2 Days Chengdu Private Tour with Mt. Mengding Tea Culture Experience

Day-by-day Itinerary

1. Day 1: Chengdu
   Mengding Mountain, Tea History Museum, Tiangai Temple (Lunch)

   AM: At around 08:00, our English speaking tour guide and driver will pick you up from the downtown hotel. Driving around 2 hours, you will arrive at Mengding Mountain, the birthplace of the world’s tea civilization and one of the three famous mountains in Sichuan (the other two are Emei Mountain and Qingcheng Mountain).

   Noon: Lunch at local restaurant.

   PM: There are lots of things to see in Mengding Mountain! You can take pictures of the largest teapot in the world, rows and rows of tea trees, and gorgeous mountain scenery; you can wander around the Tea History Museum to appreciate the literature, poems, specimens and tea wares which are true testaments to the great Chinese tea culture; you can sit under the 12 more than 1000-year-old ancient ginkgo trees in the tranquil Tiangai Temple and hear the stories of Wu Lizhen, the world's first tea grower, from your tour guide; you can visit some small tea factories scattered on the mountain to observe tea making process and try different kinds of tea.

   Friendly Tips: Picking tea is only available from late March to June of a year, and it was NOT included in our tour package. If you would like to try it, just ask your tour guide for assistance ( optional and on your own expense ).

   After all these activities, drive around 2 hours back to your hotel.

   Accommodation: Overnight in Chengdu

   

2. Day 2: Chengdu
   Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Base, Wenshu Temple, Renmin Park, Jinli Pedestrian Street (Lunch)

   AM: Today, you will explore the must-see sights in Chengdu city. The first stop will be the exciting panda base - Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Base, which is well known for the protection and breeding of the endangered giant pandas which are unique to China. The base is definitely a highlight for most visitors to Chengdu. There are adorable pandas everywhere. You can watch them eating bamboo, playing with each other, and of course sleeping. Your tour guide will navigate you through the huge area, share some information about the pandas, and help you take amazing photos.

   Noon: Lunch at local restaurant.

   

   PM: Next, continue your visit to a beautiful Buddhist temple in the bustling downtown, Wenshu Temple. Here you will marvel at the amazing buildings and Buddha statues of various materials from different dynasties, take in the soothing and calm atmosphere, and walk around the grounds to observe the worshippers and monks.

   Then, follow your guide to the vibrant Renmin Park which is a perfect place to do people watching. Here you can enjoy a cup of tea in a nice tea house and watch local people while away the time with various activities such as playing cards, doing tai chi, playing mahjong, dancing, and napping.

   Afterwords, come to the 550-meter-long Jinli Pedestrian Street for further exploration. It is one of the most famous food streets in Chengdu and is greatly loved by local people and travelers. Here you can experience real Chengdu local life, poke into the shops selling everything from handicrafts to souvenirs, and try various tempting local snacks at the food stalls.

   Optional Night Activity: Sichuan Opera of Face Changing Show

   It will be a great way to end the day. You just sit back, sip your tea, and watch magic happening on the stage. The best part definitely will be the incredible face changing that everyone comes for. Face changing actually is one of the techniques of Sichuan Opera and is used to express the feelings of the characters. Seeing the performers changing their faces in seconds will completely enthrall you.

   Accommodation: Overnight in Chengdu