A Fairy-Tale Wonderland on Earth... Lost in the Multicolored Jiuzhaigou-Huanglong
It has been a week since I returned from Jiuzhaigou, but the fairy-tale world still frequently comes to mind, and I eagerly await our next encounter. There are already many travelogues online, but I still can't help sharing our tour experiences with fellow travelers.
The introduction of Jiuzhaigou has been well covered by other travelers, so I won't repeat it here. First, let me share our tour route, which we believe was the most satisfying choice. During our journey, we saw the tranquil and beautiful reflections of Mirror Lake and Arrow Bamboo Lake, as well as the magnificent Pearl Shoal and Panda Lake at sunrise. My spouse and I were able to enjoy the essence of Jiuzhaigou in solitude, as a successful route allows you to easily avoid other tourists.
The developed scenic area of Jiuzhaigou consists of three valleys forming a Y-shape: Shuzheng Valley at the bottom, Zechawa Valley on the upper left, and Rize Valley on the upper right, with Nuorilang Center at the junction.
We had two days and arranged as follows:
Day 1: At 7:00, we took a bus from the entrance to Rize Valley, arriving at Mirror Lake at 7:30 to enjoy its calm waters. From Mirror Lake station, we walked uphill along the road. After about ten minutes, there was a downward fork on the right. Following it for about 3-4 minutes, we reached an open concrete area, which was the Mirror Lake parking lot. At the end of the lot was the boardwalk. Walking up the quiet boardwalk, we arrived at Pearl Shoal. (As some travelers noted, it's better to go uphill from below, because if you go up to the Primeval Forest and then descend, you'll always be dealing with crowds—whether at attractions or stations, you'll have to queue. Conversely, going from bottom to top ensures peace and quiet for at least the first two hours, which are the cream of Jiuzhaigou's highlights!)
At 8:10, we reached Pearl Shoal. A circular boardwalk surrounds it, with Pearl Shoal Waterfall at the lower end and Pearl Shoal at the top. The rising sun cast slanting rays on the shoal and waterfall, making them extraordinarily beautiful, like sparkling pearls. Be sure to walk the full circle around Pearl Shoal, as you cannot miss any angle.
At 9:00, we started walking along the boardwalk toward Five Flower Lake, passing Big and Small Golden Bell Lakes along the way. These lakes of varying sizes reflected different shades of color under the sunlight, serene and beautiful. After about 15 minutes, we arrived at Five Flower Lake. Under the rising sun, the lake was truly colorful. At this point, tourists coming down from the road gradually increased. Considering that going further uphill would be both distant and strenuous, we took a bus from Five Flower Lake to the highest point.
The bus ride took about 20 minutes, and we arrived at the Primeval Forest at the top of Rize Valley at 10:10. We walked along the boardwalk through Grass Lake and Swan Lake, descending by the stream while breathing the exceptionally fresh air, enjoying our private world—it was wonderful. After reaching Swan Lake, we took a sightseeing bus one stop down to Arrow Bamboo Lake (the distance between the two lakes is 5 km).
Around 12:00, we reached Arrow Bamboo Lake. There are two boardwalks around Arrow Bamboo Lake; the one along the road offers better reflections. So we decided to take that side early on the second day. That day, after getting off the bus, we turned back 200 meters and took the other boardwalk of Arrow Bamboo Lake, which is on the side away from the road. This allowed us to avoid crowds and also escape the sun. We passed through Arrow Bamboo Lake, Arrow Bamboo Waterfall, Panda Lake, and Panda Lake Waterfall. We walked, ate, and enjoyed ourselves along the way. There are also two boardwalks from Arrow Bamboo Waterfall to Panda Lake, each with different scenery. Since we planned to visit again the next morning, we explored both.
From Panda Lake Waterfall, we continued descending along the boardwalk. Originally, we wanted to take the Tiger Mouth path to see the panoramic view of Five Flower Lake, but that fork was closed, probably for safety reasons. Around 2:00, we arrived at Five Flower Lake again. By then, there were many tourists, but the boardwalk side was still manageable and did not significantly affect viewing and photography. Under the bright sun, Five Flower Lake presented a different scene.
From Five Flower Lake, we took a bus to Nuorilang Center and then transferred to Zechawa Valley. At 3:00, we reached Long Lake at the top, enjoyed the panoramic view, and walked along the boardwalk to Five-Color Pond. There were many visitors, but enough to see the scenery. At about 4:00, we returned to Nuorilang. Feeling we still had energy, we walked less than ten minutes to Nuorilang Waterfall, then took a downhill bus back to the entrance.
Day 2: At 7:20, we took a bus from the entrance to Arrow Bamboo Lake. We walked along the boardwalk on the road side, enjoying Arrow Bamboo Lake that belonged only to us. The morning reflections were equally beautiful, perhaps even surpassing those of Mirror Lake. We passed through Arrow Bamboo Waterfall to Panda Lake, taking a different boardwalk from yesterday between Arrow Bamboo Waterfall and Panda Lake, experiencing a different scenery. At this time, Arrow Bamboo Waterfall was especially peaceful, small and exquisite. At 9:00, we reached Panda Lake. Under the rising sun, Panda Lake presented a completely different scene from yesterday—tranquil and colorful. Particularly noteworthy, the eastern sunlight penetrated the trees along the boardwalk, making the leaves emerald green and the lake water azure, with sparkling dots on the surface—a perfect combination of light and scenery. (Therefore, if you pass by Panda Lake around 9 or 10 in the morning when the sun is rising, do not miss the opportunity to enjoy the view from the inner boardwalk of the lake.) After admiring Panda Lake, we took a bus directly to Nuorilang.
