8 Days Chengdu, Chongqing and Zhangjiajie Tour

Our itinerary will get under way in Chengdu, historically known as the “Land of Abundance” in China. Upon your landing, our guide will meet you at the exit of the airport and take you to the hotel downtown for checking in. The rest of the day is entirely up to you.

As the saying goes, “If you don’t go to Chunxi Road, you haven’t been to Chengdu”. So if your flight arrives early, perhaps take some time to stroll around Chunxi Road Pedestrian Street. Its name comes from an allusion in Laozi’s Tao Te Ching, describing a flourishing scene of commercial prosperity and bustling people here. More than a hundred years ago, this place used to be a government office in feudal China. As time went by, it gradually turned into a market in the 1920s, with haggling and noisy vendors. Now, it has become one of the most representative and cyber-popular commercial streets in Chengdu and is an epitome of Chengdu’s charm, attracting countless travelers from home and abroad. Here, your eyes must be caught by a giant statue of a panda climbing on the top of the IFS building, which is a must-photograph spot for every visitor. Just come and explore more delights! Shopping, food and historic culture are all here for you.
 
► Dinner Suggestion:
It is recommended that you try Xi Yue Cheng Tan Tofu Pudding, one of Chengdu’s top-rated eateries, which happens to have a branch right on Chunxi Road. This catering brand’s history can be traced back to 1924, when it was just a simple stand specializing in tofu pudding and Dan Dan noodles, Chengdu’s specialty food. Later, with the gradual expansion of the business, it opened one restaurant after another, gradually winning the title of “Chinese time-honored brand”. It is more like a fast-food restaurant, and the menu is much more varied now, including almost all of Chengdu’s famous snacks. Please note to get there early, as it is so popular that you may need to queue up, and it closes at 8:30 pm. But as soon as you sit at the table, you will enjoy fast serving speed. By the way, if you don’t want your food to be too spicy, tell the waiter when ordering. The average cost here is around CNY 30 / USD 4 per person.

Early in the morning, let’s go to the world-famed Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, which is praised as “The natural paradise of China’s national treasures, our Xanadu”. There are lakes, streams, bamboo forests, lawns, etc., simulating the wild living environment of giant pandas and providing homes for over 200 of them and red pandas. Here, Villa No.1 and Villa No.2 are the habitats for adult pandas, where you will see them playing, eating, and sleeping. The villas also have a “Today’s Guest” information display board. Each day, or even at different times of the same day, the pandas in the villa will be different, and every one of them has its own fan group. Besides, located in the core area of the Base, the Sunshine Delivery House and Moonlight Delivery House, where pregnant pandas are waiting to give birth and the newborn and young pandas live, are the most popular sites for visitors. Also, follow our guide to observe red pandas. Unlike sleepy giant pandas, these little creatures with thick reddish-brown fur and striped tails are energetic and always scampering nimbly through trees and bushes. When you inadvertently look up, you may see a big red tail swept from your head. Get your camera ready to capture their cute moments!

After that, let’s go for a leisurely stroll in Wide and Narrow Alley. Composed of three parallel but distinctive alleys of Wide Alley, Narrow Alley and Well Alley, and a group of antique courtyards along them, it is a relatively large-scale ancient reserve left over from the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911) in Chengdu. In the Wide Alley, you will be immersed in the folk culture of old Chengdu. Sichuan embroidery, shadow play, and little clay dolls will feast your eyes. The Narrow Alley mainly shows the city’s courtyard culture and natives’ slow life, and here you will find several stylish bars, cafes and tea houses. While the Well Alley features a 500-meter-long sculptured brick wall, which will take you to delve into the history of the alley, ancient Sichuan civilization, Chengdu cuisine, and traditional handicrafts.

Next, we will drive about 15 minutes to Jinsha Site Museum, a treasure house of ancient Shu (Sichuan) culture dating back more than 3,000 years, where an amazing number and variety of important cultural relics have been unearthed, such as exquisite gold artifacts, mysterious bronze vessels, colorful jade ornaments, and huge ivory carvings. Upon entering the museum, the first thing you will see are the giant replicas of the gold foil of Sun and Immortal Bird and Gold Mask, the originals of which are displayed in the exhibition hall and are the key highlights of the museum. The Sun and Immortal Bird is a perfect combination of ancient people’s rich imagination, extraordinary artistic creativity and superb craftsmanship, and now this pattern is also adopted as a logo of Chinese cultural heritage. Then, follow our guide into the original excavation site and exhibition hall, and you will discover more mysteries of Shu’s splendor and glory. After the visit, the guide will transfer you to the hotel for rest.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

This morning, our guide will take you to the railway station for a high-speed train to Chongqing. When you arrive, another guide there will pick you up and lead you to visit Ciqikou Ancient Town, aka Porcelain Town. The town was founded in the Northern Song Dynasty (960 - 1127), and became famous for producing and trading porcelain since the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368 - 1911). Now, there are still many well-preserved historical buildings, most of which are made of bamboo and wood. Strolling in the alleys, you will be dazzled by the lively scenes in front of some stores, such as someone beating with a stick to make glutinous rice cakes, someone using a huge spoon to fry hotpot flavorings, and someone performing traditional Sichuan opera… If you are interested, step into the Chongqing Memory Museum, where the miniaturized landscape of folk residences and tea houses, traditional Chinese handicrafts including Shu embroidery, paper cutting and dough figurines will give you a glimpse into the vicissitudes of Chongqing.

