6 Days Classic Chengdu and Guilin Tour
Tour Overview
Awaken your love of lovely pandas, leisure-paced life, and awe-inspiring natural beauty when you take this 6–day Chengdu Guilin tour. Chengdu, the Land of Abundance, offersĀ you an experience of laid-back life, Chinaās treasured pandas, the worldās tallest stone Buddha ā Leshan Giant Buddha, and various tasty foodĀ such as Bo Bo Chicken, hot pot, and Zhong dumplings.
While in Guilin, you get a chance to hop on a relaxing Li River CruiseĀ to sail among towering Karst mountains and look into life on the banks. The rustic life in YangshuoĀ is a great escape from the bustling life in big cities. To ensure you a lifetime experience, we handpick excellent 4-star hotels with daily breakfast, and all our tour guides are travel experts with years of experience.
Travel destinations: Chengdu, Leshan, Guilin, Yangshuo
Suitable for: Panda Lovers, Nature Explorers
Tour type: Private
Highlights of this tour:
- Experience China’s national treasure up close at the Chengdu Panda Base. Observe the endearing pandas eating, playing, and moving in their natural habitat.
- Visit Renmin Park to enjoy a peaceful cup of Gaiwan tea, while observing the activities of Chengdu locals. On a leisurely stroll through the park you can see people singing, dancing, playing cards and chess.
- Travel to Leshan to Admire the worldās tallest stone Buddha – Leshan Giant Buddha. Standing over 70 meters high, this incredible statue has guarded the rivers for more than a thousand years.
- Take a slow boat tour of the Li River passing beautiful karst peaks and peaceful villages.
- Bike through Yangshuoās rural village and verdant farmland. Feel the slower pace of rural life and enjoy the rustic landscape.
- From the viewpoints of Longji, admire the wonderful terraced rice fields, spread across the mountains. The curving and layered rice paddies are like huge staircases, showing nature’s beauty and human wisdom of farming.
Day-by-day Itinerary
- Day 1: Chengdu Arrival
Hello! Welcome to Chengdu for this 6-day tour from Chengdu to Guilin! Upon your arrival, our local driver will pick you up from the exit gate and send you to the downtown hotel for check-in. You are free for the rest of the day.
Meal: N/A
Accommodation:Ā Overnight in Chengdu
- Day 2: Chengdu HighlightsāMeet Pandas and Uncover Chengdu's Ancient Treasures
Your visit starts at ā8:30 AMā when your English-speaking guide meets you at your hotel.
The first stop is the āChengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Baseā, a famous place dedicated to protecting and raising Chinaās endangered giant pandas. Itās a must-see for visitors! Youāll see cute pandas everywhere - munching on bamboo, playing, or napping. Your guide will lead you through the large park, teach you about pandas, and help you take great photos.
Pandas are chewing bamboo After lunch, head to the āJinsha Site Museumā - a perfect spot to discover Chengduās ancient past. The museum houses āthousands of artifactsā from over ā3,000 years agoā. With your expert guide, you will see treasures like the āgolden sun bird disc, golden mask, bronze statues, and stone tigerā, while hearing their fascinating stories.
Next, enjoy some relaxing tea time in Renmin Park. Here you can enjoy a cup of tea in a nice tea house and watch local people while away the time with various activities such as playing cards, doing Tai Chi, playing mahjong, and so on.
Later, go to explore the local food and culture in Kuanzhai Alley, which has a long history and dates back to the Qing Dynasty. Stroll along to appreciate many well-preserved buildings and savor some local delicacies. As a UNESCO City of Gastronomy, Chengdu will surprise you with its delicious food.
Gold Mask in Jinsha Site Museum Optional Nighttime Activity: Sichuan Face-Changing Performance
It will be a great way to end the day. You just sit back, sip your tea, and watch magic happen on the stage. The best part definitely will be the incredible face changing that everyone comes for. Face changing actually is one of the techniques of Sichuan Opera and is used to express the feelings of the characters. Seeing the performers changing their faces in seconds will completely enthrall you.
Meal: Breakfast + Lunch
Accommodation: Overnight in Chengdu
- Day 3: Chengdu to Guilin by FlightMarvel at the Towering 1,300-Year-Old Leshan Giant Buddha
Just a 2-hour drive from Chengdu city to Leshan.
