Trip Overview
Sichuan, the “Kingdom of Abundance” is also a land of vast mountains, rivers, lakes, plains and abundant biopersity. In total, there are 615 species of bird in Sichuan. Most of the birds live in the nature reserves of the Qinling Mountains in the north and Parallel Mountains in the west.
On Mt. Emei, there are over 60 species of birds, including the unique Emei Leaf Warbler (Phylloscopus Emeiansis), Darjeeling Woodpecker (Dendrocopos darjellensis) and Elliot\'s Laughingthrush (Garrulax elliotii). In the Tangjiahe Nature Reserve, there are over 204 species of bird, almost 33 % of the total species of bird found in Sichuan. Jiuzhaigou is inhabited by 222 species of bird such as the White-browed Laughingthrush, Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) and the White-browed Laughingthrush Garrulax sannio. There are about 400 species of bird to be seen on this trip.
Day 1 Arrive Chengdu
Today we arrive in Chengdu, meet the local guide and transfer to the hotel. Take a leisurely tour of Chengdu, visiting the Wenshu Temple and Wangjiang Park where you can witness the lively lives of local people.
Wenshu Temple, a monastery which dates back to the Tang dynasty, is Chengdu\'s largest and best-preserved Buddhist temple. Originally known as Xinxiang Temple, it was renamed after a Buddhist monk who lived there in the late 17th century.
Overnight Buddha Zen Hotel
Day 2 Chengdu to Mt. Emei
Drive 1.5 hours to Leshan for a short tour of the world heritage listed Giant Buddha and some birding in the park. After lunch in an authentic local restaurant, we drive to Mount Emei and ascend to the Wannian Temple by cable car.
We then watch birds all afternoon in the forest around the temple.
Overnight Local Guesthouse near the temple
Day 3 Mt. Emei to Chengdu
We spend the whole morning bird watching near the Wannian Temple.
As all birders do, we get up very early for when the birds search for worms at dawn. Today, we should see many birds including the Emei Leaf Warbler. After lunch, we descend Mount Emei and board a bus heading for Chengdu.
Overnight Buddha Zen Hotel
Day 4 Chengdu to Tangjiahe
Today will be a long one, Tangjiahe is 311km away from Chengdu. After 7 hours of driving, we arrive at Tangjiahe in the late afternoon or evening.
Overnight Local Guesthouse in Tangjiahe
Day 5 Birding in Tangjiahe
We will spend today in the Tangjiahe Nature Reserve. There are over 200 species of birds in Tangjiahe and we should see quite a few of them. Apart from birds, we might even be lucky enough to see a panda.
Overnight Local Guesthouse in Tangjiahe
Day 6 Tangjiahe to Jiuzhaigou
This morning we spend some more time watching birds in the Tangjiahe Nature Reserve. We then head to Jiuazhigou.
En route, we have lunch in a local restaurant. We will drive approximately 250km today and we will not arrive in Jiuzhaigou until the late afternoon.
Overnight YIHE International Resort
Day 7 Jiuzhaigou
Jiuzhaigou, said to be paradise on earth, is well known for its beautiful landscape. We get up early this morning, then head into the valley for bird watching.
Overnight YIHE International Resort
Day 8 Jiuzhaigou to Huanglong
Like Jiuzhaigou, the Huanglong Natural Reserve is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it\'s another great place for us to admire the landscape and watch the bountiful birds.
Unfortunately much of it is quite crowded and we will thus be heading off the beaten track.
Overnight hotel in Chuanzhusi
Day 9 Chuanzhusi to Wolong
We will be driving on a road winding its way down mountains along Min River valley until we arrive in Yingxiu.
En-route, we take a stop in Maoxian for lunch and then at Wolong Natural Reserve. Wolong is a nature reserve for giant pandas.
Day 10 Wolong to Chengdu
Early this morning, before we visit the giant pandas in the reserve, we explore around to watch the birds in the dense forest along the river. The morning is when the pandas are most active and it so lovely to see so many of them. After lunch, we drive 130 km (about 4 hours) to Chengdu.
Trip ends.
