CHINA ADVENTURE CLUBTHE GREAT WALL ADVENTURE CLUB GROUPPlan your tripCHINA ADVENTURE CLUB
This nine-day cycling tour explores rural Sichuan and its cultural and religious heritage. Visit historic towns associated with the Tea Horse Road and sacred sites with more than 1,500 years of history. The route follows quiet roads and greenways through the province’s lush countryside.
Predominantly riding on greenways, small country roads, and village tracks, the ride is comfortable and manageable for most riding levels.
YOUR JOURNEY
Select a route section to explore the map. Tap a stop for its location or use the directions link for the next leg. Flights, trains, cruises and hiking arrangements follow your itinerary.
Day 1: Arrival in Chengdu. Welcome dinner. A briefing will be presented.
Day 2: Wenjiang to Pixian. Visit "Chengdu's Garden" and Sichuan Cuisine Museum. 43 km of cycling.
Day 3: Dujiangyan Panda Valley to Anren Ancient Town. Say hello to the pandas. Reach China's "Museum Town" of Anren by riding through the famous less-explored country road "Chongqing Road." 73 ks of cycling.
Day 4: Pingle Ancient Town to Shangli Ancient Town. Riding on the riverbanks, visit the famous "Tea Market" at Pingle. Meet the White Horse Spring that gives the soar of horses. Tour the extremely picturesque Shangli Ancient Town where tea was fermented and pressed for sale and where Tibetan tea traders gathered. 45 km of cycling.
Day 5: Caoba to Hongya. Riding through the ta plantation farms for the stunning views following Qingyi River. Get thrilled to meet the ferociou rapids pouring out of Caoyutan Dam. Find out the fact of riverside rural life as they wind through forestry, bamboo and the occasional hamlet in Hongya. 55 km of cycling.
Day 6: Hongya to Leshan. It is another day of varied scenery on a small road, with views alternating from the river and its cliffs to terraced tea plantations and dense forestry. Meet Sichuan Handmade Paper Museum and the Thousand Buddha Cliff alongside the Qingyi River. End by Leshan, home of the largest and tallest carved stone Buddha in the world. 64 km of cycling.
Day 7: Cycle about 55 kilometers from Leshan toward Huanglongxi Ancient Town. Follow the Minjiang River and visit Zhongyan Temple, known for its historic Buddhist carvings. Explore Huanglongxi’s traditional streets and riverside setting before settling in for the night.
Day 8: Huanglongxi to Xinglong Lake. Reach tongzhi Dragon Kiln to learn the traditional pottery-making. A celebration meal will be served once we arrive at our final destination at Xinglong Lake, the suburb of Chengdu. 50 km of cycling.
Day 9: Chengdu departure. Free airport or train-station drop-off.
Please refer to the cycling map in the below section.
Detailed Itinerary is located on the bottom of the page.
Eight nights' accommodation for two guests. Five nights stayed at a local four-star standard hotel, and three nights stayed at an excellent local Samsung standard hotel. Breakfast included.
Vehicle and driver services: All cycling groups have two cars and two drivers to serve guests, one of which pulls guests and luggage, and the other one pulls bicycles.
English speaking guide service. When the number of guests is between 2 and 8 people, we arrange a guide. When the number of guests is nine or more, we will arrange two guides.
Attraction tickets.
Meals: Includes dinner from days 1 to 8, lunch from day 2 to 8, and breakfast from days 2 to 9.
Mountain bike rental: We provide Giant mountain bikes in sizes XS, S, M, and L, suitable for most riders between 1.4 and 1.95 meters tall. You may bring your own helmet, or use one of ours at no additional charge.
Water, snacks, and local fruits.
Show MoreDay 1: Arrive at Chengdu
Meet your guide at the airport and transfer to your hotel. In the afternoon, review the itinerary, road safety, and local customs with your guide. Celebrate the start of your journey with a welcome dinner.
Meals: Dinner
Overnight: Chengdu
Day 2: Wenjiang – Pixian
Your guide will pick you up at 8:00 a.m. for the approximately 1.5-hour drive to Wenjiang. Begin cycling past bonsai nurseries and azalea gardens; the first 15 kilometers pass through an area known for its garden centers.
