Itinerary · 5 days · active
Sichuan Tea-Horse Road — Chengdu to Kangding, 5 days
The ancient Sichuan-Tibet Tea-Horse Road from Chengdu through Ya'an, the Erlang Mountain pass, and the Tibetan gateway town of Kangding — a classic highland road journey.
The Tea-Horse Road (茶马古道, Chǎ Mǎ Gǔ Dào) was a medieval trade network that carried compressed tea bricks from Sichuan to Tibet in exchange for Tibetan horses. The Sichuan route runs west from Chengdu through Ya'an tea country, over the Erlang Mountain pass, and into the Tibetan cultural zone at Kangding (康定). This five-day itinerary follows the road into the mountains.
Day by day
Day 1 · chengdu
Chengdu — Panda Base, Kuanzhai Alley
Arrive Chengdu. Morning at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding (成都大熊猫繁育研究基地) — pandas are most active before 10am. Afternoon in Kuanzhai Alley (宽窄巷子) — a Qing dynasty courtyard-house district with tea houses and street snacks.
Attractions: panda-base-chengdu, kuanzhai-alley
Stay in: Chengdu city centre.
Day 2 · chengdu
Drive to Ya'an, Mengding Mountain tea origin
Road west to Ya'an (雅安), 150km. Ya'an is in the Sichuan basin rain zone and has grown tea since the Han dynasty. Mengding Mountain (蒙顶山) — one of the claimed original sites of cultivated tea in China, with tea gardens at all altitudes. Afternoon visit to a tea factory producing Tibetan border tea (藏茶).
Stay in: Ya'an.
Road or bus Chengdu → Ya'an, 2h.
Day 3 · kangding
Drive to Luding, Luding Bridge
Road continues west up the Dadu River valley. Luding Bridge (泸定桥) — an 18th-century iron-chain suspension bridge over the Dadu River, notable in Chinese modern history as the site of a 1935 Red Army crossing during the Long March.
Stay in: Luding.
Road Ya'an → Luding via Erlang Mountain tunnel or pass, 3h.
Day 4 · kangding
Drive to Kangding, Mugecuo Lake
Road up through gorge country to Kangding (康定, elevation 2,500m). Kangding is the historical gateway to Kham Tibetan culture — a Tibetan-Han trading town and the setting of a famous folk song. Afternoon at Mugecuo Lake (木格错) — an alpine lake circuit accessible by shuttle bus above the town.
Stay in: Kangding.
Road Luding → Kangding, 1.5h.
Day 5 · kangding
Paoma Mountain, Tibetan monastery, return
Morning ascent of Paoma Mountain (跑马山) by cable car — views of snow peaks to the west (the start of Kham). Nanwu Temple — a working Tibetan Buddhist monastery in town, with a morning puja ceremony. Road or flight back to Chengdu.
Road Kangding → Chengdu, 4h; or flight KGT → Chengdu 45 min, ¥500.
Budget guide (CNY per day)
| Backpacker | ¥2500 |
| Mid-range | ¥6000 |
| Comfortable | ¥12000 |
Per person 5 days. Road transport by local bus costs ¥40–80 per leg; private car ¥500–800 per day. Luding Bridge ¥20. Mugecuo ¥100. Altitude sickness risk above 2,500m — allow acclimatisation.
Cities covered
Attractions covered
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