Then, continue our visit to Hongya Cave, China’s only “pedestrian street in the air”. Built alongside a steep cliff on the bank of the Jialing River, this 11-story stilted building complex is a perfect place to enjoy old Chongqing culture and taste delicious food from all over the world. Every detail of it has been carefully designed: whether the blue bricks and tiles, the cornices and eaves, or the carved doors and windows, are full of artistic and quaint flavor. Being in it, you can not only feel the precipitation of history and the traces of years, but also experience the prosperity and bustle of modern cities. And when night falls, it is more like a fantasy fairy tale kingdom. Thousands of lights come on at the same time, making Hongya Cave look golden and brilliant, which is exactly like the scene in the animated film Spirited Away. Afterwards, the guide will escort you to the hotel.
 
► Dinner Suggestion:
Since our last stop today, Hongya Cave, is also known as a food paradise, you are advised to have dinner here. Perhaps try the Xu Dingsheng Folk Dish, a gourmet restaurant in Chongqing, right on the second floor of the building, and our guide will be glad to help you locate it. This century-old brand has been inherited for three generations and has more than 100 branches in Chongqing, Sichuan Province, and Gansu Province. Also, many of its delicacies have been listed as intangible cultural heritage, such as the Fei Long Fish, which is fried golden and crispy with a sweet and sour taste. This branch usually has a lot of eaters waiting for a meal, so if you are interested, it’s better to get a dining number in advance. If you sit right next to a window during the meal, then you can enjoy the stunning river view with the Qiansimen Bridge while savoring authentic Sichuan cuisine. Here, a meal costs around CNY 70 / USD 10 per person.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

After breakfast, we will drive to Wulong County, which takes about 3.5 hours. Wulong Karst National Geology Park is rich in China’s unique geological wonders, such as karst caves, eroded sinkholes and gorges, and stone bridges. Today, we will mainly focus on the essential scenic spot here, the Three Natural Bridges. It is a typical karst landform, consisting of majestic naturally-formed Tianlong Bridge, Qinglong Bridge and Heilong Bridge, which is the largest and highest stone bridges cluster in the world. The bridges, with an average height of over 300 meters (984 feet), run parallel across the Yangshui River within a span of less than 1.2 kilometers (3,937 feet), creating a breathtaking sight that seems to connect earth and heaven. Winding along the narrow path at the valley bottom, your eyes will be occupied by green ancient trees with tangled vines and waterfalls. Through the Tianlong Bridge, we will pass the Tianfu Posthouse, an antique courtyard that was once a stop for ancient officials to rest, and was rebuilt as the filming location for the famous Chinese director Zhang Yimou’s Curse of the Golden Flower. Further down the road is Tianlong Sinkhole, where Transformers: Age of Extinction was filmed. Continue to walk through the Qinglong Bridge, and then look back, the mountain incredibly presents a spectacular scene of “a carp leaping into the dragon gate”. Finally, we’ll reach the Heilong Bridge, whose arch hole is deep like a black dragon lying on the roof.

Before driving back to the hotel in downtown Chongqing, if time permits, we will visit the Fairy Mountain, which is hailed as the “Switzerland of the Orient” for its rare alpine grassland, forest and snowfield. There is a legend about the mountain: one day a poor cowboy on the mountain picked up a gorgeous dress by a pond and fell in love with the dress’s owner at first sight, and then they got married. Soon after, a moneybag learned that the boy’s wife was very pretty and wanted her for himself. Unexpectedly, the woman actually was a fairy, and she cleverly defeated the vicious man and finally turned into a mountain, becoming a symbol of righteousness for thousands of years.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

Today, prepare for a 6.5-hour train ride to Zhangjiajie. Due to the long time, we thoughtfully arrange a soft sleeper for you. Its compartment space is relatively large and has an independent door to isolate the corridor, providing a private, quiet, and comfortable environment. After your arrival, our Zhangjiajie’s guide waiting at the train station will escort you to the hotel near the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park to check in. Then have a good rest to beat the fatigue of the day or go out for some gastronomic delights.

► Dinner Suggestion:
Can’t wait to feel the local Tujia dishes dancing on your taste buds? Then walk about five minutes from the hotel to Zui Xiang Qin Restaurant (Wulingyuan branch), the highest-rated eatery in the region with authentic flavor, warm service and affordable prices. It is a large two-story wooden building, with corn, dry peppers and red lanterns hanging on its outside wall, giving it a strong atmosphere of a Tujia village. As soon as you step in, the first thing that meets your eyes is a shelf, which is hung with a few strips of cured bacon above and is placed with various condiments and wine jars on the lower layers; in front of it are several baskets containing many sorts of vegetables, making you feel as if you are in a kitchen of a villager. Sit down at a table, and prepare to relish Tujia specialties, such as a dry pot named San Xia Guo, giant salamander and free-range chicken. When ordering, the waiter will also remind you that the taste can be adjusted as needed. It costs about CNY 60 / USD 8 per person          .

