China Travel Guide for Niche but Not Too Niche Dummies

Do you want to visit China and go on an adventurous vacation over the summer for purposes other than seeing relatives? Do you want to experience actual joy that can pull you out of the depths of misery of the school year? Well, look no longer, because I have the perfect travel guide for you! Whether you’re planning a senior trip with friends or traveling with your parents, China is full of breathtaking regions and experiences you won’t forget. There are far better places to visit than simply Beijing and Shanghai. Those places are overrated anyway! If you want to have a summer that is both exciting and productive, head to Sichuan. Not only are there many mind-blowing natural sceneries, but there are also a multitude of things to do within the capital city, Chengdu, and around it, such as seeing their iconic pandas! In this quick guide, I’ll go over some beautiful places to visit to make your trip to China next year amazing.

I’m actually going to start outside Sichuan, in Hunan province. From the airport you arrive at, preferably somewhere near Southern China like Hong Kong, take the bullet train to the Zhangjiajie prefecture and visit the natural parks. If you’ve ever seen those almost surreal views of pointy canyons on social media, you probably saw videos showcasing Zhangjiajie’s Wulingyuan park. Although the park may be very crowded, trust me, the views are worth it. It’s even home to the world’s tallest elevator, the Bailong elevator that takes visitors up 1,070 feet in a mere 90 seconds!

It’s best to dedicate a whole day to exploring this park specifically, since a lot of it is sightseeing and walking (and when I mean walking, I mean lots of walking… maybe around 20k steps). The next day, take a visit to Zhangjiajie’s Grand Canyon, which holds the world record for both the longest and highest glass bridge, standing at a staggering height of 985 feet! Once you cross the bridge, make sure to take lots of photos of the canyon below, continue to the other side of the canyon and take a nice, long zipline halfway down. Finish off your descent by riding a series of metal slides until you reach the bottom of the canyon. With how high you are above the ground, it almost feels as though you’re soaring through the sky! Then, take the quick, calm boat down the river, and walk along the canyon until you reach the park exit, taking in the beauty of the water naturally flowing down the sides of the canyon walls. 

Now, you can finally make your way to Chengdu to start your vacation in the Sichuan province. Take the bullet train from Zhangjiajie to Chengdu and ride a taxi into the city. If you arrive at night, make sure to check out all the street food like spicy meat skewers or bingfen! It’s definitely one of the best parts about visiting China. But once you’ve settled in, make your way to Chengdu’s star attraction – pandas!  At Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding,  you can see them both indoors and outdoors (although, depending on the weather, it might be too hot for the pandas to come out). If you’re lucky, rainfall will make it cool enough for the pandas to come out, since Chengdu sometimes seeds clouds to bring down the temperature.. 

Outside of the city, it’s worthwhile to visit the national parks in the Huanglong region, where you can see the beauty of multi-colored ponds and vast mountain ranges. Be mindful, though, all these national parks require an insane amount of walking! I’m talking around 20k steps, again, following the main trail. Additionally, the altitude of the region is very high, so if needed, you might want to spend an extra day getting used to the elevation change.

On a similar note, it’s also worthwhile to visit Jiuzhaigou Valley, where you can see strikingly blue lakes. Fortunately, this park does have a bus service that can take you between each scenic point and save you thousands of steps, which comes in handy for when you don’t want to visit every single lake.

Lastly, visit the Giant Buddha in Leshan, built by Buddhist monks all the way back in 700 A.D. to protect people from the turbulent waters that arise from the convergence of 3 major rivers. Only an hour away from Chengdu by bullet train, spend a whole day following a tour of temples in the area and exploring the city. If it’s possible, you can take a boat ride to get a better view of the Giant Buddha from the river area rather than the mountain. However, the availability of the boat ride does depend on the conditions of the river, so this option is not guaranteed. But you can still get a great view of the Buddha and the river from the other side as you explore more of the city!

Of course, China has countless more wonders to explore,  especially in the Sichuan province. But these are some of my favorites that I think are the most straightforward and worthwhile to visit if you’re under a time constraint. Whether you’re planning a trip yourself or are finding destinations to recommend to your parents, these places should definitely be on your bucket list!