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The four snow peaks of Mount Siguniang rising above autumn larch forest and a bare meadow

Trekking / Dafeng summit trek

Small group · fixed departures

The Dafeng summit trek.

Four days to a real 5,000-metre summit — two nights under canvas in the Haizi valley, a deliberately unhurried acclimatisation plan and a pre-dawn climb — with guide, horses and park logistics arranged, priced as a join-in group.

  • Duration4 days
  • Nights3
  • Highest pointDafeng summit, 5,025 m
  • Starts & endsChengdu
Ask about this itinerary

The four sisters above the meadows · Yaomei Feng centre left

Highest point5,025 m

Dafeng summit — a genuine 5,000-metre peak, no technical climbing

Camping nights2 of 3

tents in the Haizi valley; a hotel at the base the other night

Group size2–8

international trekkers only

You carryDay pack

horses carry the camp load; walking is on trails throughout

Why this route

A first 5,000er, done properly.

Dafeng, 5,025 metres, is the first of the four sister peaks of Mt. Siguniang — the summit most walkers can actually reach, and the mountain where a good number of climbers start. No technical climbing is involved: it is a trail all the way, and the real work is the altitude, which the itinerary is built around.

Most operators compress this into two days. We run it in four — a hotel night at the base, a camp at 3,750 metres, a second camp at the 4,350-metre base camp, and then the summit — because a well-paced trip is both more enjoyable and more likely to put you on the top. You carry a day pack; horses move the camp.

It runs as a join-in group on fixed dates from April to November, priced per person — the affordable way into a guided 5,000-metre summit. Days can flex for weather, but the plan always climbs.

Route Briefing

West from Chengdu to the base town of Rilong, then up the Haizi valley in two steps, and a pre-dawn climb from base camp. Two tents, one hotel, one summit.

  1. Day 01Chengdu → Rilongthe mountain road, a 4,000-metre pass stop, a hotel at 3,100 m
  2. Days 02–03Into the Haizi valleycamp at 3,750 m, then the base camp at 4,350 m
  3. Day 04Summit day → homea 3 a.m. start, Dafeng at 5,025 m, out and back to Chengdu

Along the way

The summit is the point — the valley is the pleasure.

This is a climbing line, not a sightseeing one: the days are built for acclimatisation, and the country they pass through is the payoff. These are the stops the plan is arranged around.

The mountain

The four sisters · the saddle · the summit

The four sisters from the ridge
Day two's crest shows the whole Siguniang range at once — Dafeng, Erfeng, Sanfeng and 6,250-metre Yaomei Feng, the pyramid that gives the mountain its name.
Summit sunrise
A 3 a.m. start is not a hardship but a plan: well timed, the sun clears the skyline as you reach the top, and the peaks light up one by one.
The fenced traverse
The one exposed stretch before the summit, held by a handrail — a moment of care, and a view straight down the west side.

Snow sits on the upper route most of the year; poles are strongly recommended and the guide sets the pace for the conditions.

The country

Balang pass · the Haizi valley · Rilong

The panda sanctuary road
The drive from Chengdu runs through one of the largest giant panda reserves in China — mountains still marked by the 2008 earthquake, forest the whole way.
The lakes of Dahaizi
In good conditions camp climbs two kilometres further to the lakes below the peaks — the quietest camp of the trek.
Yak ground
The valley camps share their grass with the herds that work the mountain; the camp animals come and go on their own schedule.

Altitude routine, the summit-day timing and what to carry are covered in the day-by-day above.

Day by day

The four days.

Each day lists the distance, the altitude and the pace. The walking is never technical — the mountain is climbed with the legs and the calendar, not the hands.

  1. Day 01

    Up the mountain road, onto the pass

    Chengdu → Rilong

    About four hours west from Chengdu on the road finished in 2016, through the mountains of one of the giant panda sanctuaries, with a twenty-minute stop at the Balang pass around 3,800–4,200 metres for the first acclimatisation and the first sight of the four sisters from the car park.

    At the base town of Rilong the afternoon goes to altitude the gentle way: a park bus to 3,800 metres or a drive to the 4,200-metre pass road, with a couple of easy hours up there before the night at 3,100 metres.

    • OvernightRilong hotel, 3,100 m
    • DriveAbout 4 hours
    • Highest pointBalang pass area, 4,200 m
  2. Day 02

    Register, then walk into the valley

    Rilong → Laoniu Yuanzi

    A green yak-pasture valley with a walking trail below cloud-wrapped peaks in the Haizi valley
    The upper Haizi valley · yak ground and the trail up

    The morning starts at the park office, where permits are checked and passports seen — the guide handles the paperwork, but everyone attends. Then the trail: a stone stairway to the ridge with the whole Siguniang range in view, two to three hours of forest to the Dajianbao ranger post, and a last easy kilometres to camp at Laoniu Yuanzi, 3,750 metres.