The Leshan Giant Buddha, recognized as the world's tallest stone Buddha, was carved from a cliff over 1,300 years ago. Standing at its feet and looking up, you'll marvel at how ancient craftsmen created this enormous statue that has survived centuries of weather and human-made damages. After climbing the stairs (which might look challenging but are absolutely worth it), you'll be rewarded with breathtaking views from the top.
There are 2 ways to see the Giant Buddha: climbing up the mountain and taking a cruise (optional, not included) along the river to take far view of it. If you would like to take cruise instead of climbing up the mountain, or if you want to try both two ways, just ask your tour guide for assistance.
After that, we drive to Chengdu airport for your evening flight to Guilin. Upon arrival, a local driver will send you to the local hotel for check-in.
Meal: Breakfast + Lunch
Accommodation: Overnight in Guilin
Leshan Giant Buddha - Day 4: Guilin Rice Terraces HikeExplore Ancient Terraces and Yao Village's Legendary Hair
After breakfast, the Guilin tour guide will meet you and drive you to the Dragon Ridge Terraced Fields, which have a history of thousands of years. Can you believe that over 2000 years ago, the ethnic minorities here cultivated this mountain range through slash and burn farming. Hike along the stone paths, admiring the green/golden terraced fields layer by layer.
Today you will have the opportunity to appreciate the unique Long Hair Show of Huang Luo Yao Village. The women here are famous for their long and shiny hair. Therefore, the village was awarded the title of "World's Longest Hair Village" by Guinness World Records. In addition, be guided to visit another ethnic minority village and learn about the way of life of the Zhuang people.
After enjoying the spectacular terraces, you will taste one of the local specialties - Bamboo Tube Rice. Put the soaked rice into a fresh bamboo tube, and plug the mouth of the tube with fresh leaves. Boil on the fire for about half an hour, and the rice will be fully cooked. When cutting open the bamboo tube, the fragrance will be overwhelming. After the delicacy, we will transfer you back to your hotel in Guilin downtown.
Meal: Breakfast + Lunch
Accommodation:Ā Overnight in Guilin
Longji Terraced Fields - Day 5: Guilin to Yangshuo by CruiseāCruise Li River's Peaks and Explore Yangshuo's Culture
After breakfast, the guide will board a 3-star ship with you around 8:30 am!
The Li River cruise is the best way to appreciate the scenery of Guilin. During the 4-hour journey, you will see limestone peaks on both sides, forming a flowing landscape painting. Along the way, you can take photos of the CNY 20 banknote background filming location, encounter traditional scenes of fishermen and cormorants fishing, and see water buffaloes working in rice fields. We will provide you with a simple buffet lunch on board.
Guilin Li River Cruise Arrive in Yangshuo around 1 pm in the afternoon. The guide will take you to visit Yangshuo West Street, which preserves the architectural style of the Ming and Qing dynasties, including ancient stone paved roads, traditional residences, stone inscriptions, ancient pavilions, and celebrity residences. This street is famous for its unique blend of Chinese and Western cultures and is known as the 'Foreigner Street'. Enjoy leisure time in various styles of bars, restaurants, and cafes.
In the evening, if you are interested, you can pay for the spectacular performance of "Impression of Liu Sanjie" at your own expense. The Li River water area, twelve background mountain peaks, and vast sky serve as a stage, combined with lighting and smoke effects, showcasing the customs and traditions of ethnic minorities in Guangxi.
Meal: Breakfast + Lunch
Accommodation: Overnight in Yangshuo
- Day 6: Guilin DepartureVisit Guilin's Crystal Cave and Iconic Elephant Hill
Today we will drive around 1.5 hours back to Guilin city. Before ending our tour, we will visit the two landmarks - Reed Flute Cave and Elephant Trunk Hill. The cave is 240 meters deep and 500 meters long with multiple colorful and exquisite shapes formed by stalactite, such as primeval forest, crystal palace, mountains of flowers, and others. So it is also known as the āPalace of Natural Artsā.
Elephant Trunk Hill, formerly known as Li Hill, is named after its shape that looks like a giant elephant standing by the river and drinking water from the Li River. It isĀ regarded as the symbol ofĀ Guilinās landscapeĀ and the city emblem of Guilin.
After that, your guide will escort you to the airport for your departure. This marks the end of your 6-day Chengdu and Guilin tour.
Meal: Breakfast + Lunch
Accommodation:Ā N/A
Elephant Trunk Hill
Tour Price Per Person
The priceĀ varies depending on the activity, number of people, travel date, and selected hotel. Please contact us for a specific price.
