Day 1 · Tea and a first Sichuan dinner
Settle into your hotel, begin with private tea and sit down to a Sichuan dinner. Arrival arrangements are adjusted if you reach Chengdu late.
China Journeys · Chengdu
A Slow Fire
Six days of Sichuan food, tea and craft.
Learn to cook with Sichuan's fermented flavours, settle into a teahouse and see how a local craft is made. This six-day journey includes Wolong's panda conservation programme, Sichuan opera and a day of bamboo weaving in Daoming Village.
A Slow Fire · Chengdu
Cooking gives you a way into Sichuan's flavours; opera interpretation helps you follow what happens on stage. In Daoming, spend time weaving bamboo with a local teacher. There are teahouse visits and a mahjong workshop alongside the bigger excursion days.
Why this journey
Six days of Sichuan food, tea and craft
Private tea and a Sichuan dinner to begin, a cooking day in the kitchen, Wolong's panda conservation programme, opera and teahouse afternoons, bamboo weaving in Daoming and a final mahjong workshop.
- Settle in with private tea and a Sichuan dinner.
- Explore Pixian broad bean paste, fermentation, knife work and heat in a cooking class.
- Visit Wolong for a Panda Conservation Day, subject to the base's rules; direct contact with pandas is not included.
- Watch Sichuan opera with interpretation, visit teahouses and try bamboo weaving and mahjong.
Your six days
Cooking, craft and city life.
Day 2 · Into the kitchen
Explore Pixian broad bean paste, fermentation, knife work and heat in a cooking class. Learn how the ingredients work together, then enjoy what you've made for lunch.
Day 3 · Panda conservation in Wolong
Travel to Wolong for conservation education and supervised food preparation as part of the base's programme. Activities depend on the base's rules and availability. Direct contact with pandas, including touching or feeding them, is not included.
Day 4 · Teahouses and Sichuan opera
Private interpretation introduces the roles, movement, makeup and stories of Sichuan opera before a shared VIP performance. Spend part of the day in a public teahouse, with a gaiwan of tea and time to watch the tables around you.
Day 5 · Bamboo weaving in Daoming
A full-day excursion to Daoming Village introduces bamboo as a material and a local craft. Work with a teacher on the weaving process. Your booking information confirms whether the session includes a finished piece to take away.
Day 6 · A game before you go
Learn the basic rules of mahjong in a light workshop at the hotel. Check out afterwards and continue your trip. Lunch is independent; airport or station transfers can be arranged at an additional cost.
Your stay and hosts
Five nights, hosted days, careful movement.
Five nights' accommodation
Five nights' accommodation is included, based on twin sharing. We confirm the hotel and room type before payment.
Bilingual hosting
A bilingual host provides interpretation and coordination during the programme, with translation support for specialist sessions.
Private transport
Private transport is included for the planned excursion days, including Wolong and Daoming. Airport and railway-station transfers are extra.
The order and specific activities may change with local operations, weather and partner availability. Wolong is a full excursion day, so allow for time on the road as well as at the base.
What's included
What's included
✓ Included
- Five nights' accommodation, with hotel and room type confirmed before payment.
- Bilingual hosting and cultural interpretation during the programme.
- Private tea, Sichuan cooking and fermentation activities.
- The Wolong Panda Conservation Day, subject to the base's rules.
- Private Sichuan-opera interpretation and a shared VIP performance.
- Teahouse visits, the Daoming bamboo day and a mahjong workshop.
- Transport for included excursion days, including Wolong and Daoming.
Your written itinerary specifies included meals and any meals paid locally.
— What's extra
- International flights, insurance, visa or entry costs.
- Airport or station transfers, extra nights and personal purchases.
- Meals marked as self-paid.
- The Qingcheng Mountain extension and guest-requested changes, quoted separately.
Tell us your preferred week and number of travellers. We'll check the departure, rooming and any supplement, then send the full price, inclusions and cancellation terms.
Check Chengdu availability
Photographs from the route
Photographs from the route.
Taken by our Chengdu partners. Activities at the panda base depend on its programme and are not represented by the general route photographs.
Dates and prices
Selected departures, September–December 2026.
Selected Monday–Saturday departures, September–December 2026. Solo travellers and couples can enquire about joining a departure. We confirm group availability, rooming and any supplement before payment.
A Slow Fire
US$1,120 per person
Twin sharing. Other group sizes are quoted separately.
Check Chengdu availability
No payment is needed to enquire.
No payment is needed to enquire. We confirm the full price, inclusions and cancellation terms before you book.
Optional extension
Add a day at Qingcheng Mountain
A full-day Qingcheng Mountain extension can be requested when you enquire.
Guiding, food arrangements and the additional cost are confirmed separately from the six-day journey.
Questions about the journey
Ask before you book
Will I be travelling with other guests?
Yes. On selected group departures you book per person and may travel with people you haven't met before. Ask about a private departure if you want to travel only with your own party.
Is the opera performance private?
The introductory interpretation is private. The performance itself is shared, with VIP admission included.
Do I need to like very spicy food?
Tell us your preferences before booking. Spice levels and dietary requirements can be discussed with the local team; we'll confirm what the cooking session and planned meals can accommodate.
Who leads the journey?
A bilingual local host leads the scheduled programme, with specialist teachers for individual activities. Noa and Coco design and coordinate the journey rather than travelling with the group.
Plan your days in Chengdu. Tell us when you'd like to travel and how many of you are coming — we'll reply personally within one business day. Check Chengdu availability
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A Slow Fire: Chengdu.
Tell us when you'd like to travel and how many of you are coming. We'll check the departure and rooming options, then send the full price, inclusions and cancellation terms.
No payment is needed to enquire.