A journey worth looking closer at.
Arrival in Chengdu
Welcome to Chengdu, the starting point for eleven days of mountain scenery, river cities and old-town discoveries. Upon arrival, your arranged airport transfer brings you to the hotel, where there is time to settle in after the journey. The day's emphasis is on an easy arrival rather than scheduled sightseeing.
The remainder of the day is at leisure. Rest, unpack and begin to tune in to the city's unhurried rhythm before tomorrow's visit to the panda base and onward travel to Jiuzhai Valley. Today's meals are not specified in the tour arrangements.
Pandas and the road to Jiuzhai Valley
Begin the sightseeing journey with a visit to Chengdu's panda base, where the appeal of these distinctive black-and-white residents needs little introduction. Watch their movements and expressions, take in the green surroundings and enjoy a closer look at the animal that has become so closely associated with Sichuan. It is a gentle, engaging opening before the landscapes grow more dramatic.
After the visit, continue toward Jiuzhai Valley. Leave the urban setting behind as the journey turns toward the mountains and the next two nights' base. Settle into the hotel in preparation for a full day devoted to Jiuzhai's lakes, waterfalls and forests. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included today.
A full day in Jiuzhai Valley
Devote the day to Jiuzhai Valley, a landscape in which water seems to gather every shade of blue and green. The full-day visit introduces the colorful lakes, waterfalls and primeval forests that make this mountain valley so memorable. Look beyond the broad panoramas to the smaller details: reflections on still water, the movement of a cascade and the layers of trees climbing the slopes.
As light and weather shift, the same scene can take on a different mood, inviting you to pause and appreciate the changing colors. The day's touring follows the local arrangements within the scenic area, then returns to your hotel for a second night. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included.
Mountain culture and return to Chengdu
Continue the mountain chapter with a visit to a Tibetan village, adding a cultural dimension to the natural scenery of the previous day. Take in the village setting before travelling onward to either Huanglong or Mounigou, the scenic area selected for your departure's operating arrangements. This is an alternative visit to one of the two areas, rather than a promise to include both.
The day then turns back toward Chengdu. Board the high-speed train with an included second-class seat and watch the journey carry you from mountain country toward the city. On arrival, return to the Chengdu hotel. Breakfast and lunch are included, while dinner is at your own arrangement; no guide accompanies the rail journey.
Chengdu at your own pace
Today belongs to you. After breakfast at the hotel, enjoy a full free day in Chengdu without a scheduled group sightseeing program. This pause in the itinerary is an opportunity to follow your own interests, revisit a favorite neighborhood independently or simply enjoy a slower day at the hotel.
If you choose to venture out, let the city's street life and food culture guide your own discoveries. Any independent visits, transport, lunch and dinner are at your own arrangement and expense. Another night in Chengdu allows you to enjoy the day without changing hotels before tomorrow's rail journey to Chongqing.
By rail to Chongqing
Travel from Chengdu to Chongqing by high-speed train, with a second-class ticket included. The day's sightseeing introduces a mountain city whose personality is revealed in its old lanes, layered buildings and broad river setting. Begin exploring at Ciqikou Ancient Town, where traditional streets create an intimate counterpoint to the city's larger scale.
Continue to Hongyadong, one of Chongqing's most distinctive architectural scenes, and take in the dramatic way buildings rise above the riverside. At Chaotianmen Square, the view opens outward toward the water and surrounding city. Together, these visits offer three different perspectives on Chongqing before you settle into the hotel. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included; the rail journey is unescorted.
Chongqing’s city layers
Look up, look across and look again: Chongqing often reveals its character in unexpected layers. Today's photo stop at Liziba Station captures the famous sight of a monorail passing through a building, a striking expression of how transport and city life share the mountain city's limited space. The stop is for an exterior view and photographs.
The pace then shifts to walking through Shibati Traditional Style Street and Longmenhao Old Street. Their lanes and changes of level invite you to notice the details that can disappear in a sweeping skyline photograph. It is a day of urban contrasts, from an arresting modern scene to streets with a more intimate atmosphere. Return to the hotel after the listed touring and meals.
Rail journey to Tianmen Mountain
Leave Chongqing by high-speed train and continue to Zhangjiajie, where the scenery takes on a new vertical dimension. Your second-class rail ticket is included; the train journey itself is unescorted. Upon reaching Zhangjiajie, the day's sightseeing centers on Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park.
Take in the mountain landscape and the contrast between the heights and the city below. Rather than another day of city streets, this is an introduction to the scale, contours and changing light of the Zhangjiajie region. The visit follows the locally arranged route within the park; specific cable-car rides or additional experiences are not separately promised. Afterwards, settle into your Zhangjiajie hotel, with breakfast, lunch and dinner included today.
