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Xichang, the capital of Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan Province, is located in the Anning River Valley region of southwest Sichuan. It is warm in winter and cool in summer, known as “a city where spring stays”. It is rich in tourism resources, thus an important node of the Grand Shangri-La Tourism Circle Line and Sichuan-Yunnan Tourism Gold Line.
This time, Trek n Track has carefully designed this exclusive route to explore Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture which retains our usual hiking style while adding some romantic travel elements. The most simple way to describe the trip out southwest is a delicate mix of everything you can imagine.
We met a group of local kids when we were checking the route in the area. At a young age, they have already been helping the family with heavy farm work, taking care of their younger siblings, and so on. While we were moved by their innocent smiles, the problems of left-behind children in mountainous areas were also hammered into our hearts. Therefore, we are here to call on participants to make caring donations and give away some clothing, books or foods as New Year gifts to the children directly during the trip so that they can connect with the outside world in this way. Donation by action, and little by little.
Donated Materials For Your Reference:
1.books and stationery (second-hand books at least 70% new)
2.daily clothing (second-hand clothing at least 80% new)
3.foods (non-perishable and within the shelf life)
DAY 1 Chengdu-Hanyuan-Shimian-Mianning (370 km)
🚌 Driving Distance: 370 km，About 5 hours drive
👣Hiking Distance: 4 km Return Route
🔍 Tour Type: Leisure
🥾 Road Type: Country Road and Forest Dirt Trail
⛰️ Highest Altitude: 2500 m
🔝 Cumulative Climb: 150 m
🏁 Difficulty: ★
07:30 Meet at Exit C, Metro Line 2, Baiguolin and the bus will leave at 07:40 on dot.
07:40-12:00 We’ll drive on Ya’an-Xichang Expressway, passing Ya’an and Hanyuan and reach Shimian at noon.
12:00-13:00 Lunchtime! We’ll have lunch together somewhere along the way according to the real-time traffic condition at your own cost.
12:30-16:30 After lunch, we’ll drive directly to the snow wonderland. The lake has frozen up and is shining in the winter sunshine. We’ll hike for about 2 kilometers one way to explore the secret ice lake while having fun in the snow field along the way.
16:30-18:00 Drive about one hour to our local B&B to check in. Afterwards you’ll be given some time to take a rest first.
18:00-21:00 Homestay dinner.
DAY 2 Mianning-Windmill Pasture-Xichang (210 km)
🚌 Driving Distance: 210 km， About 4 hours drive
👣 Hiking Distance: 5 km Return Route
🔍 Tour Type: Leisure
🥾 Road Type: Meadow Path and Forest Dirt Trail
⛰️ Highest Altitude: 3370 m
🔝 Cumulative Climb: 330 m
🏁 Difficulty: ★☆
07:30-08:00 Breakfast at B&B. Please pack all of your belongings before breakfast.
08:00-11:00 Drive to the Yi Village which takes about 2.5 hours. We’ll give out the donated materials to the local children first.
11:00-12:30 Hike along the meadow path and forest dirt trail all the way up to reach “Pink Lake” and it is estimated to take about 1-1.5 hours.
12:30-13:00 Lunchtime! Please bring your own packed lunch.
13:00-15:00 After lunch, you could choose to walk around the lake or enjoy some quiet time yourself. Then we’ll follow the same way to go downhill.
15:00-17:00 Drive about 1.5 hours to our hotel to check in. Afterwards you’ll be given some time to take a rest first.
17:00-19:00 Head to Jinlin Beach for the sunset. We’ll walk along the plank road for about half an hour while enjoying the lake view and then take the sightseeing bus to get back to the entrance.
19:00-22:00 Dinner time! We’ll have the local speciality BBQ together and it is our treat.
DAY 3 Tour Xichang City
🚲Hiking Distance: 38 km Non-Return Route
🔍 Tour Type: Leisure
🥾 Road Type: Greenway, Plank Road and Highway
⛰️ Highest Altitude: 1530 m
🏁 Difficulty: ★
09:50-10:30 There is no need to get up very early today. We will meet at the hotel lobby at 9:50 and go to pick up our bikes.
10:30-17:30 There’s no better way than cycling to explore Qionghai Lake in one day. As there will be no strict speed limit, there will be no uniform arrangement for lunch, so you will have plenty of time to find local specialties and snacks yourself along the way.
17:30-19:00 Dinner time! We will gather together to enjoy the local special cuisine.
19:00-21:00 Jianchang Ancient Town has a strong Chinese New Year vibe: pasting couplets, paper-cutting, doing blessing bags… The traditional New Year culture is vividly reflected here, which is the first choice to enjoy the night view and festive atmosphere.
DAY4 Lushan Mountain-Hanyuan-Ya’an-Chengdu （450 km）
09:00 Meet at the hotel lobby at 9 am and head for Lu Mountain. Please pack all of your belongings before we meet.
09:00-11:30 We are going to spend some time around Lu Mountain, which is connected to Qionghai Lake Scenic Area. Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism and other religions have coexisted for thousands of years here. At the foot of the mountain, there is a Yi Slave Society Museum which displays the history and culture of Yi people. In the mountain, there is a Guangfu Temple which is very popular among Buddhism believers. At the top of the mountain you can overlook Qionghai Lake and Xichang City.
11:30-12:00 Lunch time! We’ll have vegetarian meals together at Guangfu Temple at your own cost.
12:00-13:00 It also has a longest trough chute in Southwest China, commonly known as “dry sled”, which is very exciting to slide down at high speed. We highly recommend you take the trough chute downhill to end this trip with an exciting experience.
13:00-19:00 Get back to Chengdu.
Early Bird 2280 RMB
Before 16th January (Mon) 12 pm
Normal Price 2380 RMB
Please contact Wechat ID： TNTCD01 for trip details and sign up.
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