Tour Duration: 16 day(s)
Group Size: 6 - 12 people
Specialty Categories: Bicycle Touring Cultural Journey
Season: August - September
Airfare Included: No

A 16 day cultural and scenic journey by bike in South West China and the Tibetan Plateau: our 16 day bike trip is a loop, starting and finishing in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province and one of the major cultural centers of China. At 500m elevation Chengdu is located in the Sichuan basin, sometimes referred to as the “Heavenly Kingdom”, surrounded by soaring mountains to the northwest and the Sichuan Basin to the east.

We begin our biking in the lowland rice fields and farmlands of Sichuan Basin and gently climb toward Tibetan Plateau. The mountainous area is lined with snow covered peaks, stunning river valleys and later widens out into the open Tibetan grasslands. We visit a panda breeding sanctuary and Buddhist monasteries, meet with Tibetan nomadic yak herders, explore small Tibetan towns and ancient Chinese villages, dine in local restaurants and take the challenge of biking in an area seldom visited by western travelers. We bike on mostly paved roads where at times bikes and small tractors out-number cars and climb over four high mountain passes with the highest being 4298 meters.

Stunning scenery, colorful culture, world re-known cuisine and history all combine to create one of the most diverse, interesting and memorable biking destinations on the planet. 16 days biking - 80% is on paved roads and 20% on unpaved and dirt roads. While all of the riding on this trip is non-technical some off road biking experience will help. This trip is suited to bikers with a good level of fitness. The distance is from 10 km to 120 km per day. Total distance up to 800 km. Maximum altitude 4298 meters above sea-level.

We travel in a loop through Sichuan Province and Tibetan Plateau – Chengdu to Chengdu. 100% vehicle supported. Our trusty support vehicle carries all your luggage, helps you up those hills (if you like) and always has lunch, snacks and water at hand. Accommodation is twin share in local hotels and guesthouses. (Single supplement is also available). Food includes 3 meals per day from dinner on Day-1 to breakfast Day-16. This excludes 2 lunches and 2 evening meals which are at your own expense to give you more opportunity to explore and experience local cuisine. Escape Adventures trip leader and a local bilingual guide/interpreter.

Tour Itinerary:

Day 1: Arrive in Chengdu

Day 2: Chengdu City ride and Panda Breeding centre. 50 km

Day 3: Bike through rice fields and farmland to Pingle. 63 km

Day 4: Bike through bamboo forest and farmland to Baoxing. 75 km

Day 5: Enter Tibetan area. 17 km

Day 6: Climb over 4200 meters pass to Rillonguan. 70 km

Day 7: Follow river valley to Danba. 120 km

Day 8: Danba free day

Day 9: Bike up to Jaiju Tibetan village. 10 km

Day 10: Bike up remote river valley to Donggu. 50 km

Day 11: Climb over 3900m pass onto Tibetan Plateau. 55km

Day 12: Bike across Tibetan Plateau to Tagong. 30km

Day 13: Bike past Nomads and Yaks and over 4300 meters pass to Kangding. 92km

Day 14: Bike to Shangli Ancient town. 52km

Day 15: Bike back down towards Chengdu. 45km

Day 16: Fly out.

Please remember that this is a guide only and due to unforeseen circumstances it may be necessary to make changes to the itinerary. This tour does not enter Tibet (Xizang) as currently defined by Beijing. However the tour is primarily in the area occupied by Tibetans and who themselves consider it Tibet.

Notes:

Price Includes:

- Transport
- Meals
- Accommodation
- Activities for the duration of the trip as per detailed itinerary
- Escape leader plus bilingual local guide
- All group entrance fees.

Price Excludes:

- Airfare
- Visas
- Airport taxes
- Optional meals
- Optional activities and excursions
- Vaccinations and personal equipment.