Bicycle Tour Decriptions

Beijing, Xi'an and Western Sichuan: Great Wall, Terra-Cotta Soldiers and Pandas 20-Day Bike Tour

Dates: Sunday, August 25 to Tuesday, September 13, 2013

Balangshan Pass - 4,523 meters (14,835 feet)

Beijing, Xi'an and Western Sichuan: Great Wall, Terra-Cotta Soldiers and Pandas 20-Day Bike Tour

Dates: Sunday, August 25 to Tuesday, September 13, 2013

This 20-day bicycling tour begins and ends in Beijing, the capital of China. This tour is designed as a moderate to challenging ride. Average daily cycling mileage will be about 54 km or 33 miles. This is a vehicle-supported ride so riders will carry only their day gear in their bike bag while a support vehicle will carry luggage and riders when they would prefer a lift. This tour will visit both well-known and little-known sights and will appeal to those who have cultural, social and geographical interests.

On the first day, the group will meet in Beijing at the airport. After transfer to the centrally-located hotel we will explore the city. The group will cycle through Beijing's old neighborhoods and along the narrow alleys called hutongs. The following day the group will tour by bike to visit Tian'anmen Square, Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven. On the third day, the group will take a motor vehicle excursion to the Great Wall and Ming Tombs then fly to Xi'an in the evening.

On the fourth day in Xi'an, the group will visit the Terracotta Warriors by motor vehicle and then explore the city wall by bike in the afternoon.

On day five, the group will fly to Chengdu in the morning and then take a leisurely tour of Chengdu visiting Wenshu Monastery, the River Viewing Pagoda, the Sichuan University Museum and visiting several restaurants for some local culinary specialties.

Pandas

On day six, we will transfer our gear into panniers and store excess luggage at the hotel. The group will take transport to the starting point 100 kilometers from Chengdu. This puts us on a quiet road leading into the Wolong Panda Reserve. We will spend the night in Wolong and visit the Panda Research Center the following morning when the pandas are the most active and have plenty of Panda photo opportunities.

On the seventh day, group will head up to Balangshan Pass (partially using transport) through the Wolong Nature Reserve. The pass is at 4,523 meters (14,835 feet) and oxygen will be available for those who need it. This is an exciting road with terrific views of yaks on the slopes tended by Tibetan herdsman. At the top of the pass we will then coast down into a gorgeous valley to Rilongguan, at the base of Four Girls Mountain. We will spend a day in the area hiking and cycling around this scenic area.

Wori Defensive Tower On the eighth day we will cycle (mostly downhill) to visit the village Wori with an impressive defensive tower and then on to Xiaojin Xian where there is a Buddhist Temple, an Islamic Mosque and a Catholic Church where Mao spent some time on the Long March. The group will end up in Danba, located on the Dadu River, a major tributary to the Yangzi. Along the way we will visit a lamasery and a Tibetan Buddhist Temple.

The ninth day is a rest day and the group will explore the Danba area including some of the Tibetan Defensive towers the dot the hills around the town.

On day ten, the group will go from Danba and head southwest climbing 97 km up the 4,200-meter pass to Bamei and then on to Tagong on the Tibetan plateau partially using transport.

Tibetan Festival

From Tagong the group will cycle on the Tibetan plateau for 20 or km then head down along a river to Xinduqiao, a small town on the Chengdu-Lhasa highway.

Then we will cycle to Kangding, a well-known Tibetan town straddling a fast-flowing river. The next day will be spent cycling and hiking around this area visiting a Tibetan temple and soaking in a hot-springs bath.

On the 13th day, the group will cycle through Luding, a historic place where Chairman Mao crossed the river with his Red Army on his Long March. Next stop is in Moxi, the gateway to Hailuogou Glacier Park. This is the lowest glacier in Asia and, weather permitting, offers some spectacular views of Gongga Mountain, a peak of 7,556 m (24,784 ft). Hiking, pony treks, mountain biking and hot springs are some of the possible activities. The next day will be spent hiking around the glacier and visiting the hot springs.

Hailuogou Glacier Cycling downhill from Moxi, the group will get transported over the Erliang Mountain (through a tunnel) to Tianshan and then cycle to Lushan.

From Lushan we will cycle to Chonglai. There is an old village nearby that we will explore.

On the 18th day, the group will cycle to Anren near Dayi, to visit the Li Landlord Manor. This is a good example of a feudal manor and was used as a re-education center to illustrate the evils of the landlord-serf system and includes an area of over 100 life-size clay figures graphically displaying the downtrodden workers being abused by the landlord. Afterwards, the tour will continue to Xinjin and visit the Bass-relief frescoes at Guanyin Temple and then to Huanglongxi to spend the night. Huanglongxi is a small fishing village that is often used as a set in classic-period movies.

On the 19th day, we will cycle back to Chengdu and freshen up at a hotel followed by an early banquet. In the evening, the group will fly to Beijing concluding the tour.

Some Photos Highlights in Western Sichuan

A Travelogue in the Western Sichuan.

