you to the local restaurants to taste like Beijing Roast Duck, Xian Dumpling Dinner, Sichuan Hotpot, etc., if you are interested in local food tasting.
All the dining options will satisfy your stomach!
Our tour guide picked up guests at Chengdu East Railway Station
Our dear clients was experiencing Chengdu local living style in the People's Park
Lovely Pandas in Chengdu Panda Base - Photographed by Our Guest Chona
Golden Summit
Stunning scenery of Cloud Sea on Golden Summit
Leshan Giant Buddha in summer
Baoguo Temple at the foot of Mount Emei
-300.jpg "Panoramic View of Xijiang Miao Village")
Panoramic View of Xijiang Miao Village
Xijiang Miao Village Performance
Matang Gejia Village
Upper Langde Miao Village Performance
Upper Langde Miao Village
Wudong Miao Village
Bizarre Fanjingshan Mushroom Stone - Jessica's Group from Malaysia
Red Clouds Golden Summit View from Old Golden Summit - Jessica's Group from Malaysia
Scarlet Halls of Fanjingshan Cheng En Temple
Fanjingshan Temple Built on the Crest
Snow Scenery of Wanbao Rock
Tongren Fenghuang Airport
Guiyang / Anshun / Kaili / Fanjingshan
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Zhangjiajie / Fenghuang / Fanjingshan
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-638.jpg "Panoramic View of Xijiang Miao Village")
