This section is dedicated to take away all your "I wish someone had told me that before I went!" experiences. This way, you can spend less time settling in, and more time making new friends in your chosen hostel.
Daocheng is a small town, in Sichuan province, in the southwest of China. At first sight, Daocheng doesn't seem like a really interesting town and you would hardly want to stop here, but the location of this town makes it a privileged place for those who want to go the Yading Nature Reserve. Probably you will have to stop here on your way to and/or returning from Yading Nature Reserve.
If you have some spare time in town or just some time to kill, you can go to the pedestrian shopping street, with traditional houses on both sides, in a nice mixture of colors and sounds –- if you want to have dinner in this area (also called Echu Jie), don't leave too late, as restaurants seem to close around 8 p.m. If you love Chinese monasteries, you can head to the impressive Xiongdeng Gompa. To get here, you will need to get a taxi and bargain a bit -– the trip takes around thirty-five minutes. Finally, if you are more into relaxing, you can head to the hot springs, which have an inexpensive entry fee and are just five kilometers out of town -– probably a taxi is also a good option if you don't have a bicycle.
If you stop in Daocheng and you need to go the Yading Nature Reserve, don't expect to get there on a public bus. The reserve is only two hours away –- a little bit more than one-hundred kilometers –- and you can get the the best transport from Daocheng's hostels. Alternatively, there are minivans in Daocheng's main street and you can share costs with other travelers.
There aren't many hostels in Daocheng, so be sure that you check availability in advance –- this is really important during the peak season -– also, some hostels in Daocheng close during the winter. Daocheng's hostels are nice, good for relaxing, and with average conditions. Sometimes you need to check the time where hot water is available -– it's usually not twenty-four hours a day.
Written by local expertz for Daocheng
CoffeeMarks