The Most Frequent Asked Questions about Sichuan Trekking Tours

Where is the Best Part to Trek in Sichuan?

Sichuan, a province in southwest China, is a land of many faces. While central Sichuan is the land of pandas, southern Sichuan is a road less explored with hidden history, northern Sichuan is where you can find the fairy tale like sceneries, and western Sichuan is where you have abundance of plateaus and glacial mountains. Sichuan may be the origin for a world renowned cuisine and it may be the homeland of pandas, but Sichuan has much more to offer for the tourists. The best place to trek in Sichuan is the western Sichuan where is no dearth of trails and mountains to hike. As you venture more into west you will start seeing the Tibetan face of Sichuan, this region is called as the Kham.

Western Sichuan - The Best Place to Trek in Sichuan

Do I Need a Tibet Travel Permit when Trekking in the Tibetan Areas in Sichuan?

No, Tibet Travel Permit is not required to travel to the Tibetan areas in Sichuan. They are not required if you are planning to trek in the Tibetan areas in Sichuan as it is very much still a part of Sichuan geographically. It is a permit that is required for foreigners to enter Tibet, visit Lhasa, or any parts of Tibetan Autonomous Region.

How about Accommodation along the Way?

In well developed tourism spots and popular destinations like there are plenty options for comfortable accommodation. Jiuzhaigou has the most luxurious accommodations of all the tourist spots in Western Sichuan. Jiuzhaigou has 5-star, 4-star, 3-star luxury hotels, traveler lodges, economy hotels, and hostels. The star hotels have exotic spas, international cuisines, and provide the best views of Jiuzhaigou from your bedroom.

Providing the best views of Jiuzhaigou from your bedroom.

Mount Siguniang also has decent accommodations in the Siguniangshan County; there are both hotels and hostels to choose from. If you want to stay overnight while trekking the four sister mountains or the valleys then camping is the only way to go. Generally speaking, the accommodation in western Sichuan mountain area, such as Mount Gongga, Mount Yala and Mount Genie, the accommodation condition is quite basic.

During trekking and climbing in the mountainous areas the accommodation options are limited. You can either pitch tents and camp the night, or in very few places there are lodges with basic amenities where you can just stay for the night.

What to Eat?

The best way to have a holistic travel experience is to eat the local cuisine wherever you are. In Sichuan it is all the more better because Sichuan has a cuisine that is popular all of the world and known for its rich blend of spices and different flavors. Some of the most popular Sichuan dishes are twice-cooked pork, spicy diced chicken with peanuts, and fish flavored pork shreds.

Fish Flavored Pork Shreds

While travelling the Tibetan areas of Sichuan you will get to eat a lot of Tibetan specials in the hotels, the local popular dish is the Tibetan local snakes. While trekking you might mostly eat instant dishes like instant noodles. You can buy oatmeal, cookies jams, bread, instant noodles, nuts, energy bars and such before starting the trek, preferably in Chengdu itself.

But when travelling with the porters you can eat the local food with a blend of both Tibetan and Sichuan cuisines which is usually a little spicy. For dinner they stir boiled vegetables with noodles or rice. For breakfast it is tea and bread or noodles.

How Long is the Trekking Tour?

The time and duration of your trek depends on what tour you choose. There are easy, moderate, and hard trekking routes in Sichuan. There are trekking tours ranging from one day to seven days. You can choose the level the difficulty depending on your physical ability, budget, and time available.

Easy Trekking:
Mount Emei is an easy trek that can be experienced by everyone. It gives a culturally immersive experience as it is a sacred Buddhist Mountain. the distance to the summit of the 3,066m mountain is just 60km. You can do both one day and two day trek in Mount Emei as you can cover all the attractions in two days. Another other destination for an easy trek that is suitable for all is Jiuzhaigou. Jiuzhaigou, the fairyland of China, has three valleys to explore—Zechawa, Rize, and Shuzeng valleys. All the three valleys can be explored by foot or in the tourist bus. Each valley takes a day to explore. You can hike up by foot and then come down to the base by bus.

Mount Emei is an easy trek.

Moderate Trekking:
For moderate level trekking with pleasant sceneries Daocheng Yading is the best place to go. Apart from seeing attractions in the nature reserve you can go for Kora treks. Kora is an activity that involves walking around the holy mountain in a circle. There are both small and big Kora treks. Small Kora treks can be taken up by anyone and takes about 2 days. Mount Siguniang Trek is another option for moderate level treks. There are many trekking trails in Mount Siguniang and choosing 3-4 day trek in Bipeng Valley is a perfect trail for a moderate trek.

Daocheng Yading is the best place to go.

Hard Core Trekking:
Sichuan has something to offer for hard core trekkers too. Mount Gongga, Mount Yala, Mount Genie are some of the popular mountains for hard core, serious trekking. Mount Gongga has extensive 9-day trekking route that involves exploring off-beat horse trails, ancient Buddhist monasteries and much more. Mount Yala, located in the Kham region, is a Tibetan holy Mountain with trekking tours for 9 days. It is the second highest mountain in Sichuan’s Daxue Range and is snow capped all around the year.

Mount Yala - Tibetan Holy Mountain

When is the Best Time to Trek in Sichuan?

The best months to trek in Sichuan are May, July, August, and October. June and September see a lot of rains compared to other months. May and October have less or no rainfall and the temperature is always above zero. It gets cold above the altitude of 3,500m and a lot colder at nights. October sees the most number of tourists, as the scenery in October is refreshing with the golden leaves covering the mountain slopes. July and August are the summer months of Sichuan. The temperature goes as high as 250 C. the place sees summer showers now and then which doesn’t last very long. During these months even the nights don’t get very cold.

October sees the most number of tourists.

Will I Get Altitude Sickness while Trekking in Sichuan?

Most of the trekking routes in Sichuan involves going as high as 3,500m and above. It is likely that you will get altitude sickness if you don’t do proper acclimatization. Anybody can get altitude sickness irrespective of physical fitness and age. The average elevation of Bipeng Valley Trek is 4,000m; Mount Gongga Trek is 4,550m; Mount Yala is 4,216m; Mount Emei is 3,026m etc.

It is advisable to get medications for altitude sickness beforehand from your doctor; you can carry small oxygen tanks with you in case you get headaches or breathing problems at high altitude. They are easily available in tourist destinations. If you still feel sick with all the medications and precautions it is advisable that you move down to lower altitude as soon as possible.

How about Transportation?

Most of the tourists land in Chengdu and then travel to the trekking destinations. Mostly the trekking guide will meet you in Chengdu and then drive to the starting point of the treks. The road condition from Chengdu to Mount Siguniang is poor and bumpy; you can either hire a car or take the public transport if you are on your own.

From Chengdu to Daocheng Yading, it takes at least 22 hours by road. It is best to go by air to Daocheng. If you are going by road there are public buses and car rentals, but mind you the roads are a bit steep.

From Chengdu, Mount Gongga is 350 km away, like wise most of the trekking destinations are far from Chengdu, so it is best advised that you choose your mode of transport depending on the road conditions, distance, budget, and time available.

What to Pack for Trekking Tour in Sichuan?

Three season sleeping bag, waterproof backpacks, waterproof shoes, sunglasses, sun blocks, water purifiers, climbing gears (can be rented too), thermal suits, down jackets, waterproof jackets, rain coats, water bottles, walking poles, camera, camera batteries, cell phone, fleece, socks, medications, first-aid kit, flashlight, insect repellent, toiletries, energy bars and instant foods.