Yuquong Town / Qing Minority Village Visit: US$300 plus your expenses, entrance fees, transportation costs
From your Chengdu hotel we will leave at 8:30am to head for our journey to Qing Chen Shian. To get there we can take a private car (expensive) or the bullet train (inexpensive) – your choice, but I would suggest the train. Bring your luggage as you will be staying overnight at one of two places: the home of a resident of Qing Minority Village or at a five-star hotel resort with full service spa – it’s your choice and the distinctions between the two couldn’t be more opposite.
From Qing Chen Shian, we will take a private car to Yuquong Town, an ancient town that will give you a true and authentic representation of China. It’s a half hour drive, and we will have a local restaurant lunch in Quin Chen Shian before we go. In Yuquong, you can walk through this town without being bothered by local vendors selling tourist trinkets and enjoy mixing in with the local experience. We will leave from Yuquong to head to the Qing Chen Shian minority village. The Qing Minority Village was devastated by the 2008 earthquake, which hit everywhere in Sichuan Province, but mostly here in this remote area. The village has been completely rebuilt and is perhaps a bit touristy in design, but the local residents are mixed Tibetan/Qing ancestry and their homes are open to travellers. These are wonderfully authentic Tibetan style homes but they are rustic, with traditional but clean bathrooms. The cost of staying overnight at one of these guest rooms is about 20% of the cost of the five-star hotel. Home cooked Tibetan/Qing style meals are included if you stay in one of the guest homes.
For those that wish to return to Qing Chen Shian, you will stay at a five-star hotel resort with a full service spa and a view of the Qing Chen Shian mountains nearby. My home is not too far away. You will only stay one night at the five-star resort hotel, so enjoy your time here. In the morning, I will take you back by train to Chengdu, or you can continue on to hike the scenic mountains of Qing Chen Shian.