    Horses carry the camp; you walk with a day pack. In poor weather or trail conditions camp moves two kilometres further up the valley to the lakes at Dahaizi.

    • OvernightTents, 3,750 m
    • On foot10–12 km, medium
    • TerrainBoardwalk, forest, valley trail
  3. Day 03

    The critical night, earned

    Laoniu Yuanzi → Dafeng base camp

    Seven kilometres and steep — switchbacks through the forest to about 4,000 metres, open mountain from there on, and a final pull to the base camp at 4,350 metres. Four to five hours of walking that earns its keep tomorrow.

    The afternoon is deliberately empty: sleep, fluids, warm clothes when the sun drops. This is the night that makes the summit — most people sleep imperfectly at this height, and the plan allows for exactly that.

    • OvernightTents, 4,350 m
    • On foot7 km, about 4–5 hours
    • PaceSteep and strenuous
  4. Day 04

    In the dark, then on the top

    Summit → Rilong → Chengdu

    Trekkers with poles climbing a snow-filled couloir between dark rock walls on summit day
    Summit day · the last slopes, walked in the dark

    Out of the tents around 3 a.m. with headlamps. A gradual first kilometre, then two steep heads to the saddle at 4,800 metres, a fenced traverse with the drop held by a handrail, a flat stretch at 4,950 metres, and the last rise to the summit of Dafeng at 5,025 metres — three to five hours up. Well timed, the sun comes up over the summit: Yaomei Feng, 6,250 metres, and the other sisters named and lit across the skyline.

    The way down passes the base camp for a repack, then the whole valley, reaching Rilong by mid-afternoon. The drive back to Chengdu lands you at your hotel around 7–8 p.m. About twenty kilometres and ten to twelve hours on the feet — the biggest day by far.

    • SummitDafeng, 5,025 m
    • On footAbout 20 km, 10–12 hours
    • EndsChengdu, around 8 p.m.

Fixed departures

Eight summits through the seasons.

The join-in group runs on set dates from April to November 2027 — the seasons that suit Dafeng, and away from the very busiest weeks. One price, an early-booking rate, and no more than eight to a group.

Four days, three nights. Prices are per person, twin share in the hotel and two to a tent on trek.
DepartsPer personChoose a departure
6–9 Apr 2027 CNY 6,8006,200 60 days ahead
6–9 May 2027 CNY 6,8006,200 60 days ahead
6–9 Jun 2027 CNY 6,8006,200 60 days ahead
6–9 Jul 2027 CNY 6,8006,200 60 days ahead
6–9 Aug 2027 CNY 6,8006,200 60 days ahead
6–9 Sep 2027 CNY 6,8006,200 60 days ahead
9–12 Oct 2027 CNY 6,8006,200 60 days ahead
9–12 Nov 2027 CNY 6,8006,200 60 days ahead
Early booking
CNY 6,200 per person, for a seat confirmed 60 days before departure.
Peak months
The July and August departures run at CNY 7,200, with early booking at CNY 6,600.
Group size
Two to eight trekkers. A departure that falls short of two a month before is cancelled, or runs at a supplement of up to 100% of the tour cost.
Who it is for
This group takes international trekkers only. A private version runs on request — from USD 1,560 per person in a group of four.

If none of these dates fit, ask anyway — the same climb runs privately on your dates. How that works

What's included

What is included, and what is not.

A supported summit trek: guide, transfers, park fees and the camp logistics are in the price.

Included

Arranged and paid for before you arrive.

  • A trekking guide

    With you from Chengdu to Chengdu, including the summit day.

  • Horses and porterage

    The camp moves; you carry a day pack.

  • Tents and camp fees

    Admission and camping fees arranged ahead; dinners and breakfasts included.

  • Transfers

    Every drive on the route, Chengdu to Chengdu.

  • Hotel night

    One economy-level night at the base, twin share with breakfast.

Not included

Yours, or yours to ask us about.

  • Lunches

    On trek there is nowhere to buy food — bring snacks from Chengdu; the departure pack list explains.

  • Chengdu hotels and meals

    The nights at either end are yours to book.

  • Personal gear

    Sleeping bag, boots, headlamp and poles; sleeping bags can be rented.

  • Tips and personal expenses

    At your discretion.

A full packing list follows confirmation. The route may flex with the season and snow, but the plan always climbs.

Enquiry

Ask us about this one.

Tell us which departure you are looking at and how many of you there are. We will come back with availability, the summit notes and a written outline.

Response time
One business day
Group size
Two to eight
Private option
On request, your dates

Trip details

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