August 2020 Self-Drive on the Western Sichuan Small Loop

Route: Chengdu – Dujiangyan – Yingxiu – Wolong – Mount Siguniang – Jiajin Mountain – Bamei (Daofu) – Tagong – Xinduqiao – Kangding – Ya'an – Chengdu

Accommodation: Panda Inn Theme Culture Hotel, Shengdi Yingxiang Boutique Theme Hotel, Kangding 360° Impression Hotel, Ya'an Yudu Hotel

Scenic spots: Dujiangyan, Yingxiu Earthquake Epicenter Ruins, Wolong Shenshuping Giant Panda Base, Mount Siguniang, Tagong Grassland, Mugecuo Tianchi Scenic Area

Food: Mao cai, sour cabbage pork elbow, wild mushrooms, yak meat, Ya fish, iced jelly.

Full of curiosity, exploring the road less traveled!

The Western Sichuan Small Loop refers to the route Chengdu – Dujiangyan – Yingxiu – Wolong – Mount Siguniang – Danba – Bamei (Daofu) – Tagong – Xinduqiao – Kangding – Ya'an – Chengdu. It consists of National Highway 350 (Dujiangyan–Bamei), National Highway 248 (Bamei–Xinduqiao) and National Highway 318 (Xinduqiao–Ya'an), covering about 800 km. National Highway 350 is also called Panda Avenue because it passes through panda habitats and is home to many panda bases. The section of National Highway 248 from Bamei to Xinduqiao runs across high-altitude grasslands. National Highway 318 is the Sichuan-Tibet Highway, the most popular route for self-drive and cycling journeys from Chengdu to Lhasa, Tibet. Traffic flows like a stream of fish, and you can often see cyclists and motorcyclists on the road. The small loop boasts stunning scenery, traversing mountains above 4,000 meters, offering views of snow-capped peaks and grasslands, showcasing the unique plateau landscapes. There are many beautiful scenic spots along the way that are well worth seeing and exploring. A word of caution: the route is at relatively high altitude, so be mindful of altitude sickness. Prepare some chocolate and other snacks, and according to your own health condition, bring appropriate items to prevent altitude sickness, such as oxygen canisters. When renting a car, it's best to choose a turbocharged (with a "T") model to ensure ample power when driving on the plateau or climbing high mountains.

Book the car online in advance and pick it up near the airport after arriving in Chengdu. Many car rental companies have service points at or near the airport, allowing direct pickup at the airport or shuttle service, which is very convenient. The paperwork takes just a few minutes, and you're ready to drive. Special thanks to the two young men from eHi Car Services for arranging the airport pickup and drop-off.

From Chengdu to Dujiangyan, the whole journey is on the highway and takes just over an hour. We departed from Guangzhou on a flight around 8 a.m., arriving at Chengdu Shuangliu Airport shortly before 11 a.m. We went straight to the rental company's office to pick up the car, then immediately set off for Dujiangyan. July is the rainy season in Chengdu, and a light drizzle accompanied us all the way from Chengdu to Dujiangyan, with poor visibility. Fortunately, once we reached Dujiangyan, the rain stopped and it was cloudy, so the scenery and photos were a bit hazy. After arriving, we parked at the hotel, dropped off our luggage, and had lunch at a noodle shop nearby. Our hotel was located inside the ancient town, close to many restaurants, making dining very convenient.

