A family-friendly immersion into Sichuan province — from nose-to-nose encounters with giant pandas at the world’s foremost breeding center to the otherworldly turquoise pools of Jiuzhaigou and the colossal stone serenity of the Leshan Giant Buddha.
Day-by-Day Journey
Day 1: Arrive Chengdu. Touch down in the Sichuan capital and transfer to your hotel in the Kuanzhai Alley district. An evening walking tour introduces Chengdu’s tea-house culture and fiery street-food scene — try a bowl of dan dan noodles and a thimble of jasmine tea before the jet lag catches up.
Day 2: Giant Panda Base. An early start for the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, arriving before the crowds and while the pandas are at their most active. Watch cubs tumble in purpose-built nurseries and adult pandas strip bamboo in open-air enclosures. Afternoon at leisure — we recommend the Sichuan Cuisine Museum for hands-on cooking or the Wuhou Shrine for Three Kingdoms history.
Days 3–4: Jiuzhaigou National Park. Fly north into the mountains and enter one of China’s most astonishing natural reserves. Spend two days exploring Jiuzhaigou’s tiered waterfalls, crystal-clear lakes, and Tibetan prayer-flag-draped villages. A local Tibetan guide explains the geology behind the colors and the folk traditions that have protected this landscape for generations. Overnight in a lodge at the park’s edge, where the silence after sunset is absolute.
Day 5: Leshan Giant Buddha. Return to Chengdu and continue to Leshan, where the world’s largest stone Buddha — seventy-one meters tall — gazes over the confluence of three rivers. Descend the carved stairway alongside the statue’s immense ear, then take a river boat for the perspective that pilgrims have marveled at since the eighth century. Return to Chengdu for a farewell hotpot dinner — the definitive Sichuan communal experience.
Day 6: Departure. Morning transfer to Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport.
What’s Included
- Domestic flights (Chengdu–Jiuzhaigou–Chengdu)
- Five nights in comfortable three- to four-star hotels and lodges
- Private guide and vehicle throughout
- All entrance fees — Panda Base, Jiuzhaigou (two-day pass), Leshan Giant Buddha
- Leshan river boat ride
- Welcome dan dan noodle walk, farewell Sichuan hotpot dinner
- Airport transfers and luggage handling
Ideal for families with children aged six and above. The pacing allows generous free time each afternoon, and our guides carry activity packs and story cards to keep younger travelers engaged between sites. Private departures available daily; group departures run twice monthly from April through October.