Ya'an

The rainy "Rain City" and homeland of the giant panda, Ya'an leaves a strong impression with its Mengding Mountain tea culture and the scenery at the start of the Sichuan–Tibet Highway.

Ya'an lies on the western edge of the Sichuan Basin, in the transition zone between the Chengdu Plain and the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. Frequent rainfall has earned it the nickname "Rain City." Baoxing County is where the giant panda type specimen was discovered, and Bifengxia has a panda base. Mengding Mountain in Mingshan District is regarded as one of the birthplaces of Chinese tea culture, and Ya fish is a famous local dish. National Highway 318 and the Ya'an–Kangding Expressway lead from here into Kardze, making the city a key node on the Sichuan–Tibet route. Spring and autumn are the best seasons to visit. High-speed rail connects Ya'an with Chengdu in a short ride.

Destinations

• Ya'an
• Hailuogou & Kangding

Itineraries

• Western Sichuan Small Loop: Snow Mountains & Tibetan Villages – From Mount Siguniang, Danba, Tagong, and Xinduqiao to Hailuogou, cover the highlights of Western Sichuan in one week.
• Western Sichuan Grand Loop: Seda & Daocheng – A panoramic loop from Danba, Seda, Garzê, and Xinlong south to Litang and Daocheng, returning to Chengdu along Highway…
• Daocheng Yading to Shangri-La & Lijiang Overland – Enter Daocheng along Highway 318 from Chengdu, cross into Yunnan via Xiangcheng, and conclude in Shangri-La and Lijiang.
• Sichuan-Tibet Highway G318: Chengdu to Lhasa – Traverse Western Sichuan and Eastern Tibet along National Highway 318, crossing high mountain passes, glaciers, and lus…