Time Machine PLUS · Chongqing 6 Days 5 Nights

One of China's eight oldest grotto complexes, dominated by Song-dynasty figures that blend Confucian, Buddhist and Daoist traditions. Unlike the monumental austerity of other grottoes, the subjects stay close to everyday life, finely and vividly carved with a real warmth of the world. Walking the two core areas at Baoding Mountain and Beishan, tens of thousands of figures carpet the cliff face — from the reclining Buddha to the Thousand-Hand Guanyin — delicately worked and expressively alive, known as the last monument of Chinese grotto art.

The Three Natural Bridges in Wulong, Chongqing, are a World Natural Heritage site famous for the karst spectacle of three bridges spanning two sinkholes. The sinkholes feel like vast wells opening onto the sky, and the location appeared in Transformers: Age of Extinction. Ride the sightseeing vehicle down to the floor of the basin, where cliffs shoot straight up overhead and the ancient post station used as a filming location sits beneath you, with the Tianlong, Qinglong and Heilong bridges arching across. Standing at the bottom and looking up, you genuinely understand the weight of the word "sinkhole".

Xiannv Mountain in Wulong, Chongqing, is part of the World Natural Heritage site and known as the Switzerland of the East, with broad grassland and dense forest on the high plateau. Cattle and sheep wander the slopes; summers are cool and winters bring snow. Ride the little train across the grassland beneath blue skies and white clouds. Beat the heat in summer, enjoy the snow in winter — a comfortable high-altitude escape in every season.

The largest Miao architectural complex in China and a sacred site of Miao culture. Share a long-table banquet with the warm and hospitable Miao hosts, drink the ceremonial gate wine and watch Miao song and dance. Gate wine, long-table feasts and lusheng music greet you all the way in, with no threshold on Miao hospitality. Wander slowly between the drum tower and the wind-and-rain bridge, and take a close look at Miao architecture and costume patterns.

In the karst gorge, sheer peaks stand on both banks and the river runs green as jade — hence the name "a thousand li of Wujiang, a hundred li of gallery". Board a cruise boat and drift downstream as one peak after another unfolds and the emerald water mirrors the mountains. The phrase is not an empty flourish; it is scenery that flows past your eyes for the entire voyage.

Built around Ming-dynasty court ritual and blended with Bayu culture. Dishes arrive in step with the performance: you taste a refined banquet infused with Chongqing flavours while watching classical music and dance, an immersive encounter with a thousand years of Bayu elegance and a strong sense of ceremony. Enter the banquet hall, change into hanfu and take your seat as the courses follow the show — fine dining, classical performance and photo-worthy atmosphere all at once.

Wake naturally and tick off Jiefangbei, the Eighteen Steps, the monorail through a building at Liziba and Ciqikou Old Town with friends, finishing with a photo pose amid the brilliant lights of Hongya Cave. Wandering and pausing along the way is thoroughly relaxing. No rushing between sights, only rhythm: from the commercial energy of Jiefangbei to the slopes of the old Eighteen Steps, then another look at the monorail through the building, finishing in the lights of Hongya Cave — a day that is both easy and photogenic.