Redesigned

China: Sichuan Heritage by Bicycle

Day 1 Arrive in Chengdu

On arrival in Chengdu and after checking into the hotel, we meet our guide and the rest of the group for a briefing and to fit our bikes. Chengdu has the reputation as a very "laid-back" city that emphasizes culture and relaxation and is a great introduction to this fascinating country. In the evening we have dinner together and a chance to try the traditional Sichuan hot pot, a popular spicy dish.

Celebrity Ruicheng Hotel
Dinner

Day 2 Chengdu - Anren

After breakfast, drive out of the city center to spend the morning with pandas. We transfer to the new Dujiangyan Panda Valley where we spend a few hours meeting the lovable pandas. Our bikes will be waiting for us to ride when we finish our visit. We cycle 20 km from the valley to Jiezi Old Town, along the foot of Mount Qingcheng. Jiezi has a history of over 1,000 years and boasts 32 temples and a number of historical sites, but it is also a bit touristy, so we won't linger too long. After our stop we ride on to Anren Ancient Town, through countryside, and in late February and March, when the canola flowers bloom, the farmland scenery is truly spectacular. The terrain is primarily flat and will be easy riding. In the afternoon we will cycle to the historic town of Anren which is famed for having 27 mansions built during the period of the Republic of China.

De Men Ren Li Hotel
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Ride 63km
+282m
-246m

Day 3 Anren - Mengding Mountain

Today we leave the flats behind and head for the hills as we begin our climb up into tea country. We stop to visit White Horse Spring which was constructed during the Tang Dynasty and named because clops can be heard when the water ebbs and flow. From there it's a short downhill to Shangli Ancient Town, famous for their noodles which we will have for lunch. From here we transfer up to perhaps the most famous tea garden in China. Via gondola we are taken to the top of the Mengdingshan Royal Tea Gardens, home to the world’s oldest living tea trees and where China's finest green tea was grown to serve royalty. We will spend an hour walking on trails and there are great views if the weather cooperates. We transfer to our hotel in the town of Ya'an.

Howdy Smart Hotel
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Ride 45km
+1098m
-721m

Day 4 Mengding - Mt Emei

A short transfer to our ride start. Today we cycle through rolling hills and farmland to the village of Caoyuthan. Here we cross a river by a small dam and continue along a quiet, little country road following the river. After lunch we ride to the back of Mt. Emei, the highest of four sacred Buddhist mountains in China. At around 63 km the climbing starts and we will hop into the van to reach our hotel in the village of Linggongli, in the shadow of this majestic mountain.

Yangxinzhai Hotel
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Ride 63km
+921m
-1593m

Day 5 Mt Emei - Leshan

We have an early start to spend the day exploring Mt. Emei. Cyclists are not allowed on park roads so we take a 40 minute bus ride to where we catch a cable car to the top of the mountain at 3077 m/10,168 ft. We spend an hour at the summit touring the many temples and shrines on this most holy peak. The views are weather dependent, but if it is clear we won’t be disappointed. We take the cable car and bus down again, but this time all the way to the base of the mountain. After lunch our bikes are ready and waiting for us and in the afternoon we continue our ride to Leshan, located at the confluence of the Dadu and Min Rivers. If time allows, we take a short boat ride to see the world's largest seated Buddha, a 71 metres (233 ft) tall stone statue, built during the Tang Dynasty, carved out of a cliff face. We spend the night here in Leshan.

Chonpines Hotel
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Ride 30km
+182m
-304m

Day 6 Leshan - Huanglongxi

Today we ride north and upstream roughly following the Min River for the entire day. It is a very pretty road as we pass through orchards and rice fields. The first leg will be 27 km to the temple of Qingshanzongyan where we take a break and go for a walk through a secluded network of paths in a peaceful bamboo mountain forest. Along the way there are some ancient bas-reliefs cut into the shale cliffs, and some small shrines. Our lunch stop is at a local riverside restaurant. When we reach the town of Meishan we'll decide if we want to continue riding along the river or transfer to our final destination of Huanglongxi. This quaint town with classic Chinese architecture has been restored and preserved and more than 180 Chinese movies have been filmed here. The village sees a lot of day visitors, but few people spend the night here and we have the ancient alleys to ourselves to explore. As it’s the last night of the tour we enjoy a farewell dinner together.

Caston Huanglong Hotel
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Ride 75km
+481m
-435m

Day 7 Chengdu Airport

We transfer directly to the airport (which is conveniently part way between Huanglongxi and Chengdu) in time for your onward flight. Or if you are extending your stay in Chengdu we can drop you at a city hotel.

Breakfast

Disclaimer: The adventure cycling tours we operate often go beyond the beaten track, and the countries where we ride are not always predictable. Due to these reasons, it is occasionally necessary to reroute or update itineraries. Our guarantee is that we will not change a trip unless for safety or to improve it. Our listed hotels are always accurate at the time of writing, but should we have to change any hotel, it will always be for a similar or better one.