Highlights

Pre-dawn at the panda research base, before the public gate opens
A Sichuan cooking class with a home-kitchen chef
Drive the first 200km of the Sichuan-Tibet highway to Kangding
Night at a Tibetan lodge at 2,700m — stars, silence, yak-butter tea

Overview

Sichuan in one word: layered. The province stacks a lowland mega-city (Chengdu), a lush irrigation plain (Dujiangyan), and the first wall of the Tibetan plateau (Kangding) within a few hours of each other. This trip drives that stack in eight days.

Day by Day

Day 1 — Arrive in Chengdu

Met at the airport. A tea house afternoon, a Sichuan hotpot dinner, an early night.

Day 2 — Pandas at Dawn

6am gate open. Our team is inside before the buses. Afternoon free — spa, massage, or nap.

Day 3 — Sichuan Cooking Class

Morning at a neighborhood market; afternoon at a local cook's home kitchen, learning three canonical Sichuan dishes (mapo tofu, twice-cooked pork, gong bao chicken).

Day 4 — Dujiangyan

Day trip to the 2,300-year-old irrigation system — still working. An engineer guide makes the hydraulics legible.

Day 5 — Drive to Kangding

Four hours west. The Gonggashan range appears on the horizon and doesn't leave. Lodge check-in at 2,700m.

Day 6 — Kangding & Mugecuo Lake

An alpine lake surrounded by Tibetan prayer flags. Easy walk, big silence.

Day 7 — Return to Chengdu

Scenic drive back. Farewell dinner — Sichuan's classic banquet, done right.

Day 8 — Departure

Transfer to Chengdu airport.

Family-Friendly Notes

This itinerary works well for families with kids 8+. The panda day and the cooking class are unambiguous wins. The drive to Kangding involves altitude — we recommend pediatric check-in with your doctor if anyone is under 12.

What's Included

Private guide, private driver
All ground transfers
4★ hotels in Chengdu, boutique lodge in Kangding
Daily breakfast + cooking-class lunch + farewell dinner
Panda base private early entry, cooking class with ingredients
Altitude oxygen in the van