Sichuan's Wild West

Cut Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong. Jiuzhaigou is not yet accessible to individuals, you have to go on a tour prebooked through an agent, with a limit of 2000 people per day, and only part of the park is open. JZG was closed again on July 1 due to heavy rains and risk of landslides--the slopes are still pretty fragile there--and rumor has it that it may not open until after most of the rainy season is over. So that might be a trip in vain in early August, and IMO Huanglong alone is not worth the time and effort to head that way.

So, spend all your time in the west with 3 days for the greater Chengdu area. You could route Chengdu - Leshan/Emei - (Ya'an) - Kangding - Tagong - Litang - Daocheng for Yading then back via Litang/Xinlong/Garze to Yarchen Gar then over to Danba. Then not far to Xiaojin for Rilong and Siguniangshan, back to Chengdu via Dujiangyan. I think that will fill up 2 weeks pretty decently, especially if using mostly public transport.

I like Jiejie's itinerary.

But I would put most of Chengdu at the end.

First, although the roads have improvement, bus breakdowns and rains do sometimes lead to delays. I'd want to have at least an extra day cushion in Chengdu before my flight out in case something happens and I cant get back to Chengdu to catch my flight on schedule
Second, chengdu is hot hot hot. Better to save it for later on in the trip when it is hopefully a little cooler.

Thanks for your response!

I'd encourage Emeishan, as first impressions are that it's a good retreat from the hustle-and-bustle - therefore near the end of your itinerary? It's a long climb and don't rush for full relaxation. There are many mountains across China with religious connotations, and Emei is affiliated with Taoism. So good to keep the eyes open for this aspect - I stumbled upon a monk in his grotto when I wasn't expecting this!

Emei Shan in August will be jam-packed with domestic tourists bringing the hustle-and-bustle with them. Usually rainy which obscures views and makes the steps really slippery. And it's become extremely overpriced. I would deprioritize this in favor of what you already have on your list.

To the contrary, I find Emeishan in August is ideal, as proven by the number of local Sichuanese who go there to escape the oppressive heat of low-lying areas. Not to fear about the crowds because they really only crowd around the stalls in the first 200 metres of the park. After that, you can have a couple of relatively unhindered days of walking and relaxing. Slippery steps at this time of year is a furphy. In places, steps have handrails and chains, but this is for midwinter when the steps have ice (ie Dec-Jan). August will be fine, so keep Emeishan on your bucket list, imho

Well, now the OP has two completely different opinions on Emei Shan. And given the context of his trip, where he has much better places on his list of targets to spend time (better scenery, less crowded, more authentic religiously) I stand by my assertions. OP, if you are on the bubble about Emei Shan, put it at the end where if you run out of time and can't get to it, you haven't lost much. Far more important to put available time to the upland west of Sichuan at Yarchen, Yading, Danba, etc.

I appreciate having both opinions. First, I will head West and then do like you say, if I have time available I will make a trip to Emei Shan.

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