Around 10:00, we encountered Nuorilang again. At that time, the waterfall was just catching the sunlight, and there were very few tourists—everything was perfect. Then we took a bus to Rhinoceros Lake. There was a slight breeze at Rhinoceros Lake, and the reflections were acceptable, but after seeing the perfect reflections at Mirror Lake and Arrow Bamboo Lake, it felt less appealing. We walked along the boardwalk through Tiger Lake, Shuzheng Waterfall, Mill, Spark Lake, Double Dragon Lake, Sleeping Dragon Lake, Reed Lake, and Bonsai Shoal, then boarded a bus to exit the valley. In my opinion, the scenery along the boardwalk in Shuzheng Valley is even more beautiful, especially Shuzheng Waterfall; the boardwalk near the mountain does not allow you to see the waterfall. Shuzheng Cluster Lakes should be viewed from the road side, where you can see the panoramic view of the cluster lakes from a distance, even if it means being in the sun. Reed Lake and Bonsai Shoal were average; perhaps after two days, we were a bit aesthetically fatigued. So if you're too tired, you can skip the boardwalk for this part. We exited the valley before 2:00. Originally, we wanted to go back to Pearl Shoal to see what it looked like under the bright sun, but considering we had Huanglong the next day, we conserved energy and left early.
Day 3: After checking out in the morning, we hired a car to Huanglong, arriving after about a 3-hour drive. We entered the scenic area at 10:00. Initially, the scenery at Huanglong seemed average, with not much water. The one-way distance was 4,200 meters. We walked and took photos, reaching the Five-Color Pond in less than two hours. By then, we felt that Huanglong's scenery was truly different from Jiuzhaigou's style—quite a unique spectacle that you can't see elsewhere. The effort of climbing to the top was worthwhile. Although the value for money was far less than Jiuzhaigou, I recommend visiting Huanglong if you have time. Since we had to catch a 3:40 flight, we spent half an hour taking photos and then quickly descended, reaching the scenic area entrance at 1:30 to take a taxi to the airport. The tour at Huanglong is simple, as other travelers have described, so I won't elaborate. One addition: contacting a taxi in advance is more convenient, and you can stop midway (e.g., at Chuanzhu Temple or Jiuzhai Paradise). Luggage can be stored in the car, and the driver is responsible. You can leave a phone number for urgent use. Also, only when descending at noon did I notice the number of tourists going up really start to increase. At 10:00, the crowds were manageable; moving a bit faster allowed us to take photos at leisure without many people.
Like a running account, I have listed our itinerary above. The most satisfying part was spending the first two hours of each day in Jiuzhaigou enjoying the essence—truly the cream of the crop. I only regret that my photography skills are too poor, and upon returning, I resolved to practice more.
As other travelers have mentioned, transportation within the valley is easy—you can take sightseeing buses at designated stops. Note that minibuses are usually chartered by tour groups, so they generally don't stop; you mainly wait for large buses. Buses start operating around 7:00 am. Some large bus attendants don't know which valley they are going to; they follow dispatchers' instructions. If a bus is heading to Long Lake, be sure to transfer at Nuorilang to go toward Rize Valley, as there's no need to go to Long Lake and Five-Color Pond early in the morning. Based on my experience, the reflections at Mirror Lake and Arrow Bamboo Lake are both very beautiful in the early morning. Pearl Shoal Waterfall should be enjoyed at sunrise; under the slanting sun, the shoal appears full of pearls, and the waterfall is shrouded in mist. Five Flower Lake and Panda Lake are both very beautiful when viewed around 9 or 10 o'clock. As other travelers have said, you must make good use of the 7:00 to 10:00 am period and plan your ideal itinerary. Very few tourists get off at Mirror Lake and Arrow Bamboo Lake early in the morning, so the next two-plus hours are a great time for sightseeing.
Regarding online ticket purchases, as some travelers suggest, from my experience, it didn't offer much advantage. On the first day, we arrived at the entrance at 6:40, and soon one or two windows opened for cash ticket purchases. The online ticket and most cash ticket service personnel had a brief meeting and didn't start selling tickets until nearly 7:00, so it was a bit disappointing. Just go directly into the valley.
Clothing: Wear a jacket in the morning, short sleeves at noon, and a blanket at night. The temperature difference is large; it's cool in the morning and evening, and very sunny at noon. Sunshine duration is similar to Beijing, and the climate is drier than imagined.
Food: To be honest, we didn't plan to eat well in Jiuzhaigou. We bought a lot of convenience food in Chengdu and brought it to Jiuzhaigou. Breakfast and lunch for three days were taken during the tour. We ate at Dicos once and had two meals at Bianbian Street. The cost at small restaurants was similar to mid-range restaurants in Beijing—just acceptable. Bianbian Street was much quieter than imagined; most shops were closed, though there were quite a few restaurants at the end of the street, probably all similar.
Accommodation: This was a concern for us. Initially, we wanted to stay at Jiuzhai Paradise, but considering the inconvenience of movement and, more importantly, the high cost, we canceled it, a bit regretfully. After comparing opinions from various netizens and the recommendation of our car-hire driver, we finally chose Kangba Linka. It is built to four-star standards and felt decent. The hotel is relatively new with new facilities and good hygiene. Bathing, sleeping, and other aspects basically met our needs, and the service was good. The location is excellent, only 2 km from the entrance.
Transportation: We flew round-trip from Chengdu to Jiuzhaigou, and fortunately, neither flight was delayed. For prices from the airport to Jiuzhaigou, refer to other travelers' notes. However, the bus was not as convenient as imagined; there were few buses, so it's best to arrange a car hire in advance. Since we stayed very close to the entrance, there was no need to take taxis.
Finally, our in-depth tour of the valley ended—tired but happy. At the hotel restaurant, we gave ourselves a hearty reward...