The landscapes of Zhangjiajie
A full day in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park gives its extraordinary landscape the attention it deserves. Stone pillars rise above green slopes and wooded valleys, creating a succession of views that can feel both monumental and delicately layered. As the perspective changes, notice how individual peaks emerge from the larger forest of stone.
Today's focus is the national park itself, with touring organized according to local operating arrangements. Take time to absorb the mountain vistas and the play of light across the scenery, rather than treating the visit as a single photograph. Return to the same hotel for a second night, carrying a very different collection of impressions from yesterday's Tianmen Mountain visit. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included.
Fenghuang by the Tuo River
Journey from Zhangjiajie to Fenghuang Ancient Town, where the mood softens from soaring peaks to a riverfront scene of old streets and closely gathered buildings. Stroll beside the Tuo River and let the town reveal itself through the relationship between its water, lanes and traditional surroundings. It is a chance to appreciate a different scale of landscape, shaped as much by daily life as by nature.
The visit invites unhurried observation: the lines of riverside buildings, changing reflections and the atmosphere of the streets. Overnight in Fenghuang allows this chapter of western Hunan to unfold beyond a brief pass-through stop, before another visit tomorrow. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included today.
A final morning in Fenghuang
Enjoy a final visit to Fenghuang Ancient Town before leaving for Zhangjiajie Airport. The return to the town offers another opportunity to appreciate its lanes and riverside setting and to bring the journey to a gentle close. The timing of sightseeing and the airport transfer will follow your confirmed departure arrangements.
After breakfast and the scheduled visit, transfer to the airport for your onward flight. From Chengdu's pandas and Jiuzhai's watercolors to Chongqing's city layers and Zhangjiajie's peaks, eleven days of contrasting Chinese landscapes conclude here. No hotel stay is included tonight.
Your Day 1 arrival dates.
2026
September
October
November
December
2027
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
These are the listed arrival dates. Availability, operation and the final fare are subject to confirmation. Choosing a date does not confirm a booking.
Your journey, clearly priced.
All amounts are in USD. Adult tour prices are per person based on double occupancy. Tips and service are separately listed; please confirm the complete payable total before booking.
| Fare item | Low season · Nov 15–Mar 29 | Mid season · Mar 30–Jun 30 / Sep 1–Nov 14 | High season · Jul 1–Aug 30 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult tour fee, per person sharing | US$1,498 | US$1,598 | US$1,598 |
| Aged 12 or under, with bed | US$1,498 | US$1,598 | US$1,598 |
| Aged 12 or under, no bed and no breakfast | US$1,198 | US$1,298 | US$1,298 |
| Single supplement | US$480 | US$530 | US$580 |
| Tips & service fee, per person | US$180 | US$180 | US$180 |
| Pre/post-tour hotel, per room per night | US$118 | US$118 | US$118 |
| Extra transfer, per person per trip; minimum two people | US$30 | US$30 | US$30 |
Cancellation schedule
- More than 30 days prior to departure: No charge.
- 20–29 days (inclusive) prior to departure: 20% of total tour cost.
- 8–19 days (inclusive) prior to departure: 40% of total tour cost.
- 1–7 days (inclusive) prior to departure: 60% of total tour cost.
- On the departure date: 100% of total tour cost.
The cancellation table does not specify exactly 30 days before departure; request the applicable written term before payment.
What to expect along the way.
Included in the tour fare
- Accommodation at the named hotels or similar, according to the daily itinerary.
- Admission tickets for listed scenic attractions.
- Listed touring vehicle services and meals.
- Second-class high-speed rail tickets for the listed journeys.
- Tour guide service in Chinese or English during guided portions; no guide is provided on private airport/station transfers or high-speed train journeys.
- Travel-agency liability insurance as listed for this itinerary; coverage to be confirmed.
- One bottle of water per traveler per day.
Excluded or separately payable
- Any item not listed as included is at the traveler's own expense.
- The separately listed USD 180 per person tips and service fee is additional to the base tour fee.
- Optional Jiuzhaigou Romance Show and Chongqing Two-River Night Cruise tickets (each CNY 280 per person).
Optional experiences
- Jiuzhaigou Romance Show — CNY 280 per person.
- Chongqing Two-River Night Cruise ticket — CNY 280 per person.
Good to know before booking
- No compulsory shopping stops are listed. The itinerary states a minimum of two travelers; available dates and space require reconfirmation.
- Day 4 visits Huanglong OR Mounigou, according to actual arrangements; both are not promised.
- Guide service is not provided during private airport/station transfers or high-speed rail journeys.
- The tour operator reserves the right to adjust itinerary, hotels and meals according to actual arrangements.
- The published season table gives no price category for August 31; obtain a specific quotation before booking that date.
- The published cancellation schedule gives no rule for exactly 30 days before departure; ask for clarification before accepting payment.
- Departure dates, available inventory, payable total and booking conditions are confirmed on inquiry. This form is a request, not a confirmed reservation.