Itinerary
- Day 1
Chengdu
You'll arrive at the airport and get driven to your hotel to settle in. After getting comfortable, your guides will meet with you to go over the itinerary, talk through local road safety, and fill you in on cultural things to know. Later in the evening, you'll have a welcome dinner showcasing some of Chengdu's best food to kick off your trip.
- Start point
- 成都双流国际机场, Chengdu Shi, Sichuan, China (Terminal 1 or Terminal 2, 00:00 - 23:55)
- Meals
- Dinner (Welcome dinner celebrating the beginning of the journey, featuring some of the best food Chengdu has to offer)
- Day 2
Huanglongxi Ancient Town
Start early at the Giant Panda Breeding Research Base where you'll see pandas of various ages in open park settings. After lunch, you'll cycle through the countryside south of Chengdu toward Xinglong Lake, then check out the 150-year-old Tongzhi Dragon Kiln to watch traditional pottery making. From there, you'll ride through fruit orchards and greenways to Big Buddha Temple before finishing at Huanglongxi Ancient Town, a 1,700-year-old riverside settlement that sits on the ancient Silk Road.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Early lunch before continuing to Xinglong Lake), Dinner
Included Activities
- Visit Giant Panda Breeding Research Base
- Visit Tongzhi Dragon Kiln - 150-year-old pottery kiln
- Visit Ming Qing Street - ancient narrow street with 100 years of history
- Visit Big Buddha Temple - featuring large carved marble Buddhas
- Explore Huanglongxi Ancient Town - 1,700-year-old town with three temples and winding alleyways
Landmarks Giant Panda Breeding Research Base Xinglong Lake Tongzhi Dragon Kiln Ming Qing Street Big Buddha Temple Huanglongxi Ancient Town - Day 3
Leshan
After driving about an hour, you'll start cycling along a scenic river road with bamboo trees on both sides. You'll visit Zhongyan Temple, located in a large park with Buddhist carvings from over 1,500 years ago, and hike to a natural spring. Cycling continues through farmland to Guanmiao Village before driving to Leshan to see the world's largest carved stone Buddha. A short river cruise lets you take in the full 71-metre carving. You'll finish the day trying Leshan's well-known local dishes.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner (Leshan's famous cuisine including Sweet Skin Roast Duck and Bo Bo Chicken)
Included Activities
- Visit Zhongyan Temple - Buddhist temple with 1,500+ year old carvings
- Hike through gardens to natural spring at Zhongyan Temple
- Boat cruise to view Leshan Giant Buddha - 71m carved stone Buddha built over 1,200 years ago
Landmarks Zhongyan Temple Leshan Giant Buddha 
- Day 4
Rongxian
You'll drive a short distance outside Leshan, then start cycling on off-road country tracks through rural areas. The route goes through paddy fields and bamboo to reach The Ethnic Minority Museum of Qianfo Town, housed in the Leichang Residence, a massive traditional building from the 1700s. You'll explore the structures with Cultural Revolution-era slogans still on the walls. Cycling continues through quiet countryside with bamboo and terraced fields, passing tea farming areas. For those up for it, there's a 2-3km mountain biking section before driving to Rongxian.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Visit The Ethnic Minority Museum of Qianfo Town - housed in Leichang Residence, largest traditional residence in south-western Sichuan
Optional Activities
- Mountain biking track option - 2-3km section with reasonable level of difficulty
Landmarks The Ethnic Minority Museum of Qianfo Town Leichang Residence Tiechang Town 
- Day 5
Zigong
You'll cycle through southern Sichuan's countryside on country roads, passing terraced paddy fields. At 10km you'll see a soybean paste production centre, then stop at Chengjia Town (26km) for tea at a bustling roadside teahouse. The ride continues through rice terrace scenery and through Aiye on Zigong's outskirts. In Zigong, you'll visit a museum with dinosaur bone specimens and an operating salt mine, exploring one of the world's largest concentrations of dinosaur bones and a 2,000-year salt mining heritage.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Visit Zigong Dinosaur Museum - archaeological pit with dinosaur bones
- Visit Zigong Salt Industry History Museum - historic salt mine still in use
Landmarks Zigong Dinosaur Museum Zigong Salt Mine Chengjia Town Aiye 
- Day 6
Fushun
