5 Days | Sichuan: Captivating Jiuzhaigou Tour

Tour Overview 

Sichuan, like the colossal treasure, filled with distinct yet complementary wonders. This 5-day journey promises uniquely magical visual delights—from the awe-inspiring majesty of Jiuzhaigou to the utterly adorable charm of pandas—offering your senses rich, varied, and non-repetitive thrills. 

Jiuzhaigou Valley, the sparkling jewel in nature’s crown, serves as the visual pinnacle and climax of the trip. Meanwhile, Dujiangyan showcases ancient hydraulic wisdom, and the Chengdu Museum deciphers history, all of them together form the cultural bedrock of your understanding of Sichuan. Kuanzhai Alleyways and Chengdu’s culinary scene are the essential vessels for experiencing "Bāshì" (comfortable) living. Galitai Grassland serves as the prelude to the customs and scenery of northwestern Sichuan, gifting you boundless expanses and freedom. And the Panda Base, it’s a must-visit, all-ages joy generator. Packing so many wonderful and diverse experiences into one journey guarantees exceptional value and unforgettable moments.

When your phone holds a collection of Jiuzhaigou's fairyland masterpieces, panda's hilarious videos, Kuanzhai Alleys' food vlogs, Dujiangyan's engineering panoramas, museum's cultural relic close-ups, and grassland's leaping silhouettes. When your memories interweave the clarity of water, the spiciness of hotpot, the mystery of antiques, the grandeur of engineering, the cuteness of pandas, and the vastness of grasslands, what you bring back is no longer a single type of memory, but a three-dimensional memory bank full of contrasting charm, vibrant colors, laughter, and reflection.

 

Highlights of this tour:

1. Visual Peak (Jiuzhaigou): Experience Earth's most dreamlike water landscapes.

2. Flavor Carnival (Kuanzhai Alley + Chengdu Cuisine): Savor authentic Sichuan dishes and snacks—spicy, fragrant and bursting with flavor.

3. Tactile Immersion (Galitai Grassland): Feel highland breezes caressing your face and endless grasslands beneath your feet.

4. Auditory Feast (Kuanzhai Alley Teahouses/Sichuan Opera): Appreciate the rhythm of local Chengdu dialects, the clinking of lidded tea cups, and the vibrant gongs of Sichuan Opera.

5. Soul-Stirring Moments (Pandas’ Charm): Allow the heartwarming antics of these national treasures to touch your heart.

 

Day-by-day Itinerary

Day 1: Dujiangyan and Kuanzhai Alley Experience

Shenzhen → Chengdu → Dujiangyan → Kuanzhai Alleyways

Gather at the designated airport location and fly to Chengdu—the "Land of Abundance," a city you’ll never want to leave and a "leisure capital" that slows the passage of time. Upon arrival at Chengdu Airport, your guide will escort you to Dujiangyan for lunch.

After lunch, visit the Dujiangyan Irrigation System, one of China’s three great ancient hydraulic wonders. Commissioned over 2,000 years ago by Li Bing and his son during the Qin Dynasty, this UNESCO World Heritage site features marvels like Yuzui (Fish Mouth), Feishayan (Flying Sand Weir), Baopingkou (Bottle-Neck Channel), Erwang Temple, and the Anlan Suspension Bridge. Located 3.5km from Dujiangyan Bus Terminal at the upper-middle reaches of the Min River, it stands as a milestone equal to the Great Wall. Beyond its core structures, you can also explore Lidui Park, Qingxi Garden and Fulong Temple.

After that, you will return to Chengdu and enjoy your journey in Kuanzhai Alley. This preserved late-Qing dynasty quarter—comprising parallel lanes: Kuanxiangzi (Wide Alley), Zhaixiangzi (Narrow Alley), and Jingxiangzi (Well Alley)—displays the traditional quadrangle dwellings. As one of Chengdu’s three historic conservation districts, it represents the last remnant of the city’s 1,000-year-old "Shaocheng" layout and the sole extant example of northern hutong culture and architecture in southern China. Its hybrid style blends Sichuan folk dwellings with classical northern courtyards.

Meal: Lunch

Hotel: Chengdu Hotel

 

Day 2: Nongena Holy Lake Experience

Chengdu → Songpan/Huanglong-Jiuzhai Station → Nongena Holy Lake → Jiuzhaigou Entrance

After breakfast, transfer to Chengdu East Railway Station and take a high-speed train to Songpan/Huanglong-Jiuzhai Station and then you can enjoy lunch on the train.

Upon arrival, visit Nongena Holy Lake, whose Tibetan name means "where celestial maidens bathe." This UNESCO-grade karst landscape features rolling hills blanketed in golden and ivory-hued calcite deposits, 2,600 dazzling pools and alpine lakes ranging in size, terraced travertine basins and calcified slopes, water shimmering in Jiuzhaigou’s signature "turquoise blue". Later, you will be arranged to Jiuzhaigou Entrance for an immersive Tibetan Family Visit. The experience is characterized by the authentic Tibetan dinner with local specialties as well as the festive singing and dancing in traditional style.

