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More Than Pandas Sichuan Travel Guide
YaanTravel Guide

Yaan Travel Guide and Tour Packages

Importance News - Yaan and the parks within are currently open to foreign visitors including expats in China. You are welcome to contact us for detailed travel requirements on foreign visitors.

The city of Ya’an locates 120km southwest of Chengdu and close to the Tibetan area in western Sichuan Province. It was an important town on the ancient Tea Horse Road. As a place shared by both Chinese and Tibetans, Ya’an has not only a unique geological feature but also a history of the combination of Chinese and Tibetan people. Ya’an is a rainy place; it rains over 200 days in a year, which made it a perfect place for growing tea. Mount Mengding is one of the most significant tea places in China. It is also the hometown of the giant pandas; the first panda was found in a place in Ya’an. The three extremes of Ya’an are: the Rain is plenty in Ya’an, the Women are good-looking in Ya’an and the fish are delicious in Ya’an.

Yaan Travel Guide

Minya Konka from East

Bifengxia Panda Base

Bifengxia can be three different meanings. A, Bifengxia Gorge is a nature attraction. It is a small and lush gorge with a nice walking path. It is 13kms’long and shaped a big V. B, Bifengxia Wild Life Park is a place where wild animals are kept including lions, tigers, ostriches, alpacas, etc. C, in Bifengxia, there is a panda base as well. It is the head office of China Panda Preservation Center. It is a very important protection center for pandas as in and around Ya’an is natural habitat for giant pandas.

Mengdingshan Tea Plantation

Mengdingshan is located in Ya’an and close to Bifengxia. It is home to Mengdingshan Green Tea. A drive takes 30 minutes from the town of Ya’an. At Mengdingshan, there is a tea museum providing knowledge of tea in China, tea terraces where tea farmers working during spring and well-preserved ancient tea trees.

Shangli Old Village

Shangli Old Village is located 27km north to Ya’an and close to Bifengxia. Shangli was once one of the 10 major towns in Sichuan Province. It was first named Luosheng and was a main post used by caravans on the Southern Silk Road. It was also the head office of the Tea Officer in Tang Dynasty. Five big families have dwelled here for generations, so these five families are somehow the people of the town: Han, Yang, Chen, Xu and Zhang.

Mount Niubeishan

Mount Niubei is a 3600-meter mountain in Ya’an that lots of active travelers like to visit. It separates Qingyi River and Dadu River and provides very good views of Minya Konka.

Recommended length of visiting: 3-4 hours to 2-4 days;

Yaan Travel Guide
  • Sichuan Travel

    Bifengxia Panda Base

    Bifengxia Panda Base is part of the Bifengxia Park which include also a zoo of other wild animals, a Bifeng Gorge that is also very beautiful. Bifengxia Panda Base is part of the China Giant Panda Protection Center, it was funded by 2003 in Bifengxia of Yaan.

  • Sichuan Travel

    Shangli Old Village

    Shangli is an Old Village located in Yaan. It is a cultural and historical village in Sichuan. Shangli is known as a point on the Long March by the former Red Army and also a hub of the Tea-horse Road in ancient times.

  • Sichuan Travel

    Mt. Wawu

    Mt. Wawu is a nature and tourist park located in Hongya near Yaan near the mountains. It is famous for its snow view in winter, and red panda and endemic birds. Wawu is renowned as "Pearl in the Green World" and one of the "flat-top" mountains in the world.

  • Sichuan Travel

    Labahe

    The Labahe River Scenic Area is a national forest park and nature reserve. The famous scenic spots include Luchi, Red Rock Beach, Yindong Sea, Jiaoshan, and Dujuan Lake.

MORE THINGS TO DO

Getting There and Around

To get to Ya’an from Chengdu by car is at present the only way. One can use the buses at Xinnanmen Bus Station. From 7:30am to 7:30pm every 30 minutes there is a departure to Ya’an Bifengxia costs 44 yuan per ticket and takes about 2 hours. There is also a train available from 2019 that takes you to Yaan in 1 hour.

Useful Yaan Travel Tips

Gathered below is the most useful travel guide to Yaan. Important travel information of Yaan includes travel season and climate, useful travel planning recommendations to Yaan.

Travel Season

The best time to visit Ya’an is from July to October. But if you wish to visit Mengdingshan, it is better to do it in Spring time in April as it is the tea-picking season. In summer, it is very wet and lush, in autumn, Ya’an is also in green.more>>

Planning Ideas

Yaan is a big place that includes some of the most lush parks in Sichuan as well as some harder parks that require more than 1 day's time to visit such as Niubei Mountain, Dawa Gengza, etc. Yaan is better recommended to be included on a longer trip to western Sichuan normally.

Yaan Tour Packages

Yaan is a forgotten land of wonders, hometown of giant pandas and many other wildlife and amazing landscape.