11 Days Chengdu Jiuzhaigou Zhangjiajie Guilin Tour

Day-by-day Itinerary

1. Day 1: Chengdu Arrival

   Welcome to this 11-day China nature tour to Jiuzhaigou Zhangjiajie Guilin! Your local private driver will pick you up at the airport or train station and then transfer you to the selected downtown hotel. The rest of today is free for your to relax in the panda hometown. (no tour guide service today)

   Meal: N/A

   Accommodation: in Chengdu

2. Day 2: Huanglong Scenic Area
   Marvel at Colorful Pools and Golden Calcite

   After breakfast, your driver will wait for you in the hotel lobby to take you to the high-speed railway station. It takes about an hour and a half to reach Huanglong Jiuzhai Station. You will be led to explore the Huanglong Scenic Area in the remaining time.

   Huanglong is the only well-preserved plateau wetland in China, located on a ridge that gradually rises from south to north. The altitude of this scenic spot is between 1,700 and 5,588 meters. Therefore, you may experience altitude sickness when visiting some attractions. You are strongly advised not to walk too fast!

   After arriving, the tour guide takes you up the mountain by cable car (to save energy and time). Then we hike for 40 minutes to at the essence of Huanglong - Wucai Pool, also called Five-Colored Pond. 693 colorful pools are surrounded by mountains. They are formed by natural calcification, with ups and downs and staggered patterns. From above, it looks like a huge color palette on the earth. Spend more time taking photos here.

   

   Continuing forward, you will visit other highlights such as Huanglong Ancient Temple and Golden Sand Pavement. Huanglong Temple is a Buddhist temple, quite magnificent. There were five halls here. Now you can only see the Guanyin Hall and the eighteen statues of Arhat. The Golden Sand Pavement is also a popular attraction. It is the largest, longest, and most colorful calcareous beach current of its kind discovered in the world.

   After the tour, you will be transferred to the hotel near Jiuzhaigou Valley to check in. Rest and relax well tonight.

   Meal: Breakfast

   Accommodation: near Jiuzhaigou Valley

3. Day 3: Jiuzhaigou Valley Sightseeing
   Discover Crystal Lakes Where Forests Mirror in Jewel-toned Waters

   Today is a full day to explore the amazing Jiuzhaigou Valley. Bet you're already looking forward to today's visit as you eat breakfast! Jiuzhai Valley is a World Heritage Site. Spreading out in a “Y-shape”, this national park is a picturesque wonderland where you will be amazed by spectacular waterfalls, sparkling lakes and colorful wild forests.

   Jiuzhaigou Nature Reserve has three major scenic spots, Shuzheng Valley, Zechawa Valley, and Rize Valley, with water features such as a group of plateau calcified lakes, calcified waterfalls, and calcified beach streams as the main landscapes. They are blue, turquoise, white, and emerald in different seasons.

   Jiuzhaigou is a large area and you will take a sightseeing bus to explore the entire area. Your private guide will organize your exploration of Jiuzhaigou's highlights at a comfortable pace, depending on your energy and time.

   Some of the classic attractions include Pearl Beach, Mirror Lake, Panda Sea, Five Colorful Pools, and Nuorilang Waterfall. One of the quite popular ones is the Nuorilang Waterfall, which is the widest alpine calcified waterfall in China. The gushing water comes from the Norilang Group Sea and pours down from the top of the waterfall, like white hada (a piece of silk). In winter, the waterfall becomes a huge ice mantle, with differently shaped ice sculptures in blue color.

   After all visits, transfer you to your hotel for a relaxing evening.

   Meal: Breakfast

   Accommodation: near Jiuzhaigou Valley

   

4. Day 4: Train Back to Chengdu from Jiuzhaigou
   Meet Cuddly Pandas Munching Bamboo

   After breakfast, drive you to Huanglong Jiuzhai Station for a high-speed train baco to Chengdu city. Upon arrival, your guide will transfer you directly to today’s visit - the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Base. This place is world famous for its protection, breeding, and conservation of the giant and red pandas, which are endemic to China. The base is definitely a highlight for visitors to Chengdu. There are cuddly pandas everywhere. Watch them eating bamboo, sometimes playing with each other and of course sleeping. Be guided through the large area and get a little background about the pandas, and take some great pictures.

