6 days
Chengdu and its pandas
Chengdu, Leshan, Emeishan
Sichuan
Sichuan province
Sichuan Province (四川 – four rivers) is located in the south-west of China. The western part of Sichuan touches Tibet and is part of Kham. It also borders with the provinces of Yunnan, Qinghai, Gansu, Shaanxi, Guizhou and Chongqing.
This province is mainly known for its pandas, emblems of China and its spicy food (Sichuan pepper, mala).
Sichuan's pandas:
Some addresses of panda centers in Sichuan:
– Chengdu Research base of Giant panda breeding (address: 成都市成华区熊猫大道1375号. Opening hours between 8.30am & 6pm)
– Dujiangyan Giant panda center (at Shiqiao village, 2hours away from Chengdu. Address: 都江堰市青城山镇石桥社区怀中路 opening hours from 8.30am to 5pm)
– Bifengxia panda base (located in Ya’An. Address: 雅安市雨城区碧峰峡风景区内, opening hours from 9am to 4pm)
Those centers offer volunteer programs for pandas (contact us).
Giant buddha of Leshan:
Leshan Giant Buddha (“Western-style” seated Maitreya) is also the pride of Sichuan. Not far from Mount Emei it was carved into the cliff of Mount Lingyun. It is 71 meters high and 28 meters wide, its head is 14.7 meters high, each eye is 3 meters long, and each ear is 7 meters. You can see Buddha along the cliff but also have a nice view of it from the river (depending on the seasons and level of the water)
Sichuan mountains:
Mount Emei (峨嵋山 Emeishan) is one of the four sacred Buddhist mountains in China, the highest one and it culminates at 3099m. It is good to spend at least two days there. There are cable cars to facilitate its ascent but you will have to walk to get to the top. These are steps, not trails, so your calves might hurt for a few days afterwards. You will find temples on your way as well as monkeys (be careful with your belongings, especially food). It is possible to sleep in the mountains but often the conditions there are quite simple.
Mount Gongga (贡嘎山 Minya Konka), known as the king of the mountains of Sichuan dominates the province culminating at 7556m. Find our trek.
Our tours and hikes in Sichuan province
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