The Grand Bike Tour Of Southwest And Central China Part 5

Part 5 of the Grand Bike Tour begins in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province, one of the major cultural centers in China and home of the Giant Panda, famous silk, fabulous food, and great teahouses. On the first day, there will be a warm-up tour of the city where we will visit the Panda Breeding Research Center and Wenshu Buddhist Monastery and teahouse. Next will head west to Dujiangyan, a location of the historic 2,000 year-old irrigation system that is still in use today. Following the Minjiang River, the route heads north to Maoxian and Zhenjiangguan before reaching Songpan a half Tibetan town and the jumping off point for Jiuzhaigou Natural Reserve. Here we will spend a day exploring the area and viewing the unique lakes, streams and waterfalls. Heading higher in altitude, climbing gradually out of the Yangtse River Basin and onto the Tibetan Plateau to an elevation of 10,000 feet (3,000 meters). This section will be by vehicle transport since the roads are not paved.