Chengdu-Jiuzhaigou-Dujiangyan 7-Night 8-Day Semi-Independent Tour: Panda Journey

A couple's trip. Arrived in Chengdu on Friday, returned to Shenyang the following Friday. The itinerary is characterized by generous panda viewing time: one day at the Chengdu Panda Base, and 5 hours at the Panda Valley. If you are not so keen on pandas, you can adjust the itinerary accordingly. The total cost for two people was over 6,000 RMB.

Shenyang → Chengdu

Flew from Shenyang to Chengdu Tianfu International Airport (14:30 - 19:50).

Accommodation: Hanting Hotel (Yipin Tianxia). This hotel is right next to (5m) Metro Line 2 and Line 7, making transportation very convenient.

PS: Chengdu's metro is very dense; all scenic spots in the city have metro stations. For buses and metro, you can use Alipay - Travel.

Renmin Park - Kuanzhai Alley - Chengdu Museum - Jinli - Jiu Yan Qiao - Taikoo Li

Chengdu Museum requires a reservation and is closed on Mondays. Reservations can be made through Ctrip.

Jiu Yan Qiao is more beautiful at night. There are many bars near Jiu Yan Qiao, so if you enjoy nightlife, you can swap the order of Taikoo Li and Jiu Yan Qiao.

Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Base

Try to avoid weekends as it is crowded. Hua Hua's feeding time is normally around 10:30 once, and there is a physical education class at 14:00. I arrived at Hua Hua's enclosure just before 10:00, but Hua Hua was sleeping and the morning feeding was canceled (feeding depends on whether Hua Hua gets up). The 14:00 PE class is generally not canceled due to sleep, so you can decide how long to stand there based on your time and stamina. If you want to be in the front row, you need to go early; the closer to 14:00, the more people there are. If unlucky, you can only see Hua Hua through others' phones. The enclosure is one-way; once you exit, you have to re-enter from the entrance.

Also, if there are two of you, you should discuss it in advance. If both are 'Hua Hua fans', everything is fine. If the other person is not that keen, it's better to split up, otherwise the one who can't stand will wear down your will. My partner rested on a bench outside the enclosure (exit is just outside Hua Hua's enclosure) while I stood inside. At meal times, he brought in four sausages. If going alone, you can bring some chocolate for when you get hungry.

Originally, I planned to visit two spots that day, but after leaving Hua Hua's enclosure, I was cold and hungry. I briefly visited other parts of the base and then returned to the hotel.

D4-D6:

Jiuzhaigou (3-day, 2-night group tour)

Day 1 was basically traveling to Jiuzhaigou, with a Tibetan hotpot dinner at night.

Day 2 went to Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area.

Day 3 morning at Huanglong, afternoon back to the city, arriving in Chengdu around 20:00.

Jiuzhaigou group tours are available in 2-day and 3-day options. The difference is the time spent in Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area: about less than 6 hours for the 2-day tour, and about 8 hours for the 3-day tour. We only went to Jiuzhaigou and skipped Huanglong on the third day, so we chose the 3-day tour to have more time at Jiuzhaigou. Also, the early morning departure time differs: 6:00 assembly for the 2-day tour, 9:00 for the 3-day tour. The return time to the city is around 23:00 for the 2-day tour and around 21:00 for the 3-day tour.

Jiuzhaigou scenery is extremely beautiful, but I have to complain about the group tour hotel. If possible, choose a 5-diamond hotel; the 4-diamond hotel was really basic, and the sink had no place to put things.

D7:

Chengdu → Dujiangyan (Panda Valley - Puhong Road Viewing Platform - Guanxian Ancient City)

We rented a car near Yipin Tianxia and drove to Dujiangyan Panda Valley. There were few visitors at Panda Valley, and it was overcast, so the pandas there were much more active than those at the Chengdu base. Inside Panda Valley, you can observe red pandas up close, but you cannot touch or feed them. Red panda feeding times are around 9:30-10:30 and 14:00-14:30, so if you stay near those times, the red pandas will be more lively. The scenic area normally takes 1-2 hours to walk through. There is no restaurant inside, only sausages and cold cakes. If you plan to watch the red pandas, bring some food.

In the afternoon, we went to Puhong Road, which has two viewing platforms. The first offers a panoramic view of Dujiangyan; the second offers mountain views, and there is a restaurant called 'Fujiwara Tofu'. This road has many 360-degree turns, so it is not recommended for inexperienced drivers. There are also cyclists and motorcyclists on the road, so drive carefully. For dinner, we searched for a highly-rated restaurant on the way down, called Xijiangyue Mountain Hotpot, located halfway up the mountain with nice views.

In the evening, we strolled near the hotel, visiting Nan Bridge and the commercial street of Guanxian Ancient City.

Accommodation: Starway Hotel (Nanqiao Branch). This hotel is inside Guanxian Ancient City, making shopping convenient.

D8: Dujiangyan (Yangtianwo) → Chengdu (Sanhe Classic Car Museum - SKP) → Tianfu International Airport → Shenyang

In the morning, we went to Yangtianwo. At noon, we arrived in downtown Chengdu, visited the Sanhe Classic Car Museum, and then spent two hours at SKP in Chengdu.

At 16:00, we departed for the airport. First, we refueled at a station 12 km from the airport, then returned the car. However, the round trip to the gas station took about an hour. So if you are returning the car near Tianfu International Airport, allow plenty of time.

20:00 flight - landed in Shenyang at 23:00.