8 days / 7 nights | In and out of Chongqing, with the high-speed train into Jiuzhaigou Valley and a return leg through China Ancient Qiang City, Taikoo Li and Hongyadong.
Overview
The first night is spent near Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport, convenient for late-night arrivals. On day two, time permitting, you take a look at Guanyinqiao before boarding the high-speed train to Huanglong Jiuzhai or Songpan, with the night in Jiuzhaigou. Day three is a full day inside Jiuzhaigou Valley; day four moves on to the coloured pools of Huanglong, then via Diexi Lake to an overnight in Maoxian.
Day five enters Chengdu by way of China Ancient Qiang City, taking in the Panda Park, Kuanzhai Alley, Chunxi Road and Taikoo Li. On day six your private vehicle returns to Chongqing for the Shancheng Trail, Jiefangbei and Hongyadong. Day seven covers Ciqikou, Liziba, the exterior of the Chongqing People's Great Hall and Xiahaoli, and on day eight you are transferred to Jiangbei Airport to suit your flight. High-speed train tickets and admission fees are quoted separately.
Highlights
Itinerary
Your driver meets you at Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport according to your flight. Most flights connecting through Hong Kong land late at night, so tonight you stay near the airport rather than heading into the city. Please let us have your flight number and the number of bags.
If you are well rested and the departure is not too early, there is time for a short stop at the Guanyinqiao pedestrian street. You then go to the station for the high-speed train; when Huanglong Jiuzhai Station is sold out, Songpan Station is used instead, about 15 minutes' drive apart. Tickets are name-registered and quoted separately, and a change at Chengdu East Railway Station is often needed, so please give us the names on your travel documents. On arrival you see the gates and the outside of the walls of Songpan Ancient Town, without climbing the walls. Overnight in Jiuzhaigou.
A full day in Jiuzhaigou Valley, changing to the scenic-area shuttle inside the park. The Shuzheng, Rize and Zechawa valleys are arranged according to what is open that day; typical stops are the Shuzheng Lakes, Nuorilang Waterfall, Five-Flower Lake, Pearl Shoal and the Five-Colour Pond. The altitude is high and the valleys are long, so take the walking slowly.
In the morning you go up to Huanglong. The visit is planned around the round-trip cable car and electric cart normally sold with admission; whether they are on sale or suspended on the day depends on the park's notice, and their cost is not part of the charter fare. The coloured pools are spread in terraces along the gully. In the afternoon you pass Diexi Lake in Maoxian, a lake formed when an earthquake dammed the Min River, with a photo stop beside the road. Overnight in Maoxian.
The morning is spent at China Ancient Qiang City with its stone watchtowers and fortified houses. You then continue to the Chengdu Panda Park, using the electric carts inside the grounds. This is a park visit rather than a named research base; the park actually entered is confirmed in your quote. In the afternoon you stroll Kuanzhai Alley, and in the evening head for Chunxi Road and Taikoo Li, with Daci Temple inside the Taikoo Li quarter. Shopping and meals are at your own expense.
In the morning your private vehicle leaves Chengdu and returns to Chongqing. The afternoon is a walk along the Shancheng Trail, with old lanes and river views. Towards evening you reach the Jiefangbei pedestrian street, and after dark take in the night view of the stilted houses of Hongyadong. Accommodation is in the city centre or around Chayuan, chosen for easy access to the night views and a jam-free start the next morning.
A short walk along the flagstone streets of Ciqikou. At Liziba you watch Line 2 of the monorail pass straight through a residential building. The Chongqing People's Great Hall is seen from the outside, with its square. Towards evening you reach Xiahaoli to wander the hillside steps and old streets; which shops are open depends on the day.
Departure is timed back from your return flight. For early flights only the airport transfer is kept, with no extra stops. Please tell us your flight time in advance so breakfast and the departure can be arranged.
Inclusions
Quoted per trip. Tell us your dates and group size and a travel consultant will send a tailored quote within 24 hours.
Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong are at high altitude; the order of visits is adjusted in rain or snow or when cable cars are suspended. High-speed train tickets are name-registered. The final plan is confirmed by your travel consultant.
Stops
Alpine lakes strung along three valleys in a Y shape. Five-Flower Lake, Nuorilang Waterfall, Pearl Shoal and the Five-Colour Pond are visited according to which valley sections are open, changing to the scenic-area shuttle inside the park.
A wide, shallow waterfall sitting just below a lake, one of the easiest places in the valley to take in water and forest in a single view.
Stone watchtowers and fortified houses represent a Qiang settlement. A stop on the road from Maoxian to Chengdu; how far you walk depends on the areas open that day.
Lanes preserved from Chengdu's old city, in grey brick and grey tile, made for strolling and tea. Chunxi Road and Taikoo Li follow later the same day, with no extra driving.
Electric carts take you close to the panda enclosures. Which park is visited is set out in the quote, depending on ticketing and the route on the day.
The night view of stilted houses stacked against the cliff, which can be paired with the Jiefangbei pedestrian street on the same evening you return to Chongqing.
Line 2 of the monorail passes straight through a building. The stop at the viewing platform is short, so it sits well on the same day as Ciqikou and the exterior of the Chongqing People's Great Hall.
The heart of the Yuzhong shopping district, busy at night. If the Shancheng Trail is scheduled for the afternoon, Jiefangbei is left until the evening.
Related
Five days in Beijing with a private driver-guide and no shopping stops: Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, the Olympic Park, the Shichahai hutongs, the Summer Palace and the Temple of Heaven, staying at boutique hotels in the city centre.
Five days in and out of Shanghai: Hanshan Temple and Shantang Street in Suzhou, Hangzhou's West Lake, a night in Wuzhen Xizha, then the Bund and a Huangpu River night cruise.
Five days around Xi'an: the Terracotta Army and Huaqing Palace, Mount Hua by West Peak cable car up and North Peak down, then Daci'en Temple, the City Wall, Yongxingfang, the Bell and Drum Towers and the Muslim Quarter.
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