Chengdu to Lanzhou Tour Via Jiuzhaigou and Gannan Xiahe

This is a gound tour. Some days involve long hours of driving and sitting in the car. Please make preparation in accordance including power bank for your phone, neck pillow, etc while driving. Please remember to have a day pack with you to take necessary items for each day's visit, sometimes including packed lunch or snacks for yourself, drinking water recommended 1L minimum, sunglasses, rainproof, warm-keeping clothes and hat, sun block and lip oil, etc. It is also wise to bring rainproof and warm clothes with you all the time while visiting.

Your guide will meet you at your hotel in the morning we will start our Jiuzhaigou tour from Chengdu by a private vehicle. After 1.5 hours driving arrive at Dujiangyan Panda Park and go to see the lovely pandas. This excursion visit is flexible if you wish to switch it to some other place of interests. After the visit continue drive into the mountains where you will have good views of the traditional Qiang area after Wenchuan. We will stop for lunch on halfway. In the after we will keep driving in Minjiang River Valley. Before arrive in our hotel at Chuanzhusi we will first make a stop by Songpan Old Town to have a short break. Chuanzhusi is a small tourist town on the way to Jiuzhaigou near Huanglong.

Total driving around 6-7 hours, visiting 2h, medium pace

Overnight hotel by around 2800m

Today we will go to visit Huanglong Park. Start by a 30-minutes’ drive from hotel in Songpan and arrive at Huanglong Park. We will first go have a look of Songpan Old Town.

Huanglong Park is a series of stunning calcium lakes at elevation of over 3000 meters. You are recommended to use the cable car for at least one way (usually to go up) and there is necessary walking involved. Be careful while walking in the park since the altitude is at around 3000m and with less oxygen. There is a 2-3 hours of walking over 2500+ meters involved while visiting this park. The walk will be on well-maintained boardwalk all the way down along the lakes. The visit is around 4-5 hours total so we don't have to rush through the park but rather enjoy and take photos along the way down. For people who don't wish to walk one can use the cable way for both ways and from the cable car terminal now there is a transit car available to save all the walking to the higher lakes by Huanglong.

After the visit, we will continue by driving to Jiuzhaigou in afternoon for around 2-3 hours.

Total driving around 3 hours, visiting 5-6h, medium pace

Overnight hotel by around 2000m

Today is a full day sightseeing in the Jiuzhaigou. Jiuzhaigou has won many brilliant reputations, such as World Natural Heritage Sites, 5A National Park, and Best Waterscape in China. Today, you will found out all the reputations worthy any of them. Water is the soul of Jiuzhaigou, and there are more than 108 lakes, several large groups of waterfall scattering on three valleys shaping a large “Y”. The wild forest and pure high snow mountains are the best setoffs to the waterscape of Jiuzhaigou. We will see streams flowing quietly among valleys, beautiful waterfalls dropping from high mountains, and colorful lakes with amazing reflection of colorful forest. Today you will be fully-guided through your visit to Jiuzhaigou.

The three valleys of Jiuzhaigou are Rize Valley, Zezhawa Valley and Shuzheng Valley. Entrance of Jiuzhaigou Park is by the north of Shuzheng Valley and then it splits into Rize and Zezhawa by Nuorilang Waterfall. Rize Valley is home to many beautiful lakes including Grass Lake, Swan Lake, Arrow Bamboo Lake and waterfall, Panda Lake and waterfall, Five Flower Lake, Golden Bell Lake, Pearl Shoal Waterfall and Mirror Lake. Rize Valley takes normally around 2-3 hours to see its full beauty and total 8km if hiking. Zezhawa Valley is home to the famous Long Lake and Five-colored Lake. Zechawa Valley is actually the longest valley of Jiuzhaigou yet it has the fewest lakes and Long Lake and 5-colored Lake are the only two lakes open and normally it takes around 2 hours to see this valley. Shuzheng Valley is home to Nuorilang Waterfall, Rhino Lake, Tiger Lake, Shuzheng Waterfall, Shuzheng Village, Shuzheng Lakes, Huohua Lake, Reed Lake and Bonsai Shoal. It normally takes around 3-4 hours, 10km if walking to see all lakes in Shuzheng Valley.

