8 Days Mount Gongga Adventure Tour

Erlang Mountain Tunnel

The old street in Moxi Ancient Town

After breakfast at the hotel around 8:30am we will set off on our first destination, Moxi Ancient Town that is situated at the entrance of the Conch Gully/Hailuogou Glacier Forest Park. The whole driving journey will be more than 6 hours and usually arrives in Moxi Town at around 15:00. It will be a long driving, however, you will never feel tired and bored cause the scenery along the way will be incredibly breathtaking, especially when passing through the Eelang Mountain Tunnel - the blue sky, green river, sunshine - making sure you keep looking out the window!

After check-in, walk around the Moxi Ancient Town and feel its original local lifestyle and custom. Then head to visit the Catholic Church that the Chairman Mao used to stay during the war period. We return to our hotel after dinner at a local featured restaurant.

Gongga Spirit Hot Spring: If you are interested in enjoying a hot spring and getting some relaxing, enquire it with our tour guide and after confirmation, head to the Camp One of Conch Gully Park where you can enjoy a running hot spring, costing 188RMB per person that you need to pay by yourself. It is the best iceberg hot spring with highest-quality hot water. BTW, you will not have the symptoms of high altitude since its altitude is only 1,580m.

Stay overnight in Moxi Ancient Town

• Drive 275km, about 4 hours
• High Altitude: Moxi Ancient Town (1,600m)
• Internet & Wifi
• Moxi Boutique Hotel (standard room with private bathroom)
• Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Hailuogou Glaciers Park

Red Rock Valley

Today after breakfast at the hotel, we head to the Conch Gully/Hailuogou Park, then take the sightseeing bus to enter the park. It takes about 90 minutes to arrive at the cableway station of dry river dam passing through the Camp Two and Three, where you can either walk or take the cablecar up to the spectacular Glacier. After about 3~4 hours' sightseeing, leave for the next destination - Yajiageng to see the world's unique Red Rock Valley. Yajiageng, also called Yajia Loving Sea, is the landscape corridor between Hailuohou and Kangting County, honored as the World's Red Rock Park. There is the only Red Rock Valley in the world, the glistening highland lake, the vast snow mountains, the multicolored flower sea, the pristine ruin site of the ancient tea horse road, the cute red panda, as well as the famous Xikang Magnolia. The sightseeing ends at the Xuemen Ridge (3,850m), then go downhill and back to the ancient city of love songs - Kangting for the night.

Note:
There are three ways to visit the Glacier of Hailuogou Park, and our tour guide will suggest you the best way according to the weather and your physical condition.

1.) By cablecar: if it was sunshine, you would have the chance to overlook and get a panorama view of the park, feeling its spectacularity and magnificence by taking the cablecar. It costs 150RMB/person for a return trip and you need to pay by yourself.

2.) By walking: It needs 0.5~1 hour to get to the observation deck. During the walking, you will go through the primeval forest and the scenery is breathtaking. You can also go down the observation deck to have a very close visit of the Glacier.

3.) By slider: It is a unique way only can be found in Sichuan Province, suitable for the elders. It allows to enjoy the same view as the walkers do. The fees are different based on the distance from 20-80RMB.

Stay overnight in Kangding

• Drive 75km, about 0.5-1 hours
• High Altitude: Kangding (2,900m)
• Internet & Wifi
• Kangting Local Hotel (Standard Room with private bathroom)
• Breakfast, Dinner

The picturesque road from Xiduqiao to Tagong Grassland

Tagong Grassland and Tagong Temple

Today after breakfast, we will drive across the well-known Zheduo Mountain that is famous for its marvelous sea of clouds, and arrive in the paradise of photography - Xinduqiao with enjoying the Muya Tibetans' peaceful countryside scenery and lifestyle along the way. Xinduqiao is honored as the paradise of photographers, not because of the village itself, but the 33km landscape corridor from Xinduqiao to Tagong Grassland - the winding river, the blooming flowers in summer, the golden terek bostan in autumn, the unique Tibetan houses, as well as the wonderful lighting and shades casted from the clouds. After lunch on the road, visit the Tagong Grassland. Tagong in Tibetan is meaning the most favorite place of Bodhisattva, so it is one of the holy land that the Tibetans pilgrimize and worship, praised as the second Jokhang Temple. The Yala Kamiyama rises straight from the grassland, palatial magnificent with curled clouds and snow all around the year. At about 15:30, head to the black rock city of Gaoersi Mountain, which is one of the mysterious religion holy land with the black rocks all over the mountain. It is the best point to overlook the king of Sichuan mountains - Gongga from the west to the east. Most of the master-class photos on the internet were taken from here. After sunset, return back to the Xinduqiao.

