5 Days Jiuzhaigou Valley & Panda Tour from Chengdu by Flight

Nihao! Welcome to Chengdu, the Hometown of Giant Pandas! Your private driver and guide will be ready for you when you arrive in Chengdu. Enjoy a trouble-free transfer to your hotel. The rest of today is yours to relax in panda city on your own.

Arrival Ideas:
Chengdu is well connected by air and high-speed rail. There are two airports - Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport and Chengdu Tianfu International Airport operating many international and domestic airlines. Travelers can go to Chengdu by air from most cities in China, like Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xian, Guilin, Hangzhou, Kunming, Lhasa, Lanzhou, Wuhan, Xiamen, Guiyang, Chongqing… In addition, travelers can take high speed train to Chengdu from Xian (3-4 hours), Chongqing (1.5-2hours), Guiyang (3.5-4.5 hours), Kunming (6-6.5hours), Shanghai (12.5-14.5 hours), etc.

Free Time Ideas:
You are welcome to ask your tour guide for some useful tips to spend your free time based on your time and interest.

In the morning, you will meet your guide early at the appointed time in your hotel lobby. Since pandas prefer cool weather and are more active in the morning, we advise you to arrive early at Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding (Chengdu Panda Base), located only about 17 kilometers away from the city center. This is the closest panda base around Chengdu for you fulfill your panda dream.

Chengdu Panda Base is the base with the largest population of captive giant pandas in the world, accommodating over 100 pandas of different ages. You can watch pandas playing, eating, climbing, sleeping, and in autumn, even see the pink newborn giant panda cubs in the Sunshine Nursery House and the Moonlight Nursery House. Discover the charming panda stars at this base, such as Hua Hua, the most adored and celebrated panda who has captured the hearts of the nation, and Zhi Ma, the real-life inspiration behind the panda mascot of the World University Games. Besides giant pandas, the cute red pandas (rarer than giant pandas) at the Red Panda Playgrounds are also the highlight of the Chengdu Panda Base. Nowadays, the panda base has also become an urban birding spot for local birders and kids to search for Red-billed Leiothrix, Black-throated Tit, Chinese Blackbird, Spotted Dove, White-browed Laughingthrush, and more. If you're interested, you can follow your guide to discover more about pandas' secrets through the Chengdu Giant Panda Museum, which is free to enter but requires advance reservation, and closed on Mondays.

Later, pay a visit to Wenshu Monastery, a 1400-year-old temple dedicated to honoring Manjushri Bodhisattva, the Symbol of Wisdom. It is one of the four great temples of the Chan (Zen) school of Buddhism in China. Before entering the temple, take a moment to capture the beauty of the Red Wall. Once inside, stroll leisurely through the temple's beautiful Qing Dynasty-style buildings and marvel at the Heavenly Kings Hall, Three Saints Hall, Grand Buddha Hall, Dharma Hall, and Scripture Library in that order. The temple's buildings, such as the bell tower and corridor, are seamlessly integrated with the main complex, creating a peaceful and immersive atmosphere where you can explore and reflect on the teachings of Buddhism.

In this afternoon, it's time to take a leisurely stroll inside Chengdu Renmin Park (Chengdu People's Park) like a local and enjoy the city's slow lifestyle. You can watch locals square dancing, practicing Taiji, singing Chinese folk songs, playing traditional Chinese musical instruments, as well as playing Chinese chess and boating on the lake. Don’t miss the blind date corner (a marriage market) where parents of unmarried adults flock to the park to find a partner for their daughter or son. Then, order a cup of fragrant jasmine green tea (a favorite of Chengdu locals) while sitting in a time-honored tea house, such as Heming Tea House. Chat with your friends, try Chengdu Ear Cleaning by professional ear cleaner, and see locals having fun playing mahjong.

When the sun sets, the nightlife on Jinli Street becomes even more charming. Known as the "Chengdu Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival Scroll" and ranked at the top of the world's most beautiful streets by CNN Travel in 2021, Jinli Street was first built during the Three Kingdoms Period (220-280) and was then known as "Shu Jinli". Walking on Jinli Street, you can appreciate the brilliant Chinese Traditional buildings of Qing Dynasty style (1616-1911), buy all kinds of souvenirs (Shu embroidery, lacquer products, folk handicrafts, calligraphy, and paintings), try delicious local snacks (Dan Dan Noodles, Egg Pancake, Bon Bon Chicken, Sweet Potato Noodles with Pork Intestines, Iced Jelly, Sour and Spicy Tofu Pudding), and discover intangible heritages like Sugar Painting, Shadow Puppy Play, Sichuan Opera Show...

After the tour, be transferred to your hotel in Chengdu downtown for a good rest.