When visiting Dujiangyan Scenic Area, it's best to enter at Qinyan Tower on the hill, then walk downhill, passing through Erwang Temple, the suspension bridge, Fish Mouth (Yuzui), Baopingkou (Bottle-Neck Channel), Feishayan (Flying Sand Weir), and other must-see spots. Finally, exit through Lidui Park into the ancient town, from where you can walk back to the hotel. The entrance at Qinyan Tower has fewer visitors, and walking downhill is easy. The Dujiangyan irrigation system was built in 256 BC under the supervision of Governor Li Bing and his son of Shu Prefecture. It has been functioning for over two millennia, providing flood control and irrigation, nourishing the Chengdu Plain. This project embodies the wisdom of ancient laborers, adapting to local conditions by using a diversion method instead of damming. They made full use of the vast plain, first dividing the water at Fish Mouth into the inner and outer rivers. Then, at Yulei Mountain, they cut a channel through the rock (Baopingkou) to further divide the outer river's flow, efficiently directing water into the expansive Chengdu Plain. This not only prevented flooding from excessive water concentration but also distributed water to different areas for irrigation, killing two birds with one stone. After lunch, we took a DiDi to the scenic area. From the hotel to the Qinyan Tower entrance, the fare was 6 yuan. I had booked tickets online the day before, so we just scanned our ID cards to enter. Qinyan Tower, at the highest point of the area, offers a panoramic view of the entire irrigation system with broad vistas. From Qinyan Tower, we walked down to Erwang Temple, a thousand-year-old shrine. Past the temple, we arrived at the riverbank at the foot of the mountain, crossed the suspension bridge to reach Fish Mouth. It's about 1 km from Fish Mouth to Baopingkou; if you don't feel like walking, you can take a sightseeing cart. At Baopingkou, you can also admire the Feishayan scenery. Crossing the outer river suspension bridge from Baopingkou brings you to Lidui Park. Exiting the park, you enter the ancient town with its rows of shops and old-world charm. There are many restaurants here. By the time we came out, it was already past 5 p.m., so we found a place serving mao cai and had a hearty dinner. After the meal, it was just a few steps to our hotel.

The next morning, after breakfast at the hotel restaurant, we set off. About half an hour later, we exited the Dujiangyan-Wenchuan Expressway and arrived at Yingxiu Town. Yingxiu suffered devastating damage in the 2008 earthquake; almost all buildings were leveled. Xuankou Middle School, which was less severely damaged, has been preserved as an earthquake site memorial. The site is free to visit, with guided tours. It was heartening to see the new Yingxiu Town, rebuilt with support from Dongguan, Guangdong. The roads are well planned, streets are clean, and houses are beautiful, each with a small courtyard filled with flowers. Many homes have been turned into guesthouses for tourists to stay and enjoy.

After spending about an hour at the earthquake site, we quickly headed to the Wolong Shenshuping Giant Panda Base via Panda Avenue (National Highway 350), arriving around 10:30 a.m. We first collected our tickets at the ticket office, then drove up the mountain to the entrance gate. A special reminder: due to the COVID-19 pandemic this year, you need to show your health code and have your temperature checked at attractions. The parking lot at the ticket office is free, but it's about 2.3 km from the ticket office to the base; a shuttle bus is available for 20 yuan per person. If you drive to the gate's private parking lot, the fee is 10 yuan. The best visiting times for the panda base are 9:00–11:00 a.m. and 2:30–5:00 p.m., when these adorable creatures are eating bamboo and drinking milk from basins, making them most active. Shenshuping Base is located in Gengda Town, Wolong Nature Reserve, right beside National Highway 350. At an altitude of 1,700 meters, the base covers 150 hectares. Strolling through the panda garden, with green mountains, clear streams, and an abundance of negative ions, it's an enviable living environment. Along the road from the ticket office to the gate, there are many guesthouses and hotels, with flowers and plants lining the streets, creating a beautiful, almost utopian feel.

The panda base is divided into a captive breeding and display area, a wild training area for captive pandas, a wilderness release area, and a panda museum. Visitors can access the breeding area and the museum. There are many pandas here. Since we arrived close to 11 a.m., many had already finished eating and were asleep, while some were still munching on bamboo and grass. Whether eating or sleeping, these baby pandas were utterly endearing.

After visiting the panda base, we asked a staff member at the gate about local dining spots. He recommended Liu San’ge Hongyun Restaurant in town. From the base, we turned onto National Highway 350 heading towards Mount Siguniang; it's about 150 meters further. It turned out to be a great choice—locals were having a wedding banquet there. We ordered sour cabbage pork elbow, pickled pepper beef, and greens. The flavors were excellent and prices were reasonable. Leaving the restaurant, we continued along Panda Avenue towards Mount Siguniang, with the altitude steadily rising on an uphill journey. High mountains flanked both sides, with rushing rivers at their feet and lush greenery covering the slopes. After winding through mountains and tunnels, we arrived at our hotel in Changping Village near Mount Siguniang around 4 p.m. After checking in, we found a nearby restaurant for dinner, then returned to rest.

