Sichuan & Chongqing: Four Rivers Classic
10 days · Pandas, hotpot, and a 4000m mountain pass
Duration
10 days
Group
Small group or private · 2–8 travellers
Region
Chongqing → Chengdu → Mt. Siguniang
Our flagship journey through the two great cities of the Sichuan basin and out onto the eastern Tibetan plateau. Cinematic skylines, ancient porcelain ports, the world's most loved bears, fire-spitting hotpot, and a sunrise crossing of a 4,000m mountain pass — finished with confidence to keep travelling China on your own.
Day-by-day
Day 1
Arrival, riverside walk & drone show
Land in Chongqing and settle into your hotel. Your guide collects you at 17:30 for dinner and an evening walk along the Yangtze. If the weather holds, we catch the weekly drone show from Nanbin Zhonglou Square before an early night to beat jet lag.
Day 2
Hanfu photoshoot, city walk & museum
A morning photoshoot in traditional hanfu, qipao or fantasy dress at Eling Park, then an afternoon walking Jiefangbei, Luohan Temple and the Three Gorges Museum, finishing with street food at Jiaochangkou night market.
Day 3
Porcelain port, hot springs & Liziba station
Explore the cobbled lanes of Ciqikou, the old Jialing porcelain port. Brave a Chongqing mala hotpot (or the gentler tomato version), then unwind in the Ronghui geothermal hot springs. On the way back, see the monorail thread straight through a residential tower at Liziba.
Day 4
High-speed rail to Chengdu & the pandas
350 km/h from Shapingba to Chengdu East in just over an hour. Drop bags and head straight to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, home to 200+ of the world's most charismatic bears.
Day 5
People's Park, Tianfu Square & Kuan-Zhai Alleys
On foot and by metro, see the colossal Chairman Mao statue at Tianfu Square, browse the marriage-market boards at People's Park, wander the boutiques and snack stalls of the Kuan and Zhai Alleys, and finish at the Chengdu Museum.
Days 6–9
Hiking Mount Siguniang, the Alps of China
Drive into the foothills of the Tibetan plateau and base in a small Tibetan village. Two acclimatisation days along the valley, then a sunrise summit push over a 4,000m+ pass. Few other people, vast skies, prayer flags.
Day 10
Tea house & rail back to Chongqing
A slow morning in a Chengdu tea house with your guide, then the train back to Chongqing. By now you'll have the skills and confidence to keep exploring China on your own — and we hope you will.
