Nearby Activities and Sights

Wanglang Nature Reserve - Nearby Activities and Sights

Leaving from Chengdu, a circle route with amazing mountain scenery and several natural and cultural attractions makes a wonderful 5 day to two week trip. Some eco-tour groups have visited this area and others are planning visits.

From - To	Hours Driving
Chengdu, Capital of Sichuan Province. This lively city has 10 million people and is famous for its teahouses and opera. The Chengdu Panda Breeding Center gives you an introduction to pandas and an opportunity to observe real, live pandas - you may even be able to see a baby panda in an incubator!	Starting Point
Chengdu to Pingwu Town. Pingwu is a small, quiet town with a well-preserved Buddhist temple, colorful street life, great barbeque, and peaceful country walks.	5
Pingwu to Baima Villages. The Baima people, with their traditional housing, dress, clothes, and customs, are themselves endangered - there are only 3,000 Baima people in the world.	1.5
Baima Villages to Wanglang Nature Reserve	1
Wanglang to Jiuzhaigou National Park. This park is located in a beautiful mountain valley with stunning scenery including crystal clear lakes, incredible waterfalls, and numerous Tibetan villages and religious sites.	5
Jiuzhaigou to Huanglong National Park. This park has fascinating calcium carbonate pools and formations in a beautiful valley at the foot of the 5,500 meter snow-capped Xuebaoding peak. This area, considered holy by the Tibetans, contains several Tibetan Buddhist temples.	2
Huanglong to Songpan City. Songpan is a small, historic Tibetan city nestled in a valley with several traditional Tibetan villages nearby. Horse treks led by Tibetan guides take you through incredible scenic areas.	2
Songpan to Chengdu.	8

Pingwu Town

The town of Pingwu offers a rest from the noise and dust of many Chinese cities and is visited by few foreigners. A fifteen-minute walk takes you from one side of the city to the other along streets mainly occupied by people and pedicabs, with only a few motorized vehicles. In the city center is a 500 year-old Buddhist Temple that was saved from damage during the Cultural Revolution when far-sited residents turned the temple into a propaganda center for the Cultural Revolution. A muezzin at the city mosque calls faithful Muslim worshipers to prayer. At night the streets are filled with residents slowly strolling through the quiet streets. There are hotels and plenty of restaurants serving local specialties.

The city is nestled in a valley at the bend of the river. You can walk up either side of the valley through steep, terraced hillsides dotted with farmer’s houses and see peasants plowing fields with oxen and harvesting crops by hand.

Baima Villages - Traditional dress is common.

Along the valley leading to Wanglang Nature Reserve are several Baima villages. Baima homes are still built using their ancient architectural style and many of the Baima people wear traditional dress. Two of the villages offer simple lodging and traditional food. The Baima are a very attractive and lively people - they love to sing and dance and are warm and welcoming hosts.

Comments from members an eco-tour group that visited the Baima villages in the summer of 2000:

“It was a lovely, fantastic experience.”

"It was excellent. I thoroughly enjoyed it."

"The people were warm and hospitable."

"I was honored to participate."

"It was very entertaining. I enjoyed the participatory dance."

"The roast goat gave a festive feeling."

"The food was the best of the entire trip, delicious."

"I appreciated eating and drinking traditional foods and dishes."

“The Baima made me feel very much at home.”

Traditionally, young Baima women sing to encourage dinner guests to drink.

One also hears them singing just for the joy of it.

There are about 3000 Biama people in the world, 1300 of them live in a handful of little villages in this valley, and another 700 live in other parts of Pingwu County. Baima are an indigenous minority, possibly related to Tibetans. Part of their language is similar to Tibetan, but that may be because the Baima have lived in close proximity to the Tibetans for hundreds of years. Trade routes (horse trails) lead from the Baima villages, through Wanglang Reserve, and over high mountain passes to the Tibetan areas of Jiuzhaigou and Songpan.

Jiuzhaigou National Park

Jiuzhaigou National Park is stunningly beautiful - roaring waterfalls, amazing clear, aqua-blue lakes, alpine mountain peaks, serene valley, and traditional Tibetan villages and religious sites. May and September are beautiful times to visit to see the rhododendrons blooming and the incredible fall colors - and to avoid the crowds. June, July, August, and the Spring and Fall week-long holidays are the busiest times for this popular destination.

A bus system takes visitors on the 50 km of paved roads in the park from the park entrance at 2,000 meters (6,000 feet) up the three main valleys of the park. You travel along stunning mountain and water vistas, guarded by 4,000 meter (13,000 feet) peaks. Sites include the entrancing Primeval Forest, the glacially formed Long Lake at 3,000 meters (10,000 feet), water wheels grinding barley and sending prayers to heaven, prayer flags wishing travelers good luck, and the historic Zaru Temple. Boardwalk paths beckon visitors to get off the roads and walk along the stream and waterfalls. Roads in the smaller side valleys, tempt you to walk a few miles and see traditional Tibetan villages where people still grow corn, barley, and vegetables in their small, private fields. Simple lodging is available in Tibetan hotels in the park and many modern hotels provide lodging in just outside of the park.

Huanglong National Park

The drive to reach this small park is an incredible high altitude trip to the clouds. At the park, a series of tufa (calcium carbonate) formed terraced ponds lead several kilometeres up a scenic mountain valley. Boardwalk and stone paths lead visitors along ponds to Tibetan Buddhist temples that grace this holy site. Xuebaoding Mountain, 5,588 meters (17,000 feet), the highest peak in the Min Shan Mountain Range, stands at the head of this sacred valley. Lodging is available at the small village in the park.

Songpan Town

Songpang is an old walled town with many Tibetan inhabitants. Most of the city walls are gone but the impressive gates remain. It is located in a high mountain valley at an elevation of 3,000 meters (10,000 feet). Tibetan guides lead horse treks through emerald-green valleys, dotted with charming Tibetan villages, to high glacial peaks and soothing hot springs. There are many hotels in Songpan.

Horse treks go from Songpan into nearby mountain valleys past traditional Tibetan villages.

Published by Wanglang Nature Reserve, Sichuan Province, China.

Last updated January 22, 2001. Send comments to: roger_ratcliff@hotmail.com