Jiuzhaigou, Huanglong + Chengdu
Itinerary: Shanghai-Jiuzhaigou-Chengdu-Shanghai 6-day independent tour. D1: Shanghai-Jiuzhaigou, stay at Jiuxin Villa. D2: Huanglong day trip, stay at Jiuxin Villa. D3: Jiuzhaigou first entry, stay at Jiuxin Villa. D4: Jiuzhaigou second entry, fly to Chengdu in the evening, stay at Taicheng Hotel. D5: Dujiangyan + Qingcheng Mountain day trip, stay at Taicheng Hotel. D6: Panda Base, return to Shanghai in the evening. The choice of both hotels prioritized proximity to attractions and convenience for meals, within walking distance. Regarding altitude sickness, I started taking Rhodiola capsules a week in advance. After arrival, I had no obvious reactions, just slight swelling in hands and feet and tinnitus, which I was quite satisfied with given my physical condition. On the way to Huanglong, I bought a bottle of liquid oxygen. Safety first, I gladly handed over a 100-yuan note, and it proved quite useful later. Special mention: the airport transfer service greatly facilitated independent travelers. Ctrip provided a free transfer from Jiuhuang Airport to the hotel, and I booked a transfer from Chengdu Shuangliu Airport to the hotel myself for 50 yuan one-way—not the best price, but convenient and worry-free. A few new discoveries: Ctrip gift cards sold on Taobao at about 96% of face value, a secret to saving money I stumbled upon. Shanghai airport transfer carpool service (official) also bought on Taobao: 70 yuan per person within the outer ring road, 80 yuan per person outside. Point-to-point transfer, either airport can be chosen. If traveling solo to Pudong Airport, this price is a steal, and you avoid long queues.
D1: The airport drop-off turned into a private car service—lucky me! After arriving at Jiuzhaigou Huanglong Airport, Ctrip’s pickup was seamless. I shared a car with two others, all mountain roads, about 2 hours to the hotel. The day’s bumpy ride was tiring. The hotel’s back door led to Bianbian Street, convenient for meals, and all restaurants there had Wi-Fi.
D2: Today’s itinerary was a Huanglong day trip booked through Ctrip, including transfer + lunch at Chuanzhu Temple + Huanglong scenic area ticket. Pickup around 8:30 am, returned to the hotel at 9 pm. Exploring Huanglong takes a full day, with about 7 hours on the road—quite exhausting. Jiuzhaigou is about 130 km from Huanglong. First stop was lunch at Chuanzhu Temple, about 2 hours 40 minutes drive. The area is Tibetan, easy to identify by appearance without speaking. After eating, we continued, with altitude fluctuating like a roller coaster. Taking some Rhodiola or oxygen water was necessary; altitude sickness is no joke. About 1 hour later, we arrived at Huanglong scenic area. The guide gave us 4 hours to explore: cable car up (separate fee) and hike down. Time was tight; after Mingjing Reflection Pool, I rushed downhill without stopping to look at sights or take photos. I lost count of the distance, but those 4 hours, apart from the cable car ride and photo stops, I never sat down. After climbing Huanglong, I only had mild calf soreness, which didn’t affect the next day’s marathon in Jiuzhaigou.
Huanglong observations: 1. At the Five-Color Pond viewpoint, I saw an auntie fall while posing for a photo, got wet, and was dragged out by staff—probably injured. Photo-taking has risks. 2. Another incident: on the way down, a woman was kicking and throwing a tantrum on a rest bench—she was suffering from altitude sickness, crying that she didn’t want to live. The man with her was helpless. An older woman stepped in with a massage and calmed her down. Seeing this, I took a few more sips of oxygen water. Good thing I had it; no fear. Later, they walked even faster than me... 3. I climbed onto a wooden railing to take a photo, and someone behind shouted, “Kid, be careful.” After a three-second delay, I turned around in disbelief. They were indeed shouting at me...
