Sichuan is the largest and one of the most inaccessible provinces in China. This province is famous for its amazing collection of wildlife and diverse terrain. Over one- fifth of the nation's rare animals and plants are found here, situated amongst lush bamboo forest or growing on harsh mountain terrain. Jiuzhaiguo is home to some of China's most naturally beautiful and breath- taking scenery. Emeishan is another great spot to take in some wild scenery and catch a glimpse of unusual wildlife. China's favorite baby, the panda lives in the Panda Reserve.

Location: Sichuan Province is surrounded by the Qingzang plateau in the west and the Three Gorges and the Yangtze River to the east.

Located in the sub-tropical zone, Sichuan enjoys a unique climate due to the region's uncommon and varied topography and the influence of alternating weather patterns. Sichuan's eastern basin is characterized by a damp climate, while the Western Sichuan plateau and mountain areas have various dryer climates depending on altitude with some areas reaching heights of over 5000 meters.

Rainfall: In winter, Sichuan's climate is dry with little rainfall. Sichuan gets abundant rainfall from April to October, but in the west of the province, the rainy season is from May to September. Generally the eastern areas receive more rainfall than the western, and the basin areas gets more rain than the plateau regions.

Average Temperature: Sichuan's four seasons are quite distinct. In Spring, temperatures range from between 10 and 21.9 degrees C; In Summer, temperatures average above 22 degrees. Autumn temperatures vary between 10 and 21.9 degrees. In Winter, the average temperature is below 10 degrees centigrade.

The Western Sichuan plateau areas are quite cool and have an average annual temperature of less than 8 degrees centigrade. The average temperature is 5 degrees below zero in January, 5 to 10 degrees in April, 10 to 15 degrees in June and 5 degrees in October. In fact, Western Sichuan has almost no summer.

Sichuan's southwestern mountainous regions have average annual temperatures of between 15 and 20 degrees in valley areas, and 5 and 15 degrees in mountain areas. In January, the average temperature is about 5 degrees Centigrade, 10 to 24 degrees in April, 15 to 26 degrees in June and 10 to 20 degrees in October.

Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province as well as a major transportation hub in southeast Asia, is easily accessible by plane or train. (For detailed information, refer to our Transportation in Chengdu.)

Day One: From Chengdu, take a long-distance bus to Dujiangyan Irrigation System in the morning and then go to Qingchengshan Mountain. In the evening, go back to Chengdu and check into a hotel.

Day Two: In the morning, go to The Giant Panda Breeding Research Institute, after having lunch in a nearby restaurant, visit Du Fu's Thatched Cottage and then the Temple of the Marquis of Wu. If you have enough time, you can head east to River Viewing Pavilion Park .

Day Three: Take a long distance bus to Leshan. In the morning, visit the Leshan Giant Buddha Statue. In the afternoon, take the bus to Emeishan, one of the most famous Buddhist mountains in China. Upon arrival, find a hotel and check in.

If you still have time to spare, you can go to Chongqing and take a trip along the grand Three Gorges.

There is an old Chinese saying that describes the great difficulties that can be encountered in attempting to visit Sichuan province. Today however, with the completion of modern transport facilities and links, Sichuan is now a relatively straightforward province to visit from throughout China.

By plane:
Direct flights are available to and from Chengdu (the capital of Sichuan Province) to over 50 cities in China and international destinations including Hong Kong, Bangkok and Singapore. As Chengdu is located in the center of China, a domestic flight from the city to most cities takes less than two and a half hours. The main airport in Sichuan, Shuangliu, is 18 km west of Chengdu. See our transport in Chengdu section for more information about flights, and check out Ctrip's reservation center for flight details and good deals!

By train:
Sichuan also boasts a complex railway network. The biggest problem regarding rail travel here is booking and reserving tickets. It is a good idea to try and book train tickets a few days ahead of schedule whenever possible.

By bus:
From Chengdu, and also between smaller cities and major destinations and sights in Sichuan (Leshan, Emeishan and Jiuzhaigou), the best method of transport is bus. See our transport sections for where you want to travel for more detailed information regarding buses.

By boat:
Sichuan province can also be reached by boat. The major ports along the Yangtze river all serve Sichuan and Chongqing (for the Three Gorges) and can be easily reached by bus from Chengdu.

Moving on to Lhasa:
Many tourists who plan to visit Tibet set off from Chengdu. For more detailed information about traveling to Tibet, refer to the transport section for Chengdu.