After 15 kilometers, join the Wenjiang–Pixian greenway and continue toward the Sichuan Cuisine Museum. Ride through villages, farmland, and bamboo groves, with occasional views of the Jiangan River. Along the way, you may see residents relaxing in teahouses, playing mahjong, or fishing.
Cycle about 40 kilometers through hamlets and bamboo groves, then follow the greenway to the Sichuan Cuisine Museum for an afternoon visit.
Explore the museum’s traditional buildings and landscaped gardens, then drive about 30 minutes to Dujiangyan for the night.
Riding Distance: 43km
Elevation: +86m / -81m
Meals: All
Overnight: Dujiangyan
Sightseeing / Activities:Sichuan Cuisine Museum
Road Quality: Predominantly concrete or tarmacked greenways in good condition, with one short gravel track.
Day 3 Dujiangyan Panda Valley – Anren Ancient Town
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, follow a quiet country road toward Jiezi Ancient Town, with views of the mountains marking the edge of the Tibetan Plateau. Explore the town’s lanes and learn about its place on the Tea Horse Road before enjoying local food.
Cycle along Chongqing Road through villages and farmland, then finish your ride on the outskirts of Anren. A 10-kilometer drive takes you into town for an overnight stay. Explore Anren’s early-20th-century architecture, museums, and local shops.
Riding Distance: 73km
Elevation: +115m / -334m
Meals: All
Overnight: Anren Ancient Town
Sightseeing / Activities:
• Visit adorable giant pandas & cubs
• Jiezi Ancient Town
Road Quality: Predominantly tarmacked country roads in excellent condition
Day 4 Pingle Ancient Town – Shangli Ancient Town
Drive about 40 minutes to Pingle, a historic town in the Qionglai tea-growing region. Explore its traditional streets and riverside teahouses, once part of the Tea Horse Road trading network.
Continue cycling from Pingle through rural scenery and tree plantations. After about 30 kilometers, begin the route’s most challenging section: a 7-kilometer climb across a mountain covered in tea terraces, reaching an elevation of about 1,500 meters.
The tough ascent rewards you with stunning views over the valley and a 3km descent, winding down the mountain and taking you to White Horse Spring, a temple housing a peculiar spring which has its tidal system. The tides of the spring are not fixed, sometimes happening several times a day and others not for days. However, the water level can dramatically change – it is said that when the water rises, it is accompanied by a sound like the wind blowing and, when it falls, it sounds like horse’s hooves clapping on the ground.
Ride another 5 kilometers to Shangli Ancient Town, a historic market town on the Tea Horse Road. Explore its stone bridges, wooden buildings, and riverside streets, and learn about the tea once pressed into bricks for transport to Tibet. Enjoy dinner beside the river, then drive about 30 minutes to a boutique hotel in Ya’an’s Mingshan District.
Riding Distance: 45 kilometers
Elevation: +1098m / -721m
Meals: All
Overnight: Ya’an
Sightseeing / Activities:
• Pingle Ancient Town
• White Horse Spring
• Shangli Ancient Town
Road Quality: Predominantly tarmacked country roads in excellent condition
Day 5: Caoba – Hongya
Drive about 30 minutes to Caoba Town to begin cycling. Follow the Qingyi River toward Leshan, the following day’s destination. The first 5 kilometers pass terraced tea plantations before a 5-kilometer climb up the mountainside. Enjoy broad views at the top, then descend about 5 kilometers to the reservoir on the other side.
The descent is thrilling and ends by taking you alongside the reservoir on your right with an imposing red rock cliff, full of prehistoric vegetation, on your left, bringing you to the ferocious rapids pouring out of Caoyutan Dam. Passing over the dam, we continue to follow Qingyi river, and with trees overhanging the road for much of the way, it makes for an enjoyable ride.
After about 30 kilometers, leave the country road for three narrow tracks leading toward Hongya. The first follows the riverbank, the second descends through woodland, and the third crosses a flat plain of villages and rice fields. These stretches offer a closer look at rural life and a more varied riding experience. Continue the final few kilometers to your riverside hotel, where you can relax with an evening walk.
