#自车西西川小环路# – All the way from the Land of Abundance to the West
Lin Xiaochen said
months between job changes
How can I do it if I don’t have enough fun?
Let’s take a 9-day West Sichuan Small Ring Route first
Another 8-day Qinghai Lake Great Loop Route
Another 10 days of leisurely wandering in Jiangsu and Zhejiang
…………..
Xiaoxi said
Zhangjiang women only participate in the 9-day Sichuan West Small Ring Line
▼West Sichuan Small Ring Route Map
♡ Western Sichuan Small Ring Line – 10-day itinerary ♡
| D | City | Touring Spots | stay |
| D1 | Shanghai to Chengdu | Pick up the car | Chengdu Airport |
| D2 | Chengdu-Siguniangshan Town/230 kilometers | Balang Mountain Pass | Siguniangshan Town |
| D3 | Siguniang Town-Xiaojin County/60 kilometers | 30km hike to Mount Siguniang | Xiaojin County |
| D4 | Xiaojin County-Danba-Bamei/150 kilometers | Hiking in Yala Snow Mountain | Bamei Town |
| D5 | eight beauties | Bamei Stone Forest (original plan: Gonggazi Mei Pass) | Bamei Town |
| D6 | Bamei-Moxi Town/220 kilometers | Tagong Grassland/Crossing the Zheduo Mountain Pass/Gongga Hot Spring | Moxi Town |
| D7 | Gongga | Gongga Scenic Area | Moxi Town |
| D8 | Moxi Town-Chengdu/290 kilometers | Return the car/Chengdu eat eat eat | Chengdu urban area |
| D9 | Chengdu | Eat, eat, eat in Chengdu | Chengdu urban area |
| D10 | Chengdu-Shanghai | Return trip |
·Write before travel notes·
Precautions
1. It is recommended to take the route counterclockwise, because there is really a traffic jam going clockwise.
2. If you are not a hardcore off-road vehicle, it is not recommended to take the non-asphalt road section. (Because the oil pan of the four-wheel drive Chevrolet Captiva we rented was punctured and leaking oil, which will be explained in detail later)
3. Don’t be too fixed on your itinerary (it’s best if you can book an accommodation with free cancellation), be flexible. The reason is: the road conditions are complex and the weather is changeable. This time we originally planned to go to Zimei Pass, but due to the heavy snow we couldn't go, so we decided to go to Gongga Scenic Area instead.
We went to the airport to fly to Chengdu after get off work on Friday and stayed near the airport. Firstly, it is convenient to pick up the car near the airport the next day, and secondly, it saves one day of leave. Therefore, our itinerary is: fly on Friday night, 5 working days + the weekends before and after (4 days), a total of 10 days.
The main trip today is to pick up the car near the airport and then drive from Chengdu to Siguniangshan Town.
Picking up the car: It is still the same as Shenzhou Car Rental, and the car is picked up at the Chengdu Airport store. Considering in advance that there were quite a lot of mountain roads on this trip, we rented a four-wheel drive Chevrolet Captiva SUV. Facts have proved that there is a huge gap between four-wheel drive urban SUVs and hardcore off-road vehicles. Compared with the modified Wrangler and Cherokee, they are simply a world away. (We drove NO ZUO NO DIE on a dirt road, but the car was hit by a stone on the dirt road.)
▼Chevrolet Captiva
From Chengdu to Siguniang Mountain Town (via Balang Mountain Pass): We are taking a counterclockwise route, so we go to Siguniang Mountain Town first. It is a total of 230 kilometers from Chengdu City to Siguniang Mountain Town, passing through the Balang Mountain Pass.
There are two ways to choose from over the Balang Mountain Pass:
Take the Balang Mountain Tunnel ( the legendary longest plateau tunnel in China - 8.8 kilometers in length, saving 2 hours of crossing the Balang Mountain Pass, and also saving driving over the Balang Mountain Pass Langshanof fun).
Crossing the Balang Mountain Pass (we chose this route) The mountain road is a bit rugged, and the area near the pass is covered with snow. There is a short section of ice and snow road, just go through it slowly.