After the sightseeing, drive back to your hotel, and take a good rest.

Start in the morning and we will use a less-droven road from Jiuzhaigou to the northern grassland via Shenxiachi Park. Shenxianchi Park is also called Fairy Pools Park. It is a tourist park of beautiful turquoise lakes and calcium lakes in a 3-km valley in Minshan Mountain Range near the famous Jiuzhaigou Park. It is a park very similar to the views of Jiuzhaigou only in a smaller size and with usually much less people than that of Jiuzhaigou Park..

After visit Shenxianchi we will continue drive for another 3 hours to Zoige onto the grassland.

TTotal visiting 2-3h, driving 5-6h, medium pace

Overnight hotel by around 3300m

In the morning we will first drive to the 1st bend of Yellow river by Tangke.

The fact Sichuan province is home to both Yellow River and Yangtze River is less known to people. Yellow River is the cradle of Cultural China. The 9 Bends of Yellow River is by the bordering area of Sichuan and Gansu Province. It is the upper part of Yellow River when it flows more calm and quietly. The bends are better viewed from high above the hill that one needs to walk for around 20 minutes to get to. The 9 Bends of Yellow River has been one of the most popular photographic locations in China. We will walk around the scenic spot and take photos. The total visiting time is around 2-3 hours with leisure. After the visit, have lunch by local restaurant before drive for around 2 hours to Langmusi.

Langmsi itself is very historical and cultural place and a center of local Amdo Tibetans. Langmusi is the Chinese name of Langmu Monastery. It is located by the border of Sichuan and Gansu Province in the Tibetan area. Langmu Monastery is the name of a place. Generally Langmusi indicates Langmusi Town in Gansu and Langmusi Village in Sichuan. It is a group of monasteries built at the border of Sichuan and Gansu Province. Langmu Monastery is the short name of Dacang Langmu Kirti Monastery. The monastery in Sichuan is a Gelugpa monastery in Tibetan Buddhism. The monastery in Gansu is called Sertri Monastery. Both temples have cultural significance among local people.

After visit by Langmusi we will drive for another 2 hours to Diebu.

Total visiting 2+2h, driving 1+2+2h, medium pace

Overnight hotel by around 2800m

In the morning we will spend time in the village of Zhagana.

Zhagana is a hidden gem of natural beauty in China. It is a massif of craggy mountains located in southern Gansu Province in Dieshan Range, a 100km-long sub-range of Bayan Har Range, also the watershed of Yangyze River and Yellow River by their upper ranges. Zhagana is a less-known paradise for adventure travelers and for hiking. The name Zhagana means "Coffer of Rocks". Villages of Zhagana presents a picturesque fairyland that people live in harmony with nature. We will spend the whole morning in the village going to the good photo spots to take photos of the village from different locations. Some spots involve walking.

After the visit we will drive in the afternoon to Xiahe via Gannan grassland. Arrive Xiahe in late afternoon and check in hotel. Xiahe is a cultural center of Amdo Tibet and has one of the six most significant Gelugpa Monasteries in the whole Tibet the Labrang Monastery. Feel free to wonder the street of Xiahe to feel the ambiance of Amdo Tibet.

Total driving 5-6h, visiting around 3-4h, medium pace

Overnight hotel by around 2900m

Today we will visit two place: Labrang Monastery and Ganjia Village.

We will first Labrang Monastery in the morning by walking the vast compound to visit its many temples and schools that are available for visiting. Labrang Monastery is one of the top Tibetan Buddhist Schools in the whole Tibetan Region. Labang means “Buddha’s palace” and has a history of over 300 years. It is one of the main and original mother monastery of many smaller monasteries in Tibet and a high level teaching center of Tibetan Buddhism. During its prime time the number of monks reached over 4000. The monastery itself is like a village. We will walk in and take photos and spend around 2-3 hours here.

After the visit we will drive for around 1 hour to Ganjia and have a visit of the amazing Ganjia Village, a fenced village located by the foot of rocky mountains. After taking photos by Ganjia we will drive to Lanzhou for the rest of the afternoon. Arrive Lanzhou, tour ends.

Total visiting 2+2h, driving 3-4h, medium pace