D3: Jiuzhaigou first entry. I left the hotel at 10 am, smartly avoiding the tour groups. After exchanging the ticket on the second floor, I entered the park with few people. Today’s route: Arrow Bamboo Lake - Panda Lake - Five Flower Lake - Pearl Shoal. I hiked the entire Rize Valley route. After Pearl Shoal, I took a shuttle to the central station and transferred to the Zechawa Valley sightseeing bus. Got off at Long Lake and Five-Color Pond for photos; the rest was just a blur from the bus. Sightseeing bus tip: From the park entrance to central station, sit on the left to enjoy the Shuzheng Valley scenery, mainly lakes. From central station to Long Lake, still on the left, enjoy Zechawa Valley’s autumn colors—vibrant leaves and the gorgeous seasonal lakes. From central station to Primeval Forest, sit on the right to overlook the gem of Jiuzhaigou, Five Flower Lake. This Rize Valley is the essence of Jiuzhaigou. On the return, just reverse sides.
After two days of continuous hiking, I finally wore myself out. After getting off the sightseeing bus at the exit, I could barely walk. It was time to relax. I initially wanted to take a taxi to Fuqiao Foot Massage, but locals said it would cost 50 yuan—OMG! On their advice, I took a private car (black car) for 10 yuan, sharing with two male tourists. Thought it was safe. After the massage, I was in an awkward situation. It was dark, and a black car driver offered 10 yuan to take me back to the hotel. A woman was already in the back seat, but I couldn’t see her clearly. I sat in the front passenger seat, nervous the whole way. From their conversation, I learned they were a couple—which made me even more uneasy. My mind raced through escape scenarios... Thank goodness I arrived safely at the hotel. False alarm.
D4: Today’s plan was the second entry. I got up and waddled like a penguin toward the entrance—my calves and knees ached badly. To catch Mirror Lake’s surreal scene of “fish swimming in the sky, birds flying underwater” before 8 am, I woke up at 6:30. But a series of hiccups prevented me from arriving on time. Several mistakes: 1. It’s best to exchange the next day’s ticket right after receiving the SMS the day before. In the morning, the ticket exchange machines had long queues because many tour guides were using them, each with 20+ tickets, severely slowing down the process. Don’t expect to cut in line—their attitude is poor. I tried and failed; there were four guides ahead of me with at least 80 tickets total. I had only one ticket, so I asked, but they directly said no. After finally getting my turn, the machine ran out of paper or couldn’t read my ID—just chaos. 2. The park was crowded; the sightseeing bus felt like Spring Festival travel rush, though I’ve never experienced it. They dropped tourists directly at Shuzheng Village, not the central station. To get back on a bus, you had to walk from Shuzheng Village to Rhino Lake—that was the only option. With so many people stuck at Shuzheng Village, the pace was crawl, head to head. There were some buses from the entrance to the central station, but very few—you had to spot them carefully. These hiccups ruined my chance to capture Mirror Lake’s mirror-like reflection.
Today’s route: Shuzheng Village - Tiger Lake - Rhino Lake forced hike. From Rhino Lake, took a bus to central station, then transferred to Primeval Forest for a look. The entire Rize Valley was bypassed by bus since I had already seen the best parts yesterday. Back at central station, I started exploring Shuzheng Valley: Nuorilang Waterfall and Rhino Lake (got off for views), then walked Shuzheng Cluster Lakes - Crouching Dragon Lake - Spark Lake - Reed Lake - Bonsai Shoal. Shuzheng Valley surprised me endlessly. Few people—so few I only met a handful—probably because it was the exit route. The scenery was ever-changing. My personal favorites—Shuzheng Cluster Lakes, Spark Lake cascades, and the beloved Reed Lake—all appeared along this route. How could I not love it? The airport driver, a Tibetan guy, picked me up at 3:30 pm as arranged. We chatted along the way; he introduced Tibetan culture and knowledge. He even said I could herd cattle for his family for a year and get 20 yaks—hilarious. Arrived at Chengdu airport around 8 pm, transfer to Taicheng Hotel. The hotel suited my style; by the way, the front desk staff were all handsome—fangirl mode! Based on the good impression of Chongqing Fuqiao in Jiuzhaigou, I chose their branch again. It was near the hotel and had a group deal. True to “you get what you pay for”: bad environment, room smelled, technique was different. I won’t go again. Since it was a group deal, many things were restricted: couldn’t choose therapist gender, divided into projects with set times per area. I just wanted a calf massage to relax, okay?
