Sichuan & Shanxi Wildlife Tour

Sichuan Wildlife Tour — Temminck’s Tragopan & Red Panda & Fulvous Parrotbill © Summer Wong

Mammals, Pheasants & Parrotbills in China – 15 Days

Tour Overview

Sichuan is widely regarded as one of the world’s premier destinations for mammal watching and birding in China, offering an extraordinary diversity of mammals, pheasants, and endemic birds across spectacular mountain forests, alpine meadows, and bamboo habitats. Visiting in autumn, the landscape is transformed into a breathtaking mosaic of golden, crimson, and fiery orange forests, creating one of the finest seasons for wildlife photography and nature travel in China.

This carefully designed 15-day Sichuan Wildlife Tour combines the region’s most productive wildlife reserves to maximise opportunities for mammal watching, birdwatching, and wildlife photography. From the forests of Labahe and Tangjiahe to the high-altitude grasslands of Ruoergai and the bamboo forests of Wawushan, the itinerary covers Sichuan’s richest wildlife habitats in a single journey.

Our mammal targets include Red Panda, Giant Panda, Golden Snub-nosed Monkey, Sichuan Takin, Tibetan Fox, Wolf, Asian Black Bear, and many other species. Carefully planned early morning field sessions, extensive daytime searching, and night spotlighting maximise opportunities to observe elusive mammals such as Leopard Cat, porcupines, flying squirrels, martens, and other nocturnal wildlife.

For birders, the tour targets an exceptional collection of China’s most sought-after endemic and near-endemic birds. Highlights include Chinese Monal, Temminck’s Tragopan, Golden Pheasant, Lady Amherst’s Pheasant, Blue-eared Pheasant, Blood Pheasant, Sichuan Partridge, Chinese Grouse, and Przevalski’s Finch, together with one of the world’s richest selections of parrotbills. At Wawushan alone, we have opportunities to search for up to 10 species of parrotbills, including Fulvous, Golden, Ashy-throated, Vinous-throated, Grey-headed, Three-toed, Brown, Great, Spot-breasted, and Spectacled Parrotbill.

Designed for wildlife photographers as well as birdwatchers and mammal enthusiasts, the itinerary also includes visits to carefully selected bird hides, offering outstanding opportunities to photograph Chinese Monal, Temminck’s Tragopan, Golden Pheasant, Lady Amherst’s Pheasant, Sichuan Partridge, and other shy forest species at close range.

Whether your goal is to experience the best mammal watching in China, photograph spectacular pheasants from professional bird hides, or simply immerse yourself in the breathtaking colours of Sichuan’s autumn forests, this tour offers one of Asia’s most rewarding wildlife adventures.

Tour Highlights

One of China’s premier mammal watching and wildlife tours
Search for 30+ target mammal species
Up to 15 species of pheasants and gamebirds
Up to 9 species of parrotbills
Excellent bird photography opportunities for pheasants and tragopans at hides/blinds
Spectacular autumn scenery throughout the tour

Tour Schedule & Departure Dates

2026 Oct 18-Nov 1 (15 days) Mammal & Bird watching guide : Summer Wong, scheduled tour, group limit : 10 pax, cost: 3800 USD

2027 Nov 1- Nov 15 (15 days) Mammal & Bird watching guide : Summer Wong, scheduled tour, group limit : 10 pax, cost: 3800 USD

Besides our scheduled and private tours, we also offer budget-friendly birding tours. If you are an international birding company looking for a reliable ground operator in China, please feel free to contact us for rates and further details.

Deposit : USD 500 per person

Single Room Supplement (14 nights) : USD 550 per person

Tour Cost Includes:

All ground transportation by private car/van/coach
Accommodation in twin-share or single rooms, all with private facilities
All meals (including daily bottled water, packed breakfasts, and lunches/dinners mostly at local restaurants)
All necessary entrance tickets, hide fees, cable car/shuttle bus fees on tour and nature reserve permits
All guide and driver expenses (meals, accommodation, and service fees)

Tour Cost Excludes:

International and domestic flights
Travel insurance
Soft drinks and alcoholic beverages
Tips for local staff

Tour Itinerary

D1 – Chengdu Tianfu Airport (TFU) Arrival → Pingshan (Tanshi Village)

Tour starts in the morning upon your arrival at Chengdu Tianfu Airport. After airport pickup, we drive directly to Pingshan Tanshi Village, a prime pheasant photography site equipped with professional fixed hides. Evening settlement and brief environment adaptation.

Overnight: Pingshan

D2 – Full Day Pheasant Watching at Pingshan

A full day focused on pheasant observation and photography using professional wildlife hides in Pingshan Tanshi Village. All target species are stable resident populations, ensuring reliable sightings in autumn and winter.

Highlight Birds in Pingshan: Sichuan Partridge, Lady Amherst’s Pheasant, Temminck’s Tragopan, Silver Pheasant, Chinese Bamboo Partridge, Emei Shan Liocichla, Buffy Laughingthrush, Grey-headed Parrotbill, Chinese Hwamei, and Slaty-backed Forktail.

Overnight: Pingshan

D3 – Pingshan → Wawushan

Morning final pheasant watching at Pingshan hides, then transfer to Wawushan Scenic Area, a core habitat for wild Red Pandas and diverse mountain forest wildlife.

Overnight: Wawushan

D4 – Full Day Exploration at Wawushan

Full-day in-depth wildlife observation across Wawushan’s bamboo forests on boardwalk, focusing on wild Red Pandas and resident forest bird species.

Highlight Birds: Grey-hooded, Brown, Great, Three-toed, Fulvous, Golden, and Ashy-throated Parrotbills; Crimson-breasted Woodpecker, Darjeeling Woodpecker, Three-toed Woodpecker, Spotted Laughingthrush, Red-winged Laughingthrush.

