12. June 2026

After a great sleep in a great resort it’s the last day to get to Chengdu where I will have a rest day tomorrow.

It’s one of those places, where you could easily stay another day or more to relax and soak in the calm atmosphere.

Here is the road book briefing of today.

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️ Day 13 — Road Book: Leshan → Chengdu

Segment C1-10 · Friday, 12 June 2026

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 Key Stats

– Route: Leshan → Huanglongxi Ancient Town → Chengdu
– Distance: 152 km
– Driving Time: 2h 23m
– Lap Time (with fuel/photo stops): ~3h 00m
– Departure: 07:00 (beating Chengdu rush hour)
– Arrival Window: ~10:00–10:30 AM
– Max Altitude: ~500m (Sichuan Basin descent)
– Country: China · Sichuan Province

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吝 Navigation — Triple Redundant

**Kurviger (motorcycle routing)**
• Link: kurv.gr/RMnLz

**Kurviger Alt**
• Link: kurv.gr/pz3Km

**Google Maps**
• Link: Leshan → Huanglongxi → Chengdu

**OSM / OsmAnd (offline)**
• Link: OSM Directions

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️ Weather

**Leshan (07:00 departure)**
• Conditions: Smoky haze, ~21°C, NE 5 km/h, 62% humidity

**Huanglongxi (~09:00)**
• Conditions: Smoky haze → clearing, ~23°C, SSE 6 km/h, 58%

**Chengdu (~10:30 arrival)**
• Conditions: Sunny → cloudy, 25–28°C, SSW 8 km/h, 39–47%

Chengdu forecast: High 28°C / Low 21°C. Smoky haze lifting to partly sunny by midday. No rain. Visibility improving through the morning.

⚠️ Sheet warning: Chengdu Heat (35°C forecast in planning). Actual today is milder at 28°C, but humidity + urban heat island will push felt temperature higher. Hydrate.

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️ Route Narrative

The Sichuan Basin Descent

You’re leaving the foothills behind. After 4 days grinding through the Daliangshan ranges — Yi highlands, G348 Dadu River canyon, Meigu’s deep gorges — today is the final gravity-assisted glide into the Sichuan Basin. The road flattens. The G5 Expressway corridor pulls you into one of China’s densest urban agglomerations.

Leshan departure: If you haven’t already, the Leshan Giant Buddha (71m, UNESCO) is 2 km from the city center — the largest pre-modern stone Buddha in the world, carved into a cliff face at the confluence of the Min, Dadu, and Qingyi rivers. Even a 15-minute glance from the riverbank is worth the detour. It took 90 years to carve (713–803 AD) and was designed to calm the treacherous waters where the three rivers meet.

Huanglongxi Ancient Town (黄龙溪古镇) — your lunch stop at roughly the 80 km mark. This is a 1,700-year-old water town with Ming and Qing dynasty wooden buildings, stone-paved lanes, and seven ancient banyan trees. Known for its “one street, three temples” layout. The town sits at the confluence of the Fu and Luxi rivers. Try the local huanglongxi douhua (tofu pudding) or river fish hotpot if you have time.

The approach to Chengdu: The final 50 km is the psychological transition from Silk Road expedition mode to urban China. Chengdu’s outer ring roads and G5 Expressway traffic require full attention. The sheet warns about heavy traffic and smog — this is real. Chengdu has 21 million people and the air quality in the basin can be rough. The 07:00 departure is timed to get you into the city before the 08:30–09:30 morning peak.

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 Accommodation

Holiday Inn Express CHENGDU WUHOU NEW CITY by IHG
– Booking:

1578947199904581

– Confirmation:

75609 - 1578947199905635

– Rate: ¥108.76

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⚠️ Practical Notes

– Smog/visibility: Smoky haze throughout the morning — keep auxiliary lights on even in daylight
– Traffic: Chengdu ring roads are aggressive. Lane discipline is… interpretive. Motorcycles can lane-filter but watch for sudden lane changes

Well, it is already after 9 and I’m enjoying breakfast, no rush today and I will see how to manage the Chengdu traffic.

This was the most relaxing riding day so far. The route first went along a wider river , then suddenly deviated into orange/mandarin plantations on single lane side roads up and down the hills on curvy terrain, before it ended again on a major national road on the way to Huanglongxi, which is an ancient water town in the downtown area, while the new town around is peppered with new high rise apartment blocks, some are populated, most not.

However, what also became obvious, as attractive as it is, only half of the downtown area was in fact open and maintained, the remaining streets, as original as the other fell apart with close houses and shops and faded facades. Simply not enough tourism to allow a full restoration of this beautiful example of ancient Sichuan.

After a good walk through the old town, I got back on the road and Chengdu came quickly closer and the roads got more and more lanes, only to end up in standing traffic jams on 8 lane ring roads.

Arrived at the hotel as predicted. The Chinese navigation app is really impressive in terms of arrival prediction and routing.

The main reason why I chose this hotel is because it is close to the Honda Dream motorcycle workshop where I get a quick inspection and cleaning and oiling of the chain.

What I didn’t know, it is located in a dead business district with no restaurants or even a convenient store. Had to walk 2 km to get dinner. At least that was great.

Did my laundry, all done, even the pants. Ready for the next segment what will be the end of the tea horse road and the beginning of the silk road. But first I need to get up to a couple of 3,800 m passes over the next few days, until I have planned another rest day in Xiahe with the second biggest Tibetan monastery just under 3,000 meters elevation.