Travel Diary: 7-Day Trip to Wuxi, Jiuzhaigou, Huanglong, Chengdu, Langzhong, and Guangyuan
It's often said that after visiting Jiuzhaigou, you'll find no other waters worth seeing. Jiuzhaigou had always been a place I wanted to visit. During my college graduation season, a classmate invited me on a graduation trip to Jiuzhaigou, but at that time the only way to get there was by bus from Chengdu. The road was poor, and the one-way trip took a full day, so I gave up. But my longing for Jiuzhaigou stayed in my heart.
In August 2017, I booked a hotel, bought a direct flight ticket to Jiuzhaigou, and took leave to go. But on August 8, a week before departure, an earthquake hit Jiuzhaigou, and the trip was canceled. Several years later, when the Jiuzhaigou scenic area reopened, I booked a hotel again in July 2020, bought a direct flight ticket, and took leave. But when I arrived at the airport, the flight was canceled due to weather conditions. The trip was canceled again. In June 2021, I tried once more: booked a hotel, bought a direct flight ticket to Jiuzhaigou, and took leave, hoping no more mishaps would occur.
There are no direct flights from Shanghai to Jiuzhaigou, but Wuxi has direct flights at reasonable prices, so I booked a flight from Wuxi to Jiuzhaigou. June is the off-season for Jiuzhaigou, so hotel prices are low. The four-star Jiuzhai Resort was under 200 yuan. To save more time for sightseeing and avoid the discomfort of long bus rides, I chose to charter a car from Jiuzhaigou to Chengdu, which was a bit extravagant for a solo traveler.
I had already visited Chengdu and its surrounding attractions before, so this time I only went to the Sanxingdui Museum, which I hadn't visited. Langzhong, one of the four ancient cities, was also a destination I had long wanted to visit. Finally, I chose to return to Shanghai from Guangyuan because flights from Guangyuan to Shanghai were cheap, and Guangyuan has several nice attractions. With the popularity of high-speed rail in China, travel has become much more convenient, allowing access to many places that were previously difficult to reach.
6/20 D1 Shanghai -> Wuxi -> Jiuzhaigou (Stay: Jiuzhai Resort)
Train D952, 8:30 -> 9:10 Wuxi
Sightseeing: Nanchang Street, Nanchan Temple
Flight 3U3728, 13:00 Wuxi Shuofang Airport -> 16:00 Huanglong Airport
6/21 D2 Jiuzhaigou (Stay: Jiuzhai Resort)
Sightseeing: Jiuzhaigou
6/22 D3 Jiuzhaigou -> Huanglong -> Chengdu (Stay: Jincheng Qingya Apartment, Chengdu)
Charter car to visit Huanglong and then return to Chengdu
Sightseeing: Huanglong, Jinli
6/23 D4 Chengdu -> Guanghan North -> Chengdu (Stay: Jincheng Qingya Apartment, Chengdu)
Train G2232, 8:27 Chengdu East -> Guanghan North
Sightseeing: Sanxingdui Museum
Train C6333, 12:30 Guanghan North -> Chengdu East
Visit: Chunxi Road, Kuanzhai Alley
6/24 D5 Chengdu -> Langzhong (Langzhong Wafang Inn)
Train C5804, 6:30 Chengdu East -> 9:02 Langzhong
Sightseeing: Langzhong Ancient City, Nanjinguan Ancient Town, Jinping Mountain
6/25 D6 Langzhong -> Guangyuan (Guangyuan Fengqi City Hotel)
Train D1965, 10:38 Langzhong -> 11:33 Guangyuan
Visit: Langzhong Ancient City, Huangze Temple, Zhaohua Ancient City
6/26 D7 Guangyuan -> Shanghai
Visit: Thousand Buddha Cliff
Flight 9C6646, 13:05 Guangyuan Panlong -> 14:45 Shanghai Pudong
6/20 D1 Shanghai -> Wuxi -> Jiuzhaigou (Stay: Jiuzhai Resort)
Afternoon flight from Wuxi to Jiuzhaigou; took the morning train to Wuxi and spent some time there.
