Fairyland Jiuzhaigou & Avatar Mountains—15 Days

ChinaTour.com International, Inc.
888-410-4111
»
»

Chinatour.com is one of the leading China tour operators located in the USA and Canada. With the help of our operating centers in China, we are able to show you both the metropolitan lifestyle and the beautiful scenery experiences, with memories that will last you a lifetime. The Chinese civilization is beautiful and mysterious, so plan today and explore this magical land.

ITINERARY
Days 1: Fly to Beijing (in-flight meals)
During your overnight flight to Beijing, enjoy meals, drinks and in-flight entertainment.

Day 2: Arrive in Chengdu
You will be greeted by your tour guide who will take you to your hotel. Check in and get some rest for the big tour ahead.

Day 3: Chengdu/Jiuzhaigou
Fly to Jiuhuang and in the afternoon explore Huanglong National Park. “The ‘World Wonder’ and ‘Fairy Land on Earth’ are names enjoyed by the Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area, which is well known for its colorful lakes, snow clad mountains, valleys and virgin forest. Due to its layered calcium carbonated deposit patterns, the valley resembles a golden dragon winding its way through the virgin forest, stone mountains and glaciers. Along the valley are scattering numerous colorful ponds of different sizes and shapes, which are strewn with gold colored limestone deposit giving a shimmering golden hue to water, so in sunlight, a golden dragon seems to surge forth from the forest. Thus it was named ‘Huanglong Valley’ (Yellow Dragon Valley).
» Food Amenities: American breakfast, lunch and dinner
» Hotel: (4 Stars)

Day 4: Jiuzhaigou
Today you will have a full day to explore the UNESCO World Heritage Jiuzhaigou Valley. This little hidden secret is not well known among foreigners. Upon entering the scenic area, a group of exquisite, crystal clear ponds will immediately catch your eyes with their unparalleled and esthetic charm. From the ponds, you can see the interwoven reflection of trees, mountains, clouds and sky. Along the valley, you will see many attractions including Huanglong (Yellow Dragon) Temple, Huanglong (Yellow Dragon) Cave, Shitazhenhai and Zhuanhua (whirling flower) Pond, etc. In the Huanglong Cave, there are three sitting Buddha figures whose bodies are encrusted with calc-sinter crystals. This whole area is filled with breathtaking features, beautiful streams, waterfalls and wildlife. In the evening you can enjoy an optional campfire party and roast lamb dinner.
» Food Amenities: American breakfast, lunch and dinner
» Hotel: (4 Stars)

Day 5: Jiuzhaigou and Chengdu
You will take a flight to Chengdu in the morning to visit an ancient technological wonder: The Dujiangyan Irrigation System. This irrigation system was originally built in 256 Bcby Qin governor Li Bing. It seemed that people who lived along the banks of the Min River were plagued by annual flooding. Lǐ Bīng investigated the problem and discovered that the river was swelled by fast flowing spring melt-water from the local mountains that burst the banks when it reached the slow moving and heavily silted stretch below. One solution would have been to build a dam but Li Bing had also been charged with keeping the waterway open for military vessels to supply troops on the frontier, so instead he proposed to construct an artificial levee to redirect a portion of the river’s flow and then to cut a channel through Mount Yulei to discharge the excess water upon the dry Chengdu Plain beyond. The levee was constructed from long sausage-shaped baskets of woven bamboo filled with stones and held in place by wooden tripods. The massive construction took four years to complete. After the system was finished, no more floods occurred. The irrigation made Sichuan the most productive agricultural place in China. On the east side of Dujiangyan, people built a shrine in remembrance of Li Bing. It is still in use today to irrigate over 5,300 square kilometers of land in the region. Today, Dujiangyan has become a major tourist attraction. It is also admired by scientists from around the world, because of one feature. Unlike contemporary dams where the water is blocked with a huge wall, Dujiangyan still lets water go through naturally. Modern dams do not let fish go through very well, since each dam is a wall and the water levels are different. In 2000, Dujiangyan became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
» Food Amenities: American breakfast, lunch and special dinner
» Hotel: (4 stars)

Day 6: Chengdu and Mt. Emei
Start the day off looking at endangered wild animals and pandas at the Chengdu Panda Research Center. Chengdu Panda Base has not only dedicated itself to giant panda conservation, but has also made great efforts to combine natural scenery and man-made landscapes to create wonderful and humane living areas for giant pandas, red pandas, and other Chinese endangered animals. This non-profit organization has made tremendous strides in wildlife research, captive breeding, conservation education, and educational tourism. On site is a Giant Panda Museum, souvenir and other shops, a book store, and tea room and dining facilities. Sightseeing here takes about 1.5 hours on foot. Electric carts can be rented from private vendors at your own cost, if desired.

