9-Day Guizhou, Chengdu, Jiuzhaigou & Leshan Giant Buddha Exploration

• Guiyang Arrival
• 4+ stars hotel
• Breakfast

Welcome to cool Guiyang, capital of Guizhou! Your guide and driver await you at the airport/train station for a smooth transfer to your downtown hotel. Breathe in the fresh air!

In this afternoon, you will enjoy half-day city tour in Guiyang Bests. First, drive to Qianling Park, Guiyang's green lung and the number one mountain in Guizhou, the top choice for Guiyang locals' leisure and recreation.

The park has an elevation difference of about 200 meters, and along the way, you'll encounter precious wild macaques. Inside the park, many locals exercise, cool off, and play with the monkeys, making it perfect for you to leisurely experience the cool breeze from all directions upon your initial arrival in Guizhou. Take the cable car to the summit and enjoy a panoramic view of Guiyang's mountain city from the hilltop pavilion. Hongfu Temple at the summit is the first Buddhist temple in Guizhou, with over 300 years of history. Countless visitors come to burn incense and pray. Religious or not, feel the atmosphere!

Then, proceed to Jiaxiu Pavilion, the iconic landmark of Guiyang and also its cultural symbol. Standing 20.7 meters tall and with over 400 years of history, it spans a stone bridge across the Nanming River. It features a rare three-story, progressively narrowing pavilion structure in ancient Chinese architecture.

"Jiaxiu" aims to inspire the emergence of top talent, a sentiment echoed in the "for a hundred years, talented people have emerged in great numbers" within the 206-character first longest Chinese couplet inside the pavilion. Stroll along the riverbank and appreciate the beautiful scenery where the classical pavilion and river harmonize with the modern backdrop, along with the century-old cultural ambiance.

Travel Tip: The best spot to photograph Jiaxiu Pavilion is on West Lake Road beside the Nanming River.

Free Time Idea: 1km from Jiaxiu Pavilion, wander through Qingyun Market, once Guiyang's local "midnight canteen." Feel free to enjoy the nightlife!

After the tour, go back to your hotel in downtown Guiyang.

• Guiyang - Huangguo Waterfall - Anshun
• 4+ stars hotel
• Breakfast

After breakfast, drive 2.5 hours to reach Anshun for Huangguoshu Waterfall Tour, the location of the largest waterfall in China and Asia. You will hear the roaring water a kilometer away, and admire the waterfall's dynamic views!

Back in 17th century, Xu Xiake, a famous ancient Chinese geographer and pre-internet celebrity, traveled to this resort. His blog boosted the reputation of this waterfall nationwide! Follow the popular path he took:

Head to Doupotang Scenic Area, known for its 105-meter width. It is one of the filming locations for the TV series version of Journey to the West, one of China's Four Great Classical Novels. During the wet season, the water flow is rapid and makes a low roar, hence its nickname "Roaring Waterfall." Many tourists enjoy imitating the scenes of Journey to the West pilgrims. Feel free to try it!

Next, take a sightseeing bus to Tianxingqiao Scenic Area, to admire the most complete karst landscape in the scenic area - caves, waterfalls, and water stone forests interwoven. You can enjoy view from various angles, with no repetitive vlog or plog scenery. It is especially famous for Silver Chain Dropping Pool Waterfall. Unlike ordinary waterfalls where water falls linearly, multiple small waterfalls converge and cascade from a circular stone beach into the deep pool below.

Afterward, take a sightseeing bus to Huangguoshu Waterfall. As the main waterfall with a huge drop, 77.8 meters high and 101 meters wide, it consists of 18 waterfalls with different styles. At first glance, it can be folded into four layers. During the summer flood season, the water volume per hour is enough to fill 1296 swimming pools, falling into the 17-meter-deep pool. The roaring sound of water hit rocks day and night. You will build a deep connection with nature, find scenery changes from high up, straight on, and from the side.

Behind the waterfall is the 134-meter-long narrow Water Curtain Cave, a great place to touch the flowing water and see how it falls. You will walk to it and return by escalator.

