8 days Chengdu, Yading Nature Reserve, Mount Meili, Lijiang overland tour

Chengdu
⇀ Kangding
⇀ Litang
⇀ Daocheng
⇀ Yading
⇀ Xiangcheng
⇀ Deqin
⇀ Zhongdian
⇀ Lijiang
Experience an excellent picturesque trip traveling from Chengdu to the real Shangri-la and ending in Lijiang. A tour that passes through the wonderful virgin forest and snow-capped mountains of Daocheng and Yading. So much more awaits.
Type
Private
Duration
8 days
Theme
Natural scenery, Overland
Trip code
WS-504
Price
From CN¥ 8,100 per person
This one week plus overland tour takes you to see the real Shangri-la! You will have almost two days to explore Yading Nature Reserve for its three saint snow capped peaks, impressive forested valleys with clear rivers, glacier-fed lakes and abundant wildlife. Then continue traveling to Deqin in Yunnan via Xiangcheng and Derong counties to Snow Mountain of Meili, another great holy mountain for Tibetans, the spectacular view at Feilaisi will make the whole trip worthy, hiking to Minyong Glacier at the foot of the mountain is another plus. Afterwards heading to Shangri-la (formerly called Zhongdian County), another main Tibetan Kham culture center, visit the grand Songzanlin monastery in the town and then travel to Lijiang to end this time of travel, with a stop to visit to Tiger leaping Gorge.
Day 01 :
Chengdu / Kangding (336km) / Xinduqiao (402Km, 7 hours)

Drive to Kangding via Ya'an. The ride is comfortable in the morning but will get tougher in the afternoon. You'll pass Erlang mountain-the first pass of the countless high mountains on the Sichuan-Tibet highway. You will arrive at Kangding-the capital city of Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. After free explore Kangding city, then continue driving to Xindu Qiao. Cross over the Mt. Zheduo at an elevation of 4300m, Xindu Qiao is known as the paradise for photographing, on the way to Xinduqiao, you will have plenty of time to take photos. Overnight at Xinduqiao.

Day 02 :
Xinduqiao / Yajiang / Litang / Daocheng (353km, 7-8hours)

Today drive from Xinduqiao to our trip highlight- Daocheng via Litang, in the morning pass two 4300m high mountains-the Jianziwan & Kazila mountain. Lunch at Litang . With its 4010m altitude, the county is  no doubt the highest city in the world. In addition to its beautiful scenery & spectacular local Tibetan customs, another tourist attraction is the Hose-racing Festival in every August. Therefore, if you are here at the very right time, you'll never miss the chance for the hose-racing & dressing show. Another 146km ride to Daocheng will be continued after the visit to a Tibetan monastery. Daocheng is a county that you will enjoy because of its rich soil & Tibetan culture, and a good place for recharging yourself before Yading. You may relax yourself by bathing at the hot spring & the Tibetan local dancing show.

Day 03 :
Daocheng / Yading village ( 111km, 3-4hours )

Morning drive to Yading Nature Reserve, the countryside scenery en route is very charming and the road is perfect, it drives approximately 2 hours to Shangrila town, here you will buy the entrance ticket and take the local sightseeing bus to Zhaguanbeng (about 1.5-2hours), then hike to Chonggu Temple for about 10-15 minutes, see the scenery of Chonggu Temple and holy peak Xiannairi. From Chonggu Temple trekking up to Drolma-la Tso ( Pearl Lake ) about 1 hour per way. Pearl Lake is the best place to view the holy peak Xiannairi. Afterwards, walk back to Zhaguanbeng for about 1 hour and then take the sightseeing back to Yading village for the night. Overnight at Yading village local guest house.

Day 04 :
Yading Nature Reserve ( Luorong Pasture / Milk lake) / Shangrila town

Morning hops on a sightseeing bus to Zhaguanbeng and then hike to Chonggu Temple. After that take the local storage battery bus to Luorong Pasture (about 15 minutes), which is the best place to pilgrim the three saint peaks of Xiannairi, Yangmaiyong and Xialuoduojie. After arriving at Luorong Pasture, you can choose to hike up to Milk lake (4500m high) and Multi-color lake (hike at least 3.5 hours), normally we suggest our clients ride horse to visit Milk lake (about 2-3 hours, costs 300RMB/45USD per person). Afterwards return to Luorong Pasture and then take the bus to Chonggu temple, here you need walk down and take the sightseeing bus to Shangrila Town.  Overnight at Yading Shangrila Town.

Day 05 :
Shangri-la town / Xiangcheng county / Benzilan, 230Km, 6hours driving

Today drive from Shangri-la town to Benzilan town via Xiangcheng county, enjoy the beautiful landscapes on the way. Arrive at Benzilan town in the afternoon, a border town between Sichuan and Yunnan provinces on the bank of Jinshang River, it was used to be one important town at Tea Horse Road, here you will see the famous Jinsha River Bend. Overnight at Benzilan town. 

Day 06 :
Benzilan town/ Deqin, 100Km, 3hours drive

Morning set off to Deqin county by passing Snow mountains with roughly 3 hours drive. Feilaisi is only a few kilometers from Deqin, it is the best place to see holy Mount Meili, one of the most sacred mountains of Tibetan Buddhism. 'Kang Karpo Peak' means the God of Snow Mountain in Tibetan, and is a holy land for worshiping. Local Tibetan pilgrims from Central Tibet, Qinghai, Sichuan and Gansu provinces travel to Mount Meili at the beginning of winter to worship. Thousands of devout pilgrims worship together and encircle the holy mountain, adding even more mystery and loftiness to the mountain. Afternoon if you like hiking, then spend 2-3 hours hiking to Mingyong Glacier at the foot of Mount Meili. Enjoy the brilliant sunset over Mount Meili when has great weather. Overnight at Feilaisi local hotel.