D5: I booked a Dujiangyan and Qingcheng Mountain day trip on Ctrip. Mr. Yu Qiuyu also left his calligraphy after visiting these places: “Worship water at Dujiangyan, seek Tao at Qingcheng Mountain.” Pickup was around 6:50 am—too early. After the guide’s explanation of Dujiangyan’s irrigation system, I deeply admired the wisdom and perseverance of the ancients, benefiting the local people and future generations. Actually, when booking, it would have been better to include the Dao Performance, since non-performance viewers also had to wait for the performance to end before departing together. Ctrip’s price difference was only 30 yuan. Why not? In the afternoon, we visited Qingcheng Mountain, very serene. I decided to climb to Shangqing Palace based on my energy—I couldn’t stop walking... The day ended around 6:30 pm when we were dropped off at the hotel, then I went straight to dinner. After eating, with time to spare, I wandered Jinli Alley. Local artisans gathered there; it was interesting to stroll and stop. Bars were also clustered here, reminiscent of Lijiang. So many snacks I couldn’t finish; vendors were full of gimmicks, shouting and hawking—lively. The day trip was booked with “Jinxiu Holiday” on Ctrip. The guide, Xiao Xu, was professional, had a good attitude, arranged a decent group meal, and no shopping. Being a female tour guide is truly not easy. Why am I writing this? Because on the way back, I chatted with her and learned that guides in her company receive a base salary, and bonuses depend entirely on five-star reviews from tourists. Without shopping stops, there’s no extra income. By mentioning her positively, I’m affirming her work.
D6: This morning, I encountered something infuriating. The ticket seller at the Wuhou Temple direct bus stop—a woman—was severely late, arriving at 9:10 am. She was the only one with the key to open and sell tickets, leaving many tourists and bus drivers waiting. The earliest Panda Base shuttle online booking was 8:30 am, requiring ticket exchange 30 minutes early. Some tourists queued from 8 am, waiting over an hour. She didn’t apologize after arriving late, even laughing with other staff—too much. Most direct bus passengers are out-of-town tourists with pre-planned schedules; some, like me, had afternoon flights to catch. As Chengdu’s tourism service window to the whole country and even the world, such a basic mistake should never have happened. Her failure to acknowledge the inconvenience caused was unacceptable and unforgivable, directly lowering my impression of Chengdu. Bear facts: 1. Pandas have existed for 80 million years, contemporaries of dinosaurs. 2. Panda lifespan vs human is 3.5:1. 3. They are naturally premature, weighing 1/1000 of adult at birth. 4. They have tails, which are white. At noon, I returned to Wuhou Temple from the Panda Base and had lunch at Jinli. During the day, Jinli was also bustling. I sampled tofu jerky, Zhang Dapao, beef crispy cake, Leshan Boboji, and Longzhongdui—my Shanghai stomach won’t comment on whether they were tasty, just unfamiliar.
The airport driver picked me up 3 hours early; a 30-minute drive later, I arrived at the airport with over 2 hours to spare—speechless. It would have been easier to just take a taxi. The flight was delayed, but only by half an hour. The Shanghai pickup was again a private car, upgraded to a Buick 7-seat van. The driver said this single trip wouldn’t even cover gas—was he hinting I should thank the delay?