Mammal Highlights: Red Panda, Perny’s Long-nosed Squirrel, Swinhoe’s Striped Squirrel, Pallas’s Squirrel.

Overnight: Wawushan

D5 – Wawushan → Kangding (Lianghekou Village)

Morning wildlife spotting for remaining Wawushan targets, then drive to Kangding Lianghekou Village. This high-altitude area is famous for rare alpine pheasants.

Highlight Birds in Kangding: Chinese Monal, White-eared Pheasant, Snow Partridge, Blood Pheasant, and Grandala.

Overnight: Kangding

D6 – Kangding → Labahe

Early morning photography session at Kangding’s professional hide for iconic alpine pheasants, then transfer to Labahe Nature Reserve, a key habitat for wild Red Pandas and diverse large mammals.

Mammals in Labahe: Red Panda, Giant Panda, Sambar, Takin, Red-and-White Giant Flying Squirrel, Chinese Ferret-badger/Small-toothed Ferret-badger and Western Red Deer.

Overnight: Labahe

D7 – Full Day Wildlife Watching at Labahe

A full day dedicated to mammal and forest bird observation in Labahe Nature Reserve, including dawn and dusk patrols for flagship mammal species, plus nocturnal spotlighting for rare small mammals.

Mammals in Labahe: Red Panda, Giant Panda, Sambar, Takin, Red-and-White Giant Flying Squirrel, Chinese Ferret-badger/Small-toothed Ferret-badger and Western Red Deer.

Overnight: Labahe

D8 – Labahe → Wenchuan

Final morning wildlife exploration in Labahe, then drive to Wenchuan. Wenchuan features professional wildlife hides for observing resident Golden Pheasants and mountain forest endemics.

Highlight Bird in Wenchuan: Golden Pheasant.

Overnight: Wenchuan

D9 – Wenchuan → Chuanzhusi

Morning birding at Wenchuan’s local hides, then transfer to Chuanzhusi, a high-altitude grassland and forest transition zone rich in alpine pheasants and plateau mammals.

Mammals in Chuanzhusi: Chinese Mountain Cat, Tibetan Fox, Plateau Pika, Gansu Pika, Siberian Roe Deer and Himalayan Marmot.

Overnight: Chuanzhusi

D10 – Full Day Exploration at Chuanzhusi

A full day of comprehensive wildlife watching covering both forest edges and high-altitude grasslands around Chuanzhusi, targeting exclusive alpine bird and plateau mammal species.

Highlight Birds in Chuanzhusi: Chinese Grouse, Tibetan Snowcock, Blue-eared Pheasant, Blood Pheasant, Common Pheasant, Grandala, Red-fronted Rosefinch, Streaked Rosefinch, White-browed Tit-Warbler, Crested Tit-Warbler, and White-browed Tit.

Mammals in Chuanzhusi: Chinese Mountain Cat, Wolf, Tibetan Fox, Red Fox, Plateau Pika, Gansu Pika, Siberian Roe Deer and Himalayan Marmot.

Overnight: Chuanzhusi

D11 – Chuanzhusi → Tangjiahe National Nature Reserve

Morning final alpine wildlife watching in Chuanzhusi, then drive to Tangjiahe National Nature Reserve, one of Sichuan’s most biodiverse primeval forest reserves with abundant large mammals and resident forest birds.

Highlight Birds in Tangjiahe: Golden Pheasant, Sooty Bushtit, Sichuan Treecreeper, Slaty Bunting, Tawny Fish Owl, Brown Dipper, Crested Kingfisher, Little Forktail, Spot-breasted Parrotbill.

Mammals in Tangjiahe: Takin, Golden Snub-nosed Monkey, Leopard Cat, Tufted Deer, Reeve’s Muntjac, Chinese Goral, Père David’s Rock Squirrel, Yellow-throated Marten, Asian Masked Palm Civet, Malayan Porcupine, Wild Boar, Tibetan Macaque, Rhesus Macaque, Chinese Serow, Eurasian Otter, Forest Musk Deer and Asian Black Bear etc

Overnight: Tangjiahe

D12 – Full Day Wildlife Watching in Tangjiahe

A full day of in-depth forest exploration and wildlife tracking in Tangjiahe Reserve. The stable resident wildlife population guarantees excellent observation opportunities in autumn and winter, with optional night spotlighting for nocturnal species.

Highlight Birds in Tangjiahe: Golden Pheasant, Sooty Bushtit, Sichuan Treecreeper, Slaty Bunting, Tawny Fish Owl, Brown Dipper, Crested Kingfisher, Little Forktail, Spot-breasted Parrotbill.

D13 – Tangjiahe → Yangxian

Final morning wildlife survey in Tangjiahe, then take a long-distance transfer to Yangxian, the core habitat of the endangered Crested Ibis.

Highlight Bird in Yangxian: Crested Ibis

Overnight: Yangxian

D14 – Yangxian → Foping → Xi’an

Morning birding in Yangxian for Crested Ibis, then transfer to Foping National Nature Reserve.Foping features habituated wild Golden Snub-nosed Monkeys with fixed-site supplementary feeding for reliable sightings, plus captive Giant Panda for viewing. After finishing all wildlife targets, drive to Xi’an for overnight stay.

Highlights in Foping: Habituated wild Golden Snub-nosed Monkey (reliable year-round sightings), captive Giant Panda, Sooty Bushtit, Slaty Bunting, Tufted Deer, Reeve’s Muntjac.

Highlight Bird in Yangxian: Crested Ibis

Overnight: Xi’an

D15 – Xi’an Departure

Transfer to Xi’an Xianyang Airport (SIA) according to your flight schedule for your departure flight, end of the tour.