9 days car rental from Sichuan to Yunnan
Chengdu - Wolong - Mt.Siguniangs - Danba tibetan village - Bamei - Tagong - Xinduqiao - Litang - Daocheng - Yading - Xiangcheng - Zhongdian (/Shangri-La)
Day01: Chengdu to Dujiangyan to Wolong to Mt.Siguniangs (/Rilong town)
drive to mt. siguniangs (or called 'rilong town') through Dujangyan, yingxiu, wolong panda center and mt.balangshan pass (4600M), spend night at Rilong town
if you do not mind paying 40yuan for a visit, you can spend your afternoon time trekking in Haizi valley for hours, generally, if the weather is fine and sunny, this will be a amaizing trekking.
Day02: whole day travel in Changping valley
spend the day trekking in Changping valley, spend night at Rilong again
Day03: Rilong town to Zhonglu tibetan village
drive 120KM to zhonglu tibetan village, spend time walking around in the rest of the day in Zhonglu viilage, which is on a flat area close to mountain top, where there are many local tower shaped buildings; these kinds of towers are for family stay and self defence in ancient time.
NOTE:
** long ago, there was a kimdom here, this kimdom was ruled by ladies,a nd the emperior and her important officials of the kimdom were female; but, this kimdom suddenly faded out of human histroy without leaving some records; this region,from here down southward till Lijiang and Lugu lake, in history, was ruled by ladies and the custums of local marriage was very unique to other place.
** very close to Zhonglu village was the capital of former kimdom, there are many huge and very old tower buildings; but, to see them, it takes another 1.5 days of trekking to reach there.
Day04: Zhonglu tibetan village to Suopo tibetan village to Jiaju tibetan village
after breakfast at Zhonglu, leave for Suopo village, in the end of the day, stop at Jiaju village.
** Suopo village is on the western side of Zhonglu village, between them is a high mountan range; tourists, who have time, can trek from Zhonglu to the ruins of the disappeared kimdom, and then,trek to suopo village
** from Suopo village to Jiaju village is about 10KM through Danba city.
Day05: Jiaju tibetan village to Bamei to Tagong to Xinduqiao to Yajiang
on the way to Yajang, visit Huiyuan temple at Bamei, which is located in an open, flat area; viewed from the mountain pass (on the way from Danba to Bamei), it looks grand.
at Tagong, visit local gold pagoda and tagong monastery (of Sakya order)
from year 2011 till end of 2012, the road from Xinduqiao to Yajiang, 75KM, will be under rebuilding, the road surface is very poor and jerking, it reuires about 3.5 hours to finish this part of drive
Day06: Yajiang to Litang
when reaching Litang city, go and tour Litang monastery, local famous and biggest Gelupa monastis complex in Kham
from year 2011 till end of 2012, the road from Yajiang to Litang, 135KM, will be under rebuilding, the road surface is very poor and jerking, it reuires about 5 hours to finish this part of drive.
Day07: Litang to Daocheng to Riwa (/Shangri-la village) to Yading nature
drive about 240KM to reach Riwa village, where you buy entrance tickets and change to local sightseeing bus to enter Yading nature.
from Litang to Riwa village, the drive requires about 5.5 hours
from Riwa village to Yading cillage, the drive requires about 45 minutes, 25KM zigzagging mountain road.
Day08: Yading nature to Daocheng
before 15:00, you tour inside Yading nature, enjoy the natural beauty; at 15:00, you get back to Yading village, where you take local sightseeing bus back to Riwa village; at Riwa, you take your private car/bus back to Daocheng city; enjoy hot spring at local reputated Rubu Tsaka hot spring resort.
Day09: Daocheng to Xiangcheng to Zhongdian (/Shangri-la city of Yunnan province)
driev about 340KM to Zhongdian, the biggest city in northern Yunnan province.
in late evening, you reach Zhongdian city and check into locla hotel.
** at Zhongdian, tyou can visit Songtsanlin monastery, Napa lake, and, visit local tibetan family.
** from Zhongdian, you can travel about 180KM southward to Lijiang old city, and on the way, tour famous Tiger leaping gorges
** it is a 4 to 5 hours drive from Zhongdian to Lijiang; if you want to go to Lijaing by the same private car, you can talk about it with the driver, and extend your car rental to Lijiang.