You’ll end the day at the mysterious, Mt. Emei, one of the UNESCO World Heritage sites. Mount Emei is one of the Four Sacred Buddhist Mountains of China, and is traditionally regarded as the “place of enlightenment.” It has a Buddhist history of over 1,500 years. It is said that during the 15th century, there were as many as 1,000 monks living on Mt. Emei, and today it still houses numerous relics of poems, couplets (written on scrolls and hung on the pillars of a hall), and inscriptions bestowed by emperors and scholars of ancient times.
» Food Amenities: American breakfast, lunch and dinner.
» Hotel: (4 Stars)

Day 7: Mt. Emei
Spend the whole day enjoying Mt. Emei and its Buddhist culture, the wide range of species and unique landforms. At 10,103 feet above sea level, Mt. Emei is like a huge green screen standing in the southwest of the Chengdu Plain. Looking at its winding and beautiful figure on a map, you will find that it resembles the eyebrow of a girl. Thias is the tallest mountain of all of the famous sight-seeing mountains in China. Mt. Emei is a wondrous world. The trees are verdant almost all the year round; the waterfalls are splendid; the whole scenery is beautiful and quiet. The landscape varies according to the seasons, the height of mountain and the climate. This beautiful mountain is known as the “Kingdom of Plants,” “Geological Museum,” “Animals Paradise” and “Buddhist Celestial Mountain.” For dinner you will be offered a special vegetarian dinner.
» Food Amenities: American breakfast, lunch and special dinner.
» Hotel: (4 Stars)

Day 8: Mt. Emei, Leshan Buddha and Chengdu
A one-hour bus trip takes you to the Leshan Buddha. This giant Buddha was built during the Tang Dynasty (618–907AD) and was carved out of a cliff face that lies at the confluence of the Minjiang, Dadu and Qingyi rivers in the southern part of Sichuan province in China, near the city of Leshan. The stone sculpture faces Mount Emei, with the rivers flowing below his feet. It is the largest carved stone Buddha in the world and it is by far the tallest pre-modern statue in the world. The Mount Emei Scenic Area, including Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996.

In the evening you have the option of seeing the Sichuan Opera Show (Sichuan opera is more like a play than other forms of Chinese opera, and the acting is highly polished. The traditional formula is quite systematic with a combination of stunts like face-changing, sword-hiding, fire-spitting and beard-changing with a plot and different characters.)
» Food Amenities: American breakfast, lunch and dinner.
» Hotel: (4 Stars)

Days 9: Chengdu and Changsha
In the morning fly from Chengdu to Changsha. You’ll meet your guide and head straight to the Mawangdui Han Tombs Museum. These ancient tombs date back to the Western Han Dynasty (206 B.C. to 25 A.D.) and there lies the remains of Marquis Dai and his wife and son. The tombs were made of large cypress planks. The tombs contained nested lacquered coffins, a Chu burial custom. The mummified body of the wife was so well-preserved that researchers were able to perform an autopsy on her body. A myriad of artifacts, silks, and manuscripts were discovered at this site.

For dinner, you can try the Hunan Cuisine restaurant.
» Food Amenities: American breakfast, lunch and special dinner.
» Hotel: (5 Stars)

Day 10: Changsha and Zhangjiajie
On Day 10, you will visit one of the four most highly regarded academies from the past 1000 years in China: The Yuele Academy. The Yuelu Academy, founded in 976, is one of China’s most famous ancient academies. It became a higher learning institute in 1903 and part of Hunan University in 1926. The school has just 70 students who are studying for a Masters or PhD in history, philosophy, education and literature. The traditional architecture and calligraphy inscriptions found throughout the grounds attest to the historical and cultural importance of this center of learning.

To finish the day off, you will drive back to Zhangjiajie and visit the Taohuayuan National Park, famous for the great prose entitled “Peach Blossom Spring” by the great poet Tao Yuanming (365AD-427AD). Extending from the spring is the extraordinary landscape where the grandeur of Mount Wuling, the rolling water of Dongting Lake and the grace of mountains and rivers in Hunan are well-blended, presenting people with the fascinating Peach Blossom Land, a land which is also one of the four Taoism holy places.
» Food Amenities: American breakfast, lunch and dinner.
» Hotel: (5 Stars)