Changping Village, where the hotel is located, sits at an altitude of about 3,300 meters. Upon check-in, the staff specifically advised us not to shower or wash our hair that evening to avoid altitude sickness. The hotel provided wooden footbaths and medicinal solutions for foot soaks, and also offered rhodiola rosea water to prevent altitude sickness—thoughtful service. They suggested we shower the next morning instead. We all followed their advice, but that night I experienced symptoms of altitude sickness: chest pain. My companions were fine, so I figured I might have been coming down with a cold. I took some cold medicine I'd brought, felt better, and slept through until morning. We were worried that if I didn't improve, it would affect the next day's plans. Luckily, according to what I'd read, altitude sickness usually eases by the second day, and indeed I felt fine that very night. At the hotel, we saw several tourists from Guangzhou; most had no issues, only one young man felt unwell.

Mount Siguniang features three valleys: Shuangqiao Valley, Changping Valley, and Haizi Valley. Shuangqiao Valley boasts the most beautiful scenery, but its roads were damaged by floods on June 27 and remained closed, so we had to opt for Changping Valley. Our hotel happened to be right at the entrance of Changping Valley in Changping Village, only about 300 meters from the ticket office. Why did we choose a hotel in Changping Village? The area is more open than Shuangqiao Valley, making parking easier and offering more hotel options. Also, worried about mudslides in the rain, we preferred accommodations in open areas for safety.

After breakfast at the hotel, we walked to the Changping Valley ticket office. With online tickets, there's no need to collect physical ones—just scan your ID card to board the shuttle bus into the valley. The ticket office is about 8 km from the actual scenic area. Shuttle buses take about 30 minutes. The bus drops you off, and from there you follow a wooden plank trail roughly 8 km long. Where the plank trail ends, you reach a dirt path that's more difficult to traverse. Most visitors don't go further, though you can opt to ride horses towards the foot of Mount Siguniang, which is more expensive. Some hikers and mountaineering enthusiasts continue on, but they need to purchase an additional climbing permit and register. At the end of the plank trail, you must return the same way; alternatively, you can ride a horse back at an extra cost of about 150 yuan per person.

Mount Siguniang lies within Rilong Town, Xiaojin County, in Aba Prefecture. Comprising four perpetually snow-covered peaks, it resembles four graceful maidens draped in white veils, standing proudly above the two rivers of Changping and Haizi valleys. The highest peak, Yaomei Feng, reaches 6,250 meters. After getting off the shuttle, we began walking along the plank trail upstream along the Changping Valley stream. Along the way, we passed Caterpillar Foot Waterfall and Withered Tree Beach, admiring the rushing water, waterfalls, primeval forest, and snow mountains. The entire hike took 5 to 6 hours. There were no restaurants or shops inside the valley, so we had brought our own snacks and water. A minor regret was that the snow mountains remained shrouded in mist; the "maidens" were shy and kept their veils on, never revealing their full beauty. We finished around 2 p.m., took the shuttle back to the hotel, and had a wild mushroom chicken hot pot dinner at the hotel restaurant.

The original plan was to drive along National Highway 350 via Danba to Bamei Town in Daofu County, enjoying distant views of Mount Siguniang and Yala Snow Mountain, as well as picturesque Tibetan villages along the way. However, when setting the GPS, we discovered that National Highway 350 near Xiaojin was blocked by a landslide, so we had to detour via National Highway 351 to Ya'an, then pass through Kangding to Daofu, driving part of National Highway 318 earlier than planned. The detour was about 330 km and took around 9 hours and 50 minutes. Leaving Changping Village, we turned onto National Highway 351 at Shuangqiao Valley, passing through Jiajin Mountain Forest Park and Jiajin Mountain itself—the first snow mountain crossed by the Red Army during the Long March. There were many landslides along the way. Once, we waited about 30 minutes for cleanup. Approaching Muya Pass at 4,114 meters on Jiajin Mountain, a more serious landslide held us up for over two hours. After crossing the pass, we drove through Baoxing County to Ya'an, got on the highway, and reached Kangding around 5 p.m. By the time we reached the Zheduo Mountain viewing platform, it was dusk, and we were fortunate to see the beautiful twilight scenery. Then we focused on driving, passing the charming nighttime landscape of Xinduqiao and Tagong Town. We finally arrived at our hotel after 9 p.m. Dinner was barbecue and chaoshou (wontons).