Meal: Breakfast + Lunch + Dinner 

Hotel: Jiuzhaigou Hotel/Jisheng Hotel

 

Day 3: Full-Day Exploration of Jiuzhaigou

After breakfast, immerse yourself in the Fairy-tale Realm of Jiuzhaigou, which is renowned as "earth’s closest incarnation of paradise," this UNESCO World Heritage site dazzles with highland lakes shimmering in ethereal turquoise, thundering waterfalls cascading through primeval forests, living geological poetry where water, light, and life converge, the natural wonders include the below scenic attractions.

🔹 Haizi (Alpine Lakes): Glacial meltwater rich in calcium carbonate forms travertine terraces. Microalgae and mosses interact with minerals, refracting light to create ever-shifting turquoise-tuned hues, just like the nature’s palette.

🔹 Dynamic Landscapes: From jewel-like pools to veils of falling water, Jiuzhaigou orchestrates a symphony of sapphire-toned lakes, rainbow-kissed foliage, and snow-crowned peaks. Few places on Earth rival its chromatic purity, artistic harmony, and seasonal metamorphosis. Here, you don’t just observe scenery—you step into a transcendent natural fairy tale.

Meal: Breakfast + Dinner 

Hotel: Jiuzhaigou Hotel/Jisheng Hotel

Day 4: Galitai Grasslands Experience

Jiuzhaigou → Galitai Grasslands → Huanglong-Jiuzhai Station → Chengdu

After breakfast, head for the Galitai Grasslands, then you can enjoy the horse riding and archery experience. The grassland boasts lush water and verdant pastures, with an open view where the green lawn stretches to the horizon, merging with the blue sky and white clouds to form a beautiful natural painting. When the wind blows across the grassland, the forage sways in the breeze, looking like a vast green ocean from afar, thus evoking the wonderful artistic conception of the poem: "The sky is boundless, the wilderness is vast, when the wind blows, the grass bends to reveal cattle and sheep."

After lunch, you will head to the high-speed railway station so as to take a vehicle back to Chengdu and check into your hotel upon arrival.

Meal: Breakfast + Lunch

Hotel: Chengdu Hotel

 

Day 5: Amazing Panda Base and Chengdu Museum Experience

Chengdu → Panda Base → Chengdu Museum → Shenzhen

(Reference Flight: Chengdu Shuangliu (CTU) / Shenzhen (SZX) ZH9408 18:30-21:15)

Morning: Panda Sanctuary

After breakfast, visit Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding (entrance fee included; shuttle bus optional at CNY 30/person; duration ≈2 hours). Located 10km north of downtown with direct access via Panda Boulevard, this global conservation epicenter offers over 100 pandas (adults, juveniles & cubs) in near-wild habitats, rare close-up views of feeding, climbing, and playful behaviors, world-class exhibits at the Panda Museum, a biodiversity haven where red pandas, black-necked cranes thrive amid bamboo groves and old-growth trees, then you can experience China’s national treasures lounging on lawns or tumbling through enclosures—an encounter unmatched elsewhere.

Afternoon: Cultural Time Capsule

After lunch, you are expected to explore Chengdu Museum (closed on Mondays). As a comprehensive museum integrating history, art, and folklore, it serves as the "urban parlor" for people to understand Chengdu's history and culture. Located on the west side of Tianfu Square in the city center, it enjoys an excellent geographical position. Not only is it the largest comprehensive museum in Chengdu, but also a top-tier window systematically displaying Chengdu's 4,500-year civilization history and 2,300-year urban construction history.

After the visit to Chengdu Museum, you will be transferred to Chengdu Shuangliu Airport (CTU) for the flight back to Shenzhen!

Meal: Breakfast + Lunch

 

Tour Price ($=USD)

From $ 965 P.P, which is based on a private tour for 2-6 people.

The price varies depending on the activity, number of people, travel date, and selected hotel.

 

Price Includes

√ Accommodation: Standard twin rooms at designated hotels throughout the itinerary;

√ Meals: Listed in the itinerary;

√ Covered entrance ticket: Dujiangyan Irrigation System, Nenensangcuo Scenic Area (with shuttle bus), Jiuzhaigou Valley (with shuttle bus), Chengdu Panda Base (main gate only);

√ Transportation

✈️ Air: Shenzhen ↔ Chengdu round-trip;

🚄 Rail: Chengdu ↔ Huanglong-Jiuzhai Station;

🚌 Coach: Air-conditioned tourist coaches with guaranteed individual seating;

√ Guiding Service: English-speaking tour guides certified by China's tourism authorities.

 

Price Excludes

√ Any optional activities inside the attractions;

√ Any item not mentioned in the itinerary, such as Yulei Pavilion Escalator in Dujiangyan (CNY 40), battery car in Panda Base(CNY 30), scenic area insurance in Jiuzhaigou (CNY 10);

√ Single Room Supplement; 

√ Expenses for self-funded items, entertainment activities, personal consumption, and costs beyond the itinerary;

√ Additional expenses caused by force majeure factors.