Tour Description

West China Bike Tour
Exploring Western Sichuan/Yunnan 16-Day Bike Tour

Dates: Monday, June 1 to Tuesday, June 16, 2015 Contact us with the dates that work for you.

Ox surfing in Sichuan

West China Bike Tour
Exploring Western Sichuan/Yunnan 16-Day Bike Tour

Dates:Monday, June 1 to Tuesday, June 16, 2015 Contact us with the dates that work for you.

This 16-day bicycle tour through southwest China begins in Chengdu and ends in Lijiang. Average daily cycling mileage will be about 50 miles (80 km). A support vehicle will transport luggage and may be used on occasion to supplement the cycling to get to the next destination. Riders will carry only their day packs on their bikes. This tour will visit both well-known and little-known sights and will appeal to those who have cultural, social and geological interests.

This tour begins with airport pickup from the Chengdu airport the day before the tour officially begins. On Day One, we'll begin with a tour orientation and bicycle fitting before loading in the vehicle to head into the foot hill near Tiantai Mtn. We'll cycle part way to Baoxing, where we'll enjoy a nice meal and spend our first night.

The second day the tour will begin our ascent up Jiajin mountain and stay in a quaint B&B before heading over the 13,500ft pass on the third day. Upon descending we'll see the 4 Sister Mountains in the distance as we ride into Rilong.

On day 4 we will cycle to Danba, located on the Dadu River, a major tributary to the Yangtze. Along the way we will visit a lamasery and a Tibetan Buddhist Temple.

In Danba, the group will explore the area including some of the Tibetan Defensive towers the dot the hills around the town.

From Danba we will head south along the Dadu towards Bamei, a historic place where Chairman Mao crossed the river with his Red Army on his Long March. We will visit the museum with some artifacts. Next stop is in Kangding, the gateway to Hailuogou Glacier Park.

We will continue along the Dadu River to Shimian. There will be overnight stops at the small towns of Shimian and Mianning before arriving at Xichang, the heart of the Yi minority.

The route then turns west toward Yunnan stopping at the small towns of Pingchuan and Yanyuan before arriving at Lugu Lake. This is the center area of the matriarchal Mosu culture surrounding a lake at an elevation of 8,800 feet (2685 meters). The tour will spend two days exploring the area and visiting Liwubi Island and Yongning Monastery. The next day the group will cycle to Ninglang.

The next stop is Lijiang, home of the Naxi minority and set in a valley overshadowed by Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. With a picturesque old town including fast moving water through open waterways and wooden architecture, Lijiang makes a good two-day stopover. Visits to surrounding villages will include the 15th century frescoes, the Yufeng Monastery and attend a Naxi Orchestra using unique traditional instruments.

From Lijiang we will then fly back to Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province, and get transport to the hotel

Below is the route summary with distance in kilometer/miles and note if alternative transportation may be used for part of the way (Trans) consisting of truck or bus.

Some Photos Highlights of
West China Bike Tour
Exploring Western Sichuan/Yunnan 16-Day Bike Tour

Photos from Carol and Pete's Bike Tour of Southwest China
Sichuan Photos
More Sichuan Photos
Yunnan Photos