   After lunch, stroll around Renmin Park. It's a public park where locals like to hang out doing various enjoyable activities. You can take a walk, grab some tea from one of the tea houses (note: you'll need to pay for your drinks), and enjoy the easy-going Chengdu way of life. Then, Jinli Street is a popular commercial pedestrian street in Chengdu that features a vast area of antique buildings called late Qing Dyansty (1616-1911) architecture which you can sample many of Chengdu's typical snacks and boutique handicrafts.

   At the end, escort you to your hotel in Chengdu for check-in.

   Meal: Breakfast

   Accommodation: in Chengdu

   

5. Day 5: Chengdu to Zhangjiajie by Flight
   Stroll on Air Across the World's Highest Glass Bridge

   Leave Chengdu for Zhangjiajie city after breakfast. You will take a flight (1.5 hours) to Zhangjiajie Hehua International Airport. Upon arrival, the local Zhangjiajie tour guide will meet you and then take you to the hotel in Wulingyuan for check-in.

   After a short break, start your adventure in Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon. The valley is quite green and the air is pretty fresh; a light mist floats along the stream, looking like a fairyland. Here, you will challenge yourself by walking on the world’s highest and longest transparent glass bridge. It crosses the Grand Canyon approximately 400 meters up from the valley bottom and is 370 meters long. From a distance, the tourists on the bridge seem to be walking in the air.

   Recommended night activity (on your own): Have a relaxing stroll along Xibu Street in where you can wander through the charming Tujia-style shopping pedestrian lane. Try delicious local snacks, browse unique handicrafts, and admire the vibrant night scenery.

   Meal: Breakfast

   Accommodation: in Zhangjiajie Wulingyuan

   

6. Day 6: Yuanjiajie & Tianzi Mountain Exploration
   Ride Sky-high Elevator through Avatar's Floating Mountains

   Today you will be led to explore the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. The region features over 3,000 separate peaks, with life-like structures resembling objects and beasts. You will first take a sightseeing train in the Ten-Mile Gallery upon arrival. During the ride, seize the chance to enjoy green valleys and karst landforms.

   Next, go to visit Yuanjiajie. After entering the scenic area, the guide will take you to experience the world's tallest outdoor elevator - the Bailong Elevator. It only takes 66 seconds to reach the summit from the bottom. How incredible! Tour some major attractions such as the First Bridge in the World, a natural stone bridge located between two mountains; The South Sky Column, with a vertical height of about 150 meters, is the prototype of Mount Hallelujah in Avatar; And the Enchantment Platform.

   

   Then, you will be transferred to Tianzi Mountain. As the saying goes: If you don't visit Tianzi Mountain, you've missed the essence of Wulingyuan. The landscapes here are entirely natural, without artificial carving. Clouds and mist are the most common wonders. In addition, the spot features moonlit nights, sunrises, and winter snowscapes. Highlights include Sky Garden, Imperial Brush Peak, and Commanding Generals Deck.

   After the visit, take the cable car down the mountain. The driver will escort you to Zhangjiajie downtown hotel for check-in.

   Meal: Breakfast

   Accommodation: in Zhangjiajie Downtown

7. Day 7: Tianmen Mountain Scenic Area
   Conquer 999 Steep Steps to Heaven's Highest Natural Archway

   Today is your last day of sightseeing in Zhangjiajie. After breakfast, you will be taken to Tianmen Mountain, where the main peak has an elevation of 1518.6 meters and is the highest mountain in Zhangjiajie. After arrival, take the cableway up the mountain. This is the longest passenger cableway in the world.

   After getting out of the cableway, the guide will take you to “check in” the transparent Glass Skywalk (60 meters long and 4-5 meters wide), the 1,600 meters long Ghost Valley Plank Road, and Tianmen Mountain Temple, the Buddhist center in western Hunan.

