We begin the day at Panda Valley, a wilderness research and release center dedicated to giant panda conservation. Unlike the better-known urban breeding bases, Panda Valley focuses on returning pandas to a more natural habitat, so it is a quieter and more conservation-minded place to see them. After a Sichuan lunch in Chengdu, we take a high-speed train north toward Guangyuan or Mianyang, then continue by road through the mountains to Songpan or Chuanzhusi.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. Accommodation: 4-star hotel in Songpan or Chuanzhusi or equivalent

We spend the morning at Huanglong Scenic Area, where calcium-rich water has shaped the mountainside into a string of golden travertine pools, backed by snow-capped peaks, old-growth forest, and the historic Huanglong Temple. Because we are at high elevation, anyone with respiratory issues is encouraged to bring portable oxygen, and we have a light lunch near the park to help with the altitude. In the afternoon we transfer to the Jiuzhaigou area. An optional evening performance, Jiuzhai Eternal Love, is available for those who want it.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. Accommodation: 4-star hotel near Jiuzhaigou entrance or equivalent

We spend a full day inside Jiuzhaigou National Park, one of the most photographed landscapes in China and a UNESCO World Heritage site. We take in Five Flower Lake, with its vivid submerged colors, Nuorilang Waterfall, Long Lake, Arrow Bamboo Lake, the Shuzheng Lakes, and Mirror Lake, where on still days the peaks reflect with remarkable clarity. We have lunch inside the park and return to the hotel in the late afternoon.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. Accommodation: 4-star hotel near Jiuzhaigou entrance or equivalent

We have a relaxed morning, with an optional visit to a nearby Tibetan village for anyone who wants a closer look at local life on the Sichuan plateau. Around midday we catch the high-speed train back to Chengdu from Guangyuan or Mianyang. We spend the evening in Kuanzhai Alley, one of Chengdu's most atmospheric old quarters, where dinner is arranged locally. Sichuan hotpot is the move for the brave.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. Accommodation: 5-star hotel in Chengdu or equivalent

After breakfast we fly south to Kunming, the spring-like capital of Yunnan, where a private transfer meets us. In the afternoon we visit the Stone Forest Geopark, a vast field of limestone karst pillars carved by water and time over millions of years. The site is sacred to the local Yi people, and the legends of the Sani branch are tied to the landscape. Dinner is Yi-style roast duck before we head back to the hotel.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. Accommodation: Delta Hotels Kunming or equivalent

We travel to Dali, the historic heart of the Bai people, set between the deep blue of Erhai Lake and the green slopes of the Cangshan Mountains. We visit the Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple, which date back more than a thousand years, then explore Dali Ancient Town, Foreigner's Street, and the old quarter's Catholic Church, a striking example of how foreign and local traditions have layered together here. We spend the evening walking the ancient town and sampling Bai cooking.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. Accommodation: Lanlingge Hotel Dali (Ancient Town) or equivalent

We begin the morning in Xizhou Ancient Town, a Bai cultural stronghold known for its old banyan tree, the Corner Tower, and a traditional Bai tea ceremony of three cups, each with its own meaning. After a Bai lunch, we continue to Zhoucheng for a hands-on tie-dye workshop, where the indigo-and-white textiles that have defined Bai craft for generations are still made by hand. In the late afternoon we travel on to Shaxi, a quietly preserved waystation on the old Tea Horse Road, for an easy evening.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. Accommodation: Lanlingge Garden Hotel Shaxi or equivalent

We start the morning in the historic core of Shaxi, taking in Xingjiao Temple, Yujin Bridge, the South Gate, and the Ancient Stage, where caravan traders once gathered before crossing into Tibet. Around midday we transfer to Lijiang, the cultural heart of the Naxi people. On arrival we explore Lijiang Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and get an introduction to Dongba script, one of the world's last surviving pictographic writing systems, along with Naxi wedding customs and traditional embroidery.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. Accommodation: Huazhu Cangyuan Lijiang Hotel or equivalent

We ascend Jade Dragon Snow Mountain by either the Glacier or Spruce Meadow cableway, depending on conditions, and visit Snowfield Ranch beneath the peaks. In the afternoon we explore Blue Moon Valley, a chain of glacier-fed alpine lakes whose color shifts from milky turquoise to deep blue as the light changes. An electric cart is included to keep the visit comfortable at altitude.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. Accommodation: Huazhu Cangyuan Lijiang Hotel or equivalent

We set out from Shigu Town and visit the historic Iron Chain Bridge, with its wide views of the First Bend of the Yangtze, where the great river makes a sharp northern turn that has shaped the geography of Southwest China for millennia. In the afternoon we take a scenic walk through Tiger Leaping Gorge, one of the deepest river canyons in the world, where cliffs rise more than two thousand meters above the rushing Jinsha River.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. Accommodation: Huazhu Cangyuan Lijiang Hotel or equivalent

We spend the morning at Lashihai Wetland Park, a quiet lakeside reserve along a stretch of the old Tea Horse Road, with optional horseback riding and boating for a feel of one of pre-modern Asia's great trade routes. In the afternoon we transfer to the airport for our departure, carrying with us the pandas in the bamboo, the lakes of Jiuzhaigou, the karst pillars of the Stone Forest, the Bai tea ceremonies, and the long views from Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.

Meals: Breakfast. Accommodation: Not included