Tangjiahe Wildlife Photography
Explore Tangjiahe National Nature Reserve for wildlife named in the itinerary, including takin, Chinese goral, Reeves's muntjac and Tibetan macaque, with a morning continuation on Day 3.
This 13-day journey moves from Chengdu through Tangjiahe, golden snub-nosed monkey locations, panda visits, specialist bird hides, Ya’an tea plantations and Yibin before finishing in Chongqing. Wildlife observation and photography form the main thread, alongside cultural and landscape photography.
The itinerary also includes Chengdu heritage visits, a tea culture experience in Ya’an, a timing-dependent optional Leshan Giant Buddha boat tour, and evening city photography in Dujiangyan and Chongqing. Many wildlife entries are framed as opportunities, searches or possible sightings rather than guaranteed encounters.
Chengdu, Chongqing
13 Days
February–March
Quotation options are provided for 4 PAX and 8 PAX.
Moderate
Accommodation is specified by destination or stage rather than by a complete hotel-name list, including nearby lodges, a traditional Chinese courtyard hotel in Pingwu, downtown Kangding accommodation, a stay near the Ya'an tea plantations and a stay near the Yibin bird hide.
Explore Tangjiahe National Nature Reserve for wildlife named in the itinerary, including takin, Chinese goral, Reeves's muntjac and Tibetan macaque, with a morning continuation on Day 3.
Photograph golden snub-nosed monkeys during dedicated sessions at the Golden Snub-nosed Monkey Reserve and the Pingwu Golden Monkey Base.
A time-permitting red panda visit at Dujiangyan Panda Valley is followed by scheduled giant panda observation at Wolong Panda Base.
Use bird hides around Jintang, Kangding, Yibin and Chongqing for species that may include Chinese Monal, Lady Amherst's Pheasant, Temminck's Tragopan and Golden Pheasant.
Meet your guide at Chengdu Airport, with pickup also offered if you arrive one day early. Visit Wenshu Monastery and Qingyang Taoist Temple, then continue to Kuanzhai Alley for Sichuan opera face-changing and a traditional tea ceremony before the welcome dinner.
Depart Chengdu for Tangjiahe, about 4 hours and 280 km at an indicated elevation of about 2,000 m. A Deyang-area stop may offer Common Merganser and Ruddy Shelduck observation. Continue into the reserve for takin, Chinese goral, Reeves’s muntjac and Tibetan macaque opportunities.
Continue exploring Tangjiahe in the morning. After lunch, transfer about 2.5 hours and 190 km toward the Golden Snub-nosed Monkey Reserve, at an indicated elevation of about 2,000 m, for a dedicated afternoon observation and photography session before checking into a nearby lodge.
Return early to the Golden Snub-nosed Monkey Reserve for observation and photography. After lunch in Jiuzhaigou County town, transfer about 3 hours and 185 km to Pingwu, at an indicated elevation of about 1,000 m, and check into a traditional Chinese courtyard hotel.
Visit the Golden Monkey Base in Pingwu early for observation, then transfer about 4 hours and 300 km to Dujiangyan, at an indicated elevation of about 800 m. If time permits, visit Dujiangyan Panda Valley for red pandas; in the evening, photograph Nanqiao Bridge.
Depart around 6:30 AM for Wolong Panda Base to observe giant pandas. After lunch, travel to Jintang; this road stage is about 6 hours and 410 km, with an indicated elevation of about 3,000 m. Check in and rest before the next day’s bird-hide session.
Visit the Chinese Monal bird hide in the morning for observation and photography, then travel about 2 hours and 125 km to Kangding, at an indicated elevation of about 2,600 m. Continue through the mountain route and check into accommodation in downtown Kangding.
Use a Kangding-area bird hide in the morning for Lady Amherst’s Pheasant. In the afternoon, move to another hide for opportunities including White-eared Pheasant, Koklass Pheasant, Blood Pheasant and possibly Tufted Deer.
Travel from Kangding toward Tianquan to photograph Mandarin Duck, then continue after lunch to the Ya’an tea plantations for landscape photography and a tea culture experience. This road stage is about 2.5 hours and 170 km, with an indicated elevation of about 800 m.
Photograph the Ya’an tea plantations early, then travel toward Yibin. Stop in Leshan for lunch, with a potential optional boat tour to view the Leshan Giant Buddha depending on timing, before continuing to Yibin and checking in near a bird hide. This road stage is about 3 hours and 240 km.
Photograph at a Yibin bird hide early, targeting Temminck’s Tragopan and Silver Pheasant. In the afternoon, transfer about 4.5 hours and 380 km to downtown Chongqing, at an indicated elevation of about 400 m. After check-in, photograph the mountain-city nightscape.
Travel about 2 hours and 125 km to a bird hide near Chongqing, at an indicated elevation of about 1,300 m, for Golden Pheasant, Temminck’s Tragopan and Silver Pheasant. In the afternoon, continue at the hide or take a guided search for wild Francois’ Langur, then return downtown.
Transfer to the airport according to your departure flight time. If the schedule permits, there may be time for Chongqing attractions such as the Yangtze River Cableway or Liziba before departure.
The itinerary uses conditional wording for many wildlife encounters, including opportunities, searches, targets and possible sightings.
Road stages run up to about 6 hours and 410 km, with indicated elevations ranging from about 400 m to about 3,000 m across different days.
Several stages begin early, including the Golden Snub-nosed Monkey Reserve, Pingwu Golden Monkey Base, the Wolong departure at around 6:30 AM, the Ya’an tea plantations and the Yibin and Chongqing bird hides.
The itinerary states Chengdu Airport pickup on Day 1 and a Chongqing airport transfer on Day 13 according to the departure flight time.
Meal codes are listed day by day, and the inclusion list covers meals indicated by those codes at local restaurants, with picnic lunches when needed.
Dujiangyan Panda Valley on Day 5 is time-permitting, the Day 10 Leshan Giant Buddha boat tour is optional and timing-dependent, and Day 13 Chongqing sightseeing depends on the departure schedule.
An eight-day private small group expedition from Lanzhou to Zhangye and deep into the Badain Jaran Desert, combining Danxia landscapes, remote desert lakes, dunes, oases and cultural sites with carefully paced overland exploration.
A full-day return journey from Chengdu to Wolong for a keeper-led giant panda volunteer program, combining close observation, bamboo preparation, panda cake making and a flexible local valley exploration.
A two-day Xi'an journey combining the old city's walls, towers and food lanes with the Terracotta Warriors, Huaqing Palace and an evening performance.
A little detail is enough for us to begin shaping your journey.
No mailing lists. No pressure. Just a conversation about your journey.