▼Chengdu to Siguniangshan Town/The rugged mountain road over the Balang Mountain Pass
▼Balang Mountain – rugged mountain road
▼Balang Mountain – rugged mountain road
▼Balang Mountain – Yakou Mountain Road
▼Balang Mountain Top (haha~ Changge BBQ)
After driving slowly all the way, it was already past 3 pm when we arrived at Siguniangshan Town.
Early in the morning, go from Siguniang Mountain Town Farmhouse to Siguniang Mountain Changpinggou Scenic Area entrance (5 minutes by car). The altitude of Siguniang Mountain Scenic Area is about 3500M, and the round trip from the entrance of the scenic area to Muluozi is 30 kilometers (of which the scenic plank road route is about 20 kilometers round trip). Since we have just arrived at an altitude of 3500M, the 30 kilometers of flat road is indeed a bit tiring for us and makes us feel breathless while walking. We entered the scenic spot at 9 am and came out at 4 pm. We walked, rested and took photos along the way. (You can ride horses to visit scenic spots, which is expensive.)
From the scenic spot, drive all the way to Xiaojin County and live in Xiaojin County.
▼ Po Miao Peak seen from Siguniang Mountain Scenic Area
▼Yamei Peak seen from Siguniang Mountain Scenic Area
▼Siguniang Mountain Changpinggou Scenic Area
▼Siguniang Mountain Changpinggou Scenic Area
▼Siguniang Mountain Changpinggou Scenic Area
▼Siguniang Mountain Changpinggou Scenic Area (taking selfie with drone)
▼Yamei Peak seen from the entrance of Siguniang Mountain Scenic Area
From Xiaojin County to Bamei Town, passing by Yala Snow Mountain. It’s just that the road to Yala Snow Mountain is a dirt road. We drove in using the four-wheel drive SUV. After a bumpy ride to the end of the dirt road (at the foot of the snow-capped mountains), we walked inward. Walking from the parking point to Sisters Lake (elevation 4300M) is about 8 kilometers one way.
▼The dirt road to Yala Snow Mountain (the road near the foot of the mountain is a gravel road)
▼View Yala Snow Mountain from a distance
▼Hiking Yala Snow Mountain
▼Yala Snow Mountain-Sister Sea (the weather is not very good)
▼Yala Snow Mountain-Sister Sea-If the weather is good, this is what it looks like (picture found online)
▼The awesome Z-shaped mountain road I saw on the road
When we returned from the hike, we discovered that the oil pan of the car was punctured and the oil had leaked all over the floor. . . We can only bite the bullet and drive out. Drive onto the highway and navigate to the nearest garage - Bamei Town.
After arriving at the repair shop, we remembered to call the rental car company to ask for insurance. Because we did not call the police immediately when the accident occurred and did not take photos of the accident scene, we ultimately did not receive an accident ticket from the police. However, when we rent a car, we do not count the deductible and can still compensate for part of the repair money. ※Now I know the importance of calling the car rental company, calling the police and taking photos to collect evidence when an accident occurs.
Because Bamei Town is located in Aba Prefecture and belongs to a minority area, the cost of repairing cars is much higher than that in ordinary areas, and there is a shortage of spare parts. The car repair shop did not have spare parts that day, so they needed to be couriered from Chengdu and arrive the next day. After communicating with the car rental company, the oil pan replacement usually costs around NT$900, but the car repair shop quoted NT$1,500. The result of the negotiation is: provide an invoice, and insurance will pay 900.
At this time, the weather began to get bad, and the snow became heavier and heavier. There was only this car repair shop around, and even if the car repair shop asked for 5,000 oceans, it could only be repaired. . .
Stay in a hotel near the garage (Bamei Town)
▼Super broken car repair shop
The original plan was to go to Gongga Zimei Village, cross the Zimei Pass, and look at Gongga in the distance. Unfortunately, I have to spend a day repairing my car today, so I can only stay in Bamei Town. Coincidentally, it snows heavily today, so maybe the car won’t be able to go to Zimei Pass even if there is no problem. (Fortunately, I got the repaired car before dark)
While wandering around Bamei Town, I saw a black truck driver soliciting business and charging Bamei Stone Forest a round trip for 100 yuan. Due to the off-season, there was no one at the ticket office, so we went in and walked around for a while.