After a short drive, you'll cycle through small hamlets on a country lane to Xianshi Ancient Town (12km), established 1,400 years ago as a river trading port on the ancient salt route. The quiet riverside town has traditional buildings, Buddhist shrines, and temples where locals go about daily life. You'll visit a traditional baijiu distillery with fermentation pits and see shops selling yeast balls for rice wine brewing. Lunch stops at a 'farmer's home' restaurant, then a 25km afternoon ride follows the Fuxi river through countryside to Fushun. You'll see Fushun's Confucian Temple, which has a mysterious tiny naked statue on top visible only through a telescope.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Lunch at a 'farmer's home' restaurant with good quality food sourced from surrounding countryside), Dinner
Included Activities
- Explore Xianshi Ancient Town - 1,400-year-old river port with traditional buildings and temples
- Visit traditional baijiu distillery with fermentation pits in Xianshi Ancient Town
- Visit Fushun's Confucian Temple - beautiful temple built on tiered ground with unique features
Landmarks Xianshi Ancient Town Fushun Confucian Temple - Day 7
Luzhou
Starting from the city edge on a single-track road through bamboo-surrounded farmlands, you'll see people working by hand in centuries-old ways. You'll enter baijiu territory passing terraced sorghum fields around 10km. At Huangjia (26km), a lively village with vendors, you'll stop at simple teahouses. From there, the route winds through remote tracks and roads, sometimes following the river through riverside towns. You'll drive to Luzhou, Sichuan's key baijiu brewing city, and visit the Luzhou Laojiao Museum with the country's oldest fermentation pits spanning about 500 years. A tasting of this famous baijiu brand finishes the day.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Visit Luzhou Laojiao Museum - houses ancient fermentation pits (around 500 years old) still in use and offers baijiu tasting
Landmarks Luzhou Laojiao Museum Huangjia - Day 8
Chishui
After a 10km drive, you'll start on a single-track road tackling one of the trip's tougher climbs while crossing from Sichuan into Guizhou province. You'll cycle through bamboo forests cutting through farmlands, then face several kilometres of serious climbing, the trip's most challenging section so far, rewarded with views from a mountain ridge. You'll wind along the ridge through bamboo before descending toward Chishui, where you'll notice different language, people, and architecture. Before reaching your hotel, you'll visit Datong Ancient Town in a valley beside a slow river. You'll sample 1, 3, and 8-year aged local baijiu at a tasting room and walk the old town with its temple and curio workshops. During warmer months, swimming in the river helps recover from the day's effort.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Visit Datong Ancient Town - picturesque riverside old town with temples and local attractions
- Baijiu tasting - taste 1, 3, and 8-year aged local baijiu in Datong Ancient Town
Optional Activities
- Swim in the river at Datong Ancient Town (available during warmer months)
Landmarks Datong Ancient Town - Day 9
Tucheng
You'll start on a specially built cycle lane following the Chishui river through a deep valley with bamboo-covered mountains all the way to Maotai. At 22km you'll reach Bing'an Ancient Town, which has 1,000 years of history as a former river trading post and Red Army strategic position during the 1935 Long March. The quiet old town sits above the river with large rocks and red soil banks. You'll sample local snacks like grilled river crabs and browse Guizhou souvenirs, then visit a Red Army museum. Cycling continues as mountains grow larger with karst geology becoming more visible. After 62km total, you'll reach Tucheng Ancient Town beside the river. You'll explore the large ancient area, a modern art gallery with Chinese and international contemporary work, and the Red Army Museum with excellent Long March and Communist revolution exhibits.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Explore Bing'an Ancient Town - 1,000-year-old riverside trading town with Red Army history
- Visit Red Army Museum in Bing'an Ancient Town - museum about Red Army garrison
- Explore Tucheng Ancient Town - large riverside ancient town
- Visit Tucheng Modern Art Gallery - contemporary Chinese and international art
- Visit Tucheng Red Army Museum - exhibits on Long March and Communist revolution history
Landmarks Bing'an Ancient Town Tucheng Ancient Town - Day 10
Maotai