Early morning train from Shanghai to Wuxi, then took the subway to Nanchan Temple and visited Nanchang Street.
Nanchang Street historic district is built along the canal; most buildings are recently reconstructed but have a bohemian charm.
Cafes, creative shops, etc. I arrived quite early, so many shops weren't open yet.
Around 10 a.m., I was about to take the subway to Wuxi Airport when I received a text message saying the flight was delayed to 4 p.m. My heart skipped a beat—would it be canceled again? Huanglong Airport is on the plateau, with unpredictable weather; flight cancellations and delays are common. I checked VariFlight (U-zn): the flight on June 19, the day before, had been canceled. Well, I felt frustrated, but there was nothing I could do, so I continued exploring Wuxi.
Had a simple lunch on Nanchan Temple pedestrian street.
Kept checking VariFlight, worried about cancellation. Then another message came: the flight was rescheduled to 6 p.m.
At 3 p.m., I took the subway to Wuxi Shuofang Airport and waited patiently in the lounge.
Finally, the flight took off at exactly 6 p.m.
In this season, it gets dark late in Sichuan. When I arrived at Huanglong Airport at 8 p.m., it was still light.
Huanglong Airport is on a plateau. I got off the plane carefully, avoiding sudden movements to prevent altitude sickness. At the airport exit, I saw someone already suffering from altitude sickness, using oxygen.
I had pre-booked an airport transfer to the hotel online.
Huanglong Airport is over 80 kilometers from the entrance of Jiuzhaigou Valley. The pre-booked transfer cost 76 yuan. As soon as I got in the car, the driver asked about my itinerary for the following days. When he learned that I had already arranged everything and wouldn't need his car later, he kept saying that the transfer fee was a loss for him and that he hoped to earn money by driving me in the following days through chartered services. The drive from the airport to the valley entrance took nearly two hours—it was indeed long. In the end, I transferred another 50 yuan to the driver. This method of attracting customers with low prices and then making money through chartering feels inappropriate. Although the driver didn't explicitly ask for more money, his constant talk about losses felt somewhat deceptive.
Arrived at the hotel after 10 p.m. Then went to the nearby Bianbian Street for dinner. Jiuzhaigou is in a Tibetan area. I ate at a highly-rated Tibetan restaurant—had yak meat hotpot. The meat was good, and the portion was large. The Tibetan owner was very hospitable; first he offered me a toast, and when I said I don't drink, he gave me a khata (ceremonial scarf).
After a tiring day, I didn't eat much and returned to the hotel to rest.
6/21 D2 Jiuzhaigou (Stay: Jiuzhai Resort)
I had read travel guides saying that one day in Jiuzhaigou is quite tight, so I got up early and had breakfast at the hotel.
The hotel offered a free shuttle to the valley entrance between 7 and 8 a.m. I arrived at the scenic area before 7:30 a.m., and there were already many tour groups queuing at the gate. The scenic area officially opened at 7:30 a.m.
After the ticket check, I boarded the scenic bus. In the morning, the buses usually terminate at the Five Flowers Lake in Rize Valley. Originally, the endpoint of this route was the Primeval Forest, but now the area above Five Flowers Lake is closed to visitors.
On the bus, I saw the azure lakes of Jiuzhaigou—they were stunning.
I got off at Five Flowers Lake. Many tourists just looked around at the platform near the bus stop and then left.
But in fact, there are boardwalks around the lake, allowing you to circle the lake. Five Flowers Lake is one of the most beautiful spots in Jiuzhaigou. Each point around the lake offers a different view. This was the place where I spent the most time.
After visiting Five Flowers Lake, I followed the boardwalk for 1.5 kilometers to reach Pearl Shoal. Traveling from Five Flowers Lake to Pearl Shoal by bus is also an option; the scenery along the way is average.
At Pearl Shoal, I visited Pearl Shoal Falls and Pearl Shoal.
Then I walked to Mirror Lake.
After walking through the area and visiting Mirror Lake, I reached Nuorilang Falls.