Stay overnight in Xinduqiao

• Drive 311km
• High Altitude: Black Rock City (4,300m), Xinduqiao (3,400m)
• Internet & Wifi
• Xinduqiao Local Hotel (standard room with private bathroom)
• Breakfast, Dinner

The unique Jiagenba Octagon Watchtower

Sinter Beach or Quanhuatan

Our tour guide will wake you up in the early morning for photographing the spectacular sunrise of Xinduqiao. After breakfast, drive north along the winding Qiu River and enjoy the terek bostan and Muya Tibetans on the banks and arrive in Jiagenba where to see the unique octagon watchtower, then pass through Liuba Town and arrive at the Shangmuju Village on the foot of Gongga Mountain. After the picnic in the village, drive to the Sinter Beach (Quanhuatan) located in the Yulong West village (Yulongxicun) with a length and width of more than 900m and 100m, 8 sinter terraces formed along the mountain. There are couples of multicolorful lakes with different sizes and a depth of 40~70cm in each terrace; the water plants growing closely, the stone flowers dotted in the lake, like the fairyland fallen in the world. Here is also one of the best photography points of Gongga Mountain. At 16:00, head to Zimeiyakou where to see the sunset of the holy Gongga Mountain and ready to capture the amazing moments. Then return back to Shangmuju Village, and have a local dinner in one of the Muya Tibetan's families.

Stay overnight in Shangmuju Village

• Drive 216km, about 4 hours
• High Altitude: Shangmuju Village (3,700m), Zimeiyakou (4,550m)
• Internet & Wifi
• Tibetan Family in Jiamuju Village (Multiple bedded rooms)
• Breakfast, Dinner

After breakfast in the morning, head to Jiulong County where the Wuxu Sea is located. Along the way, go across the Jichou Mountain, pass through the Rilukou Grassland, enjoy the octagon watchtower, traversing the white birch forest with hundreds of miles, enjoy the magnificent ranges of Gongga Mountain as well; it's like swimming in the paintings. After lunch in Jiulong County, head to tourist reception center of the Wuxu Sea, you can either walk or ride a horse to get to Wuxu Sea. The fee of riding a horse is about 40~160RMB different with the distance, and you need to pay by yourself. The forest around the Wuxu Sea is very primitive and magnificent, and it is the most beautiful forest I've ever seen in Sichuan Province. Return back to Jiulong County after the visit.

Stay overnight in Jiulong

• Drive 203km, about 3 hours
• High Altitude: Wuxu Sea (3,760m), Jiulong County (2,960m)
• Internet & Wifi
• Jiulong Local Hotel (Standard Room with private bathroom)
• Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Yaxi Expressway

Shimian County

Today will be a long-driving day with about 8 hours from Jiulong to Shimian. The landscape of today is nothing compared with the 5 days earlier, but you can feel the changes of landscapes and lifestyle from the Ganzi region to Liangshan region, Tibetan area to Yi area, highland to river valley. Besides, the Ya-Xi (Ya'an to Xichang) express way is very beautiful. In the evening, you will taste the very famous Shimian barbecue.

Stay overnight in Shimian

• Drive 299KM, about 8 hours
• High Altitude: Shimian (870m)
• Internet & Wifi
• Shimian Local Hotel (Standard Room with private bathroom)
• Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today is the day to back to Chengdu and also the last day of our tour. Along the Dadu River, passing through the Hanyuan and Yingjing, arrive in Ya'an where stops to have lunch in the Shangli Ancient Town and walk around the town after lunch. Continue to head back to Chengdu in the afternoon, and we will visit the Pingle Ancient Town on the way if the time allows. At about 18:30, arrive in Chengdu and escort to your hotel or the airport/train station for your next destination.

• Drive 366km, about 4.5 hours
• High Altitude: Chengdu (540m)
• Internet & Wifi
• Breakfast, Lunch