Mount Qingcheng and Dujiangyan Irrigation System Private Day Tour from Chengdu

This tour is a great tour if you are interested in the history of Taoism and the great engineering marvels that supported China's ancient civilizations. My tour guide (Worley) was very knowledgeable, super friendly and I had a great time with her. I loved the lunch she took me to (restaurant near a local university, very local) and the fruits a good snack for the hiking trip. Make sure you dress warm because it will be cold in winter!

I'm really happy that I decided to pick this tour. This tour was a wonderful and fascinating experience. Well organized and I could do it as a solo traveller. The Qingcheng Mountain was my favorite part. There was little hiking involved but due the optional cable car it actually turned out into a relaxing trip. There's a lot of history regarding the Daoism surrounded by a beautiful scenery. Thanks to luck with the weather we could even enjoy a fantastic view from up there. The Dujiangyan Irrigation System is really fascinating and a must visit for sure. It's quite impressive. Worley has been a great tour guide and such a nice person. She shared a lot or insights and could answer any question. The perfect guide and companion for this magnificent and "lucky" day. As I stated before, well organized and also safe driving in a clean and modern car.

This tour was one of the highlights of our one week stay In Chengdu. The process for booking the tour was very easy and efficient. We were collected from our hotel on time at 8am by our tour guide Worley, and driven in a clean and very comfortable minivan out through the suburbs of Chengdu to Qingcheng Mountain. Once inside the park a shuttlebus took us to the main park entrance which comprised a cluster of traditional style timber buildings with the some colourful gardens. Worley guided us through the entrance without any fuss or delay. A short walk brought us to a pretty little lake fringed by lush forest and with a beautiful mountain backdrop. A small punt took us across the lake to another cluster of traditional style buildings which seem to fit well in the landscape and reinforce that you are really in China. Most of our little group decided to tackle the climb along the path up the mountain, although there is the option of a cable car that gets you most of the way. It was raining steadily during our visit and we saw few others as we climbed the stone pathway that winds through a lovely forest with a rich diversity of trees and other plants. You need to be reasonably fit to tackle the many, many steps along the path. But what a rewarding climb it is! Our sprightly guide was always attentive to ours needs, making sure we had a rest whenever we needed to catch our breath during the climb. Eventually we reached a series of stunning and ornately decorated pavilions and other traditional structures nestled in the forest. Our knowledgeable guide was able to explain the significance of the mountain and these structures to Daoist mythology. This made a big difference to our appreciation of the mountain as we climbed up into the clouds to reach an imposing pagoda perched on its peak. We descended by cable car and enjoyed a tasty lunch at a little streetside eatery just outside the park boundary. After lunch we were driven through the adjoining city of Dujiangyan to the nearby Minjian River. It was a very scenic location with wonderful views up the river valley into the jagged mountains. As we descended the path down to the river, our guide was able to explain the clever engineering project that 2000 years ago resulted in a series of river diversions which continue to reduce flooding and enable farming areas to receive irrigation water. Our walk continued across the river and into an area of attractive ornamental gardens with some impressive bonsai trees. We were driven back into Chengdu arriving at our hotel at about 6.30pm after a most rewarding day. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone interested in seeing a little of the China that lies beyond city limits. The tour was very well organised and the day went smoothly. Worley was a friendly, informative guide who speaks excellent English and cheerfully responded to our many questions throughout the day.