Day 11: Zhangjiajie
Today you will spend a full day at the Zhangjiajie National Park. This wild, majestic National Forest features flourishing fauna, brooks and floras in a sub- tropical forest. Some of the things you’ll experience are Suoxi Valley (The Suoxi Nature Preserve, covering an area of more than 180 square kilometers, is the largest of the three zones in Zhangjiajie National Park. Unlike the solitary stone monoliths of Zhangjiajie, the mountains of Suoxiyu stretch out one after another, like an unfolding scroll of a Chinese painting) , Baofenghu Lake (Baofeng Lake is one of the most beautiful scenes in Wulingyuan Scenic Area. It’s a rare lake on the plane, surrounded by green mountains, green water and beautiful landscapes), Ten-Mile-Natural-Gallery (as you walk into the valley, it is as if you are stepping into a graceful portrait of mountains and waterways, with more named peaks such as the God of Longevity Greeting Guests, the Herb Picking Old Man, and the Three Sisters Peaks), Huangshi Village (the largest summit platform in Zhangjiajie National Park, where there are numerous lookout points for stunning views, from which you can see nearly half the peaks of Zhangjiajie. There is a popular saying that says, “if you don’t visit Huangshizhai, you can’t claim you have come to Zhangjiajie”) and Golden Whip Stream (a very deep and gently winding stream that is famous for its pristine water, its verdant mountains, its steep cliffs and its serene valley. As a veritable “paradise” for plants, its pathways are adorned by an abundance of flowers, trees, and grasses. And it is also a kingdom of animals).
» Food Amenities: American breakfast, lunch and dinner.
» Hotel: (5 Stars)

Day 12: Zhangjiajie
Today you will take cable cars to enter Mt. Tianzishan. This fairyland features unique rock formations, waterfalls and the Huanglong Cave (Yellow Dragon Cave). Yellow Dragon Cave is known as “the best cave in China, the underground magic palace and a world wonder — enjoy the “magic of the Chinese Dong Fu, cave wonders of the world.” The major scenic spots in the cave include “the mansion beyond the mansion,” the “cave beyond the cave,” the “mountain beyond the mountain,” and the “heaven beyond heaven.” The most miraculous stalactites are Ding Hai Shen Zhen (a long and thin pillar) and Long Wang Bao Zuo (Dragon King’s Throne). Ding Hai Shen Zhen stands 19.2 meters high at a diameter of 10 cm. With colorful lights, the scenery in the cave is so fascinating that many visitors who have come here don’t want to leave.
» Food Amenities: American breakfast, lunch and dinner.
» Hotel: (5 Stars)

Day 13: Zhangjiajie and Phoenix
In the morning, you’ll depart from Zhangjiajie and drive to Phoenix (Feng Huang Cheng), a famous town known for its elegance and prehistoric minimalistic style. You’ll explore the Miao Minority Village and experience Chinese culture. It is a township of mystery, elegance and primitive simplicity. The bridges over the water and unique houses built on stilts display a harmony that is so often portrayed in traditional Chinese paintings. Tuojiang River runs through the town. Typical high gabled wooden houses are built on stilts along its banks at close quarters. The majority of the residents are Tujia & Miao ethnic groups. Their lifestyle remains reasonably traditional and is a wonderful example of what villages were like prior to the onset of modernization. Here dozens of alleys paved with flagstones run between the houses, each showing wear caused by the feet of generations of local people.
» Food Amenities: American breakfast, lunch and dinner.
» Hotel: (4 Stars)

Day 14: Phoenix, Zhangjiajie and Beijing
Today you will continue to explore one of the world’s best kept secrets; Phoenix. The opportunity to explore such a majestic, picturesque region is sure to be a lifetime memory. Visit the Phoenix Ancient Town in the morning, especially the quaint covered Hongqiao Art Bridge (with small shops on it), East Gate Tower (originally called Shengheng Gate as one of the four town gates. It is close to the Tuo River and built in 1715), and the former residence of the great writer Shen Congwen (constructed over 100 years ago by Shen Congwen’s father when serving in the Qing imperial government; former residence of Xiong Xilin and the first prime minister of the Republic of China), and Yang’s family divine yard (the Yang family was the second largest family in the town. It is said that people with family name “Yang” are descendants of the famous patriotic Yang family in the Song Dynasty. Yang Ancestral Memorial is the best preserved temple in Ancient Phoenix City.

In the afternoon you’ll depart from Zhangjiajie and fly to Beijing.
» Food Amenities: American breakfast, lunch and dinner.
» Hotel: (5 Stars)

Day 15: Beijing and Flying Home
Finish your great tour of China. Get to the airport on time to catch your flight.
» Food Amenities: American breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Related Posts