Day 07 :
Deqin / Shangri-la (Zhongdian), 184km, 4-5hours drive

Early morning enjoy the sunrise at Mount Meili, then drive to Shangri-la (Zhongdian) by passing White horse mountains. Afternoon visit the Grand Songzhanlin Monastery, which is belong to Yellow school of Tibetan Buddhism and is regarded the little Potala Palace. Overnight at Zhongdian.

Day 08 :
Shangri-la (Zhongdian) / Lijiang, end the tour.

After breakfast drive to Lijiang, the World-class Cultural Legacy by UNESCO for its historical remains of building and culture. En route visit the famous Tiger-leaping Gorges ( Only upper Gorge). The tour will be end once you check in at Lijiang.

Tour notes:

Please note prices are based in CNY.

General inclusions:

All required government taxes and fees.
Please contact one of our Tour Advisors to get a custom quotation made to your requirements.
Your selection of 3, 4 or 5 Stars hotel (shared twin room, private bathroom and daily breakfast)
All entrance tickets as noted in the tour's itinerary.
Guide fluent in English, Chinese or Japanese that is certified by the state tourism build and from the local community. (If your native language is not listed please let us know, we are certain we can assist your needs.)
Transportation will we be provided via a comfortable and clean car, minivan or tourist bus depending upon the groups size.

General exclusions:

Personal expenses such as laundry, drinks, internet access, fax, telephone calls etc.
Tips for your guide and driver.
Meals that are not specified in the tour itinerary.
Optional Attractions that are not specified in the itinerary.
Flight and/or railway ticket(s) to the first city of the tour and departure from the last city of the tour.

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Comments

Donna
Donna
Sat, 06/02/2018

Hi,

We are 2 adults looking to travel the Kham region late Nov 2018. Could you please send more detailed information and price for this trip. Would we be able to extend to add one further night in Zongdian?

Thank you, Donna

Replied by
Victoria Zhu
Victoria Zhu
Mon, 06/04/2018

In reply to by Donna (not verified)

Hi Donna,

Thank you for your inquiry. This is Victoria, one of the travel advisers in WindhorseTour, responding to you. And sorry for my late reply as we were out of office for the weekend.

Based on your information above, I have drafted out a detailed proposal with quotation and shared to you by email, please kindly go through it and share me your thoughts. With your replies, we can adjust the proposal to meet your needs best.

I am looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Best regards,
Victoria

Howard Schulman
Howard Schulman
Sun, 04/23/2017

i have been to beijing shanghai xian and yangtze. am looking to see other parts of china. i recently started studying mandarin. am only one person, but just let me know what payment is needed. i would pay more for covering more sites and having a good guide than having a luxury hotel, though hotel location is important. i am looking for a 10-14 day trip. i am also interested in staying on my own in shanghai again by myself for 4 days to do some walking around, shopping and visiting a water village/west lake from there. thank you.

Replied by
personal picture
Anita Fan
Mon, 04/24/2017

In reply to by Howard Schulman (not verified)

Hi Howard,
Thanks for your inquiry. This is Anita from WindhorseTour.
We can definitely make your trip happen, and I just sent an email with more details. Please kindly go through it and let me know if you have any further questions on it.
Look forward to hearing from you soon.
Best Regards,
Anita

Claire
Claire
Sun, 05/15/2016

I'm interested in this trip, to start in July (the 23rd or 24th). I would be traveling by myself. Is this possible? Can you give me a quote?

Replied by
Yuki from WindhorseTour
Yuki Yi
Tue, 05/17/2016

In reply to by Claire (not verified)

Hello Claire,

Thanks for your comments! Please kindly note that we only organize private tours for this travel route. So we can certainly arrange the trip for you even you are traveling alone. I've sent you the email with some information, please check it. Please feel free to contact for any comments or thoughts you may have for the tour.
Look forward to hearing from you soon!

Best Regards,
Yuki

Connie
Connie
Wed, 03/02/2016

Hi,
I am very interested in this tour and should be grateful if you could email me with further details. I would be looking to travel solo at the end of July, later this year.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Many thanks and kind regards,
Connie

Replied by
Yuki from WindhorseTour
Yuki Yi
Thu, 03/03/2016

In reply to by Connie (not verified)

Hi Connie,

Thanks for your comments! I've sent you the details via E-mail, please check it and let me know if you have any further questions / information on it.

Best Regards,
Yuki

Amanda Kim
Amanda Kim
Wed, 09/30/2015

Hi!
We are 2 people arriving Chengdu 23/12/15 is it possible to tailor this trip to visit Mt Gongga and Hailuogou glacier as well? We're really more interest ends in kangding and yading.
We are happy to end in Lijiang.
Thank you!

Replied by
Lycoris Yang
Lycoris Yang
Wed, 09/30/2015

In reply to by Amanda Kim (not verified)

Hi Amanda,
Thanks for contacting us! Yes, we can certainly arrange this tour for you. I've just sent you an email with details, please kindly check it.
Looking forward to hearing from your thoughts soon!
Best Regards,
Lycoris

Lycoris Yang
Lycoris Yang
Tue, 06/10/2014

Hi Henry,
Thanks for contacting us! Yes, we can certainly arrange this tour for you. I've just sent you an email with details of tour proposal and price, please kindly check it and you are welcome to ask me if you have any question.
Regards,
Lycoris

Henry Leong
Henry Leong
Wed, 06/04/2014

Hi,
We are 2 person from Singapore and is interested in the above trip but can it be modified to start from Shangrila and end in Chengdu? Our dates available are on Sat 25Oct to 1Nov ; in Zhongdian on 25Oct morning and need to leavie chengdu on 2 Nov.
Can this be done? And do you have an estimate of the cost and an itinerary for it?