Travel with me — private journeys with T.K.

When to come

The mountains change their clothes every month

Same roads, twelve different shows. Here's what Western Sichuan actually looks like through the year — so you can pick the month that matches what you want to shoot.

January

Deep winter. Snowline drops to the valley floors and the air is at its clearest. Almost no other travelers. High passes may close for a day or two after heavy snow.

February

Still winter-quiet, with Tibetan New Year falling in this stretch — monasteries at their fullest and most atmospheric. Cold, but a photographer's cold.

March

Spring starts in the low valleys: pear and peach blossom around the Danba villages, snow still on the peaks above them. One of the year's best contrasts.

April

Blossom peaks in the valleys while the high country stays white. Fresh greens climbing the hillsides day by day.

May

One of my two favorite windows. Stable skies, everything green, mountains still snowcapped — the best of all seasons in one trip.

June

Grasslands turn emerald and the first wildflowers come out. The rains begin — clouds build drama, and plans get a little slack built in.

July

Peak green. Flower meadows on the plateau, big clouds, long evenings. After heavy rain, mountain roads can need a buffer day — I plan for it.

August

Lush and moody. Waterfalls at full volume, mist moving through the valleys — the plateau at its most cinematic.

September

My second favorite window. Rains ease off, visibility returns, first autumn tones appear. Mountains sharp against clean blue.

October

The famous one: golden larch forests, red mountain shrubs, crisp starry nights. The year's most requested weeks — plan well ahead.

November

Late autumn: hard clean light, frosty mornings, empty trails. For photographers who like the mountains to themselves.

December

Early winter. Snow scenes, frozen streams, ice-blue gorges in the shade. Short days, long golden hours.

Exact conditions shift year to year — tell me your window and what you want to shoot, and I'll tell you honestly what to expect that month.

Also available

If you'd rather not plan it yourself

Everything on this site is free to use — read the guides, build your own route, take the train. Some people prefer a second pair of hands on the ground: I run a small number of private journeys each year, driving and guiding them myself.

One car, your group only. Best for two travellers, up to four. Private and custom — route, pace and stays planned with you before departure. Write to me and I'll send a tailored quote.

Ask about a private journey

What a private journey includes

Your own English-speaking driver-guide — no group, no strangers
Route built around your dates, pace and interests
Photo-spot timing: at the right place for the right light
Practising photographer's eye on the road; pointers if you want them
Chinese-English help on the ground: payments, tickets, ordering food
Honest advice on altitude, weather windows and what to skip

Guest words

What guests actually said

"Our driver was knowledgable, pleasant to talk to, speaking very good English. On top of that, he was an adventurer himself … by the end of the tour, we had a feeling that T.K. was more a friend than just our driver. If you want to have the same experience like us, ask for T.K."

— Magda Sawyer · Baba goes China
travel blog recommended by Lonely Planet China 2025

Today's visit was extraordinary, the exclusive plan and the material I brought. TK VERY GOOD too.

— Isaac Martín · Chavetas.es

TK was an excellent guide, both in the car and while visiting the various locations. We would recommend it to everyone because we had a great experience, and if we were to return, we would definitely ask for him.

— Stefano Guglielmino

Fantastic TK! You are amazing! Thanks again for this great experience.

— Giulia Portone

Who travels with TK

Trusted by travel creators

Some of my guests run travel blogs and channels of their own. They came to Western Sichuan with me — and wrote about it to their readers.

Chavetas · Spain

One of Spain's best-known family travel blogs, run by Isaac & Paula since 2006 — 80+ destination guides, 60+ countries, and high-end photo & video throughout. Isaac travelled with TK in Western Sichuan.

chavetas.es · @viajeschavetas

Baba goes China · Europe

A family travel blog about China, recommended in the Lonely Planet China 2025 edition. Magda plans her China journeys with local help — and keeps coming back.

babagoeschina.com · featured in Lonely Planet China 2025

Tariq Sawyer · Photographer

Travel photographer whose work has been featured by National Geographic twice — a finalist image in the NG Traveler Photo Contest (2013) and Photo of the Day on National Geographic (2014), from his shoots with the Kazakh eagle hunters of Mongolia. Travels and shoots together with Magda of Baba goes China.

tariqsawyer.com · @Tariqsawyerphotography

Eliot.YMH · Artist & filmmaker

French artist based in Japan. Director of commercial films for ISSEY MIYAKE, with campaign work for Levi's among his credits. Travelled through Western Sichuan with TK.

@eliot.ymh · Eliotymh on Xiaohongshu

Good to know

Questions I get before every trip

Do I need a visa for China?

Probably not. Citizens of around 50 countries — including most of Europe, the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea — can enter China visa-free for up to 30 days (policy running through 2026). If your country isn't on that list, the 10-day visa-free transit scheme covers 55 more nationalities, entering and exiting through designated ports — Chengdu included. Tell me your passport and rough plan when you write, and I'll confirm your easiest entry route before you buy any flights.

Will the altitude be a problem for me?

The routes here are built to climb gently: we start in Chengdu (500 m), sleep in valley towns, and only reach the high plateau (around 3,700 m) after days of gradual ascent. Pace the days around how you actually feel, and keep an eye on the altitude figures in each guide — they're listed for a reason.

What are the roads like?

All paved — but they're real mountain roads: winding, long, and spectacular. The smoothest windows are May–June and September–October; winter trips run fine with flexible buffers around snow.

Will my phone and apps work in China? How do I pay?

Short version: get Alipay and WeChat Pay on your phone before departure — both take international cards, and between them they cover nearly everything here. If your card won't link to either, there's a fallback: TenPayGo, a payment app WeChat Pay built for overseas visitors — you register with just an email and can link international cards, overseas wallets or Apple Pay. Google and many Western apps don't run in China by default, but that's a solvable puzzle, not a crisis.

What camera gear should I bring?

Whatever you already shoot with — phone included. That's the honest answer, because the difference here isn't gear, it's being in the right place at the right hour. One thing to know upfront: drones can't be brought into China — customs won't let them through for foreign visitors. Beyond that: a wide lens for the valleys, something longer for the peaks, spare batteries (cold eats them), a tripod if you want the pre-dawn light, and more memory than you think you need.

Can we plan a route other than the five-day one?

Yes — the five-day loop is the frame, not the limit. Shorter Chengdu-area trips, deeper plateau routes, or photography-focused itineraries are all doable. Write to me with your dates and interests and I'll draft a route for you.