5-Day Best of Chengdu with Mount Emei

Your private driver and guide will be waiting for you when you arrive in Chengdu to help with collecting your luggage and the private transfer to your city centre hotel.

In the morning, first visit the world famous Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, just 10 kilometres north from central Chengdu. Visit the nursery to see first-hand the baby pandas that have been a part of the highly successful breeding programme, stroll among the bamboo groves and shady walkways, and view the giant pandas resting and playing. It is best to go early in the morning to see the pandas when they are most active and feeding around 9:30 hrs.

After lunch at a local Chinese restaurant where you can learn about iconic spicy Sichuan-style dishes, head to Chengdu People's Park for some fresh air. Here verdant trees and various flowers grace the traditional pavilions and you can get a taste of local living, experiencing the bustle of a nearby teahouse. The day's last destination is Kuan-Zhai Lane (or Wide and Narrow Alley), an ancient street with centuries of history combined with modern elements. Picture the old Chengdu as you stroll past Qing Dynasty (1636–1912) buildings.

GOOD TO KNOW
March to May is the "falling in love period" for pandas. If you visit the panda breeding and research centre between late August and December, you will have a greater chance of seeing tiny newborns in the Sunshine Nursery House.

Accommodation at a city centre hotel

Drive about two hours to Leshan City in the morning. After a short break and lunch, you will begin your journey to the Giant Buddha, which takes about 10 minutes. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1992, The Giant Buddha, which was cut during the Tang Dynasty and took 90 years to complete, is located to the east of Leshan City on Lingyun Mountain where the Min River, Qingyi River and Dadu River meet. The impressive sitting Buddha statue is 71 metres high and boasts the world's largest existing inscription on its precipice. Besides climbing to get a bird's eye view of the Giant Buddha, you will also embark on a cruise to take a look at the huge inscription.

After the tour, you will be escorted to a hotel near Mount Emei about 31 kilometres from Leshan City.

Spend a full day visiting Mount Emei, which is another UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the four famous Buddhist mountains in China. First take a public sightseeing bus at the entrance of the site to arrive at the parking lot of the Monastery of Ten Thousand Years, the largest and oldest monastery on Mount Emei. Jump on a cable car to go up to the monastery in a relaxed 10-minute ride. After appreciating the monastery's significance, walk a few steps to Qingyin Pavilion to enjoy the natural beauty of the sub-tropical forest and waterfall. Continue walking through a valley called Yixiantian (meaning 'A Glimmer of Sky'), you will arrive at the Monkey Eco-Area where you can see piquant monkeys. Feel free to take photos but do not get too close for safety reasons! Next, leisurely walk back to the Wuxiangang parking lot (about 30 minutes) and take a public bus back to the main entrance. The whole journey takes about 3-3.5 hours. Your guide and driver will escort you back to your hotel in Chengdu after the experience.

Your private guide and driver will wait for you in your hotel lobby after breakfast. They will accompany you to the station or airport and help you check-in for your onward travel.