Wenchuan is not very tourist-orientated as a town but there are plenty of restaurants and shops, a couple of vegetable markets, and a pleasant small-town atmosphere. In the evening some of the locals do Qiang and Tibetan dancing outside the biggest supermarket on the main street. It is a good centre to stay in and then go out to the neighbouring villages and valleys. If you stay in Luobozhai or Taoping, they sometimes have traditional Qiang dancing and singing in the evenings, with a bonfire, and – if visitors orders it – a goat-roast. This is more frequent at week-ends and on national or Qiang holidays.

The mountains are steep around Wenchuan, with narrow valleys and rushing streams. These valleys are not always easily visible from the main road but some of them are well worth exploring. Because Taoping gets much of the tourist traffic, many other villages are definitely still off the beaten track. Longxi (龙溪) valley is about 20 minutes by minivan or taxi from Wenchuan and is a right turn across a narrow bridge a few kilometres before Taoping. It is an attractive valley and if you make the 3 hour trek along the Longxi road to the village of A’er, the landscape changes from steep mountain to open walking country and virgin forest. One or two small groups of intrepid explorers have camped here.

The Qiang villages and natural scenery are the biggest draws of the area.

Luobozhai village (萝卜寨), which is about 20 minutes by hired van or taxi from Wenchuan towards Songpan/Jiuzhigou(c.60 RMB), is in a marvellous location on a small plateau near the top of a mountain. It has a stunning view of the main Min River valley. There is an entrance fee of 60 RMB which is very overpriced for local Chinese, but worth it for tourists and helpful for the local economy.

Taoping village (桃坪) is in Lixian rather than Wenchuan county, but is roughly the same distance as Luobozhai, going north on the Ma'erkang/Hongyuan road, and well worth a visit (also 60Y entrance fee). It has 3 towers and is very fortress-like with an inner maze of winding alleyways and an underground water system to sustain them in times of siege. There is a small museum in the corner of the main square. Many tourists come in tour groups which just stop for an hour, ‘do the villages’ and then move on. This means the countryside beyond the villages is often quiet and uncrowded, with locals just going about their daily work in the fields.

Yanmen village and beauty spot is about 15 minutes by taxi/minivan from Wenchuan on the road north to Songpan/Jiuzhaigou. This has tea houses, good walks and places to picnic.

Qi Pan Gou Travelling south about 15 minutes from Wenchuan on the Chengdu road, there is a village called Qi Pan Gou and a left turn takes you up an unsurfaced road along a stream to a good walking area.

Qiangfeng Village. Further south and across a plank suspension bridge on the right of the main Chengdu road you can walk up to the Qiang village of Qiangfeng. There were plans to develop this as a tourist village but they never really took off so it is less ‘touristy’ than Taoping and Luobozhai.

Buwa Village high up on the mountains with its three watchtowers is visible from the main street of Wenchuan. If you can make it to Buwa, it's worth going further up to the plateau area at the top.

Wenchuan is easily accessible by bus from Chengdu. Buses coming down from Jiuzhaigou/Songpan and from Hongyuan/Ma’erkang to Chengdu also stop in Wenchuan. All Chengdu buses depart from/arrive in Chadianzi bus station in the west of Chengdu. At the moment (April 2008) the journey is about 3½ hours and should be shorter once the new road is completed. The ticket price is about 40 RMB and there are several buses a day. Unfortunately they don’t travel on the toll-road from Dujianyan to Chengdu, which slows the journey. If you want to do take the toll road – get a bus from Wenchuan to Dujiangyan (c.21 RMB) and then get the toll-road bus (gaosu lu) to Chengdu. These are very frequent and leave from the main bus station in Dujiangyan, which is where the Wenchuan-Dujiangyan bus drops you.

Unless you have your own vehicle you will need to hire taxis or minivans for local travel, although there are local walks directly out from Wenchuan. Taxis out to the tourist villages of Taoping and Luobozhai should be about 40-60Y. Minivans can be hired for around the same price unless you find one with locals already heading to your destination, then the price should be about 5Y per person. A Chinese map of Aba Prefecture can be bought at the small shop inside the bus station (4.5Y).

Qiang handicrafts and specialty foods are on sale in the town and in the more tourist-orientated local villages (predominantly Taoping and Luobozhai at present). It’s definitely worth bargaining if you want a fair price – although an unfair price will help the locals more. The region is famous for its fruit and, in season, has apples, pears, plums, peaches, walnuts, cherries...

The Qiang are famous for collecting wild vegetables and also for their cured ham so it’s well worth having a Qiang meal – very healthy and full of flavor. Their staple food used to be maize although rice has largely replaced this in many areas. Another simple but good traditional food is small potatoes cooked in their skins and dipped in a chilli and salt mix.

The Qiang have a traditional mild alcohol called ‘za jiu’(咂酒) or ‘sucking wine’. At festivals this is drunk through communal long bamboo straws from a single, large jar. However, it can also be requested at meals as a bottled drink. Other standard drinks are generally available (water, Coke, etc). Chinese tea is often served with meals.