Nuorilang Visitor Center is the only restaurant inside the scenic area and also the transfer center for scenic buses.
The restaurant only served set meals, and there were many small souvenir shops. To save time for sightseeing, I ate some bread and headed to the transfer center to take a bus to Long Lake. Zechawa Valley only has two attractions: Long Lake and Five-Color Pond.
The bus ride from Nuorilang Visitor Center to Long Lake is over 10 kilometers. Long Lake is the largest lake in Jiuzhaigou, but apart from its size, the scenery is ordinary.
I walked to Five-Color Pond. It is the most famous lake in Jiuzhaigou, and the scenery is indeed beautiful—the water displays multiple colors.
Then I took a bus back to Shuzheng Valley to continue sightseeing. I got off at Rhinoceros Lake and visited it.
Walked to Tiger Lake.
Going downstream along the boardwalk, I saw Shuzheng Falls, then reached Shuzheng Group Lakes.
I took the bus at Shuzheng Station to Spark Lake and then walked along the boardwalk to Crouching Dragon Lake and Double Dragon Lake.
After seeing many lakes, I started to feel a bit of aesthetic fatigue. I no longer had the same excitement as when I first saw the lakes from the bus upon entering the valley.
Then I took the bus and enjoyed the views of Reed Lake and Bonsai Beach from the window.
I got off at the last scenic spot, Zha Ru Temple, and visited it.
Zha Ru Temple is a Tibetan Buddhist temple. The old hall seemed quite old, and there was a ritual going on inside.
After visiting Zha Ru Temple, I took the bus back to the entrance.
The planning of the scenic buses and the service of the staff at Jiuzhaigou were excellent, worthy of the 259 yuan ticket price.
I exited the scenic area around 3 p.m. Since the current endpoint of Rize Valley is Five Flowers Lake, one day was more than enough to see Jiuzhaigou. If the endpoint were the Primeval Forest, the day would have been a bit tight.
Jiuzhaigou has shared electric scooters. I rode one 2.5 kilometers back to the hotel.
Transportation around the entrance to Jiuzhaigou Valley is not very convenient; only taxis are available. But fortunately, there are electric scooters now.
Tired from walking today, I went back to the hotel to rest.
At 5 p.m., I took an electric scooter again to a highly-rated restaurant for a yak meat hotpot.
After dinner, I continued on the scooter to Bianbian Street. Perhaps due to the off-season or the pandemic, many shops there were closed.
Jiuzhaigou has no nightlife. I went back to the hotel early and slept.
6/22 D3 Jiuzhaigou -> Huanglong -> Chengdu (Stay: Jincheng Qingya Apartment, Chengdu)
I planned to charter a car to visit Huanglong, then go to the Yingxiu Earthquake Ruins Museum, and finally return to Chengdu. So I asked the driver to pick me up at 7 a.m.
The driver stopped at a restaurant in Chuanzhu Temple on the way, saying it was his brother's place and he wanted to rest and eat something.
I thought it might be a trick. It was already on the plateau, and it was a bit cold outside the car.
Inside, the host poured me Tibetan safflower tea and offered me dried yak meat, saying they are hospitable here.
The driver had some tea and soon called me to continue. There was no trick; locals are genuinely hospitable.
It took two hours in total to reach Huanglong Scenic Area. The driver stopped at the main entrance visitor center, which is the starting point for hiking up.
From there, there is a free shuttle bus to the cable car station about 800 meters away. I took the cable car up.
Huanglong's altitude is about 3,500 meters, but due to the abundant vegetation, I didn't experience altitude sickness.
After getting off the cable car, I walked 2 kilometers on foot to reach the Five-Color Pond and Huanglong Temple.
First, I arrived at Huanglong Temple. The interior of the temple was not particularly special.
But the plaque at the entrance shows different characters from three angles, which is quite unique.
Continuing up to see the panoramic view of the Five-Color Pond—Huanglong's Five-Color Pond is a representative travertine pool, with colors ranging from light at the top to deep at the bottom.
I walked down along the boardwalk. Along the way, there were several other lakes, all with beautiful scenery.
