RANT: Western Sichuan? Nope, Not Going Back in THIS LIFETIME!
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To be honest, my trip to Western Sichuan (the west part of Sichuan, a beautiful and hilly area with many Tibetan people) did not surpass the scenic spots I previously visited in regions like Qinghai, Gansu, Tibet or Xinjiang. Most of the time was spent driving while tickets were quite expensive and some charges such as "cleaning fee" and "transfer fee", to me, felt like hidden fees that left a bad taste.\n\nOn my first day, I imagined myself putting on beautiful makeup and taking gorgeous photos.\n\nHowever, by the last day, my mindset had completely changed and all I thought was "goodness grace, finally time to go back!"\n\n------------------- Update --------------------------\n\nI did not anticipate that so many people would read through my rant comment section - many people agreed that there are beautiful scenic spots in Western Sichuan. Let me share some details about my travel route here:\n\nWe visited in June 2024 (I felt this might not be an ideal month to visit Western Sichuan): \n\n• Day 1: Departure from Chengdu → Rongguo Valley (where there are four peaks resembling girls) → Danba (an area known for housing Tibetan-style houses)\n• Day 2: Fish Water West (a wonderful spot to view snow-capped mountains) → Yala Glacier View deck → Mo Shi National Park (black stone landscapes) → Tagong Prairie \n• Day 3: Xin Du Bridge (photography heaven) → Sky Road Eighteen Bends (mountain highway bends) → Le Tong Ancient Town, LiTang County (a town filled with Tibetan culture) → Shangri-La Town (transition station to visit Yading)\n• Day 4: Yading, known as the natural reserve famous for snow-capped mountains and beautiful lakes\n• Day 5: You could opt for another visit to Yading or return to Xin Du Bridge via Red Shenzhen\n• Day 6: Xin Du Bridge → 434 Airport Road (scenic along the route) → Red Sea Subsidiary Lake (an alpine lake) → Mu Ge Cuo (Kangding Love Song Scenic Area) and back to Chengdu\n\nSince our trip included Yading, it felt like days three and four were all occupied with travel between Yading and Xin Du Bridge without much time for exploring.\n\nOverall, my trip was very common and conventional as chosen by most travel agencies. Many of the locations mentioned by people in the comments weren't included in the route, known as line A. To appreciate better sceneries, you might have to prepare yourself thoroughly, carefully plan your route.\n\nI must clarify that there were good things:\n• In Rongguo Valley and Mo Shi National Park, I really captured gorgeous photos.\n• At Mu Ge Cuo, despite many negative reviews online, we unexpectedly found it quite impressive. Descending from the mountain, the scenery appeared like primeval forests with exceptional air quality, and witnessed some novel plants and various types of mushrooms.\n• The drive back to Chengdu on the last day was decent.\n\nThere were some downsides of my trip:\n• Beware! Both gate entry tickets and the scenic spot shuttle fees are expensive.\n• Note: It's essential to conduct preliminary research on the ticket prices to make informed budgets.\n• Be cautious! Additional fees such as “cleaning fee” or “transfer fee” may seem unfair and could feel like being cheated by dealers.\n• In reference to grass meadows (highlands where grass grows), I found it less beautiful than expected as some areas were sparsely vegetated due to the rainy season which had caused erosion - I disliked this pattern.\n• Beware! Severe altitude sickness can affect visitors. At many places across Western Sichuan (such as Xin Du Bridge at 3300 m.a.s.l., Yading had higher altitudes), it makes one suffer headaches, nausea or have sleep problems. It is advised to consult a physician before departure. Being conscious of the physical conditions is essential after arriving, walking slowly without over excitement, drinking more water and avoiding strong alcoholic beverages. I slept poorly as my body didn't adapt to the altitude on two nights spent in Xin Du Bridge and that affected my mood.\n• Althought Yading was beautiful, tackling high altitude mountains was extremely tiring. I thought the effort put into seeing highland mountains for two lakes was not worth it.\n• Weather changes during the season were annoying as well - despite being considered monsoon season, there were many sunny days. However, each time we reached the view tower near Fish Water West, weather conditions were awful resulting in continuous rainfall, hindering scenic views.\n\nFinally, beauty standards are subjective. As I had previously experienced magnificent sceneries, this Western Sichuan journey struck me as relatively mediocre. On contrary, my husband considered it aesthetically pleasing.\n\n------------- Update -------------\nSomeone pointed out that I only ranted without sharing pictures – actually I posted photos elsewhere. These are chosen arbitrarily without intention to display the unpleasant aspects. Moreover, I mentioned objectively before about the beautiful scenery.\n\nThe main reason is I believe the physical exertion (like hiking, altitude sickness) does not match the visual enjoyment. In contrast, Qinghai, Gansu or Xinjiang were more enjoyable with its astonishing sceneries.\n\nIf you still disagree, then I'll just say it again that you better not go to Western Sichuan during June or don’t complain about the bad experience because I warned you already!