Setting off for Western Sichuan, heading to a grand feast of nature

Finally fulfilled the wish to take the whole family to see the distant places! 🎉 Traveling with kids used to be such a headache—besides the hassle of catching and transferring vehicles, going to more remote places with complicated road conditions always made me nervous, afraid the kids might get hurt 😰. This time, I learned my lesson and decisively chose a 🐬 private car tour! Having a local driver-guide with us the whole way, I finally understood what it means to truly “travel worry-free with kids and parents”! This trip took us on the big Western Sichuan loop, and it was the first time our whole family went so far. The driver-guide took great care of us all along the way. Before departure, I worried about having to research and book routes myself, but they had everything planned out clearly—where to go each day, how long to stop, what to watch out for, even considering the kids’ nap times. We visited six places in total: Balang Mountain, Jiaju Tibetan Village, Moxi Park, Tagong Grassland, and Daocheng Yading. We first arrived at Balang Mountain. The guide said the sea of clouds at the mountain pass is easier to catch in summer and much less crowded than at Maobiniang. When we actually saw that sea of clouds, I was speechless with awe—the clouds looked like rolling waves or piles of cotton mountains. Even the usually noisy kids were stunned, quietly staring without moving, probably struck by the magic of nature 👶✨. How can you miss the golden sunlight on the mountains in Western Sichuan? It feels like a wasted trip if you don’t take a photo! To capture the golden sunlight on Jiaju Tibetan Village, we got up at six. The guide skillfully took us to the best spot 🌄. The Tibetan village was wrapped in a thin mist in the early morning. As the sunlight spread over the mountaintop, the golden light gradually dyed the peaks and Tibetan houses. The moment I pressed the shutter, I felt the early wake-up was totally worth it. We also went to Moxi Park, which was the kids’ favorite. As soon as we entered, the kids shouted in amazement—huge gray-black stone forests that looked like giant bones or alien spaceship wreckage. The little ones’ imaginations ran wild, wondering if the stones were scorched by volcanoes 🤣. These are called mylonite, scars from the earth’s crust being compressed for hundreds of millions of years. They change color with humidity—gray-blue when dry, ink-black after rain. Super amazing (luckily the guide explained this on the way, otherwise we wouldn’t have known). Here you can take photos and let the kids experience temporarily leaving the earth’s surface and becoming astronauts. We were lucky that day to encounter a yak 🦬 taking a stroll. Such surprise animal encounters are way more fun than playing in amusement parks! On the day we reached Tagong Grassland, we first visited Tagong Monastery to spin the prayer wheels 🙏. The lake in front of the temple reflected Yala Snow Mountain 🏔️ like a symmetrical painting. There are horseback riding activities on the grassland, but we didn’t try this time—thinking we’ll definitely come back to Western Sichuan, so we left this experience for next time. The last stop was Daocheng Yading, which really felt like stepping into a fairy tale! Milk Lake and Five Color Lake lie nestled in the mountains 🌊. In the afternoon, Milk Lake quietly misted over, draping a light veil over this dreamy place, adding a touch of mystery. Before departure, the guide specially reminded us to always watch for the kids’ altitude sickness and that the mountaintop is really cold ❄️, below zero degrees, so dress the kids warmly! Otherwise, they’d freeze silly. Local experience is reliable, especially with kids, such reminders are essential! The trip ended here, and on the way back, the whole family was reluctant to leave—feeling like we had a dream we didn’t want to wake up from 💭. It’s time to say goodbye to Western Sichuan, this place full of freedom vibes 🌬️, where even the wind carries a sense of ease. Special thanks to our driver-guide brother, who took great care of us all the way, was patient with the kids, played with them, reminded us of important things, and was even more attentive than we were ❤️. Western Sichuan, we will definitely come back! See you next time~ 🌄