Riding Distance: 55 kilometers
Elevation: +402m / -476m
Meals: All
Overnight: Hongya
Sightseeing / Activities:
• Qingyi riverside riding
• Caoyutan Dam
Road Quality: The first half of the day is on tarmacked country roads in excellent condition and the second half is on smooth concrete tracks.
Day 6: Hongya – Leshan
After a short drive, begin cycling beside the Qingyi River toward Leshan. Follow quiet roads through varied scenery, from riverbanks and cliffs to terraced tea plantations and woodland.
After about 30 kilometers, reach two neighboring cultural sites beside the river. Begin at the Sichuan Handmade Paper Museum, where four exhibition halls introduce China’s papermaking heritage and the region’s role in its development.
Take a short riverside walk to Jiajiang’s Thousand Buddha Cliff. Follow the red rock face to see Buddhist figures and inscriptions associated with the Tang and Song dynasties. The site offers a quieter setting for exploring the region’s religious art and history.
Continue the final 33 kilometers toward Leshan. About 20 kilometers after the Thousand Buddhas site, a gentle climb offers views of terraced tea plantations. Follow a dirt road beside the river, then drive the last 10 kilometers to the Leshan Giant Buddha. Take a short river cruise to appreciate the 71-meter stone figure, carved more than 1,200 years ago.
Leshan is also known for its regional cuisine. Before settling in for the evening, sample local specialties such as sweet-skin roast duck and bobo chicken.
Riding Distance: 64km
Elevation: +446m / -514m
Meals: All
Overnight: Leshan
Sightseeing / Activities:
• Sichuan Handmade Paper Museum
• Thousand Buddha Cliff
• Leshan Giant Buddha
Road Quality: Predominantly small tarmacked country roads and concreted tracks with one 3km section of a dirt and gravel track.
Day 7: Leshan – Huanglongxi Ancient Town
The day begins with a 30-minute drive taking us to Guanmiao town, and the biking starts on a single lane road that quickly begins to guide you through farmlands, with mountains on your left. After a few kilometers, the Minjiang River appears, which flows from the day’s destination, Huanglongxi Ancient Town.
Follow a valley route with gentle climbs, then descend about 9 kilometers through rice fields to Zhongyan Temple. Explore the temple grounds and inscriptions that reflect its long history.
Take a short walk through the gardens to a natural spring, then continue cycling along a bamboo-lined road beside the river. Finish at Yongshou Township and drive about an hour to Huanglongxi for the night.
Explore Huanglongxi, a riverside town with a history of about 1,700 years. Its three temples, winding lanes, and traditional buildings have made it a popular filming location. Relax in a riverside teahouse after your ride and sample local snacks, including noodles made from a single long strand.
Riding Distance: 55 kilometers
Elevation: +302m / -270m
Meals: All
Overnight: Huanglongxi Ancient Town
Sightseeing / Activities:
• Visit Zhongyan Temple
• Huanglongxi Ancient Town
Road Quality: Predominantly small tarmacked country roads.
Day 8: Huanglongxi – Xinglong Lake
We begin our final day of biking by riding straight from Huanglongxi Ancient Town for 20km to Tongzhi Dragon Kiln. We follow our last tranquil road taking us through the paddy fields, farmlands, and rural villages that form the suburbs of Southern Chengdu.
Continue through the countryside to Tongzhi Dragon Kiln to learn about traditional pottery production. Built during the Tongzhi reign, the kiln has more than 150 years of history. Its long, sloping form resembles a dragon, giving this style of kiln its name. Explore the surrounding buildings and examples of local earthenware.
After visiting the dragon kiln, cycle toward Chengdu and Xinglong Lake. As the countryside gives way to the growing city, finish your ride with a circuit of the lake. Transfer to your hotel to rest, then reunite in the evening for a farewell dinner celebrating the journey.
Elevation: +84m / -102m
Meals: All
Overnight: Chengdu
Sightseeing / Activities:
• Tongzhi Dragon Kiln
• Xinglong Lake
Road Quality: Predominantly tarmacked country roads in excellent condition
Day 9 Fly off from Chengdu
Enjoy free time in Chengdu on your final day. Let your guide know if you have any special requests, and we will do our best to accommodate them. Transfer to the airport for your departure.
Meals: Breakfast
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