The next day, we retraced our route along National Highway 248, passing through Tagong Grassland. The stretch from Bamei to Tagong is a high plateau grassland with abundant water, babbling streams, and herds of cattle and sheep. The previous night's darkness had hidden the scenery. As the sun rose and the mist lifted, the beautiful views on both sides of the road were gradually revealed. We slowed down to soak in the scenery. We parked and climbed a small hill on Tagong Grassland. The sweeping view of the grassland was breathtaking, and in the distance, Yala Snow Mountain finally unveiled its true face.

For lunch, we drove into Xinduqiao town to find a restaurant frequented by locals and ordered a yak meat and wild mushroom hot pot. The owner was from Chengdu and had once worked in Houjie, Dongguan. Now successful, his son runs a small business in Chengdu, his daughter attends university there, and the couple manages the restaurant in Xinduqiao—a happy family.

After lunch, we entered the photographer’s paradise of Xinduqiao to enjoy the beautiful scenery along National Highway 318. Here, magical light, boundless grasslands, winding streams, and rolling hills create a world of vibrant colors. National Highway 318 was busy with vehicles and tourists. Numerous viewing platforms along the road allow travelers to stop and admire the scenery or take photos. We drove slowly, stopping frequently, and returned to Kangding to check into our hotel just after 4 p.m.

We woke up extra early the next day, had breakfast, and left Kangding city center before rush hour to head to Mugecuo Scenic Area. Kangding is located in the eastern part of the Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan Province and serves as its capital. With a rich and splendid history, Kangding is a strategic gateway between Sichuan and Tibet. The city is nestled in a valley between mountains, so space is limited, parking spaces are scarce, and roads are congested. That's why we needed to leave before the morning rush to save time. It's about 20 km from the hotel to Mugecuo, taking about 30 minutes by car. We arrived at the ticket office around 8 a.m. and purchased shuttle bus tickets in the hall. There were few visitors at that hour, allowing us to park directly in front of the office—very convenient. Kangding is a region supported by Jiangmen, Guangdong in a paired assistance program, so visitors with Guangdong household registration enjoy discounted admission.

From the ticket office, the shuttle bus takes you directly to Mugecuo (also known as Wild Man Sea) at the mountain top, a ride of about 30 minutes. On the bus, the guide told the touching love story of Zhaxi and Zhuoma. Mugecuo is the largest alpine lake in northwestern Sichuan, at an altitude of 3,780 meters. Arriving at the lakeside, we took photos and admired the beautiful scenery. Rowing boats are available for lake tours. Then we followed the walking trail down, passing Jingxin Pond, Dujuan Gorge, Yaochi Healing Hot Spring, a cascade of waterfalls, Qise Lake, Triple-Fold Spring, the Welcome Stone, and the Usnea viewing area—all superb attractions. Due to the steep drop, water rushed down with thunderous force. Along the path, we saw many wild mushrooms, but being outsiders, we didn't dare pick them, though they looked like ones often found outside restaurants. The walk from the lakeside to Qise Lake is about 8 km and takes roughly 3 hours. At Yaochi Healing Hot Spring, you can soak your feet, but due to time constraints, we skipped it and walked straight to the Qise Lake restaurant for lunch. After eating, we took the shuttle bus back down and then drove to Ya'an.

Taking the Yakang Expressway from Kangding, we first passed through a 30-km tunnel cluster. The Yakang Expressway is a masterpiece of road and bridge engineering, with bridges and tunnels accounting for over 80% of the route. From Kangding's altitude of over 2,000 meters to Ya'an's roughly 1,000 meters, the entire drive is downhill, descending at an average of 7.5 meters per kilometer. After just over two hours, we arrived at the Ya'an Yudu Hotel, an establishment with more than 20 years of history. Its facilities and service were excellent, making for a very comfortable stay. After parking and checking in, we explored downtown Ya'an and sampled the local specialty snack, iced jelly. Then we returned to the hotel for dinner and ordered the famous Ya fish set meal, which was delicious. Ya'an is known for three "Ya's": Ya rain, Ya maidens, and Ya fish. Ya rain refers to the fact that it rains more than 280 days a year in Ya'an, making it exceptionally suitable for tea cultivation and production. Ya maidens reputedly have excellent skin because of the humid climate. Ya fish is a local specialty fish with a delicate flavor.

The next morning, after a hearty buffet breakfast at the hotel, we drove back to Chengdu. After returning the car at the rental office, we went straight to the airport and caught an afternoon flight back to Guangzhou, concluding a perfect trip.