After visit, guide and driver will escort you to your hotel in Anshun City.

• Anshun & Guiyang Departure
• 4+ stars hotel
• Breakfast

After breakfast, your guide and driver will take you to explore the underground Karst Cave and Guizhou's Tunpu culture on the way back to Guiyang.

The first stop is Dragon Palace Scenic Area, an underground karst landscape kingdom, listed as part of “South China Karst UNESCO World Heritage”, integrating various karst landforms such as canyons, peak forests, cliffs, streams, rivers, and stone forests.

Get off sightseeing bus and enter scenic area. Walk to Dragon Gate Waterfall, the largest cave waterfall in China, 34 meters high and 25 meters wide. Then, take elevator to Tianchi Lake, a rare living specimen formed by the collapse of the top of a karst cave and the place with the lowest radiation in the world. Take a healthy breath.

Then, you will explore first section of the Dragon Palace by boat. It is part of 15km China's longest water cave. Look up to see millennia-old stalactites and stalagmites illuminated by colorful lights like a strange new world in Rick and Morty.

Then, drive 1 hour to Tianlong Tunpu, a stone village and a "living fossil of Ming Dynasty life." Six hundred years ago, Han Chinese from the Jiangnan area, thousands of miles away from Guizhou, gathered here to build a stone village as garrison troops, carrying Guizhou's unique Tunpu culture.

The stone architecture is the physical heritage of the Han Chinese garrison culture, well-preserved since the Ming Dynasty. It possesses both military defense functions and a rough aesthetic.

Upon entering, you can notice that hard stone forms houses, village walls, and roads. Even the window lattices, door frames, and steps are decorated with stone carvings.

Wander through it, you must not miss the intangible cultural heritage Dixi opera, a folk drama with a 600-year history. Performers wear handcrafted, colorful hero masks and colorful flags on their backs, enacting exciting war stories. Besides Dixi opera, you can also admire Fengyang Han clothing. The women in Tunpu still maintain the Ming Dynasty Han attire and traditional hairstyles. You can drink a bowl of their large-bowl tea and chat freely with them. They are shy and simple.

After the tour, your guide will escort you to Guiyang.

Extend Your Travel: Guizhou is close to Yunnan, Hunan, Chongqing, Sichuan, and Guangxi. From Guiyang Railway Station, you can take a high-speed train to popular travel destinations such as Kunming (3 hours), Fenghuang Ancient Town (2 hours), Chongqing (2-2.5 hours), Chengdu (3-3.5 hours), Guilin (2 hours).

• Guizhou – Chengdu (by bullet train)
• 4+ stars hotel
• Breakfast

In the morning, take a high-speed rail to Chengdu (about 3.5 hours). Upon arrival, the driver will pick you up and take you to the hotel for a rest. If you have enough time, you can also explore Chengdu freely.

Recommended itinerary:

Chunxi Road, Kuanzhai Alley, Fuqin Night Market, Jiuyan Bridge. You can also wander the streets of Chengdu to find local delicacies such as Zhong Dumplings, Bobo Chicken, Chengdu Hotpot, Chuanchuan Xiang (skewered hotpot), Dandan Noodles, Bingfen (ice jelly), and Guokui (savory pancake).

• Chengdu-Huanglong

• 4+stars Hotel

• Breakfast

After breakfast, you will embark on a journey to Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area, which is is well known for the"four wonders"of colorful ponds, snow mountains, alpine gorges and forests. It has well preserved tectonic zones, glacial remains, and river source topography. 

First we will arrive at Huanglong Valley, which is famous for its world-class travertine lake terraces. It is named Huanglong because it resembles a yellow dragon perched under Xuebao Peak (5,588 meters)

The most amazing attraction is the Colorful Pools at an altitude of 3,556 meters, with 693 colorful pools that look like emerald jewels.  In addition, Huanglong Valley is also a paradise for giant pandas and golden monkeys.