Recommended Optional Evening Activities:

1) Watch a wonderful Sichuan Opera performance which includes face changing, spitting fire, hand shadows, puppet show, dancing, singing and acrobatics. (usually from 20:00 to 21:30).
2) Appreciate the city’s night view by boat (30mins) along the Jinjiang River, which winds through central Chengdu. ( 18:00~23:30)

In the morning, you will be escorted to the airport for your direct flight to Jiuzhaigou. Upon arrival at Jiuzhai Huanglong Airport, you will be greeted by our local guide and driver who will then transfer you to Huanglong Scenic Area.

Huanglong Scenic Area is a stunning valley with terraces of coloured limestone ponds in blues, greens, oranges, yellows, and white. Huanglong, which means 'Yellow Dragon', got its name for its special geographical features. Seen from a distance, Huanglong's numerous travertine formations look like an enormous, golden dragon arching across the valley, winding its way between the snowy mountain peaks. Huanglong Valley is also renowned for superlative sceneries of snow-topped mountains, glaciers, waterfalls, virgin forests, wild animals, etc. The area, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992, has been called a "World Wonder" and “Fairy Land on Earth."

Instead of 6 hours hiking, you are suggested to take a quick cable car directly to the top, and then walk down the valley to enjoy the scenery (usually 3 to 4 hours). Walking down the mountain, you can see the main sites of Honglong Monastery, Five-Colored Ponds, Mirror Ponds, Welcoming Guest Ponds, and a waterfall, as well as some temples and caves.

At the top (3556 m) of the valley lies the best highlight - Five-Color Ponds consisting of almost 700 ponds of different sizes, shapes, and colors. It is well arranged and noted for the most graceful, bright and distinct colors. Cobbles on the bottom shape in prisms of clearly visible chromatism between texture and water plants. Water in the pools overflows, which makes all the colorful pools look like pieces of azure green jade plates at a distance.

After sightseeing, you will leave the park and drive about 2 hours to Jiuzhaigou to check in at your hotel.

Useful Tips:
1) The altitude of Huanglong is higher than that of Jiuzhaigou, ranging from 3,200 to 3,600 meters (10,500 to 11,800 feet), which may cause high altitude sickness for some travelers. You’d better avoid any strenuous exercises. It is recommended to prepare an oxygen bottle or there are also many oxygen stations in the park.
2) Huanglong cable car is closed in winter.

After breakfast at your hotel, set out for the full-day exploration of Jiuzhaigou National Park. Your guide will accompany you to hop on a sightseeing bus to enter the park to explore the fairyland landscape of Jiuzhaigou.

With some of the most beautiful and inspiring scenery on earth, Jiuzhaigou was inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site and is even one of China’s most enchanting attractions. Jiuzhaigou (literally “Nine Settlement Valley”) takes its name from the nine Tibetan settlements along its length, which is most renowned for its bluer-than-blue lakes, rushing waterfalls, colorful forests, and deep woodlands backlit by snowy mountain ranges.

The park is a Y-shaped valley with three main sections: the Zechawa, Rize, and Shuzheng valleys. The relaxing and wise visiting way is to take advantage of sightseeing bus. There are sightseeing buses running from the entrance to the three valleys. Travelers hop off the bus, walk along wooden plank roads to enjoy the sights, then hop on another bus to the next attractions. Our tour guide will design a smart route according to your time, energy, and crowd level, and accompany you to explore the essence of Jiuzhaigou at a comfortable pace.

The classic visit route is to take a sightseeing bus to Nuorilang Waterfall. After that, take a bus to Zechawa Valley. From there, have a short hike to Five-Flower Lake and Pearl Beach. And then move to Rize Valley to visit Panda Lake, Five Flowers Lake, Pearl Shoal, Mirror Lake, etc. Lastly, get back to Nuorilang. Have a rest at the joining point of the "Y" - Nuorilang Tourist Center. After a good rest, Afterwards, spend your time visiting Shuzheng Valley. Then, descend along Shuzheng Valley to the park entrance and enjoy the great natural scenery interspersed with traditional Tibetan villages,etc. on the route.

Useful Tips:
1) Get to the park earlier to escape the crowds of tourists groups;
2) Wear comfortable walking shoes or hiking& trekking shoes;
3) Dining options inside park are limited and expensive. Buffet lunch is provided in Nuorilang Restaurant (the only restaurant in the valley). If you bring your own food you can picnic far away from the masses and avoid spending any longer at the busiest points.

After breakfast, your tour guide will pick you up from your hotel. They will accompany you to the airport for your flight to next destination.

Trip Extension Ideas: If you want to explore China and other Asia destinations rather than return home right away, we would be glad to assist you with an extension trip. Feel free to tell us your ideas!

Thank you for choosing Asia Odyssey Travel for your China tour, and we are always here working for you and hope to see you again for your next trip to China/Asia. Safe journey!