Southern Gansu and western Sichuan Tour， 10 days

Tour Features: Southern Gansu (Gannan) and Western Sichuan (Chuanxi) are famous for their picturesque natural scenery and unique folklore, such as Jiuzhaigou Valley and Huanglong. Jiuzhaigou Valley includes many beautiful spots, such as Swan Lake, Pearl Shoal and Nuorilang Waterfalls. Huanglong is known as "Fairy Land on Earth". You will also experience Labrang Monastery, Geerdeng Monastery and Sangke Grasslands.

Day by Day Itinerary:

Day 1: Arrive in Lanzhou, White Pagoda Hill Park (-, L, -)

Upon arrival in Lanzhou, your tour guide will meet you at Lanzhou Airport and transfer you to your hotel by private car.

Then you will visit White Pagoda Hill Park, one of the landmarks of Lanzhou. This pleasant park is on the northern bank of Yellow River with a white pagoda on the top of the hill, hence the name. The seven-level octagonal pagoda is 17 m tall, and built as part of a temple on the top of the hill. Below the pagoda there are bronze bell and elephant skin drum. It is possible to catch the chairlifts to the top from inside the park to get a marvelous view of Lanzhou City.

Day 2: Liujiaxia Reservoir, Bingling Cave (B, L, -)

Today you will go to visit Liujiaxia Reservoir which is honored as a pearl of the Yellow River. It is really unbelievable that such a big reservoir locates in the dry mountain range.

Then you will cruise the Liujiaxia reservoir to visit the Bingling Cave, one of the most important grotto temples in China, and one of the few Buddhist grottoes in China to survive the tumultuous 20th century due to its relative inaccessibility. Bingling in the Tibetan language means a place for one hundred thousand Buddhas to live in. It experienced continuous cutting and repairs almost in every dynasty. Currently there are about 776 Buddhist sculptures and statues, and most of the caves contain rock-cut statues, clay sculptures, and colorful frescoes and it was famous for its exquisite stone carving.

Day 3: Sangke Grasslands (B, L, -)

Today you will be driven to Xiahe, 280 km (175 miles) from Lanzhou. You will enjoy the beautiful Sangke Grasslands, a fertile alpine grassland surrounded by mountains on four sides and a natural prairie for Tibetan people. It is famous for its verdant grass and beautiful scenery with blue sky, fluffy clouds, vast lush grassland dotted with herds of sheep and cattle.

Day 4: Labrang Monastery, Baishiya (White Rock Cliff), Bajiao City (Eight Angle City) (B, L, -)

Today you will first enjoy the Labrang Monastery, one of the six great monasteries of the Geluk (Yellow Hat) school of Tibetan Buddhism. It is also an important place for Buddhist ceremonies and activities.

After that, you will visit Baishiya (White Rock Cliff) at the vast and picturesque Gancha Grasslands, about 45 km from Xiahe. It stretches about 15 km from east to west, just like a huge white jade screen sparkling under the blue sky.

Then you will move to Bajiao City (Eight Angle City), a strategic stronghold and frontier fortress city between China and Western Region. It is an octagonal city with a 2193 meters long, 11 meters high city wall, built of a layer of earth and a layer of sand with stick in the middle.

Day 5: Gahai Lake (B, L, -)

After breakfast, you will have an excursion to Maqu, 268 km from Xiahe. On the way, you will enjoy the Gahai Lake, a major conservation of water source in the upper reaches of the Yellow River and the biggest fresh water lake on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. You can also appreciate the spectacular and beautiful sunset on the Yellow River. Stay at Maqu overnight.

Day 6: Langmusi County, Geerdeng Monastery(B, L, -)

After breakfast, you will be driven to Langmusi County, the remote mountain town which is inhabited by a mix of Tibetan, Hui, and Han Chinese, 77 km from Quma.

Then visit Geerdeng Monastery, built in 1413. It is the place of worship for several hundred monks, who study astrology and medicine, apart from Tibetan Buddhist theology. Traditional sky-burials, where the dead are left for birds of prey, also take place here.

Day 7: Jiuzhaigou Valley (B, L, -)

After breakfast, you will proceed to Jiuzhaigou Valley, about 360 km from Langmusi County. It is known for its superb landscape, especially the series conic karst landforms and spectacular waterfalls. Stay at Jiuzhaigou Valley overnight.

Day 8: Jiuzhaigou Valley, Primeval Forest, Swan Lake, Grass Lake, Panda Lake , Pearl Shoal, Zechawa Valley, Long Lake, Five-Color Pool, Nuorilang Waterfalls (B, L, -)

Today you will have a tour in Jiuzhaigou Valley and it starts with visiting Rize Valley, which contains the largest variety of sites. You will enjoy the Primeval Forest, a preserved ancient woodland with spectacular views of the surrounding mountains and cliffs in front of it.

Then you will go to Swan Lake, a picturesque lake named for its visiting swans and ducks, and Grass Lake, a shallow lake covered in intricate vegetation patterns.

Then, visit Panda Lake which features curious color patterns of blue and green and Pearl Shoal which is a wide, gently sloping area of active calcareous tufa deposition covered in a thin sheet of flowing water.

Then you will move to Zechawa Valley and enjoy Long Lake, the highest, largest and deepest lake in Jiuzhaigou, measuring 7.5 km in length and up to 103 m in depth. Five-Color Pool is one of the smallest but most spectacular bodies of water in Jiuzhaigou lakes.

Finally you will go to Nuorilang Waterfalls in Shuzheng Valley. They are 20 meters high and 320 meters wide and reportedly the widest highland waterfall in China, and one of the symbols of Jiuzhaigou. Stay at Jiuzhaigou Valley overnight.

Day 9: Huanglong, Yingbin (welcoming guests) Ponds, Xishen Cave, Huanglong Cave (B, L, -)

After breakfast, you will have an excursion to Huanglong, "Fairy Land on Earth", about 130 km from Jiuzhaigou and it takes almost 3 hours driving. It is famous for snow-capped peaks, virgin forest, spectacular limestone formations, waterfalls and hot springs. The accumulated travertine landscapes and fascinating pools are Huanglong's main attractions.

Firstly you will enjoy Yingbin (welcoming guests) Ponds, a group of exquisite, crystal clear ponds, which have different sizes, and scatter in proper orders. Those ponds are as smooth as mirrors and in good days, the reflections of sun, mountains and trees in the ponds are very colorful.

Next, visit Xishen Cave, which once was an outlet of ancient glacier hundreds of millions of years ago. The entrance is 1 meter high and 1.5 meters wide with yellow and white stalactites, but the depth is unknown.

Then you will go to Huanglong Cave, with different kinds of stalactites and stalagmites. It is the largest travertine cave in China and a natural ice cave with the longest frozen period in China. The flowing water appears as golden ripples dazzling in the sun. Known to the locals as “Golden Sand on Earth” and the Huanglong travertine bank is the largest and most magnificent in the world.

Day 10: Huanglong, Sichuan See off (B, - , -)

You will be driven to Chengdu, about 300 km from Huanglong, and go to the airport for your flight to your next destination.

Itinerary: B: Breakfast  AB: American Breakfast   L: Lunch   D: Dinner   SD: Special Dinner

Lanzhou: Grand Soluxe Hotel Gansu, 5 Star
Xiahe: Labrang Baoma Hotel, 3 Star
Maqu and Lanmusi: Gasthaus(best available)
Jiuzhaigou: Sheraton, 5 Star