Itinerary

Day	Location	Distance KM/Miles	SICHUAN PROVINCE
0	Chengdu/Chengdu	0/0	Pick up from the Chengdu airport and transfer to your hotel.
1	Chengdu/Baoxing	90/56	Meet in Chengdu in the morning for bicycle fitting and trip orientation. Take transport to Tiantai Mountain, cycle part or all the way to Baoxing.
2	Baoxing/Wudaoguai	90/56	Begin accent of Jiajin Mountain by bicycle to a small village called Wu Dao Guai where we’ll stay at a rustic B&B and have a nice home cooked meal.
3	Wudaoguai/Rilong	60/38	Cycle over Jiajin Mountain pass at 4100m (13500ft) and enjoy a beautiful decent before another nice climb to Rilong at the base of Four Sister Mountains.
4	Rilong/Danba	90/56	Visit Buddhist Temple, an Islamic Mosque, a Lamasery and a Catholic Church. Take transport part way to Danba.
5	Danba/Danba	30/19	Break day. Visit surrounding defense towers.
6	Danba/Bamei	85/53	Climb a 3,850m (12,630) pass. Relax in hot springs.
7	Bamei/Kangding	115/72	Take transport part way. Visit the Long March Museum.
8	Kangding/Shimian Xian	95/59	Hailuogou Glacier Park
9	Shimian Xian/Mianning	108/68	Small town life.
10	Mianning/Xichang	93/58	Heart of the Yi minority.
11	Xichang/Pingchuan	80/50	Small town life.
12	Pingchuan/Yanyuan	60/38	Small town life.
			YUNNAN PROVINCE
13	Yanyuan/Lugu Lake	135/84	Take transport part way. Matriarchal Mosu Culture on a picturesque lake
14	Lugu Lake/Ninglang	80/50	Small town life.
15	Ninglang/Lijiang	135/84	Take transport part way. Naxi Minority - Naxi Orchestra using unique traditional instruments.
16	Lijiang	34/23	Visit Black Dragon Pool Park, Baisha 15th century frescoes, the Yufeng Monastery. - In the afternoon take a return flight to Chengdu.
	Total Distance	1,346 km	841 miles

Tour Details

Dates: Monday, June 1 to Tuesday, June 16, 2015 Contact us with the dates that work for you.

Start location: Chengdu, Sichuan Province

Finish location: Chengdu, Sichuan Province

Tour type: Vehicle supported - riders carry only their day packs on their bikes.

Geographical location: Southwest and Central China Elevation range: 1,000 feet (300 meters) to 13,550 feet (4,150 meters).

Climate: The best weather for touring is in the spring and fall. Summer will be hot and rainy. Click on the weather links below to obtain historical weather information.

Terrain: Rolling and mountainous

Cycling tour level: Moderately Challenging

Total cycling distance: Approximately 1,480 miles (2,430 km): Average distance per travel day: 50 miles (80 km) Cycling may be supplemented on occasion with vehicle transport when necessary to reach the next destination.

Days: 16

Nights: 16

Group size: 1 - 8

Rental bike: Premium touring bike and helmet.

Accommodations: The prices are for double occupancy rooms, and will vary depending on the number of people who participate.

Private room supplement: US$720

This tour is limited to no more than eight people. This will permit more flexibility in the program and allow more spontaneity for taking photos or exploring villages along the way.

Prices include the following:

1. Bilingual bicycle tour guide/mechanic.
2. All hotel accommodations for 16 nights.
3. Meals eaten as group (private meals, snacks and alcoholic beverages are not included).
4. All group transportation costs including one flight (Lijiang - Chengdu) taxis, buses and a support vehicle to be used during the bike tour and airport pickup and dropoff.
5. All group entrance fees. 6. Rental bicycle and helmet.

This will be a vehicle-supported ride. This means that a support-vehicle will carry the luggage (and cyclists when desired). Each cyclist will carry only their day pack luggage while cycling.

If you decide to do something on your own, you will be responsible for those costs.

Cost: Prices depend on the total number of people going on the tour and the time of year. Below are the price per person (pp) and quoted in US dollars (US$) for non-holiday periods*:

Group size:
3 person US$4,711pp
4 people US$4,132pp
5-6 people US$3,785pp
7-8 people US$3,387pp

Current Registrations

There are three people registered as of

* Holiday Periods require a 30% surcharge to the basic price due to increased costs of hotels and transportation. Tours with overlapping dates will be prorated.

An announcement of the cost of the tour will be made to the group 60-days prior to the start based on the number of registered members.

A deposit of $500 is required. This is fully refundable up to 60 days prior to the start of the tour. Submission of a deposit will guarantee your place on the tour. Balance is due 60 days prior to the beginning of the tour and is payable by credit card (Paypal), money order, or direct bank transfer.

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For general ride information that applies to all rides, please visit our FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) and the General Info page.

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