Next you will take a cable car to the top of the mountain and then walk through the valley, which is expected to take about 3 hours.  After finishing your trip in Huanglong, you will be transferred to Jiuzhaigou Valley, where we will stay for the night.

Tips:
1. Due to the high altitude of Huanglong, please pay attention to the prevention of plateau reaction and bring enough warm clothes.
2. Please note that the Huanglong Ropeway is suspended in winter.
3. Food are limited in the valley, so please bring some food or snacks with you, or choose to have lunch after leaving the area.

• Jiuzhaigou Valley

• 4+stars Hotel

• Breakfast

After breakfast, you will head to this piece of Jiuzhaigou Valley, which is known as the fairyland on earth.

Jiuzhaigou, named after the nine Tibetan villages spread out in the scenic area, has attracted the world's attention with its unrivaled natural beauty since its discovery in the mid-20th century.

The area boasts a stunning array of natural wonders, including snowy peaks, crystal-clear lakes, majestic waterfalls, lush forests, and colorful flora. The scenery changes with the seasons, with autumn being particularly vibrant as the leaves turn vibrant shades of red and yellow.

The classic tour route includes starting from the entrance of Nuorilang Waterfall, passing by the Wucai Pool, then proceeding to the Sea of Five Flowers, Pearl Beach Waterfall and so on. Eventually, you will enjoy Rhinoceros Sea, Shuzheng Waterfall and so on until you return to the park entrance to end the day's journey to the wonderland.

Afterwards, your guide and driver will transfer you back to the hotel for a rest.

Tips:

1. Respect the Environment: As a World Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve, it's crucial to respect the environment and abide by the park's regulations, such as not littering or feeding wildlife.

2. Dress and equipment: Jiuzhaigou Valley is located on a plateau with a changing climate, and some visitors may experience plateau reaction. Please bring enough warm clothing and medication, and wear comfortable hiking shoes.

• Jiuzhaigou – Chengdu (by high-speed rail) – Chengdu People’s Park – Wuhou Temple – Jinli

• 4+stars Hotel

• Breakfast

Today, you will take the high-speed rail back to Chengdu (about 2 hours). After lunch, step into Chengdu People’s Park to experience the unique leisure and comfort of the city. Here, you can order a pot of tea to take a short break, play mahjong with locals, or try the ear-cleaning service.
Next, we will drive to Wuhou Temple, known as the "Holy Land of the Three Kingdoms". It is a place for worshipping important figures of the Shu Han like Zhuge Liang and Liu Bei, an important carrier of Three Kingdoms culture, and a treasure of ancient Chinese architecture and sculpture art.
As night falls, stroll into Jinli. The ancient buildings, a wide range of Chengdu snacks, exquisite handicrafts, and lively folk performances will surely make it an unforgettable night for you.

• Giant Panda Base – Leshan Giant Buddha

• 4+stars Hotel

• Breakfast

In the morning, after breakfast at the hotel, drive to Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. By the end of 2024, the base is home to 244 giant pandas, making it the world’s largest captive giant panda population through artificial breeding, with good genetic quality, individual health, and behavioral well-being.

Tips:

Giant pandas are most active in the morning (7:30-10:00), especially during feeding times, and rest more in the afternoon. It is recommended to enter the base early, especially if you want to see cubs or popular pandas.
In the afternoon, drive to Leshan to visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site – Leshan Giant Buddha. It stands 71 meters high, with ears 7 meters long and a foot width of 8.5 meters; even its small fingernails are taller than an average person. Built in 713 AD, the Buddha is a symbol of ancient people’s prayers for peace and prosperity, and it was meant to protect boatmen from dangerous rapids.
You can start from the hill next to the Buddha, climb up to the Buddha’s head for a close-up view, then walk down the stone steps to the foot to admire the full view of the statue. (Please note that you may need to queue during peak hours.)

• Leshan Departure

• 4+stars Hotel

• Breakfast

According to your schedule, we will transfer you to the airport or station. Depart from  Leshan　and end your pleasant trip.