Sichuan field guide · 202630.6°N · 104.0°E — Chengdulindarren933@gmail.com
SLOW SICHUAN蜀地慢行 · A field guide
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The Sichuan atlas · 2026

26°–34°N · 97°–109°E

Eleven places.
One province.

Sichuan is not a single landscape. It is a basin, a set of river towns, a sacred mountain, a chain of alpine lakes and a Tibetan plateau — often within a day’s drive of each other.

11 places6 landscapes4,600 m high
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Sichuan · 蜀97°E–109°E · 26°N–34°N
ChengduQingchengLeshanEmeiJiuzhaigouHuanglongSiguniangDanbaTagongKangdingYading
Field sketch · not to scale destination
11 places
Altitude
A shaded tea house in Chengdu with bamboo chairs and a pot of jasmine tea
01
Chengdu Basin · 500 m

Chengdu 成都

The art of doing less, deliciously.

Mar–Jun · Sep–Nov3–4 days
A clear stream running through the forested slopes of Mount Qingcheng
02
Tea Hills · 700 m

Qingcheng & Dujiangyan 青城山 · 都江堰

A mountain for slow walking.

Mar–May · Sep–Nov2 days
The Leshan Giant Buddha carved into a riverside cliff, with visitors on the stairway below
03
River Country · 400 m

Leshan 乐山

A giant Buddha, a small city, a river.

Mar–Jun · Sep–Nov1–2 days
The golden summit statue of Samantabhadra on Mount Emei beneath a cloudy sky
04
Sacred Mountains · 500 m

Emeishan 峨眉山

Clouds, monkeys, and a golden summit.

Apr–Jun · Sep–Nov2 days
Clear turquoise water and green forest at Mirror Lake in Jiuzhaigou Valley
05
Alpine Lakes · 2,000 m

Jiuzhaigou 九寨沟

A valley that behaves like a painting.

May–Jun · Sep–Oct2–3 days
Golden travertine pools and forested mountains at Huanglong National Park
06
Alpine Lakes · 3,200 m

Huanglong 黄龙

Travertine terraces at the edge of the sky.

May–Oct1–2 days
Snow-covered peaks of Mount Siguniang rising above a high valley
07
Alpine Lakes · 3,200 m

Mount Siguniang 四姑娘山

Four peaks, three valleys, one slow base.

May–Oct2–3 days
A Tibetan village of stone houses surrounded by fields and mountains in Danba County
08
Kham Plateau · 2,100 m

Danba 丹巴

Watchtowers, orchards, and stone villages.

Apr–May · Sep–Oct2 days
Green grassland and distant mountains in Tagong county, Sichuan
09
Kham Plateau · 3,700 m

Tagong 塔公

Grassland, monastery, and a horizon that keeps going.

Jun–Sep1–2 days
A red Tibetan monastery wall with ornate yellow windows in Kangding, Sichuan
10
Kham Plateau · 2,560 m

Kangding 康定

The gateway to Kham.

Apr–Oct2 days
Snow peaks and prayer flags at Yading Nature Reserve in Sichuan
11
Kham Plateau · 2,900 m

Yading 亚丁

Three sacred peaks, one thin-aired pilgrimage.

Apr–May · Sep–Oct3 days

Not sure where to begin?

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We will suggest two or three places that fit the season, the altitude and the kind of traveler you are.

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