SICHUAN TRAVEL KHAM - SELF TOUR HELP!!!
Hi everyone,
My partner and I will be going on holiday to Sichuan for 14 days to visit Tibetan Kham independently, renting a car. I have already completed all the steps for the temporary driving permit, and I speak basic Chinese, around HSK 3–4 level.
We arrive in Chengdu on August 1 at 6:00 AM and depart from Chengdu on August 15 at 1:40 AM.
After doing some research on forums and websites, we found a nice itinerary, which I then “fine-tuned” by including some stops I really wanted to make and optimizing it a bit with GPT’s help. However, the trip still feels very packed.
I am therefore asking for advice from those with more experience on how to optimize the itinerary better, and where it might be worth spending an extra night in order to have more time for visits.
If Yarchen Gar is definitely not visitable — where can I get reliable information about this? — I would choose a different route and save some time. I know Yading is “out of the way,” but I really care about visiting it, although I am not sure whether it is recommended in August.
Thank you all for your valuable help.
Chengdu –> Dujiangyan –> Wolong –> Siguniang Shan –> Danba –> Tagong –> Luhuo -> Garze -> Manigango -> Yilhun Lhatso –> Dege –> Pelyul -> Yarchen Gar Garze -> Xinlong -> Litang -> Daocheng -> Yading -> Yajiang -> Xinduqiao -> Kangding -> Yaan -> Chengdu
| Day | Route | Plan |
|---|---|---|
| August 1 | Chengdu | Arrival at 6:00 AM. Pick up the car, check the temporary driving permit, SIM/eSIM, Chinese apps, rest. Do not head to the plateau after an intercontinental flight. |
| August 2 | Chengdu → Dujiangyan → Wolong → Siguniangshan Town | Quick visit to Dujiangyan only. Wolong only if you want to see pandas. Sleep in Siguniangshan/Rilong. |
| August 3 | Siguniangshan | Full day. Easy choice: Shuangqiao Valley. More hiking-oriented choice: partial Changping Valley. Sleep again in Siguniangshan. The official site lists Shuangqiao, Changping, and Haizi as the main valleys, with separate tickets and different activities. |
| August 4 | Siguniangshan → Xiaojin → Danba → Zhonglu Tibetan Village, 中路藏寨 | Shorter day, useful for acclimatization. Sleep in Zhonglu or Danba. If you have time: Suopo watchtowers. |
| August 5 | Danba/Zhonglu → Bamei → Tagong | Scenic road. In the afternoon: Tagong Monastery, grassland, Muya Monastery, 木雅大寺, and possibly Gunong/Balang Shengdu if the sky is clear. Sleep in Tagong. |
| August 6 | Tagong → Bamei → Longdeng Grassland, 龙灯草原 → Daofu → Luhuo → Kasa Lake → Garze | Transfer day. Longdeng is worth a stop. Kasa only for photos. Sleep in Garze. |
| August 7 | Garze → Dargye Monastery → Manigango → Yilhun Lhatso → Dege | Long but reasonable day. Arrival in Dege. |
| August 8 | Dege → Dege Parkhang → Garze | Morning at Dege Parkhang and Gonchen. Then return to Garze. Pelyul and Yarchen Gar are cut here. |
| August 9 | Garze → Xinlong → Tsoka Lake → Litang | Early departure. Tsoka only if weather and road conditions are good. Sleep in Litang. |
| August 10 | Litang → Daocheng → Shangri-La Town / Riwa | Litang Monastery or Letong Ancient Town if you leave early. Sleep in Shangri-La Town, which is lower and more sensible than Yading Village for altitude sickness. |
| August 11 | Shangri-La Town → Yading → Shangri-La Town | Yading “long route”: Luorong Pasture, Milk Lake, Five Color Lake only if altitude and weather allow. Guides describe the long route as a full day of 6–8+ hours at high altitude. |
| August 12 | Yading short route → Litang | Morning: Pearl Lake/Chonggu Temple, or weather backup for the long route if August 11 did not work out. Early afternoon departure for Litang. The ticketing system allows a second consecutive entry under specific conditions, so two days in Yading make sense. |
| August 13 | Litang → Yajiang → Xinduqiao → Kangding | Return day. No long detours. Sleep in Kangding, which is safer than staying in Xinduqiao before the flight. |
| August 14 | Kangding → Luding → Ya’an → Shangli Ancient Town → Chengdu/airport | Shangli only if you are on schedule and the roads are clear. Otherwise go directly to Chengdu. Flight at 1:40 AM on August 15. |