Sichuan Trekking Permits, Admissions and Permissions

(This article is for independent travelers to West Sichuan (including Garze and Ngawa Prefecture), if you are traveling with a guide or a travel company you don’t have to worry anything listed below. )

There is no such thing as Trekking Permit. Foreign travelers, as well as domestic travelers, don’t need any type of trekking permits to do any trekking, multi-day camping/hiking trips in Sichuan at anywhere in Sichuan Province. Although at some places, nature parks foreigners may have difficulty or trouble getting in for hiking and trekking. Since 2024 and 2025 we have seen some good trekking places shut off to foreign travelers who don’t go with a guide and do the trek self-supported and independently. The reasons may be the following: limit of daily hikers to reduce the impact on nature, mis-management from local authority.

Do I need a permit to do trekking in Sichuan?

No. Whether you go with a travel company or trek by yourself independently you don’t need any type of permit. You are recommended to have an insurance and study the place and make sufficient preparations before you go if you are doing it on your own.

Most places you may just go and do your trek although some “famous” places now have checkpoints to stop people usually independent hikers including foreigners. The places (til June 2025) that have checkpoints include Siguniang Changping and Haizi Valley, Laoyulin Riuqi Valley, Gongga Gompa to Gongga BC, Yading Kora Trek (The list may be longer as there are more and more involvement of local authority to more trekking places since 2024 when trekking and climbing are becoming popular among domestic travelers and tons of travelers flooding in to these places and have put pressure on local environment and rescue work).

Siguniang Changping & Haizi Valley only allows guided treks (no matter if you are foreigner or not). Anyone who wishes to do overnight trekking in Changping (or to Bipeng) or in Haizi Valley needs to hire a local guide and porter and register and get permission from local outdoor office in Siguniang.

Siguniang Outdoor Office

Laoyulin Riuqi Valley is the main entrance to Gongga Class Trek or the Riuqi Trek. The reason the checkpoint stops people is because the pollution and pressure on the environment from so many hikers. No one is allowed to enter from Laoyulin Riuqi Valley since 2025. By detouring/walking around the checkpoint you break the laws of China Environment Protection even though that’s what everyone does.

Checkpoint by Laoyulin Riuqi Valley

Gongga Gompa of the South Minya Konka Trek checkpoint now stops un-reported climbers(There are 2 popular 5000er mountain many people want to climb some do it un-registered). Although if you go there as independent/un-supported trekker and have a big pack you may be thought as a climber. If there are no methods to prove or be proved you are just doing trekking then you may not be allowed to get to Gongga Gompa through the check point. The solution is to hire a local guide to go with you (even though you don’t need guide for the trek but this may be necessary for you to go through the checkpoint). The other solution is to call police if you are stopped but there is no phone service by the checkpoint.

Checkpoint by LGongga Gompa

Yading Kora Trek is now completely banned. No one is allowed to do the trek. Yading Park is very serious of any illegal trekking around the mountains and send out police to check. We don’t recommend you to do this trek even though some independent domestic hikers are still doing it.

Please note each year from November to the next April all mountain places will enter into the “Fire Season” that all places won’t allow any hiking and trekking activities to let the nature “rest” and reduce the number of people in the wild. From our experience, some places are strict and some places are loose, some places will definitely have checks and some are not. If you are planning to do any trekking/hiking by this time of year you’ll need to plan things beforehand and know if places are open.

What is “Baobei (Registration to Authority)”?

“Baobei” is to register your passport info and your travel plan, phone number to local police.

As a foreigner, if you are traveling independently to some remote places or doing camping in Tibetan Sichuan, often you will be asked if you have done “baobei” to local police. This is a usual question from local authorities who don’t have experience dealing with foreigners and who also don’t want any trouble under their place. Due to different experience and understanding, authorities by different places/villages/towns may react differently. Some local authorities may get nervous and want you out of their place (even though they don’t have the right to do so) but most occasions authority people are friendly.

How to “Baobei”?

To Baobei you need to go to the local police office to have your passport and other travel documents paper photos taken by the police, and tell police your travel plan and when you will leave their village, county or prefecture. You may tell the people who ask/insist you to “Baobei” to help call police or take you to the police office to Baobei otherwise no need to bother finding a police office on your own.

What Happens if I don’t “Baobei” while doing trekking?

Nothing will happen to you. If you are sleeping in tent or by local Tibetan families house that are not hotels or registered as homestays or hostels, then you are expected to Baobei although nothing will happen to you if you don’t. Sleeping in tent without Baobei is usually no problem although we don’t recommend you to stay by any Tibetan family that is not a hotel/homestay without “Baobei” because you may put trouble on this family that you stay with. We recommend you to Baobei only when asked to.