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

Today, embark on a journey to Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. After going through the entrance, we will take an eco-car of the scenic area for about 20 minutes to the Bailong Elevator, which will take us to the top of the mountain in just 88 seconds. Leaning on one side of the cliff, it is not only a means of transportation, but also a perfect combination of natural beauty and man-made wonder. On the elevator, you cannot see anything at first. Still, after a few seconds, suddenly a myriad of lofty peaks appears very close to you, and what is more magical is that there is a Sky Garden on a mountaintop, looking like an otherworldly sort of paradise. Where the elevator stops is Yuanjiajie Scenic Area. On this wooded and misty land, you will witness the floating Hallelujah Mountain in the movie Avatar, the magnificent Enchanted Stage offering a panoramic view of thousands of grotesque peaks, and the natural No.1 Bridge under Heaven with the largest vertical height difference ever found in the world.Then take an eco-car again to the Yangjiajie Scenic Area for a visit to the Natural Great Wall. This spectacle has been formed for about 380 million years and is now in its infancy. From a distance, dozens of stone peaks continuously stand row upon row, like natural undulating walls, creating an out-of-print sight on the earth. After that, let’s head to Tianzi Mountain, where you will be overwhelmed by lush virgin forests, crystal clear streams and rare wildlife resources. Of course, the most iconic landscape is still the sandstone peak forest, and we won’t let you miss two of the best scenery here. One is the Imperial Brush Peak, which is three parallel peaks with different heights, like brushes placed upside down in a pen holder. And the verdant pine trees covering the summits are like a cluster of weasel hairs on the tip of a brush. Opposite it, there is also a perfect combination of a stone peak and vegetation in the shape of a smiling fairy holding flowers ready to present to the local king, and that is Fairy Dispersing Flowers. Afterwards, descend the mountain by the cable car and end today’s itinerary.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch

Start today with an exciting tour of Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon. In addition to the captivating scenery, it also has a super thrilling high-altitude Yuntiandu Glass Bridge for you to experience. As the world’s first cable-stayed glass bridge over the canyon, it is an engineering marvel that functions as walking, sightseeing, T-stage show and bungee jumping. This design not only allows you to admire the natural charm at a novel angle, but also is a great test of your courage. Treading on it, you will find that the middle is all connected by transparent glasses, and when looking down through the floor, you will not see the bottom of the valley. After a heart-pounding air walk, we will retrace our steps to leave the canyon.

In the afternoon, once again into the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park and take a hike along Golden Whip Stream, the most poetic and the most heart-throbbing trail in the park. There isn’t any transportation here, but all the roads are so flat that we won’t get too tired. Starting from the Shuirao Simen, the guide will accompany you to go through the most quintessential part and then backtrack the way we came. If you are physically strong, you can also discuss with the guide to continue to walk further. Along the way, the stream sneaks through the peaks and gorges, all kinds of flowers compete for beauty, and the birds and cicadas sing, making you feel like you are in a painting. We will pass Nan Mu Ping, where there are 16 kinds of phoebe trees growing. Among them, you may find a strange one, which will show various grain patterns such as mountains, flowers, sun, flying birds and running beasts when cut open. And it was designated as tribute in the Ming Dynasty. After the visit, it’s time to get back to the hotel.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch

Tianmen Mountain finally gets your arrival. After breakfast, set off to the downtown cableway station and take the world’s longest cable car to the mountaintop, which takes about half an hour. As the carriage slowly runs, you will first see the dense residential buildings below, with their uniform gray roofs. Then comes Zhangjiajie Railway Station, whose tracks extend in all directions. Farmhouses, rice fields and country roads pass under us then, and as the view becomes higher, the traces of human activity are gradually replaced by verdant vegetation. A reservoir is like a sapphire pendant set among towering peaks, as if hanging on the neck of the bustling city. A few steps out of the cable car, you’ll reach the Cloud Corridor, one of the best places to enjoy the cloud sea. The highlight will be the Glass Skywalk hanging on the cliffside, which is said to bring a thrill comparable to the Grand Canyon Skywalk in America. On clear days, the reflection of the blue sky and white clouds covers the entire walkway, allowing you to experience the pleasure of walking on the clouds. Then take the 7-level downhill escalator to the Tianmen Cave, the world’s highest natural cave of its kind. It is said that the direction of the cave has changed by about 45 degrees in the past 50 years, and as for why this is still an unsolved mystery! After that, take the elevator down to Tianmen Square, where we could take the cable car to descend the mountain.

Your 8 days Chengdu, Chongqing, and Zhangjiajie tour comes to an end, and our guide will send you to the airport or railway station according to your return arrangement. Hope you harvest a lot of unforgettable memories from this trip. If a new travel idea sprouts in your mind, feel free to contact our consultant to customize it for you.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch