Arrive at Chengdu

Chengdu - We will welcome you at the airport and take you to your hotel. You are free to refresh and relax before we hold a briefing about the trip, later in the afternoon.

With your guides, you will go through the itinerary and learn about local road safety and cultural considerations, as well having the opportunity to ask us any questions you may have. After being fully briefed, in the evening, we will hold a welcome dinner to celebrate the beginning of your journey. We will feast on some of the best food Chengdu has to offer and eagerly anticipate the coming journey that lies ahead.

Cycle the beautiful countryside of western part of Chengdu Plain

Sichuan Cuisine Museum - Departing from your hotel at 8AM, we will take a 1.5-hour drive to Wenjiang, a green and pleasant town on the edge of greater Chengdu and where we begin our cycling. Nicknamed ‘Chengdu’s Garden’, it is famous for cultivating Sichuanese Bonsai trees, which have a rich history of over 1000 years. The most beautiful examples of these are grown from azalea’s and the first 15km of our ride takes us past many garden centres specialising in this art, providing you with the opportunity to learn more about this tradition.

After 15km we will join the Wenjiang – Pixian greenway, which will take us to our riding destination of the day, The Sichuan Cuisine Museum. The greenway immediately brings you into rural Sichuan life and this area is famous for cultivating spaces and restaurants for city dwellers to do what the Sichuanese do best; eat, relax and play mahjong. Extremely quiet and peaceful, we will ride through small villages, farmlands and bamboo whilst the Jiangan River occasionally comes into view, guiding us along. The only signs of life you are likely to see are people drinking tea and/or fishing.

At about 40km, we will reach a gorgeous old hamlet settled within a bamboo forest and this will mark the end of our riding through the varied scenery of the greenway. Shortly after we will arrive at the Sichuan Cuisine Museum for an afternoon of visiting one of the world’s most famous cuisines.

The museum is set within a beautiful complex with traditional buildings surrounding a well cultivated garden. We will then take a 30-minute drive to Dujiangyan, the city where we will spend the night.

Riding Distance: 43km

Elevation: +86m / -81m

Road Quality: Predominantly concrete or tarmacked greenways in good condition, with one short gravel track.

Dujiangyan Panda Valley to Anren Ancient Town

Panda Valley - We will start the day by taking a short drive to Dujiangyan Panda Valley and visiting the adorable giant pandas and cubs at this research base dedicated to rehabilitating pandas back into the wild. Panda Valley, although having fewer pandas, is much quieter than the research base in Chengdu city, allowing for a more intimate experience.

From Panda Valley you will begin your ride on a calm country road which provides views of the mountains marking the beginning of the Tibetan Plateau on your right.

Jiezi Ancient Town - We will then ride on to Jiezi Ancient Town, historically one of the last towns before the Tibetan Plateau on the Tea Horse Road. You will spend some time exploring the alleyways and learning about the history of this important riverside town, before sitting down to some traditional local food.

Anren Ancient Town - In the afternoon, our ride continues along one of Sichuan’s most beautiful, and less-explored, country roads, Chongqing Road. It will take you through beautiful countryside and villages, before we finish the ride on the outskirts of Anren, dubbed ‘China’s Museum Town’. We will drive the final 10km to Anren’s Ancient Town, where we will spend the night. With a more modern history than other ancient towns we will visit on this trip, being formed in the early 1900s, it is unique for having more of a focus on culture and education, with plenty of boutique shops, cafes, restaurants and workshops to explore and enjoy in the evening.

Riding Distance: 73km

Elevation: +115m / -334m

Road Quality: Predominantly tarmacked country roads in excellent condition

Pingle Ancient Town to Shangli Ancient Town

Caoba to Hongya

Hongya-Leshan

Leshan Giant Buddha (Da Fo) - After our fill of the local history, we continue riding the final 33km to Leshan, home of the largest and tallest carved stone Buddha in the world. A highlight of this section of the ride comes around 20km after the Thousand Buddhas – we will take a manageable uphill on a small road which rewards you with stunning views of tea plantations tiered out around and below you. Not long after we will join a dirt road following the river before driving the last 10km to the Giant Buddha. Built over 1200 years ago to watch over the quick rapids of the river below, the best way to see the Giant Buddha is from the river itself. We will take a short cruise to visit the site and appreciate the 71m carving calmly and majestically towering and watching out over above us.

Besides the Giant Buddha, Leshan is also famous for its food. Before retiring for the evening, we will sample some of its best, including such dishes as Sweet Skin Roast Duck and tasty Bo Bo Chicken.

Riding Distance: 64km

Elevation: +446m / -514m

Road Quality: Predominantly small tarmacked country roads and concreted tracks with one 3km section of a dirt and gravel track.

Leshan-Huanglongxi Ancient Town

Huanglongxi Ancient Town - Huanglongxi is another famous ancient town with history reaching back 1,700 years. Set beside the river, with three temples and winding alleyways it provides a particularly quintessential example of an old town and, as such, is often chosen by producers as a film location. Whilst a little more touristy than other Ancient towns we visit on this trip, it is beautiful and the riverside teahouses are perfect for winding down after a day’s ride. The streets are lined with shops and local snacks, including the famous ‘one noodle noodles’; a bowl of noodles which contain a single long thick noodle pulled by vendors who put on elaborate dances, and shows, to entice customers to their restaurants.

Riding Distance: 55km

Elevation: +302m / -270m

Road Quality: Predominantly small tarmacked country roads.

Huanglongxi-Xinglong Lake

Shuangliu County - We begin our final day of biking by riding straight from Huanglongxi Ancient Town for 20km to Tongzhi Dragon Kiln. We follow our final tranquil road taking us through the paddy fields, farmlands and rural villages that form the suburbs of Southern Chengdu.
After winding through the countryside, we will reach Tongzhi Dragon Kiln and learn about traditional methods of pottery making. Built in the year of Tongzhi, the kiln has over 150 years of history and is still in use today. Traditional Chinese kilns are long in shape, resembling a dragon, providing them with their name and the kiln is set within traditional buildings, which are littered with old earthenware pottery.

Chengdu - After our visit to the dragon kiln, we continue riding in the direction of Chengdu city and our final destination, Xinglong Lake. The area around the lake has been ear-marked for development to meet the demands of the ever-increasing metropolis of Chengdu and we will slowly begin to leave the countryside behind us as we approach it. For now, though, the area is still extremely quiet and peaceful and we will conclude our week’s riding by navigating the circumference of the lake, before finishing and celebrating our achievements! Once you are redy to firmly leave the bike behind, we will drive you to your hotel for you to rest and rejuvenate before we join again in the evening for a final meal of celebration, accolades and cheer.

Riding Distance: 50km

Elevation: +84m / -102m

Road Quality: Predominantly tarmacked country roads in excellent condition

Fly off from Chengdu

Chengdu - Your last day is free for you to relax and enjoy as you wish in Chengdu. Of course, please let us know if you have any special requests and we will always do our best to accommodate you. After spending your day enjoying the remaining time you have in Sichuan, we will take you to the airport and bid you farewell!

• Entrance fees to tourist attractions included
• 8 nights’ accommodation (twin sharing)
• Complimentary water, snacks, and local fruits on riding days
• Bike and helmet hire provided
• Lunch and dinner included
• Air-conditioned transport
• Breakfast included
• English-speaking tour guide service

• Your international or domestic air tickets
• Your visa fee, if there is any
• Activities not mentioned in the itinerary
• Extra cost of USD 350 for single room option
• Your other personal expenses

Our Panda Kingdom Cycling Tour has been designed to offer cyclists an intimate look at rural Sichuanese countryside, as well as the rich cultural and religious history this province has to offer. Taking you through ancient towns which formed the beginnings of the \’Old Tea Horse Road\’ and religious sites with over 1500 years of history, we have carefully designed the route so that the ride takes you through tranquil roads and greenways allowing you to relax and enjoy the classic lush greenery of rural Sichuan.

Predominantly riding on greenways, small country roads and village tracks the ride is comfortable and manageable for most riding levels.

If you cancel at least 3 full day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a full refund.
If you cancel within 3 day(s) of the scheduled departure, you will receive a 0% refund.