Itinerary

Day	Location	Cycling Distance KM/Miles	NOTES
			BEIJING
1	Beijing	9/15	Biking in Beijing's "hutong" - narrow alleys to get a feel for the rapidly disappearing Old Beijing
2	Beijing	18/30	City tour by bike. Tian'anmen Square, Forbidden City, Summer Palace and Temple of Heaven.
			SHAANXI PROVINCE
3	Xi'an	9/15	Excursion by motor vehicle to Great Wall and Ming Tombs. Fly to Xi'an in the evening.
4	Xi'an	9/15	Excursion by motor vehicle to Terracotta Warriors. Bike around the city wall.
			SICHUAN PROVINCE
5	Chengdu	18/30	Fly to Chengdu in the morning. Take a brief City Tour - Wenshu Monastery, River Viewing Pagoda, and the Sichuan University Museum
6	Wolong	41/25	Take transport to the starting point 100 kilometers, then cycle into the Wolong Nature Reserve. Visit the Pandas the following morning.
7	Rilongguan	50/31	Partially using transport, head to Balangshan Pass (4,523 meters or 14,835 feet) then cycle down to Rilongguan at the base of the Four Girls Mountains.
8	Danba	120/73	Cycle mostly downhill to Danba stopping in Wori and Xiaojin to visit defensive tower, Tibetan and Buddhist Monastery and a Catholic Church.
9	Danba	20/12	Rest day. Explore the Danba area getting a good look at the numerous defensive towers that dot the hills.
10	Tagong	126/77	Partially using transport, cycle up to the Tibetan Plateau over a 4,200-meter pass. Visit Tagong Monastery and spend the night in a Tibetan guesthouse.
11	Xinduqiao	42/26	Cycle along the plateau at 3,600 meters and then down along a river to Xinduqiao on the Chengdu-Lhasa Highway.
12	Kangding	80/49	Cycle over a 4,290-meter pass and then down to Kangding
13	Kangding	20/12	Rest day. Explore Kangding's hills, temples and hot springs.
14	Moxi	43/26	Visit Luding, a historic place in Mao's Long March and then cycle to Moxi at the gate to Hailuogou Glacier Park.
15	Moxi	0/0	Explore Hailuogou Glacier Park, visiting the glacier and hot springs.
16	Lushan	72/44	Cycle downhill to Luding, then take transport to Tianqian, and then cycle to Chonglai
17	Chonglai	76/46	Visit an ancient village.
18	Huanglongxi	61/37	Cycle to Anren, and visit the Li Landlord Manor used for re-education of the masses during the cultural revolution. Then cycle to Xinjin and visit the Bass-relief frescoes at Guanyin Temple.
19	Chengdu	50/31	Explore this historic village used in many period movies, then cycle to Chengdu. After freshening up at a hotel we will have banquet meal celebrating successful conclusion of the tour.
			BEIJING
20	Beijing	0/0	A flight to Beijing concludes the tour.
	Total Distance	943/575	Kilometer/Miles

Details

Beijing, Xi'an and Western Sichuan: Great Wall, Terra-Cotta Soldiers and Pandas 20-Day Bike Tour

Dates: Sunday, August 25 to Tuesday, September 13, 2013

Start location: Beijing, China

Finish location: Beijing, China

Tour type: Vehicle-supported bicycle tour with three internal flights (Beijing-Xi'an, Xi'an-Chengdu, and Chengdu-Beijing). Support vehicle will be provided during days six to nineteen from Chengdu to Western Sichuan and back. At other times, riders carry there own day gear.

Geographical location: Southwestern China. Elevation range: 100 meters (330 feet) to 4,523 meters (14,835 feet)

Climate: The best weather for touring is in the spring and fall. Historic weather information for Chengdu is available from the link below. Higher elevations will be cooler.

Terrain: Rolling and mountainous

Cycling tour level: Moderate to Challenging

Total cycling distance: Approximately 943 km (575 miles): Average distance per cycling day: 55 km (34 miles) Cycling may be supplemented on occasion with vehicle transport when necessary.

Days: 20

Nights: 20

Cycling Days: 18

Group size: 1-8

Accommodations: Basic clean Chinese hotels. Private room Supplement is US$380.

Prices include the following:

1. Bilingual bicycle tour guide.
2. All hotel room accommodations (double occupancy) for 20 nights.
3. Meals eaten as group (private meals, snacks and alcoholic beverages are not included).
4. All group land transportation costs (buses, boats, and taxis) plus three internal flights (from Beijing-Xi'an, Xi'an-Chengdu, and Chengdu-Beijing).
5. All group entrance fees to attractions.
6. Support vehicle on Days 6-19.
7. Optional Bike rental and related biking gear including helmet, gloves, bike bags and raincapes are included US$0.

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

International flights to/from Beijing are not included.

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:
1 person US$5,970
2 people US$4,260 pp
3 people US$3,890 pp
4 people US$3,450 pp
5-8 people US$3,150 pp

An announcement of the cost of the tour will be made to the group 15-days prior to the start based on the number of registered members.

A payment of US$500 per person is required at the time of registering. This is fully refundable up to 15 days prior to the start of the tour. Submission of a deposit will guarantee your place on the tour.

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