   Then, we take the trans-mountain escalator down to Tianmen Cave, the iconic attraction of Tianmen Mountain, located at the main peak we mentioned earlier. This is the highest natural karst cave in the world. Here, you can challenge 999 steps (with a slope between 42 degrees and 70 degrees) to reach the cave. Finally, take the cableway down the mountain.

   

   Return to the hotel and rest well. We will leave Zhangjiajie tomorrow.

   Meal: Breakfast

   Accommodation: in Zhangjiajie Downtown

8. Day 8: Zhangjiajie to Guilin by High-speed Train
   See Nature's 700,000-Year-Old Crystal Palace Underground

   After breakfast, say goodbye to Zhangjiajie and take a high speed train to Guilin. It takes about 7.5 hours. Upon arrival, the Guilin local guide will pick you up at the railway station and then transfer you to visit Reed Flute Cave, known as the "Palace of Nature's Art". The cave is 240 meters deep and is filled with a large number of beautiful and translucent stalagmites, stalactites, stone pillars and stone flowers, which were most formed 700,000 years ago. The Crystal Palace and Shiling Chaoxia are the most famous.

   After the tour, drive you to the hotel for a good rest.

   Meal: Breakfast

   Accommodation: in Guilin

   

9. Day 9: A Day of Longji Rice Terraces
   Hike Ancient Terraces Through Ethnic Villages

   After breakfast, your guide leads you to Longji Rice Terraces. You will spend your whole day in rice terraces. After arrival at the foot of mountains, be guided to walk about 30-40 minutes along the 650-year-old rice terraces. Be treated to a spectacular view of the terraced fields, just like a cascading sea of green or yellow.

   Your lunch will be served at a local restaurant. Then, explore the picturesque minority villages here. Huangluo Yao Village has beautiful scenery and the Jinjiang River runs through the village. Here resides the Yao ethnic group. The women’s long hair, singing and dancing, and clothing are beautiful folkloric scenery. Next, have an easy-going hike to the viewing platform for more breathtaking views.

   

   Continue your hike to Ping'an Zhuang Village, another ethnic minority village surrounded by rice terraces. You will understand the Zhuang minority culture and their traditional way of life.

   Then you can climb up to the Nine Dragons and Five Tigers observation deck to enjoy a panoramic view. After the tour, go back to Guilin hotel for the night.

   Meal: Breakfast

   Accommodation: in Guilin

10. Day 10: Guilin to Yangshuo by Cruise
    Sail Past Karst Peaks on China's Most Poetic River

    Today is the highlight of this nature tour of China. You will take a cruise from Guilin along the Li River to Yangshuo Town. Along the way, appreciate beautiful karst peaks, see water buffaloes laboring in the fields and fishermen passing on bamboo rafts... The ride takes 4 hours and the wonderful landscape and countryside will not disappoint you. Buffet lunch will be provided on board.

    

    After arriving in Yangshuo, you have the opportunity to take a bamboo raft on the Yulong River. Or if interested, you can rent a bicycle for a 1.5-hour ride to enjoy the river views. The activities are optional and you can tell your 1-to-1 travel consultant before booking this tour.

    Take a late afternoon walk on West Street. The oldest street in Yangshuo, dating back more than 1,400 years, it has been a key communication bridge between East and West since the 1980s. You can discover many Western cultures and elements. Relax at a hotel in Yangshuo at night.

    Meal: Breakfast

    Accommodation: in Yangshuo

11. Day 11: Yangshuo Back to Guilin, Departure
    Watch a Limestone Elephant Drink from Two Merging Rivers

    Drive for around 2 hours, back to Guilin city from Yangshuo to visit Elephant Trunk Hill. Lying at the point where the Taohua River and Li River confluence, it appears to be in the shape of an elephant - its nose having a suction on water. It has a hole between the legs and trunk, and there runs the river through it, making it an unusual scenery.

    Last, you will be sent to the airport to catch your flight back home. The 11-day China tour of Chengdu Jiuzhaigou Zhangjiajie Guilin comes to an end!

    Meal: Breakfast

    Accommodation: N/A