After a 40km drive to Xijiu Town, you'll see baijiu factories rising above the river with karst mountains forming an impressive valley backdrop, confirming you're approaching Maotai, China's baijiu production centre. You'll continue on the cycle lane closely following the river through famous Guizhou karst scenery with occasional local baijiu factories visible. After 50km of steady riding, you'll arrive in Maotai in time for a relaxed lunch. The afternoon includes visiting the 'Chinese Liquor Culture City' museum in attractive surroundings with traditional exhibition halls. The well-designed museum has strong translations guiding you through China's alcohol history with baijiu focus, covering brewing methods, cultural significance, and political histories before a tasting of this well-known drink.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Relaxed lunch after arriving in Maotai), Dinner
Included Activities
- Visit Chinese Liquor Culture City - museum with exhibitions on China's alcohol history and baijiu, includes baijiu tasting
Landmarks Chinese Liquor Culture City Xijiu Town - Day 11
Qianxi
Today brings the trip's most challenging riding with longer distance and multiple climbs and descents, but also the most varied scenery and culture. After a 30-40 minute drive to Wuma Town, a gorgeous riverside town where locals shop, you'll begin the day's biggest climb. The gentle 5km+ ascent winds up the hillside, offering the trip's best views from the top with sorghum terraces spreading below. You'll continue through countryside with gentle descents through hills and villages to a large flat valley at Jinsha Town for lunch. After lunch, another drive takes you to countryside with gentle rolling hills, villages, and regional whitewashed homes with grey tile roofs. After 45km total riding, you'll descend into open countryside where tobacco crops replace sorghum. You'll get a closer look at tobacco drying and aging. The route continues through varied scenery with generous downhills before reaching Qianxi county city.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Lunch break in Jinsha Town), Dinner
Landmarks Wuma Town Jinsha Town - Day 12
Qingzhen
After a 30-40 minute drive, you'll visit Zhijin Karst Cave, discovered in the 1980s and considered the most beautiful cave in China and the world's largest non-supported visitable cave. You'll walk 7km through chambers with huge spaces, intricate crystalline formations, and rare stalagmites and stalactites. After leaving the cave, you'll have a shorter, relaxed cycling day through Guizhou countryside as karst mountains become more prominent with their distinct formations spreading around farms, villages, and water buffalo. At about 10km you'll cycle through Xinpu Village where elderly people smoke traditional pipes with local tobacco. Around 15km there's a harsh uphill rewarded with a nice descent. After 20km, scenery shifts to forested valleys before a short drive to Qingzhen City.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Visit Zhijin Karst Cave - regarded as most beautiful cave in China and largest non-supported visitable cave in the world, includes 7km walk inside with chambers and crystal formations
Landmarks Zhijin Karst Cave Xinpu Village 
- Day 13
Qingyan
Your final ride begins on Qingzhen's outskirts through varied Guizhou countryside. You'll start on a cycle lane for the first few kilometres leading out of the suburbs to a small lake at the city's edge. From there you'll enter an evergreen forest, then pass through many villages for an interesting view of life just outside cities. The route covers varied scenery with forest, villages, and countryside, occasionally passing rivers or water buffalo, summarizing what you've seen over the past days. You'll join a cycle path on the main road and freewheel downhill for the final kilometres to Qingyan Ancient Town. This large town, built in 1378 as a military outpost, has a large wall overlooking countryside and karst mountains. You'll explore the town's unique Christian and Buddhist influences and climb the wall to watch the sunset over karst scenery. A farewell dinner with excellent local food lets you reflect on the trip and your achievements.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner (Farewell dinner with excellent local food, celebrating the trip and all achieved)
Included Activities
- Explore Qingyan Ancient Town - built 1378 as military outpost, with large wall and unique Christian and Buddhist influences
- Climb Qingyan Ancient Town wall - views of sunset over karst mountain scenery
Landmarks Qingyan Ancient Town - Day 14
Qingyan
You have a free day to relax and walk through Qingyan Ancient Town however you'd like. Let your guides know if you have special requests and they'll help out if possible. When it's time to go, you'll transfer to nearby Guiyang airport for your departure flight.
- End point
- 贵阳龙洞堡国际机场, 贵阳龙洞堡机场, Guiyang Shi, Guizhou, China (Terminal 1 or Terminal 2, 00:00 - 23:55)
Optional Activities
- Explore Qingyan Ancient Town at your own pace
- Special requests - arrange with guides based on your interests