Bamei Stone Forest, also known as Moshi Park, is a mylonite formed by fault activity. The surface was exposed due to the uplift of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. These cemented and dispersed mylonites were washed away by running water, scraped by wind and snow, gravity collapse and other weathering effects, forming a landscape like a stone forest.
▼Heavy snow in Bamei Town
▼Heavy snow in Bamei Town (view from the hotel window)
▼Heavy snow in Bamei Town (view from the hotel window)
▼Bamei Stone Forest
▼Bamei Stone Forest
▼Bamei Stone Forest
▼Bamei Stone Forest
▼Bamei Stone Forest
▼Bamei Hotel Hot Pot
Early in the morning I still saw snow falling in the sky, and there was some snow on the road in Bamei Town (elevation 2334M) . But today we have to cross the Zheduo Mountain Pass (elevation 4298M), and we can expect difficult ice and snow conditions. We set off around 10 o'clock, hoping that by noon, some snow would melt on the icy road and the road conditions would be better. I took a few photos at random, and they were all covered in snow.
▼Snowy scene on the roadside
Before arriving at Zheduo Mountain, we first pass by Tagong Grassland. It happened that it snowed heavily overnight, and Tagong Grassland turned into Tagong Snowfield.
▼Tagong Snowfield
Before arriving at the winding road in Zheduo Mountain, I ran into friends who were driving from Wenzhou. They had just climbed over the Zheduo Mountain Pass. While chatting casually, we happened to learn that we didn’t have tire chains and they had an extra pair. It was transferred to us for NT$200 and he was very friendly and helped us install it. After all, children who grew up in the South have never installed anti-skid chains.
▼Installing snow chains
▼Zheduo Mountain Winding Road (March)
▼Zheduo Mountain Winding Road (the video has been fast forwarded N times, the actual speed is about 30 yards)
If you want to stay at the top of Zheduo Mountain and stop to take photos, you need to pay a parking fee of 10 yuan.
▼Zheduo Peak
After crossing Zheduo Mountain, we stopped on the side of the road to remove the anti-skid chains. We studied them for a while but still couldn't remove them. A Tibetan uncle came over and said that he could help us disassemble it. We should give him the disassembled anti-skid chain or give him 50 yuan to disassemble it. Suddenly I felt that the Tibetan compatriots must be very good at making a living. I took it apart and gave it to him, and he sold it for 300 oceans, making a profit without any capital. I was stubborn and refused his proposal. After 15 minutes of research, I finally dismantled it! (If you are going over the Zheduo Mountain Pass in relatively cold weather, you can buy snow chains in a larger town a few days in advance.)
▼Roadside with anti-skid chains removed
▼Passing by the Dadu River
After 220 kilometers of winding mountain road, we finally arrived at Moxi Town and stayed at the Hailuogou Gongga Shentang Hot Spring Hotel. There is no hot spring ticket required when staying in the hotel to soak in the hot springs. The hot spring consists of a very large swimming pool and many small hot spring pools. Overall, it is worth a dip.
▼Gongga Shentang Hot Spring
When I woke up early in the morning, I found that the deep blue sky was cloudless, and I immediately set off for Gongga Scenic Area. ( Luogou Gongga Shentang Hot Spring Hotel has a shuttle bus to the entrance of the scenic spot every morning. I don’t remember the time. If you check in, you can ask when you check in. ) It takes 10 minutes to drive from the hotel to the ticket office of the scenic spot. left and right distances. After entering the scenic spot, there is a scenic shuttle bus to pick you up.
On this day, the Gonggar Scenic Area was exposed to direct sunlight and felt very warm. The sky was deep blue and the mountains were covered with snow. It was a rare window period for the sacred mountain.
▼The true appearance of Gongga Mountain
▼Gonggar Scenic Area
▼Gonggar Scenic Area
▼Gonggar Scenic Area
▼Gonggar Scenic Area
▼Gonggar Scenic Area
▼Gonggar Scenic Area
▼A group of four traveling together
After breakfast at Hailuogou Gongga Shentang Hot Spring Hotel, we checked out and drove to Chengdu city. We first checked in at the Chengdu city hotel, then returned the car to Chengdu Airport, and then took the subway back to Chengdu city to start eating.
Eat, eat, eat in Chengdu. I have to say that I love the food in Chengdu so much. I want to live in Chengdu for a month and eat hot pot every day.
· is written at the end ·
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