Birding and ecology
Bird Watching from South-Gansu to Northwest-Sichuan
Tailor-made private China route following Lanzhou - Bingling Si - Xiahe - Luqu - Zecha Natural Reserve - Gahai Natural Reserve linking the main cities with a Sichuan extension, planned around clear city order, iconic sites, comfortable transfers and realistic visit timing.
We shape the route around your dates, pace and comfort level before preparing the proposal.
Choose with confidence
Picture the route before asking for a proposal.
Follow the route rhythm, landscapes and travel moments first. If this feels like the China you want, we shape the dates, pace, hotels, transport and special interests around your group.
What you will see
Jiuzhaigou, Huanglong, Emei, Leshan, Sanxingdui, birding or reserves are tied to real stops.
How the pace feels
Ticket windows, roads, walking level and hotel position decide whether the route feels smooth.
How it can change
Photography, light hiking, family pace, less walking or more scenery time can be adjusted.
Route fit
For scenery and culture with the right season.
You want Sichuan landscapes, Buddhist heritage, lakes, mountains or seasonal color.
You want a city-only trip or cannot allow any seasonal/road adjustment.
Highlights
- Lanzhou
- Bingling Si
- Xiahe
- Luqu
- Zecha Natural Reserve
- Gahai Natural Reserve
Planning focus
Scenery works best with the right season and rhythm.
We check scenery window, ticket rules, road time, walking comfort, hotel position and whether the route needs one more night.
Route at a glance
See the sequence before the details.
This quick route view helps you understand the order of stops, where the journey slows down and what we check before the final proposal.
Route sequence
Daily pace
Driving time, rest time and hotel location decide whether the route feels smooth.
Itinerary rhythm
What each day can feel like
The day-by-day view shows how scenery, cultural stops or nature experiences are placed. Before confirmation, we check season, tickets, opening hours, roads and hotel position.
Lanzhou – Bingling Si – Xiahe
In the morning, visit of Labrang monastery, the most important religious centre on the northeast border of the Tibet region. The monastery created in 1710, as one of the six grand monasteries in Tibet area, has served for centuries there to connect the Tibetan and Mongolian Lamaism. Then transfer to Luqu.
Xiahe (Labrang Monastery) – Luqu
After breakfast, transfer to Zecha Natural Reserve for bird watching (6:30-14:00). Then drive to Luqu and transfer to Gahai Natural Reserve for bird watching (16:00-19:40). After that, drive to Langmu Si.
Luqu – Zecha Natural Reserve – Luqu – Gahai Natural Reserve – Langmu Si
In the morning, drive to Tiebu Spotted Deer Natural Reserve. Spend a whole day there. Then back to Langmu Si.
Langmu Si – Tiebu Spotted Deer Natural Reserve – Langmu Si
In the morning drive to Langmu Si temple. Located 3,000 meters atop the mountains of West China and directly on the Gansu-Sichuan border, Langmu Si is a slat-board settlement and spiritual stopover for Tibetan Buddhist pilgrims who come to worship at the Sezhi and Geerdeng monasteries. Despite the recent earthquakes in northern Sichuan province, Langmu Si was blessed to remain unscathed and thusly one of the last standing traditional villages of the region. Then
Langmu Si – Re’er prairie – Huahu – Ruoergai
After breakfast, drive to Baxi for birding (6:30-14:00) and then transfer to Qiuji for birding (15:30-16:30) as well. Finally drive back to Ruoergai.
Ruoergai – Baxi – Qiuji – Baxi – Ruoergai
In the morning drive to Huanglong via Waqie, Galitai and Chuanzhusi. Then birding at the mountain foot of Huanglong.
Ruoergai – Waqie – Galitai – Chuanzhusi – Huanglong
In the morning, visit of Huanglong. Up by trekking, while down by cable car. The 'World Wonder' and 'Fairy Land on Earth' are the other names of Huanglong, which is well known for its colorful lakes, snow clad mountains, valleys and virgin forest. Huanglong is famed for its outstanding travertine (calcium carbonate) formations. With the virgin forest as its backdrop, the travertine scenery holds colorful ponds, beaches, lakes, springs, waterfalls, caves, etc. The travertine formation
Huanglong – Jiuzhaigou
There is no equal elsewhere that has sceneries and fables of dreamlike eloquence, or natural purities like a fairyland as Jiuzhaigou Valley. After breakfast, go to Jiuzhaigou valley by sightseeing shuttle bus and get off at the virgin forest and trek into the forest for birding, and keep going southwards along Rizegou valley, birding around Zhenzhutan. In the evening trek to Nuorilang and then transfer to the hotel by sightseeing shuttle bus.
Jiuzhaigou
After breakfast, go to Jiuzhaigou valley by sightseeing shuttle bus and get off at Changhai for birding, and then trek southwards along Zechawagou valley, birding at Wucaici Lake, Shangjijiehai Lake, Xiajijiehai Lake. In the evening trek to Nuorilang and then transfer to the hotel by green car there.
Jiuzhaigou-Wanglang
Set out early in the morning and transfer to Dawodang and Zhugencha for birding. Spend a whole day there. After that drive back.
Wanglang
Transfer to Tangjiahe and arrival at Maoxiangba Tourist Reception Center at noon. Then visit of Mt. Min Mountain Animal & Plant Museum and Maoxiangba Environment Education center.
Wanglang-Qingxi-Tangjiahe
Set out early in the morning, and then trek following the local expert from the conservation district. Birding along Maoxiangba-Shuichiping ecotourism route and enjoy the freshness of nature, and then back to the Tourist Reception Center to have breakfast. After breakfast, drive 22km to Daotizi natural tourist spot following the local experts, and then trekking to Yeniuling (3200meters above the sea). On arriving, picnic for lunch there. In the afternoon, appreciate the beauty of Yeniuling, birdi
Tangjiahe
Early in the morning, get up to watch the sunrise on the high mountain. Observe and distinguish the kinds of birds and wild pheasants, such as Lophophorus lhuysi, Ithaginis cruentus, Bonasa sewerzowi and golden pheasant with red belly. After breakfast, climb to Dacaotang alpine meadow (3800 meters over sea level) and trekking to the living area of gnus and observe them without distance. In the evening, back to Yeniuling. If you are lucky you may see Lophophorus lhuysii and large gnu groups and ot
Tangjiahe
After breakfast, get down to Daotizi along the same way up, and drive to Chengdu via Guanghan. If there’s enough time we will visit Sanxingdui Museum, which exhibition area covers 4,000 square meters (about 1544.4 square miles), and opened in October 1997. The cultural relics in the museum were mostly unearthed from the Sanxingdui site. Sanxingdui is a cultural relic of the ancient Shu kingdom (Sichuan). It is an important archeological discovery which changed the people's
Images help show the landscape and travel mood of the route. The exact hotel, vehicle, guide and timing are confirmed with your proposal.
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